Junior sized Rifle for my girlfriend

[buickanddeere]

Choose a ordinary caliber that has been popular for decades. Any old backwoods store carries .223, .243, 270, 308 and 30/06.
The WSM and other new fangled whizz bang calibers are over priced and not always stocked.
Best bet to always be able to find ammo are military calibers but there is a huge gap between .223 and 308.

 

[jymbee]

...Now I'm thinking about getting back in to long range .22 competition

Interesting. How long range?

 

[RoyJackson]

Short stock and a long barrel. Muzzle blast and recoil from a short barrel will ruin a new shooter.

Yep..get one on the adjustable stocks available on the aftermarket.

Another rifle to consider (if allowed for hunting in your area) is an AR-15 pattern chambered for .308.

 

[MossRoad]

Interesting. How long range?

I've got a 250' lane carved out now. I can stick pretty nice groups with my old Remington 580 and Lyman peep sights. I'm working on lengthening the lane out to 600'. May take a couple years. I'll either need 6' bull's-eyes or a scope to see the end at that range, though! :laughing:

 

[dusty3030]

I've got a 250' lane carved out now. I can stick pretty nice groups with my old Remington 580 and Lyman peep sights. I'm working on lengthening the lane out to 600'. May take a couple years. I'll either need 6' bull's-eyes or a scope to see the end at that range, though! :laughing:

Heck don't need to see it, just need to know where it is! Works for artillery.
People who shoot who have never shot a good .22 and peep sights are missing out.

 

[Jeff F.]

Yep..get one on the adjustable stocks available on the aftermarket. Another rifle to consider (if allowed for hunting in your area) is an AR-15 pattern chambered for .308.

I just started shooting AR 10 rifles (308/7.62) made by Armalite, DPMS and LaRue. All are nice rifles with little recoil.

 

[MossRoad]

Heck don't need to see it, just need to know where it is! Works for artillery.
People who shoot who have never shot a good .22 and peep sights are missing out.

Funny about that rifle.... I learned to shoot at a Boy Scout camp. I made three NRA ranks in a few days. The instructor told my scoutmaster to tell my dad. He did. They set my up with an instructor at the local YMCA. I shot for two sessions, got on the team, made a bunch more ranks and they decided I should get my own rifle, as the team rifles were beaters. The instructors and an OLD gunsmith recommended the Remington 580 as a starter rifle because I was a very small child at 15 years old. Dad and I bought it at a local sporting goods store. The salesman asked "You want that wrapped up or do you want to carry it out?" Heck yes I want to carry it out! So I go walking down the streets of South Bend, Indiana carrying a rifle. People are looking at me and what are they thinking??? "That boy got a nice rifle!" That's what they were thinking! :laughing: Try that today. Someone will call the SWAT team.

Anyhow, the rifle was like $69.00. The gunsmith put more money into the sights than the gun cost. I made several more ranks and our team of 5 had three nationally ranked kids in these mail-in matches. You'd shoot targets with witnesses and mail them in. NRA would mail back the results. Pretty fun. However, I turned 18 and they kicked me out of the youth league. Bummer. Then I finished high school, started college, met my wife and the rifle sat for a long, long time. I got it out earlier this summer and was quite surprised that I can still hit the broad side of a barn. So I started clearing the lane looking for more of a challenge than 50'. It should be fun.

Now back to the original thread, as I don't want to hijack this one.

 

[gsganzer]

The .264 is a standard length belted magnum. Maybe .260 Remington.



Bruce

I have the "I wants" for a .260 Remington. I've been thinking of having a custom rifle built for it. Also toying with a .260 upper for my AR-10.

 

[RobertN]

After replying multiple times to this thread, I though I am thinking about this as "I" would get my wife. In reality, what I would do is take my wife to a gun shop with a good selection of multiple brands. Then let the shop show her the selection, and shoulder a bunch of them. Find what fits her. That will narrow down the rifle. I'd lean towards Reminton 7xx, Ruger 77 or Savage 1xx but not rule out others. Would also lean away from entry level packages.

Any of the main manufacturers have nice mid grade bolt rifles in short action.

From there, for the hunting mentioned, try a couple Leupold, Burris, and Nikon 1.5-5 compact scopes. A good shop will have a stock that they can set scopes in for you/her to try. those scopes would be fine for anything within 300 yards, liht weight, and small so they carry/handle easy.

Based on that, you(I mean SHE) could decide on the rifle, and if it "needs" anything.

As far as caliber, as someone else mentioned, pick one that you can find anywhere; 308 is one of those.... And... 308 ball ammo is cheap to plink/practice with. IF, you(I mean SHE) got one in 308, it could always be rebarreled or chamber reamed for a different short action round.

I picked two for my wife without her knowing; she had shot those models before and like them though. She really digs her TC Hawkin 50cal; she can shoot the chin hair off a gnat with it... the Marlin 1894C is about the same. She had shot both of those models before, and I knew SHE like them; both fir and caliber...

 

[EddieWalker]

That's what we just did. We spent about an hour at a local gun shop and she shouldered Ruger, Savage and Remington. That's what they had in youth models, except the Remington calls theirs a compact model. They didn't have a lot of rifles, and they where all in .243, which we're not interested in.

The thought is that we just might take a drive into the big city of Dallas and the area and check out a few more stores. The Remington 700 SPS felt the best to her, so that's probably going to be what we'll buy, if we go, and if we can find one in either 7mm-08 or 308.

As for glass, she will use my old Redfield Golden 5 Star that is about 25 years old and been over most of the Western States. It's 3-9X and very accurate. When she wants to upgrade, she can do that down the road. For the money, I think Nikon is about the best mid level scope out there.

Eddie