Best hunting caliber for a very petite female?

[tac]

Plenty elk fallen to 6.5X55 caliber

The 6.5x55SE has been THE elk-hunting rifle since 1895, and in spite of all the newcomers, still takes many thousands of elk every year in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Premium ammunition from Norma will never be cheap, but then she won't be shooting hundreds of rounds a year, and it beats the almighty bejabbers out of anything made in the USA, mainly because of the fear of litigation posed by US shooters blowing up their hundred and twenty year old Carl Gustavs*. Oddly enough, a former buddy of mine in Normark, used nothing but his dad's m/38 short rifle, based on a 1906 Carl Gustaf, for his entire career as a game warden, and reckoned at one time that between him and his dad they had taken around 5000 elk over sixty years - with the same rifle.

*AAMOI, I've never heard of ANY Carl Gustaf-made rifle blowing up using factory ammunition.

 

[tac]

What chamberings were the brakes on?

It doesn't matter a hoot what the calibre is, that brake will send the bang backwards and sideways at you, your friends, the guy ten feet from you. Obviously, the larger the calibre, the bigger the KA-boom, and therefore more will get sent back to you. The most interesting ten minutes I spent one afternoon was locating all the bits of a £2000 spotting scope blown off a shooting bench by a .338LM from ten feet away.

The scope was mine.

Most folks over here shoot with moderators on in the field - kinder to everybody concerned, IMO.

 

[bbbass]

Fella I knew had/has a brake on his .338WinMag.... we could always tell when he was shooting at an elk. BOOM!!! Sounded like artillery.

But no, I wouldn't want to be on a benchrest next to him. I have brakes on two rifles, and I either take them off, or if it's just me and two guys way down the range from me, I ask if they want me to take it off.

 

[Spitpatch]

The 6.5x55SE has been THE elk-hunting rifle since 1895, and in spite of all the newcomers, still takes many thousands of elk every year in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Premium ammunition from Norma will never be cheap, but then she won't be shooting hundreds of rounds a year, and it beats the almighty bejabbers out of anything made in the USA, mainly because of the fear of litigation posed by US shooters blowing up their hundred and twenty year old Carl Gustavs*. Oddly enough, a former buddy of mine in Normark, used nothing but his dad's m/38 short rifle, based on a 1906 Car Gustaf, for his entire career as a game warden, and reckoned at one time that between him and his dad they had taken around 5000 elk over sixty years - with the same rifle.

*AAMOI, I've never heard of ANY Carl Gustaf-made rifle blowing up using factory ammunition.

Tac (intentionally or not) has granted the 6.5x55 a "linguistic boost in ballistics" here, in the Theater of the Mind for some readers of this thread.

His "Elk" referred to is actually the animal we ignorant and unwashed Colonists insist on calling a Moose.

And he is absolutely right: The ol' Swede can well handle a rose (or a Moose, or an Elk) by any other name.

 

[Flatfish]

Creedmoor, 260, 6.5x55, 7-08, 7x57. Caliber is relatively unimportant, so long as we see the concepts behind the decisions.

Have her learn how to shoot in small caliber. 223 is popular. Learning fundamental mechanics is much easier when we don't shut our eyes, yank the trigger, and have our senses overwhelmed by noise/recoil.

 

[orygun]

Once the woman knows how to handle and shoot the .22 well, then I'm a huge proponent for the 7mm-08 in a properly sized rifle.
My wife is short, too and guns like the Ruger Compact fit her perfectly.


My wife transitioned to this rifle from a Savage 99 in 243. The weight of that Savage and the light bullet of the 243 make it a soft kicker. It's the gun my 10 yr old is shooting now.

 

[orygun]

Fairly similar parameters in this thread, too.

Deer round for a 12 year old boy

My son wants to get into hunting and what would be the best deer round with little recoil?

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Spitpatch]

What chamberings were the brakes on?

Glad you asked (and it may surprise some).
The rifle that took both these animals is a Remington M700 Stainless BDL in .270 Winchester (yes, with a brake)!

It is (to borrow a term from my darker interest-black powder) my "Business Rifle". (Rugged, do-everything, kill anything gun.)

I put it together specifically for the Dall Sheep hunt (unguided), and it has served well for lots of stuff since. For the Sheep hunt and that Elk hunt, the gun was extensively reloaded-for and shot and practiced with for nearly the entire year prior to each hunt. The brake served there to make long shooting sessions possible (especially with the 150g elk load). For the Sheep, it actually was an asset at the shot itself:

Two rams laying down at 375yds. I had repeatedly practiced to 400 during the year, primarily at sitting and prone positions. We had to belly down in a boulder field and watch for almost two hours before they stood up. Forearm resting on my daypack, I was steady and from practice knew where to hold for elevation. The brake allowed me to actually see the impact of my bullet center-ribcage, work the bolt immediately while maintaining the image of the ram as he shuddered, gathered and began to trot for the skyline. 100 miles above the Arctic Circle and seven miles from a drop camp, the skyline is not a gamble taken even with a solid hit.

Visual confirmation of the hit and fast recovery for the second shot justified my holding farther forward at the same elevation. The immediate second shot at the junction of neck and shoulder rolled him. It is my belief the brake made all that possible.

Just as the brake helped me with extended shooting sessions of full-house .270 loads, a brake (WITH PROPER HEARING PROTECTION) might be the "training wheels" utilized to allow a person of smaller stature to transition to a more powerful cartridge than otherwise might have been tolerated. I know it makes that .270 feel to me like a light .243. I literally can shoot it well all day (and have).

 

[Spitpatch]

Since this thread is about elk, I should probably talk about the elk.

I cannot say the brake assisted with an effective second shot at all.

The Bull was running full speed with his group of 12-14 cows broadside at 175yds. The 150gr Ballistic Tip hit him dead center in the ball of his shoulder. Both forelegs crumpled and he cut a long furrow into 12 inches of Bob Marshall snow, rooster tail against morning sun included.

And due to the brake, I was not deprived of a millisecond of the entire display through the Leupold at 6x.

 

[No_Regerts]

Two words. Dead Elk.

View attachment 681464

Brakes are loud. Brakes can damage hearing just as an un-braked highpower rifle can damage hearing (when fired without hearing protection). Hearing protection is becoming more frequently used in the field than in years past, but it is by no means done by the majority of experienced hunters.

Fortunately, a muzzle brake's increase in noise level is noticeably mitigated in the wide open. The hunter with a large unbraked magnum caliber that looks askance (because of decibel levels) at a hunter employing a brake on his more moderate caliber is the classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Both these animals (and numerous others) are dead by reason of a brake employed: During targeting, handloading and practice as well as the shot in the field. In these cases, a brake made the difference.

SOME guides are reported to disfavor them in the field, as it is the guide's ears that are often to the side of a brake. In my time working for an outfitter, no guide I ever met ever mentioned that disfavor (admittedly, brakes were quite uncommon to be seen).
Brakes are also inconsiderate at a public range.

Without exception, EVERY guide I ever met or worked with DID express disfavor toward magnum calibers in the hands of clients who could not shoot them (and most couldn't).

Dismissing brakes out of hand for use in the hunting field (and in the preparation for the hunting field) often is accompanied by no experience with them in that application.

One difference, the guy without a brake projects blast forward, the guy with a brake projects it sideways. When he doesn't tell his buddy who is next to him on the spotter that he's gonna shoot, his buddy bleeds from his ear. Ask how I know.

You'd have to throw a brake real hard to kill any animal with it. I can't think of a single time or scenario where a muzzle brake was the determining factor in a hunt.

 

[Spitpatch]

One difference, the guy without a brake projects blast forward, the guy with a brake projects it sideways. When he doesn't tell his buddy who is next to him on the spotter that he's gonna shoot, his buddy bleeds from his ear. Ask how I know.

Would not doubt you.

You'd have to throw a brake real hard to kill any animal with it. I can't think of a single time or scenario where a muzzle brake was the determining factor in a hunt.

Please advise how I might "throw a brake". If that is the secret to success, I want to learn.

On the other hand, I can certainly understand how any piece of equipment never used in a hunt can more easily be determined to be of no use.

 

[No_Regerts]

Please advise how I might "throw a brake". If that is the secret to success, I want to learn.

On the other hand, I can certainly understand how any piece of equipment never used in a hunt can more easily be determined to be of no use.

Just pointing out that a brake doesn't kill the animal. If someone has a successful hunt, its not because of the brake.

 

[Spitpatch]

Just pointing out that a brake doesn't kill the animal. If someone has a successful hunt, its not because of the brake.

It's also not because of the truck you drive or the bow you shoot or the caliber you have chosen, or the tent you live in or the partners you choose or the bullet or the primer or the food you ate yesterday or the way you told your ol' lady goodbye.

But every goddamn one of 'em makes a difference to the whole.

And some parts exhibit themselves toward triumph.

 

[wp4]

Please advise how I might "throw a brake".

Easy. Screw a tiny brake meant for a .22 caliber on the end of your .270!!

 

[Spitpatch]

Easy. Screw a tiny brake meant for a .22 caliber on the end of your .270!!

Having trouble with this, but only in the aspect that my hypothesis would be a "rough cut"
.277 hole in my previously pristine .224 brake.

Thank you ever so much for offering a viable experiment!

Our lawyers will be in touch.

 

[No_Regerts]

It's also not because of the truck you drive or the bow you shoot or the caliber you have chosen, or the tent you live in or the partners you choose or the bullet or the primer or the food you ate yesterday or the way you told your ol' lady goodbye.

But every goddamn one of 'em makes a difference to the whole.

And some parts exhibit themselves toward triumph.

All of those things would have an exponentially greater impact on a hunt than a brake. Especially if what you ate yeaterday gave you the squirts.

 

[Idahobound]

A lightweight 270 is a good choice. I have seen elk taken with one shot with very light weight bullets (like nosler partition as low as 110 grain) as shot placement is more important than power and caliber. The 270 is under rated and has successfully been used for years on most every game animal in North America. It is a very flat shooting round which makes it great for a lot of hunting scenarios from various ranges. If size of stock is a consideration, look for one in a youth model. Bbbass is correct about letting her decide though LOL. I learned my lesson recommending an appliance that my wife hated! After that, I just gave her info on anything she was looking at ( pros/cons and reviews) with no recommendation. I'd make the responsibility of final choice on her. It saved a lot of grief as she could almost find something wrong with almost everything she bought LOL! I would just smile and say I'm sorry you don't like what YOU picked out. Ha-ha. Remember Men are from Mars and women are from Venus hate to stereotype but she could be difficult at times. I miss her terribly she passed away in October and if give anything including making a recommendation that she wasn't happy about even if it meant a complaint directed at me just to have her with me again.She was a hell of a shot with a Heavy 44 special, being a very petit gal with small hands I thought she'd appreciate a small frame carry gun so I bought her one.... Thought I'd never hear the end of it..... She hated it! LOL.... Live and learn

 

[Warheathen1]

Greetings, all!

I have been helping a friend get into shooting over the last year or so. She is interested in eventually, sooner rather than later, getting a big game hunting rifle, ideally capable of killing elk which is the most populous game where she is. She is VERY small, like five foot, one hundred pounds maybe. She is strong and wiry, not dainty, but just very small. She had the stock on her .twenty two cut down as far as possible. She is not the nterested in reloading. Of the generally shelf-available calibers, capable of taking elk, what would be the mildest, most appropriate for someone of her physique?

thanks!

I am surprised nobody has suggested .243 Winchester yet.

Off the shelf, lower recoil, wide availability of ammo and ammo types.

This all day. Very minimal recoil. One of my best friends is the same size as your friend and she uses a .243 every single year. And brings home a buck, every single year. We are in our 30's and she's been shooting .243 since she was 15 and will never use another caliber because she doesn't need to. Not to mention ammo is cheaper than the bigger calibers, so training AND hunting is overall cheaper.

 

[Idahobound]

Ps- as for muzzle breaks... Some people like them, and some don't. I have an extremely light weight 338 win mag rifle that was wonderful to carry hiking at elevation, trade off was that it kicked like a mule! Got soft in my old age LOL and had barrel modified with threads and installed a muzzle break. Best decision I ever made with respect to that gun, became a pleasure to carry and shoot. All guns,applications, and shooters are different... beauty is in the eye of the beholder