Best caliber for girlfriend?

[BizCT]

I know....Just cant resist to give Biz a shot knowing the WBY will be introduced by him in any thread discussing caliber or guns...lol

You can bash my weatherby's all you want, but considering my grandfather (deceased) and my Dad bought or traded for all of them in the 1960's and 1970's for a fraction of what they cost and/or worth now, it turned out to be a great bang for the buck.  These same guns still shoot amazing 40-50 years later and have killed a lot of game over the years.

 

Regarding ammo, we are still using handloads from many years ago and will never have to buy ammo in our lifetimes considering how infrequent we shoot them.

 

The last rifle weatherby my family bought was in 1993 and that gun was sold on this site for over $2K.

 

There's still a .300 wby mag we would part ways with. You want it? http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/9704-2-weatherby-rifles-for-sale/page-2?hl=+weatherby

[Doewhacker]

I'm sure this guy wants to plop down a pile of money on a rifle with more exspensive ammo for his girl friend to see if she likes shooting and hunting, or he could go buy ammo and a gun off the shelf at Dick's.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Don't get me wrong, Biz. I am not bashing the Weatherby I was bashing you. Just kidding. But you are so product biased it isn't even funny.   I want a first rifle---get a Weatherby.    What caliber for my Girlfriends first gun---get a weatherby     Is a 243 enough for taking deer---get a Weatherby. What type of crossbow should I get-----I hope Weatherby starts to make one.

[BizCT]

My first answer was not a weatherby, it was ".243".  Then the .257 wby mag popped into my head later on.

 

I never bought a weatherby in my life and probably never will.

 

Regarding being bias:

 

Xbows = Excalibur Recurve

 

Deer hunting shotgun = Browning

 

Small game shotgun = Charles Daly

 

Scopes for anything = Leupold

Edited February 7, 2014 by Biz-R-OWorld

[518BowSlayer]

Figures, my girlfriend can start arguments without even saying a word!!!!

[clayshooter25]

Trajectory should factor into your decision.

At what distance do you plan on shooting her?

Only kidding... I'd go with a 243 unless there is a chance you could encounter a bear.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Figures, my girlfriend can start arguments without even saying a word!!!!

They all can. Lol

[Lawdwaz]

Figures, my girlfriend can start arguments without even saying a word!!!!

 

Yes, but not because she is your girlfriend.  It is of course because she is a GIRL.

[Pygmy]

 

Yes, but not because she is your girlfriend.  It is of course because she is a GIRL.

Sexist PIG !!...<<grin>>....

[Lawdwaz]

 

Sexist PIG !!...<<grin>>....

 

You know what.........I'm sitting here wondering whats for dinner (yea, hard to believe with me huh?) tonight.  My wife is working so I'm up to bat.

 

 

How about a PORK roast?  Smashed 'taters, broccoli, maybe a nice white wine (Bud Light) along with a low cal dessert?

 

 

Thanks for the idea, Dan.

 

 

(I can see this thread has absolutely gone astray so WTH I thought I'd really stuff it in the can)

Edited February 8, 2014 by Lawdwaz

[Pygmy]

LOL...!! I was going to call you a RACIST, too...

I wonder what THAT might inspire for dinner ??

Nope, better not GO there...hehehehe...

I'm making homemade turkey noodle soup.

That shouldn't offend ANYONE, except maybe the Turks.

[Suilleabhain]

30-06 start her on Remington managed recoil ammo. That way you have a caliber versatile to use on anything from woodchucks to moose if you want. My 13 y/o nephew is shooting that

[Vince1]

Trajectory should factor into your decision.

At what distance do you plan on shooting her?

Only kidding... I'd go with a 243 unless there is a chance you could encounter a bear.

My wife has been back and forth about huntin with me but i am hardcore bow hunter. She wqnts a rifle till the liberals she knows get to her then she sees me.

I have no idea what to get her so love this thread. What would be good for bear to just in case

[Trial153]

.257 Roberts, 7mm08, 6mm Remington, 7x57 Mauser

[Elmo]

What would be good for bear to just in case

 

Bear spray.

[genesee_mohican]

I would take a hard look at balistics and recoil information from pages like chuckhawks

 

I like the 25-06

[Culvercreek hunt club]

 What would be good for bear to just in case

 .380 ACP or even a 22LR. you only need that much power to take out the knee cap of the person you are with.

[Pygmy]

My wife has been back and forth about huntin with me but i am hardcore bow hunter. She wqnts a rifle till the liberals she knows get to her then she sees me.

I have no idea what to get her so love this thread. What would be good for bear to just in case

 

A    PIC - A- NIC basket, Boo-Boo....

 

 

Sorry...Couldn't resist that...  <<grin>>....

 

Seriously, any caliber that's adequate for deer would work fine on black bear.

 

If there were GRIZZLIES around, it might  a different situation.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Pygmy

[RangerClay]

My 12 year old daughter shoots a Browning BLR Lightning in .243 with no problem.

Edited February 13, 2014 by RangerClay

[Hardcore]

I agree with most of the previous posts but am a fan of the managed recoil loads...Mainly for hunting age kids...I have made this recommendation to a number of friends who wanted a caliber with not so much kick for their growing children....yrs down the road ...many have said thanks for the advice cause they didn't have to buy a new gun for their now man sized 16+ yr old kids.I started hunting @ age 10 with a trusty old 30-30 Model 94...using 125 gr loads for the lessened recoil...worked like a champ and killed 6 deer ... Then I got a .243 @ 14 and thought I was the man with a scoped bolt action....not much kick so great for a 14-15 yr old...as I hit 18+ I longed for a manly caliber cause I wanted to fit in with the guys using the bigger calibers....unfortunately bastard thieves relieved us of our firearms so the old guns went away....I now hunt with a .308 but also own a .243 as well cause it is a great hunting hunting caliber...but me likes the knockdown of the .308

[the blur]

.243 is what I hunt with.   No reason for a bigger caliper.   BANG - FLOP !!!!!!  Massive exit wounds.  No tracking like the .30-06 guys

 

[Grizz1219]

25-06, best rifle for whitetails in my opinion... low recoil but hits deer like it was forked lightening..

[dbHunterNY]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find something better than a 243.  ammo for some of the other calibers mentioned is expensive and harder to find too.  get her practicing with a 22LR or something.  reduced recoil ammo is great too.  reduced recoil 30-06 recoils like a 30-30 and hits hard being a 170 gr bullet.  not all rifles are created equal though  30-30 kick from a lever gun isn't near as soft as it would be from one of my bolt guns with a real nice recoil pad.

[Doc]

So what is the stature of your girlfriend. I have seen some ladies that are very delicate, and have a hard time standing up against a stiff breeze. And then there are those that (I don't know how do I put this delicately) look like Russian meat-fighters, who could withstand either end of a 12 ga. shotgun. That may be a serious consideration as to whether you drop all the way back to .243, or get her involved in a more traditional but damaging caliber.

 

Also, I am assuming that you are outfitting her for deer hunting. That is true isn't it?

[518BowSlayer]

So what is the stature of your girlfriend. I have seen some ladies that are very delicate, and have a hard time standing up against a stiff breeze. And then there are those that (I don't know how do I put this delicately) look like Russian meat-fighters, who could withstand either end of a 12 ga. shotgun. That may be a serious consideration as to whether you drop all the way back to .243, or get her involved in a more traditional but damaging caliber.

 

Also, I am assuming that you are outfitting her for deer hunting. That is true isn't it?

She's about 5'5" and about 120 lbs but she can handle a 20 gauge with turkey loads no problem. she can probably handle a little more recoil than most women her size but don't want something that's gonna knock her on her ass.