Deer Rifle for Neice, Recommendations?

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  • Kirk Freeman

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    Mar 9, 2008
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    Number 5, aka "Little Girl", will be 13 next March, might as well start shopping now.

    Brothers have CZ527s, a Mauser, a Robar .308 (that was Uncle Kirk's), and a Marline 336 underlever.

    She is lanky like her mother, tall and thin. Her ATH ratio is 1.11 so LOP is not such a concern for a bolt gun.:D

    Have heard good things about Howa for the dough. Maybe 6.5CM in the Alpine config?

    I am open to anything, but we have family bias to bolt guns (excepting Elijah who loves underlevers for some reason). Has to be a manual at .23 or larger for PA game laws.

    Rifle and optic recs (we favor short tubed fixed powers)?
     

    Leadeye

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    Don't know here you hunt, but lever guns shoot fine within their range. I've got bolt guns but here in the woods a shot over 100 yards is rare indeed. Marlin 336. 444, 1895 all fine rifles, or Winchesters if you like but the scope mount is harder. There is also the Henry.
     

    Redleg11b

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    I miss PA, but any 22CF is legal there. I used a .223 last season with high neck shots on calm deer under 100 yards. The rifle is accurate enough for headshots on groundhogs to 250, but I kept the range closer for deer. It may be a wise choice to get a caliber that someone else in the family has also. You never know if she will have to give some of her ammo to one of her forgetful brothers down the road.

    Since there are already some CZ's in the family, look at the 527 in 7.62x39 and 6.5 Grendel offerings. I would go with the x39 for inexpensive off season practice. With ballistics close to the venerable 30-30, she will have a deer capable rifle to 175 yards. The set triggers on the 527's are nice too.

    Another good option are the Savage 10s in a 7mm-08. There are a few different variants, so pick one that you think she will like. They can also be had in 6.5 CM, and later a barrel swap can change it into many calibers.
     

    King31

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    I would think a CZ527 or Howa in 6.5 Grendel would be perfect! Not too much recoil, but plenty of power for a deer. Factory ammo is also easily found nowadays and can be found for under $0.80 a round if you look around.
     

    LarryC

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    Disclaimer I don't own either Howa, Tikka or CZ rifles. I have a few rifles that are good deer guns, like a lever action Win in .308 and a Remington 700 BDL in .243 (don't know what calibers are legal in Penn). I am in process of assembling a Grendel AR after looking at the ballistics, think it may be a great deer rifle for my son to use. I have read a lot about the Tikka rifle, not sure but think they are in similar price ranges for the Howa. I believe the Tikka is a lighter rifle which may be easier for her to tote. I believe both Howa and Tikka guarantee sub MOA so accuracy should not be a factor in hunting with either.
     

    snapping turtle

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    You already have the rifle. Use the Marlin 336. More deer have fallen over the years to the 336 than most likely any other single firearm. It is most likely a 30-30. Good range for a newbie hunter plenty of power and if my first quote on the 336 being used to kill more deer that any other platform this statement of more deer have been killed by 30-30 than any other round is true also.
     

    mcapo

    aka Bandit
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    East of Hoosier45 - West of T-dogg
    I recently bought a Howa 1500 in 6.5 Creedmoor (Long Range Rifle) and while that model may be heavier than preferred for your use; it is shooting under .75 moa with factory ammo and I only have ~50 rounds through it. It has more recoil than .243 but it is still pretty soft shooting.

    I would also second the CZ.

    Picked up a Weatherby Vanguard in 30-06 (made by Howa) this year too and its shooting 1 moa with factory softpoints. Haven't really tried better ammo, so I'm guessing this one could tighten up more.

    Browning A/X bolt in 243 would be a nice platform too if you want to spend more than the CZ/Howa/Tikka range.

    I am big fan of 243 but this 6.5 creedmoor fad might be here to stay...
     

    Mgderf

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    You already have the rifle. Use the Marlin 336. More deer have fallen over the years to the 336 than most likely any other single firearm. It is most likely a 30-30. Good range for a newbie hunter plenty of power and if my first quote on the 336 being used to kill more deer that any other platform this statement of more deer have been killed by 30-30 than any other round is true also.

    I just took two doe in about 2 seconds with a new Marlington 336 in .35 Remington.
    First was hit about 1" behind and 1" below the right ear. I think it broke every vertebrae in her neck. Dropped on the spot.
    Second shot was a high lug shot on the left side passing down through the heart. Dead in two steps.

    I also have a Howa Sporter 1500 in .204 Ruger. It is a sweet rifle, and I believe in a larger caliber, maybe .243 Winchester, would be an outstanding deer rifle for a youth.
     

    Kirk Freeman

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    Mar 9, 2008
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    Lafayette, Indiana
    You already have the rifle. Use the Marlin 336. More deer have fallen over the years to the 336 than most likely any other single firearm. It is most likely a 30-30. Good range for a newbie hunter plenty of power and if my first quote on the 336 being used to kill more deer that any other platform this statement of more deer have been killed by 30-30 than any other round is true also.

    What? Take away her brother's 336 and have her use the 336? That might create problems.

    I'm going to buy her her own rifle.
     

    two70

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    Johnson
    Right.
    Her own 336 in .35 Remington.

    The recoil on the .35 Remington is a bit on the stout side for a 13 year old, imo.

    Howa's are decent rifles with fairly good aftermarket support so that stocks can be changed to fit your niece as she grows. CZs are also great rifles though with less modularity and aftermarket support. The CZs with the full length Mannlicher stocks have a definite cool factor over other CZs and especially the Howa's. For lever actions, a solid used Savage 99 would be a cool, unique choice and the .300 Savage would be a nearly perfect round to start someone out with though .243 and .308 would also be options. I would suggest keeping the cartridge choice simple(ie. none of this Grendel nonsense) and moderate in performance.
     

    King31

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    The recoil on the .35 Remington is a bit on the stout side for a 13 year old, imo.

    Howa's are decent rifles with fairly good aftermarket support so that stocks can be changed to fit your niece as she grows. CZs are also great rifles though with less modularity and aftermarket support. The CZs with the full length Mannlicher stocks have a definite cool factor over other CZs and especially the Howa's. For lever actions, a solid used Savage 99 would be a cool, unique choice and the .300 Savage would be a nearly perfect round to start someone out with though .243 and .308 would also be options. I would suggest keeping the cartridge choice simple(ie. none of this Grendel nonsense) and moderate in performance.

    I really hope the Grendel comment was supposed to be in purple. It is a very simple cartridge choice and available in many platforms. Why would a .300 Savage be the perfect round? It is double the cost per round and my quick search shows that it is actually harder to find ammo for. :dunno:
     

    wildcatfan.62

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    Jan 9, 2011
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    How about the Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmoor? Seems accurate out of the box, trigger is adjustable, low recoil and not too expensive. Picked ours up for $560 out the door with Vortex Crossfire II 4x12 scope. Did change the rings for $30. We've shot ours out the 750. Good luck, glad to see another new shooter/hunter being added to the rolls..
     

    two70

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    I really hope the Grendel comment was supposed to be in purple. It is a very simple cartridge choice and available in many platforms. Why would a .300 Savage be the perfect round? It is double the cost per round and my quick search shows that it is actually harder to find ammo for. :dunno:

    No it's not meant to be in purple in the slightest. The Grendel makes a little bit of sense in the AR platform but makes virtually none in the bolt action platform where many better choices are available, imo. The .300 Savage is the perfect round solely in the context of a Savage 99 as it offers the ideal level of performance for a beginner and 99s chambered in the .300 are more plentiful and more reasonably priced than those in .243 and .308. Ammo is available and not all that hard to find for anyone with internet access though that bit of extra effort and the lack of availability of rifles so chambered are enough to keep me from recommending it in a bolt action.
     

    Hookeye

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    There is a Savage 99 in .300 in the regiment but it is in mothballs. Fine weapon to be certain.

    Had one (99). Recoil was noticeable.
    Added Lightfoot scope mount (non drill and tap). Was pre war EG and the added weight (scope and mount) really screwed up the feel of that rifle.
    Better would be an F model.
    But the post war one I found had a horrendous trigger.
     

    natdscott

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    For a younger and by default less-experienced shooter, I would try my best to keep free recoil UNDER 10 POUNDS.

    Depending on her stature, increasing the weight of the rifle system to 10+ pounds to cut down on recoil energy may not be an option like it is for you or I.

    As such, the only way to knock it down is to 1) slow down the bullets, and/or (2) use lighter bullets.

    .243 Remington is gonna get it done, .257 Roberts is gonna get it done, Grendel gets under the 10 lb bar by a LOT, 6.5 Swede probably would come close for the lower speed rounds,...

    But even .260, Creed, 7-08, -47 Lapua...ALL of those will be over the mark in a light-ish rifle.


    Just remember that it is very hard to UNtrain bad habits, and she is extremely impressionable at this age.

    -Nate
     

    T.Lex

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    To offer perhaps a bit of a different direction, how about an 1873 style (in a hunting caliber) rifle with a note about Annie Oakley.
     
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