Daughter wants a new (smaller and lighter) rifle....

[ATH]

Too many replies I admit I didn't read them all...

Curious by the comment that light 243s kick too much. Typically I'd recommend a 243 or 7mm08 for this situation. But if kick is limiting there, what about a 6X45? The ranges you quote are short and within the capabilities of this round. I built one last year imagining my 8-yr-old daughter will be hunting with it in a couple years for deer <120 yards. It certainly doesn't kick. I used a 22" #4 McGowan Remage barrel with a McMillan Game Scout stock. It is a light and handy rifle with no real kick. And my 8-year-old handles it with no flinch.

 

[WildRose]

The Grendel is a neat little cartridge, but anything you can do with a Grendel you can do with a 260 Rem or 6.5 Creedmoor. Plus you can shoot heavier rounds with more knockdown power if you so desire. Grendel was designed for an AR platform, and while you can run it in a bolt gun, the other 6.5 calibers don't have the limitations that the Grendel has. A Grendel bolt gun would be great for a starter gun for a someone younger, but I think it is a sub-optimal solution for the question posted. I have a couple of Grendel rifles and like them, but when i grab a bolt gun for hunting it's a 260 Rem.

Unless you're limiting your shots to small game and medium to short range there are far better choices in the 6.5's than the grendel. Even the 6.5x47L makes it look pretty weak.

 

[Vortex!]

The op said 70 to 80 yards usually and sometimes 150 to 200. The 6.5 Grendel has plenty of power for deer and hogs at that distance! With very little recoil even in a light rifle.

Unless you're limiting your shots to small game and medium to short range there are far better choices in the 6.5's than the grendel. Even the 6.5x47L makes it look pretty weak.

 

[WildRose]

The op said 70 to 80 yards usually and sometimes 150 to 200. The 6.5 Grendel has plenty of power for deer and hogs at that distance! With very little recoil even in a light rifle.

Did you find anything in the statement you quoted to be inaccurate? If so, please discuss.

Unless you're limiting your shots to small game and medium to short range there are far better choices in the 6.5's than the grendel. Even the 6.5x47L makes it look pretty weak.

 

[MudRunner2005]

WR, I don't think he was disagreeing with you, but just stating that the 6.5 Grendel can handle the task the OP is wanting it for.

Sure, there are others that can do the job better, but with more recoil. Granted, I'm not a recoil sensitive person, so recoil doesn't bother me, but I know that most new shooters, and female shooters don't like recoil, which is why we were mentioning the Grendel. It barely kicks more than a .223, but is pushing a 120-123gr bullet at 2500+ FPS MV. So, despite its small size, it's still no slouch.

 

[VTbluegrass]

For your daughter I would give a serious look at the Weatherby Camilla line of rifles made for women available in the Mark V and Vanguard line of rifles. I bought my wife a Vanguard Camilla in 6.5 Creedmoor this spring after she kept threatening to steal my Kimber. My wife tromps through the swamps with me hunting and isn't afraid of mud and blood but she still likes to have pretty stuff and matching camo. Her rifle has pretty nice wood for a gun under 700 and it shoots sub-MOA which is about all you can ask from a thin 20"barrel. Put a little 3-9 Swarovski on it because she wanted to match her bino's and I even bought a "Women of Weatherby" t-shirt just because. Most importantly make it her rifle and the one she wants, not the one you think it coolest or chambered in the most interesting caliber.

After eating tag soup last year she put the first doe that crossed her path down this year and even got a nice little basket 8 pointer too. Same result as the deer I shot with the 270 and 7 Rem Mag, ran 25-50 yards dead on their feet before tipping over.

If you want something really classy and its in your price range the Mark V Camilla is really nice and it available in a few more finish options and more caliber options as well.

 

[hseII]

Background. My grown daughter is an avid hunter (for someone who works, is a full time student, etc.). So I guess you can say, she goes hunting when she can. She has taken a whitetail buck a few years back with her rifle, shot under one a couple of years back with her brother's rifle. Wants to kill a hog, you get the picture.

I bought her a Savage Hog Hunter in .308 about 5 years ago or so. She is shooting full power ammo (my reloads) and recoil is not an issue but the Savage has a pretty thick barrel and some heft to it which mitigates the recoil somewhat. But she commented on this past weekend's hunt that she would like a lighter rifle. I just weighed the Savage and with scope (Bushnell 1-5x32), Ken Farrall 1" rings, Griffin can (the SS baffle and Aluminum can), sling, cheek pad and 5 rounds of .308 weighs in a shade over 10lbs. I'm guessing stripped it's an 8lb rifle.

She doesn't care for the AR platform, she likes bolt guns. Finding a lighter rifle is not a problem but finding one with enough punch without a substantial increase in recoil.

I've shot some kid sized, lightweight .243 rifles that had a pretty good kick. And the single shot rifles are out. Even though I've taken a pretty good sized buck with an AR in 5.56, I think she needs more than that.

So, I'm thinking about one of the rifles chambered in 7.62x39. Most of our shots are limited to 70-80 yards at most. But a 150-200 yard shot could come up occasionally. Her first dear was a 120 yards. We live in the southeast and there's not many opportunities for long range shots.

I've looked at the Ruger Ranch, the Howa, the Zastava and the CZ. Only the Ruger and Howa are threaded.

But then I saw that they all are also chambered in a 6.5 Grendel.

And there's the option to rebarrel the Savage but I'm not leaning in that direction because when I buy her a new rifle, Pops gets the Savage.

So what do you guys think? Thanks.

Remington Model 7 in .243, .260 Remington or 7-08 with a 2-7x32 or similar Leupold.

My daughter has killed a few with one in .243 & she's not a big gal.

 

[Litehiker]

My 6.5 CM Browning X-Bolt Pro is expensive at over $1,700. but it is light and a true "semi custom" rifle.

Features:
->22" factory lapped and fluted barrel
->360 deg. wrapped carbon fiber stock (not laid up in CF strips, like lesser CF stocks)
->Browning Feather Trigger (as good as my other 6.5 CM's Timney trigger!)
->fast cycling 3 lug bolt W/spiral fluting & fluted bolt handle
->bolt unlock button on bolt handle base (Like any well designed bolt gun this bolt LOCKS when loaded and on safe.)
-> bronze Cerakote on barreled action AND carbon fiber stock

Eric B.

 

[Hindmarsh]

Take a look at the Howa Mini Action in 6.5 Grendel. I think it fits what you're looking for very well.

 

[hesse]

Ok here is what I did for my short 14 year old daughter . 6.5 creedmoor. Savage axis s.s. I ordered the muddy girl camouflage youth stock glass bedding the stock. Changed the trigger to a timney trigger. Fort Talley mounts vortex 12 by 40 on top the gun weighs 7 and 3/4 pounds with ammo in it I have about $650 complete into the whole thing

 

[WildRose]

WR, I don't think he was disagreeing with you, but just stating that the 6.5 Grendel can handle the task the OP is wanting it for.

Sure, there are others that can do the job better, but with more recoil. Granted, I'm not a recoil sensitive person, so recoil doesn't bother me, but I know that most new shooters, and female shooters don't like recoil, which is why we were mentioning the Grendel. It barely kicks more than a .223, but is pushing a 120-123gr bullet at 2500+ FPS MV. So, despite its small size, it's still no slouch.

I've shot the Grendel, Lapua, 6.5CM, .260 all over the last few years. There's not enough difference in recoil among them to bother anyone.

To me it's just a matter of not unnecessarily limiting yourself when there's no reason to.

 

[Vortex!]

It doesn't matter in this situation since the farthest shot available will only be 200 yrds.

 

[MudRunner2005]

It doesn't matter in this situation since the farthest shot available will only be 200 yrds.

Yep, the little 6.5 Grendel still has plenty of power to drop a deer at that distance.

 

[TX Badger]

I've shot the Grendel, Lapua, 6.5CM, .260 all over the last few years. There's not enough difference in recoil among them to bother anyone.

To me it's just a matter of not unnecessarily limiting yourself when there's no reason to.

Exactly, why limit yourself. She doesn't sound that recoil sensitive if she's shooting a 308 without issue. I'd go with one of these moderate 6.5s (260, CM, x47) you reload so you could load them down to Grendel recoil if necessary but you're not limited to Grendel performance. You'll have options from fast, flat 100 gr partitions- 150+gr vlds. Just get an appropriate twist barrel.

If all the shooting is going to be inside 200 yds most cheap little youth rifles will be plenty accurate. I'd take her somewhere with a large selection and make sure it fit her well. Then I'd spend my money on the glass. A little heavier rig will not be as noticeable if the weight is in the scope/ between her hands and will still recoil less. Plus everyone enjoys looking through nicer glass and it lasts forever. I like the wide magnification range and price of my 2.5-16 and 3.5-21 bushnells. When the deer aren't moving, watching squirrels, pileated woodpeckers, hawks... at 21x provide lots of entertainment.