greasypaws  |
I have tried my daughter on a H&R Topper chambered in .243 Winchester and the noise bothered her.I think it was due to the short barrel on the rifle.Any ideas on calibers and the rifles to go with them? "There is a time for all things, a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times have passed away. There is a time to fight, and that time has now come." --Peter Muhlenberg, from a Lutheran sermon read at Woodstock, Virginia, 1776
|
runawaygun762
I'm sure you already realize that any centerfire gun is going to be a lot louder than a rimfire. It may take some explanation, coaching, and patience on your part and some more time on hers. I know when I was a kid, my dad's shotgun scared the crap out of me after I fired it the first time and it took quite some time before I did it again. If the rifle is for hunting, and the state laws allow for 22 caliber rifles for big game, I'd suggest trying to borrow a .223 from someone. It has less kick and noise than a 243 and is still enough gun to bring down a deer.
LLE
I know this is a dumb question--But, did she use ear protection?
greasypaws
of course!ear muffs is what she had on
LLE
is sensitive only to the noise, I suggest a quick fix to try: Ear muffs PLUS fitted inner ear devices. That should take the perceived noise level WAY down. I do that myself when I shoot a very loud weapon.
Snake
no insult intended but if she had ear muffs on,why did the sound bother her. she must have ears like a fox.
greasypaws
i think it was as much the muzzle flash and pressure as it was the sound plus i think it kicked her pretty good but i have heard others say this about the 243 also.and yes at 10 years old she does have ears like a fox!
fordvg
plus do want LLE said about the ear plugs to help her out.
LLE
a 22-250...it is a little better at reaching out, but still relatively low noise and recoil.
greasypaws
i never have shot one.how are they for recoil and noise?plus it is legal for deer here in Washington
greasypaws
how is this one rof noise and recoil?
undeniable
The 25-06 doesn't have that bad of recoil. It's less even than a .270. It's basically a 30-06 casing with a .25 Cal. bullet necked down. They're a great flat shooter with good punch for game up to atleast mule deer or the larger white tail in the east. I guess noise level is relative to what you consider loud and what action your shooting with,i.e. bolt action, semi-auto, etc... As far as legality in Washington, I have no idea. I'm also not familiar with the 7mm-08.
undeniable
I should have read the whole thing first. I would not recommend a 25-06 for her, the .223 sounds like a decent starter as maybe a semi-auto to absorb the recoil. I don't know about the leality of .223 though. When I was a citizen of the Peoples Republic of California I know it is illegal to use a .22 Cal bullet for taking large game and seeing that Washington shares that coast it probably has about the same type of regs.
fordvg
Cougars are the only animal you can hunt with a 22 caliber centerfire rifle. All other big game has to be hurted with 24 caliber or bigger to be legal.
greasypaws
that is why i was thinking .25-06 or 7mm-08 and since i reload ammo wont be an issue neither will building a gun since i practically live at a gun shop!but i havent ever fired either cartridge and am looking for some input about them
LLE
the 25-06 and 7mm recoil will be fairly heavy; if she is having a problem with both noise AND recoil at present, she will find either of those punishing in an average weight rifle.
ssdd71
I am a fan of the 25.06, and have had one since 1978. I have found its fast, flat shooting platform to be very shootable indeed. I don't feel its recoil to be that bad depending on what load I am using. The report is not bad for me as the shooter, but I do know that anyone around me when I fire is well aware of the muzzle crack. The bullet leaves the barrel at supersonic speeds and the sound of the bullet breaking the sound barrier is very sharp indeed. I have taken large whitetails and Prairie dogs with this rifle with ease. Handloads can tailor this caliber to fit many applications and shooters. A light recoiling load for deer is very easy to develope that has excellent accuracy.
I am also a fan of the .308 family of cartridges. 7.08 is a fine choice and has a very good record as does its sister the .243. .243, 7.08, and the .308 are excellent rounds and should be highly successful as choices for most hunting you might want to do. Factory loads for these abound and are usually available almost anywhere.
Good luck. I think you are headed in the right direction.
runawaygun762
There will be a period of time where she is uncomfortable with a bigger gun, but shooting isn't a natural event. The very first gun I fired was my dad's Savage .30-06, from the prone, and no one told me to keep the butt against my shoulder. Getting hit by an '06 from a couple inches in front of the shoulder turned me off of guns for quite a while. With proper coaching and encouragement, your daughter should get used to the kick and report of the larger gun pretty soon. It also helps to give her reactive targets, like animals, water bottles, illegal aliens (kidding... about the water bottles), so she can see the results of her shots.
ssdd71
By the way, you are correct, short barrels increase muzzle blast significantly. This is especially true of loads that are very fast. Again did she find the muzzle blast objectionable as the shooter or as an observer? Like I said, I find the muzzle bark to be sharp as the shooter but very objectionable as an observer. This is even more true if you are somewhat down range from the rifle.
craigman9mm
All the calibers you guys listed are way to loud for any kid exspecially the .223. The softest shooting center fire rifle for a kid would be a lever action in a .38SPL which is chambered in .357 mag. the marlins and the winchesters, if you can find one probably used, is a great gun to shoot on. they are easy to use and hardly no recoil. check out marlins web site and if you can see if there is any used winchesters floating around on the market. rossi also makes pretty good lever actions also and for a fair price. check out the henrys rifles too.
greasypaws
never thought that way before.even a 44 mag lever gun wouldnt be too bad i think plus the 44 is legal for deer
craigman9mm
Yes the lever guns in a 44mag is legal and so is the .357mag lever gun too. Plus it's more sportsman like without the political correctness bullshit. You'r welcome.
dbldeuce5
I own a model 94 trapper (16" barrell). I would say the recoil is a tad less than a 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge, but it does have a little bit of thump to it.To me muzzle blast isn't too bad with hearing protection, but I think the 44 is a little to much for her. Even though it's not legal for deer, I like the .223 for her as a "starter rifle". There are plenty of varmits out there to send to heaven, and it makes a great plinking rifle.
greasypaws
the only problem with varmints here in wa state is that because we are in the western part of the state (south of seattle-see map)is there aint no small varmints only coyotes so other than defending the property a 223 is worthless to me.i already sold my mini 14 because i didnt shoot it except for range time.we have coyotes but unless they are messing with our animals i tend to leave them alone.she has been shooting a 54 cal muzzleloader lately that our friend owns but he only loads it with 30 grains and a round ball.so maybe the .357 lever gun is a better idea unless i could find a .44 special or .45 long colt and handload for them of course i could do this with the 44 mag too.
dbldeuce5
I see your point. I have the same Model 94 trapper in .45 Colt. Probably would work great for her. I actually wouldn't mind selling it. I do not reload, and ammo is to hard to find and exspencive. If your interested contact me privately.