Thread: Firearms for women

Hi everyone.
Just looking for recommendations for rifles that suit women. Im mainly hunting deer, and goats , in a mix of bush and farmland. What do your wives /partners etc like?
I am looking for a suitable mix of size (i prefer a shorter barrel, longer ones make me feel like they are too large and cumbersome for me) , weight (heavy enough to feel stable but light enough to carry all day) , price , and durability.
I like the feel of a Howa. I have used a Sako (it was so nice but way out of my $$ range!) . A remmington was nice but the wooden stock was quite heavy...
So suggestions are welcome and I can hunt some suggestions down and have a look.
Thanks in advance!

Try find a Remington model 7 or Browning A bolt micro

Go to a large shop and try holding different rifles to check for fit, that way you can switch to and fro between them. Also the recomendations on here will give you a good place to start as well.

Not so much the make of rifle but maybe the caliber is the point to be made here. If you are slightly framed, as in a small gal, maybe a lighter recoiling cartridge with good bc will be good for you, a 6.5 creedmoor for example. If you are a bit more full bodied, you could potentially absorb more recoil without developing a flinch, a 270 or 280 ai would give an advantage against wind and bullet drop as well as being perfect for you target animals and environment you will hunt.
My only input towards a howa, is that the hogue stock has a floppy fore grip which makes it hard to consistently shoot off a bipod.. I have a browning and I love it

Honestly value for the money buy a howa mini in 6ARC (or honestly 223 with a fast twist might be better and can buy dirt cheap practice ammo). They are both a more than adequate hunting cartridge and has accurate factory ammo with projectiles that work well on game at further than most have any business shooting. It also has very light recoil and if you decide to upgrade you can either buy a nicer Stock etc or just sell it for a minimal loss and buy something else.

The in a 16inch barrel a 6ARC shooting 108 elds or 223 with the 73 elds in the hornady match ammo is a good killing round out to about 450 odd yards for the ARC and 350 for the 223. The shooter is realistically the limits. If you ever genuinely need more than that step up. So many over gun themselves.

The howa minis are kind of agricultural but they simply work. With a few small mods they are great. The money saved can go towards suppressing it. They are much easily to sell than more expensive rifles as well.

I will note that since I downgraded to 223 I have killed more animals that with any other chambering and haven't felt I lost anything at all. I have shot game past 500m and as close as 30 yards. I have been able to spot almost every shot even positional and often because ammo cheap I can hit them with a followup before they realize what's going on. I honestly think at longer range the ability to make a fast followup or correction based on observed impact is way more important than extra energy etc.

PS: the 223 is the missus favorite rifle by alot as it has no kick and is fun to shoot. It's used to be the 22lr but the 223 is more accurate so that makes it more fun even on targets and especially on steel.

A Savage Lightweight Hunter could make for a good option for you. Very light, handle and balance nicely, even with a suppressor on the end. (Which you would probably want so as to smooth out the recoil - the trade-off of a light rifle)

Originally Posted by StrikerNZ

A Savage Lightweight Hunter could make for a good option for you. Very light, handle and balance nicely, even with a suppressor on the end. (Which you would probably want so as to smooth out the recoil - the trade-off of a light rifle)

Second this. Savage lightweight hunter in 6.5cm would do the job nicely

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[QUOTE=

I like the feel of a Howa. /QUOTE]

There's your answer
Also if you buy a Howa mini then you have the option of lightening it even further in the future by dropping the action into an Elude chassis - kiwi made
https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....1/index26.html
If carrying weight is a major factor for you then these are really good

Calibre wise 223 is the most versatile and cheapest for ammo and most commonly available but if you could try something in the 6mm and up that would give you more reach and hitting power
A suppressed 308 would kill everything you need in NZ but if you don't like the recoil of a larger cartridge then that's no help so it's something to think about

I'm sure someone in your area would be willing to trade a turn at the range on some rifles for a dozen beers so you can have a go

Note budget wise it is very common for your scope to cost as much as your rifle - you can always get a better one later as funds allow but if you can't see it you can't shoot it

Best of luck

the missus has a 6.5 grendell ruger, its shot, light and packs a punch that will drop anything at 300m
the same calibre is also available from howa, japanese made and very accurate from the box

The Bergara Stoke model is expressly designed for folks with a small frame and smaller hands. Comes in a range of calibres and is very reasonably priced. A good bit more refined than a Howa IMO.

price range - a Remington Model Seven ideal - also the older Tikka LSA55 they were light- one in 243 say could be a goer - I have a Remington 788 with 18 1/2 with suppressor is not a heavy rifle and its a tack driver - some of the earlier Styr Mannlicher were a lighter rifle - huge choice of new - most shoot well its what you like - but many older shoot every bit as well - those LSA 55 Tikka were very accurate

Howa in .243 suppressed and never look back. When you feel urge to upgrade,put the wooden stock on it they make a functional rifle into something you can love. Wood just has soul. I say 243 as it has enough at business end without too much at butplate end.thirty years ago this was common recommendation for ladies,the suppressor has changed the game somewhat as has opened door for more grunt cartridges but if you choose to go with what was perfectly good back then ,adding suppressor just makes it tamer and far more pleasant to fire.win win.

Hi ALWAYS LEARNING
i would second the wisdom of "308 " post regarding the Howa Mini in the elude chassis . with the cut down barrel and full suppressor still very light to carry and swing
Cheers

Short action or 'mini' action, slim profile barrel shortened to 18", 'compact' scope as some full size ones tend to push too far to the rear of the action and this means you get close to the scope with your face.

Stock, one that can be trimmed slightly and the butt pad moved forwards to suit your frame size. Shortening the butt stock places your face a little closer to the back of the scope which is why the suggestion on a compact offering. I would suggest a Limbsaver or equivalent recoil pad too...

Caliber is one thing that I would look at in terms of 'one to do it all' - but a bigger bullet means a bigger hole through the barrel which is lighter, 7.62x39 or something like 6.5 or .243? And a suppressor to suit as it helps with muzzle blast and recoil which makes it more comfortable to use.

It all depends on what's in stock and easily available in you local outlets, but that's a shopping list to start with and then it's a case of what is available and what you like.

What ever you get, put a suppressor on it, a DPT over barrel suppressor is a good starting point, and if you get a smaller caliber (.223 6.5Grendel etc) that some have suggested, a DPT mini is plenty of suppression with a bit less length and weight.

You haven’t asked about scopes but it is a very important consideration. A 3-9 is a good starting point but if you want a bit smaller and lighter, 2-7 is a good option too. If you want to keep it simple, fixed 4x is just as good as anything else 80% of the time and better than anything else more than 50% of the time.