It will be her primary deer rifle. My 243 is a heavy gun I've had for groundhog hunting for years and I'm just not to trusting of 22cal being a dedicated deer rifle. My 257 Roberts was a gift to me from her over 10 years ago for my birthday. It has become my go to for woods hunting ever since. She can use that rifle as much as she wants but I don't want to offer to give it to her for fear she will take it as " I don't want her gift anymore". I've got several 700 actions laying around and no projects for the winter yet so I just thought I would work something nice up for her. She deserves it, ya know
What to build for wife
- Thread starter Bowkill02
- Start date
Coyotefurharvester
Silver $$ Contributor
"Yoar" head exam is free. Love it.
6x45 with 80gr Barnes TTSX. Fleabite recoil (about half the powder of a .243 Win), excellent penetration on medium game, feeds beautifully from standard magazines. Abundant, quality, low-cost brass. Lighter bullets (~70gr) great for practice, varmints, etc. Long barrel life.
Had a 6.5x47 built on a Stiller with a McMillan Compact purple/grey McSwirley for my wife. Although a CM or 260 or a 243 would be great as well....I think your stock choice is more important than cartridge choice.
10XSHOOTER
Gold $$ Contributor
.260 more velocity with 140's little recoil, will feed from magazines!
argrendel
Silver $$ Contributor
Lots of choices. All good. I will second 6.5 Grendel. I have two. Shot 12 deer so far, they either drop, or die within 50 yards. I’m shooting from a blind and under 200 yard shots. Very little recoil. 120 grain bullet runs about 2500fps. My Lapua brass has been reloaded well over 10 times. Also in my ARs, shooting off a rest, follow up shots are quick. On two deer I watched the impact and wasn’t completely happy and was able to send another round before the deer was able to take a step.
I would chose a caliber she would like to shoot often.
I would chose a caliber she would like to shoot often.
Shot placement is king, adequate penetration is queen and the rest is dancing on the head of a pin...
As long as she is not shooting at the southbound end of a northbound deer penetration isn't an issue with a properly constructed bullet. So what does she shoot accurately? Most female hunters don't go "brain dead" when they see a deer and will take the time necessary to place their shot insuring a humane kill.
That said, I disagree with your .22 caliber concerns but that is a discussion for later. So something in 6mm that will leave the muzzle around 3k fps. My 6x45AI pushes an 80 gr. at 31 and change but that's from a 28" barrel. A little unwieldy for woods hunting but from a blind not so bad. You probably want the minimum powder charge to achieve this requirement as muzzle blast can be intimidating as much as recoil. The Sierra 85 gr. Gameking has a proven track record. I use/load singular but feeding is something you may want. Now, factory loads or hand loading?
Looks like we are narrowing it down. Hell here is a novel idea, ask her!
As long as she is not shooting at the southbound end of a northbound deer penetration isn't an issue with a properly constructed bullet. So what does she shoot accurately? Most female hunters don't go "brain dead" when they see a deer and will take the time necessary to place their shot insuring a humane kill.
That said, I disagree with your .22 caliber concerns but that is a discussion for later. So something in 6mm that will leave the muzzle around 3k fps. My 6x45AI pushes an 80 gr. at 31 and change but that's from a 28" barrel. A little unwieldy for woods hunting but from a blind not so bad. You probably want the minimum powder charge to achieve this requirement as muzzle blast can be intimidating as much as recoil. The Sierra 85 gr. Gameking has a proven track record. I use/load singular but feeding is something you may want. Now, factory loads or hand loading?
Looks like we are narrowing it down. Hell here is a novel idea, ask her!
I'd sell the Remington action and buy a Tikka rifle in caliber of choice. 6mm-6.5mm.
Ouch!!! Now ya lost me
6.5x47 shooting 130 gr Berger hunting. Mines been great on deer at 2950 fps out of a 26” Broughton. Second choice is what I’m building right now a 6 Dasher with Norma brass. I’m looking forward to trying the Dasher with 105 gr bergers. I think this will be a great low recoil deer round good out to 500 + yds if the numbers I ran are right.
You want to build a great gun for your wife, so you might want to build a prototype of two to make sure you get it right. Of course you would not want to give her the lowly prototype but it might be "adequate" for your purposes, and 2 prototypes might be necessary.
Remember it is for your wife so no expense it too much.
Just my two cents,
wade
Remember it is for your wife so no expense it too much.
Just my two cents,
wade
Either are great choices. Don't discard the 6.5-47 either. It's as good as the other two. Personally since you reload, the .260 gets my vote. It offers the best performance of the others and is plenty for many big game animals if not most. Good luck deciding. It's truly a coin flip
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
6 BR all propose rifle. You never now she may give it up ? You always wanted one !!!!!
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