What type of rifle should I get?

Question

I am a 5'7" female.

Answer 1

At your height, any standard rifle should fit reasonably well. Get anything that suits your fancy and your budget. Chamberings in the range of 280 Remington to 338-06 should be more than adequate for elk and reasonably pleasant to shoot.

For upland birds, my preference has always been for the English-style side by side shotgun, with straight stock and splinter fore-end, but I seem to be in a diminishing group here.

Answer 2

if its just for target shooting get a 22. if you r planing to go hunting for elk then buy a 30.06. its a great all around gun. if u r going bird hunting then u need a shotgun... i suggest a winchester 20 gauge

Answer 3

Crikey thats a hard one to answer  . What are u using it for ? are u recoil shy ?  

Answer 4

An all purpose rifle in my opinion is the Ruger Mini 14.....

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger_RanchRifle...

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/featured_...

The Mini 14 isnt good for birds (too big) and its too small for elk.... But can take a lot of critters that are smallish to medium size. Bobcat, Coyote, Woodchuck, to 125 yards.....

You may acualy need 2 guns.... A .22 bolt action for birds and a 30-06 bolt action for elk.....

Answer 5

depends on what you intend to use the rifle for. For just target shooting and stuff I would recommend a .22 cal semi-automatic or bolt action. Easy to use, no "kick", and super cheap ammo. For hunting, depends on the size of the game you intend to hunt and the distances you would be shooting. .22 is the best starter rifle by far.

Answer 6

consider a bolt action .223 rem. I have a savage vb12SS that i love.

the .223 is affordable for the range and good for small game even at long distance.

you wont want the varmint barrel for hunting, too heavy to lug around.

won't work for Elk, and for Birds I think usually shot shotgun

Answer 7

G'day mate i would get 243 win or 308 win , 30.06 but a 243 is a faster bullet and flat shooting very accurate rifle, if i lived in the u.s.a i would use the 308 or the 30 06 on elk im not sure if 243 would do the job but what i hear it could but they could be wrong.243 would make a great target gun but for birds id say a 12g shotgun.cheers mate

Answer 8

You can get a  Mossberg Brand Rifle in 30-06, and a 20 or 12 gauge shotgun for hunting birds.* They are reasonably priced.* If you want to save even more $$$ buy a good used rifle & shotgun.*

Answer 9

what are you going to use it for if it is target shooting get a 22lr bolt action  if you are elk hunting I like the all around versatility of 30-06 but a 243 bolt action is a good all around in open country. or a  30-30 in brushy terrain. There are a lot of right guns depending on what your doin with i

Answer 10

Well Lady, since you say you are not afraid of recoil and are familiar with firearms let me recommend a .308 Winchester rifle for you.  The .308 Winchester generates 15.8 lbs. of recoil using the 150 grain round and 17.5 lbs. with the 180 grain round.  This is when using an about 8 lb. rifle.  The recoil is not vicious but is noticeable especially in lighter weight rifles.  The .308 is suitable for anything from varmint to moose, including deer and Elk.  This year I purchased a beautiful little light weight Browning stainless steel lever-action in .308 Winchester.  Recoil is probably closer to 18 to 20 lbs. because it is so light.  My old police patrol partner (female, 5' 100+ lbs) has fired it and just complained of a bit of discomfort.  Her 8 year old son has also fired it and he said he loved it.

For bird hunting you'll need a shotgun.  Anything in 20 or 12 gauge will be good.  I like the Remington 870 pump (in either gauge) but you may prefer something in over-n-under.  That is, a two-barreled shotgun with one barrel over the other one.  Places like Academy have great sales on Turkish shotguns in this configuration.  For a lady I would recommend the 20 gauge or a 12 gauge with light loads due to recoil.

Good luck.

H

Answer 11

well, your not going to hit many birds with a rifle. You will need a shotgun for that. Gauge depends on the situation. For target shooting, the 22 cal. is your most economical round. For your elk your going to need a little more power. The 30 06 or the 7mm mag should do it for you. Be safe and good luck.

Answer 12

im getting a semi my dad sed its better because if you miss thern you get another sot on blot you have to loose you aim then pull bak the bolt by then the game is gone

Answer 13

You should get a .22 long rifle to learn the basics and get your confidence up.  Once you are confident in your shooting abilities, get your larger caliber rifle.  I think a .243 would be perfect for you, but it is too small for elk.  A .30-06 is a good caliber, but the recoil is a little harsh.  If you can handle the recoil, then that is the best choice.  Great all around caliber.

I might suggest the .25-06, which is a very good caliber.  It has light recoil and is basically just a .30-06 case that was necked down to hold a .25 cal bullet.  Your bullet choices are limited, but if you work on good shot placement (in the vitals) it will take an elk.  I use this caliber for deer, and it is phenomenal.

As for bird hunting, your best choice would be a shotgun.  In fact, in a lot of places it is illegal to hunt gamebirds with a rifle.  Make sure you check your local laws.

By the way, it is great that you are into the whole hunting thing.  I keep telling my Hunter Ed students that women are the future of hunting.  Get as many of your female friends on board.  It will improve our sport 100%.  Good Luck!

Answer 14

one that shoots

that's about the best answer i can give you without more details...lots more

edit: well, you cant get a gun that you can kill elk and birds with. for elk i would get a 30-06, for birds i would get a 12 gauge shotgun.

Answer 15

As with any firearm its always prudent to start with the largest caliber that you can accurately control.  This is very important as it builds the necessary skills to shoot the rifle well.  

When students come to me and ask about such a subject I normally start with the .22 Long Rifle.  The cartridge does not look like much but in the hands of a skilled shooter it is very accurate out to about 75 Yards.  Much further than 100 yards you are really asking too much for that little cartridge.  But I use it mainly for a skill builder type cartridge.

I have killed many a Crow with my 10/22 Ruger.  It has served to dispatch squirrels and Cotton Tail Rabbits, the rabbits were served for dinner the following night.  

As for graduateing into an Elk Rifle, you are taking a fairly large jump.  Jumping from a .22 LR, into a Center Fire Rifle that can take an elk is quite a jump.

But if you like, you could consider a .308 Winchester, (7.62 NATO), type rifle.  I would recommend a Remington 700 in this caliber or a Savage in the same.  .308 will have no trouble taking an Elk with the proper bullet weight and profile.  

But for an animal of that size, I would really recommend a caliber that delivered a little more down-range energy like .30-06 or stepping into a .300 Winchester Magnum, possibly a 7mm Remington Magnum.

I only say this because I am a firm beliver in not having to make a Mercy Killing on a wounded and very angry animal that could possibly get a second wind and severely injure you when you think its down for the count.

I have had a couple experiences with Wild Pigs doing that, (taken with a .243 Winchester), after I was told it was a good caliber for that.  Hmm a little debate on that one.

The Ol' Moisin Nagant, (7.62x54R) handled that issue very well indeed after learning a little about caliber and energy displacement.

In any event, just take it slow and take the extra time to learn the calibers as they are presented to you.

Just remember, the larger the caliber, the heavier the recoil is going to be.  Its not a matter of being afraid of the recoil, its a matter of letting the recoil make you develop bad shooting habits.  In particular not mounting the rifle properly, and poor trigger control.

One remedy for this is to obtain a rifle with a Varmint Taper Barrel.  This means a heavy barreled rifle.  No you are not going to be happy lugging it around in the woods.  Lord knows I feel the same way about my Custom Mauser, but that is also why I go into an area several times before the start of the season and watch the animals and their habits.

Then quietly set up shop over several weeks, and then finally bringing my rifle into the hunting area when I am ready to hunt.  I have the rifle fitted with a Bi-Pod.  Once I am in the area, I am there.  Period.

Then unfortunately, its cold food, and a dry shelter for the next 48 hours.  Unless its Coyote's that are the selected game.  Then its about two hours, and a squeeling rabbit call.

Anyhow, happy shooting and good luck!

Answer 16

I Vote for an AR15.

Get one before Obama bans them. Also if you want to go elk hunting later you can get a .458 SOCOM upper for big game.

Answer 17

You do realize that there are several hundred different rifles on the market today?  What exactly will be the purpose of the rifle you are seeking?

If it's your first rifle, you need to buy a .22 to start out with, such as the Ruger 10/22, the Marlin 60, or a Savage Mk II.  After you've mastered the basics of target shooting and maintenance with an inexpensive .22 rifle, you can move on to something more powerful.