My wife has fallen in love with a remmy 700 XCR 270wsm. Prior to that she had hunted with a 257wby or 7-08 mtn rifle. Started off with 25-06 when she was 7 (I think every kid in her extended family killed their first deer with that 25-06, 5 barrels later)

My wife loves her 270 win mag. It's a 700 CDL with an aftermarket "purdy" laminate stock and a nice recoil pad. She can shoot it all day with no problem.

baby momma digs her 308

youth 243 or 308 depending on what size your ol lady is

Kacee loves her Remington 7/08 w/Zeiss 3x9x40 no muzzle break necessary.

I would make some friends on this board and go out and shoot a few different calibers suggested here and see what you like. You could also get some instruction.

I would also say buy/borrow a 22 first and practice a bunch with same, since it has basically zero recoil and you will get a basic skill level down before jumping into a centerfire.

If you are ready there, I would be happy to go to the ranch with you and let you shoot my daughter's .270, or my 25-06 or .308. Could probably russle up a 7mm-08 to try also.

Shooting a few rounds side by side is the best comparison.

That being said, there's an old addage that say "You don't feel recoil when pulling the trigger on an animal". I found that to be true - never remember any after a kill. It's the constant firing of a box or two at the range where recoil becomes an issue.

Also, if you jump into a centerfire and are worried about recoil, you are likely to flinch and develop all sorts of bad habits when shooting that will make it hard to find a gun you like and that you can become proficient with - the apprehension about the recoil will affect your shot every time.

On the other hand, get use to the range and trigger pull after shooting hundreds to thousands of 22LR, and when you pick up a fire a centerfire you won't be apprehensive, so you won't tense up, so the recoil won't "feel" as bad, and you'll shoot better, which will make you like a wider variety of guns, which will help you make a decision.

Jack O'connor swore by the old 270, I tend to agree.

Easy answer..257Roberts. Low recoil, plenty of power.

And his wife hunted with the 7X57

I've killed an awful lot of deer with a .244 Remington. They don't make them any more, but .243 Winchester is close enough. In my opinion it will kill darn near anything. Since there's little recoil, you don't learn to flinch, hence you tend to be far more accurate. And as we all know, bullet placement is far more important that what caliber your shooting.

244 Remington got renamed to the 6mm Remington

Is that a trade offer? send pics of the gun you're trading! :-)

Seriously... .243 gets my vote, and it won't be outgrown, unless the shooter needs a louder report and more recoil. I have an old (1980) BLR in .243 that is sweet, light, recoil is nearly "unfelt" to me. the table at the link below gives some specifics if you want to do a recoil comparison for various calibers, bullet weights, and rifle weight. Good Luck!

www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

My sister in law shoots elk and Oryx with à 7mm ultra mag. I wouldn't suggest that for the faint of heart tho. .243 will be fine , especially for Texas whitetails. I don't think women have the same macho issues that men have with shooting smaller calibers. Started hunting with à .243 and now as long as I'm not chasing new Mexico muleys that's all I'm going to carry.

I'll agree with the folks suggesting 243, 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 260, or 6.5x55. All are great for deer and all have low recoil. Any of those in a youth-sized rifle would be fine.

Stormy weather and Kmon1 took mine. My kids shoot my 6mm Remington. It's ballistically identical to .243. Seems like 25-06 would work well for woman as well. Heavier guns would be ok with larger calibers.

Whatever she is comfortable shooting..Connie Brooks of Barnes has
several pictures in their reloading manuals where she has shot animals w/a 338 Win Mag..and she is very small and petite..I watch ladies who compete in Skeet who regularly shoot shotguns that wgt. 12 to 13lbs and they shoot about 250 or more targets a
day..Most ladies do not have to unlearn our bad habits..Don

Ran into this salty ol hide a couple years back while in Alaska. Her choice was a pink 375 H&H mag.

Thats exactly what my wife did. Started with a .243 then went to .260 for a couple of years and now shoots a 7-08.

...agree

My wife is only 5' tall with short arms and she shoots a Model 70 Youth in .308 and it doesn't phase her at all. But then again she also is durned good with my Colt Commander (.45 ACP). Most recoil doesn't seem to bother her but she did get a little antsy with my 300WSM.

Oh yeah.....

And there's the 270wsm killer. Not an issue to swap out between the 2 we have and her run through 100 rounds getting comfy stretching out shots. Spent enough time behind it to be good out to 600...unfortunately.

Nothing fancy but go with a lever action 30-30. Easy to hold easy on recoil. If you can hit the target, all the power you will ever need

My wife shoots a savage .243 and loves it.

I like the trusty .243. Loaded with 80-100 grain bullets, it is plenty of punch for even the biggest TX bucks. That, along with it being an accurate caliber and 'easy to find' ammo is a win - win situation. I have other, bigger rifles in my safe but the .243 goes with me more times than all the other guns combined.

I am not a fan of .243 for anyone, just my opinion. I suppose it all depends on range as well. I would never shoot a .243 past 125yards, even though I have heard reports out to 200 yards. I pretty much see the .243 as a predator gun. a .25-06 has very manageable recoil and devastating down range, the same as the 7mm-08. I'd say it also depends on the woman as well. If you don't have a problem with recoil, I'd stay with a .30 calibur like .308 or .30-06; either one of those is all you'll ever need. If recoil is a problem the .25-06 or any of the .25 calibur bullets mentioned above would defiantly do the trick.

Let us know what you wind up with and how you like it. Welcome aboard too!

seems most people prefer 243, 25-06, 6mm or 7mm08