.270 for my wife??

[ConnRadd]

My wife shot a .243 over the Thanksgiving weekend and loved the low recoil. I know the .243 is plenty to kill Texas Deer and hogs, but how much recoil does a .270 have vs .243?
I currently have a LR308 which is next to no recoil, but the rifle is heavy. I was thinking of getting a .270 bolt for us to share. But if the .270 has fair amount of recoil over the .243, I doubt she'll want to use it...

Or would a 25-06 be a good in-between??

 

[dee]

All .270's I have shot felt smilar to a .30-06 to me but they were pretty light field guns.The heavier the gun the less the recoil will be a good compromise might be a .260 remington or a 7mm-08

 

[Texas42]

The 243's parent case is the .308.

The 270's parent case is the 30-06.

I think a 243 or other smaller cartridge would be the cat's meow for your wife. It will give you the excuse to buy another gun later. : )

As someone also mentioned, a 7mm-08 is a .308 necked down to 7mm (.284 inches), though I don't believe it is as avalable as the other cartridges.

Edit: You could try and find a buddy with a .270 and have your wife shoot it.

 

[juwaba98]

25-06 is going to be lighter recoiling than a .270 will be. That is what my wife hunts with. She likes it compared to a .243.

 

[Hondo]

I second Texas42's suggestion that you borrow a .270 and have your wife try it. Some ladies are OK with the recoil, but some never feel comfortable with it, even with a good recoil pad.

My favorite mild recoiling cartridges are .257 Roberts, 6.5x55, and 7mm-08 sadly these great cartridges are not very popular and may not be available at mainstream sporting goods stores (IE Academy).

 

[Texas42]

I second the .257 Roberts. My buddy got it as his first rifle and will not shoot anything else.

 

[ConnRadd]

Another option I'm thinking about is buying a scope for my AR-15 and let her practice with that. If it all goes well, then buy a 6.8 upper.. That will give her a low recoil rifle for deer and hogs and will give me a lighter rifle to use vs. my LR308.

 

[Texas42]

ok, just asking, but can you put a 6.8 upper on a 308 lower?

 

[ConnRadd]

ok, just asking, but can you put a 6.8 upper on a 308 lower?

No, it fits on the Ar-15 lower. There is a .243 upper that goes on the 308 lower.

 

[Texas1911]

.270 kicks alot more than .243 ... she probably will not like it.

Just buy a .243 ... it's a great caliber.

 

[c_m_shooter]

Get a .243 or .257 Roberts.

 

[Okierifleman]

Get the 243, no need in going up to the 270.

 

[Big country]

I will second the 243. The 270 is a lot like the 06, my has gotten to wear she likes to shoot my 06 but the recoil hampers her accuracy. I like the 25-06 no reason in particular I just like it. I'm thinking about either a Marlin XS7 in 243 or a Mossberg ATR or 4X4 in 243 for the wife and I to share.

 

[40Arpent]

My vote is for the .257 Roberts or 7mm-08. Yeah, they might not be the most popular, but both are pretty darn accurate, mild recoiling, and very capable for Texas deer hunting.

 

[Oldfalguy]

I gotta agree with 1911-
270/30-06 is a much bigger kick than 243, probably 20%
My mother in law shot the 243 and it was my first rifle
I like the 25-06 suggestion though I do not own one.

 

[TexMex247]

My regular deer gun is a .280 remington. It feels as powerful as the 30-06 or 7mm mag with factory ammo. However, it can be dialed down nicely with reloads. Either way, as long as you sight it in for them, they should only need to pull the trigger once. Sometimes it's better not to let an inexperienced hunter think about recoil by making them shoot the gun repeatedly. They might "flinch" or pull the gun if they think it's gonna hurt em'. For a regular shooting rifle, I might also recommend a .243 or .257. Anything putting over a 100gr bullet down range should get it done.

 

[oldguy]

243, One of the best deer rifles made, low recoil,flat shooting,accurate,
I seen many one shot kills with a 85gr hp reload on eastern deer many years ago.

 

[Big country]

I hear really good things about the 257 but I know no one that shots one.

 

[ConnRadd]

We are still up in the air what to get... I'm looking for a scope to put on my AR-15 and let her practice with that.

 

[navyguy]

If you beleive charts, here is some data on the rounds mentioned. The .270 is almost identical to the 30.06 and better than twice as much recoil than the .243.