A Forever Caliber for my Daughter

[LoadOnSunday…Load Again]

Hi there,
I'm hoping to get some of your Years-Long Wisdom for what is probably a simple answer.?!
My 12 year old daughter shot her 1st Buck last year at 256 yds and her 1st Cow Elk this year at 330 yds.
Both were with her mom's Remington seven in 7mm-08 using factory 140 gr corelokts. (I can't for the life of me get any of my hand loads to shoot better than those in this gun…..but that's a different story.)
I also have a Ruger American in 7mm-08 for my son that does like my hand loads.
MY QUESTION IS..
Should I buy another 7mm-08 for my daughter to use on many hunts to come?.., Or should I buy her a 6.5 Creedmoor?…. I Know There I Said It!!!
We mostly hunt Whitetails and Elk from 50 to 400 yds.
Which caliber would you buy her and which out of the box not to expensive rifle would you get it in?.. Keep in mind she's the oldest of my 4 kids and it can't cost much because I, well, have 4 kids.
Thanks!

 

[Chadp82]

I would stick with the 7mm 08.

If you want to do something different, look at 280 Rem or 280 AI.

 

[RidgeTop]

If it ain't broke...
7-08 is doing what you want.

 

[Longtine88]

My kids all are 9, 19, and 21 (daughter and best shot). Started them on a 260 early. Now they all shoot 7 saums. Does everything they want to do and it's all they shoot today. And they shoot a lot.

 

[wyohammer]

I would get another 7mm-08 since you seem to already have everything you need to reload for it.

As for a factory rifle I would look at a Bergara b-14.

 

[xsn10s]

I've considered a 7-08 as a "forever" cartridge for me lol.

 

[340Wby-4-everything]

7-08 sounds like the logical choice. Forever is a long time and there are a lot of things you'd be a fool to hunt with a 7-08 or a needmore and many guides/govts won't let you use those. If you think she'll ever want to hunt bigger stuff or shoot from greater distances at animals, both of those are quickly ruled out. When I hear/think of a forever gun, my mind goes immediately to 300 Win mag, even though I am huge Wby fan and have 2 300s, I also have 2 300 WMs. Recoil is less and cheaper to shoot / reload. So many choices these days.

 

[birddog 68]

Another 7-08. I've got plenty of rifles but for deer it's still my go to and as you already know it'll work fine for elk at reasonable ranges.
Mine is a Browning Xbolt and is a solid rifle for the $$

 

[MtPockets]

Get a Savage 110 in 7mm-08 and dont look back!
One of my best friends hunted for 30 years with a 300 Win Mag. Picked up a 7mm-08 and liked it so much the Winnie went down the road!

 

[Wingnut00]

I'm gonna be the odd guy here. Get a 25-06. When I was a kid dad took me hunting with a guy that had a 25-06. I instantly wanted one. So mom and dad saved for two years and bought me and my brother matching 25-06's. It's kinda my "ultimate" cartridge I guess.

 

[memtb]

Hi there,
I'm hoping to get some of your Years-Long Wisdom for what is probably a simple answer.?!
My 12 year old daughter shot her 1st Buck last year at 256 yds and her 1st Cow Elk this year at 330 yds.
Both were with her mom's Remington seven in 7mm-08 using factory 140 gr corelokts. (I can't for the life of me get any of my hand loads to shoot better than those in this gun…..but that's a different story.)
I also have a Ruger American in 7mm-08 for my son that does like my hand loads.
MY QUESTION IS..
Should I buy another 7mm-08 for my daughter to use on many hunts to come?.., Or should I buy her a 6.5 Creedmoor?…. I Know There I Said It!!!
We mostly hunt Whitetails and Elk from 50 to 400 yds.
Which caliber would you buy her and which out of the box not to expensive rifle would you get it in?.. Keep in mind she's the oldest of my 4 kids and it can't cost much because I, well, have 4 kids.
Thanks!

She may be a bit young for this, but something to consider especially with elk on the menu, once she puts on a little size……a 338 Federal.

Pretty tame recoil, enough hp for 400 yard elk….."kills out of it's weight class"!

I started my daughter about 35 years ago, at about 13 years old with a 30-06! If I were doing it again today…..I'd look seriously at the 338 Federal! memtb

 

[Outdrmn]

In my family we have Two tikka's in
7mm-08 that shoot moa at 300-400 yards.
Very affordable and my wife's 708 is 20+ years old and loves 162 eld m's.

 

[Outdrmn]

Also a welcome from Eastern Wa!
Have spent a lot of time in your neck of the woods, have great friends in SandPoint.

 

[myshootinstinks]

To each his own but my "forever" caliber is the old 270 Win. I can't think of any hunting I do here in Wyoming the the ol' 270 can't handle. Mild recoil and great accuracy.