What gun do I want?

[mjdtexan]

My personal favorite , as far as hand guns go, is the 40 cal Glock model 22 with the polymer body. I have 3 of them.

 

[AK Michelle]

My ex tried to keep my 357, I told him "Over his dead body:

 

[WalkingWolf]

I am partial to the 308, it has so many advantages. It is a military round so ammo is reasonable and easy to find, and the round just works, and it is used by many sniper teams so it is accurate.

 

[swift4me]

Reply to Bearfoot...

I can't see why you disagreed with much of my post. I advocated good bullets, gun fit, good shooting and encouraged her to find a good dealer who would help her.

I too like the 7mm-08 for the reasons that most people do, and I am in no way a "bigger is better" advocate. On my last hunt, totally solo on a drop hunt in western Alaska for moose, (in proximity to both black and brown bears), I took my .35 Whelen which if you know it is an old school cartridge based on a .30-06 case necked up to .358 shooting 250 grain Swift A-Frames. It worked well on the moose, but I was confident that I could have dealt with a close bear encounter because of the close range ballistics of the Whelen. Would I take the same gun on an elk hunt in western Colorado where my best shot might be at 300 yards in a canyon close to dark... no way.

Your statement "A 7mm08 with the proper bullet will kill anything any of the cartridges you named will.", is ludicrous. It could kill any animal in the world with perfect shooting and death by hemmorage alone. If I am going to kill an animal with a rifle, I want it to drop where it was standing, so I don't have to climb half a mile into a canyon to find it, or crawl through poison oak and manzanita to find a dying wild pig. The 7mm-08, is accurate, a joy to shoot and is great for lots of stuff, but to say it will dispatch anything that a 7mm Mag, (no favorite of mine), or the 300 Win, is just not right. The kinetic energies listed on ballistic charts tell the story. Speed doesn't kill, but kinetic energy/shot placement and good bullets do.

As for my "buddies" who flinch, I was speaking of the customers who used to come into my gun store and tell me their tales of woe about the huge elk/bear/Alberta Whitetail/etc. they "hit really good" but couldn't find. Fortunately after years of birdhunting and bowhunting, the guys who taught me about rifles and rifle shooting had real knowledge and liked animals to be dead where they stood.

If you booked an elk hunt anywhere in North America, and told your outfitter you were coming with a 7mm-08, even if you had a national marksmanship award around your neck, I doubt many would take you.

Just my opinion of course. Feel free to tell us of the elk/brown bears/black bears/etc. you've killed with that gun.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[burntmuch]

I would,nt feel undergunned with a 7mm-08 for elk under 300 yards. Bear different story. But I reload my own, & I dont mind spending a little extra on bullets. My 7mm-08 is a joy to shoot. But when someone asks what ONE gun should I buy for little critters on up to bear & elk. Hard to argue with a 30-06.
This october I ll be using my 7mm mag for colorado elk. But if something happened & I had to use my 7mm-08. I wouldnt feel too handicapped.

Hey I thought this was a chicken forum

 

[cmb19]

I'm not going to post my thoughts on which rifles you might look into, because I disagree with some and agree with others on this thread and I don't enjoy caliber wars. I did however, want to mention that I doubt very much that you will need a youth model. I am 5'5" and roughly 127lbs and do perfectly fine with a regular ole adult size rifle. I am a 25 year old female as well.

I hate recoil, I anticipate the kick way to much and have an awful flinch I am trying to get rid of...the 7mm mag I shot this past deer season probably didn't help...but there are different pieces of equipment you can get to lessen the recoil. I have never personally used the rubber butt plates or whatever they are called, but I know other people that say they work wonderfully. I am hoping to find myself a 7mm-08 for deer, but I am having a terrible time finding one I like. I don't want a synthetic stock, I understand since they are lighter, the recoil is stronger, but all the laminate stocks are very expensive around here...IF I can even find one.

 

[swift4me]

CMB

I did not want to start a caliber war either, but was reacting to a statement I believe to be false... that a 7mm-08 will effectively kill anything that a 7mm Mag, .30-06 or .300 Win Mag will kill. Simply not true. I doubt that many 7mm-08's are taken to Alaska or Africa for big game. It is a great caliber for alot of stuff, but it is what it is.

If you are shooting a full sized 7mm Mag with a wood or metal butt plate, no wonder you have a flinch. A pad like a Limbsaver or other modern pad would reduce recoil significantly. Remington makes a synthetic stock 7mm-08 in their Model 7 series (if I remember correctly, as I sold a few). It is an easy gun for a dealer to order through a distributor and it comes with a good pad on it. Limbsaver even makes Ready Fit pads for alot of currently produced rifles that you can install yourself.

Alot of production rifles are too light inthe front end, which increases felt recoil. You can add weight to the forearm, very easy to do in a Remington synthetic stock, and make a big difference in recoil.

Just a thought.

Pete

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Bettacreek....I must agree with those who have recommened the 7mm-08. I purchased one (each) for my two sons when they were 7 yrs old....yes, thats 7 yrs old.

They both shoot a Ruger M77 Youth model (might be just right for ladies as well), the recoil is about the same as the single shot .243 they started hunting with, not bad at all. I have been so impressed with the accuracy and knockdown power of this caliber in a 140gr ballistic tip bullet that I bought one for myself (in Browning A-Bolt)!! Previously I hunted with a .270 and a .30-06, which I still own, and this is by far my favorite gun.

As far as "killing power", I'll give you an example. The first evening I let my youngest son hunt alone, without me, he was 11 at the time which IS legal in Ga after having completed the hunter safety course, he kill a wild hog that came out in a food plot at 160 yds. The hog weighed in excess of 350lbs (that was as high as the scale went) and the hog did not take a single step after it was shot.

I can't tell you how many whitetail deer each of the boys have killed....but plenty.

Hope this helps

Scott

 

[TwistedSerpent]

I'm the same size as you cmb, but for me youth size fits so much better and and much more comfortable. I guess a lot depends on the individual and their arm length too. Recoil pads to help a lot, I definatly recommend one.

The best thing one can do is figure out what exactly you want out of a rifle, research your options, and find a good knowledgeable dealer willing to help you find the right one for you. Everyone is going to have their own opinion or preferance which may be drasticly different from yours.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I can't see why you disagreed with much of my post. I advocated good bullets, gun fit, good shooting and encouraged her to find a good dealer who would help her

Here's an example:

Your statement "A 7mm08 with the proper bullet will kill anything any of the cartridges you named will.", is ludicrous.

As for my "buddies" who flinch, I was speaking of the customers who used to come into my gun store and tell me their tales of woe about the huge elk/bear/Alberta Whitetail/etc. they "hit really good" but couldn't find. Fortunately after years of birdhunting and bowhunting, the guys who taught me about rifles and rifle shooting had real knowledge and liked animals to be dead where they stood.

Your customers are EXACTLY the ones I was referring to.
If they "couldn't find" they don't KNOW where (or even if) they hit it.

They won't admit to othemselves they made a poor shot, so they go with a larger gun to make up for it, and the problem gets worse.

"Dead where they stood" is not a realistic expectation with ANY cartridge unless you hit the CNS.

Also the OP stated she liked the 243 because she could handle the recoil, so it's not likely she would shoot a much larger cartridge enough to become proficient.

The 7mm-08, is accurate, a joy to shoot and is great for lots of stuff, but to say it will dispatch anything that a 7mm Mag, (no favorite of mine), or the 300 Win, is just not right. The kinetic energies listed on ballistic charts tell the story. Speed doesn't kill, but kinetic energy/shot placement and good bullets do.

An animal won't notice a few hundred ft lbs difference at reasonable ranges.

John Taylor killed most every kind of animal in Africa with a 7 MM Mauser.
Jack O'Conner took most all the North American animals with a 270 Winchester

That's before everyone "knew" you couldn't kill them unless your cartidge said "Magnum"​