I posted this also on the hunt board.I have a twelve year old soon to be step daughter who is looking for her first hunting rifle. I said I would help buy one. Now I need to know if anyone has a decent .270 or .308 they would part with for a reasonable price. Even a youth model .30-06 would be fine. She has been saving her money and should have enough by Sept or so to buy one. If anyone has such a beast let me know. You can email me or just reply here. Thanks all.

Jim, you might look at the 243's they have less recoil and plenty of power for deer. They seem to be more common in a jouth configuration. The calibers you mentioned pack a decent recoil and you don't want the future huntress to get gun shy.

I believe you must be using at least a .250 caliber to legally hunt for deer in washington state... But I could be wrong. I'll check the regs tonight.

If recoil is no problem i suggest a 300 win mag if you are gonna buy a gun, why not buy one that will get the job done nicely? If recoil is a issue 30-30's are nice beginner rifles.



- Jason

BBVD the regs say .240 which is basically a 6mm for any big game hunting though I wouldnt use anything that small on game bigger than deer.
My friend uses a 6mm on mulies though he stalks to within 50yds or less.

But a .243 is a good little deer gun especially for blacktail or whitetail if you head east.

A magnum isn't required to "get the job done nicely" on anything in Washington. And a 30-30 a beginner's rifle? Since when?
Luckily, Big Jim's original choices indicate that he knows what he's doing.

A .300 win mag for a 12 yr old girl? Dude... I feel sorry for your kids . I love it when I go to the range,and see guys that buy a big magnum rifle and can't hit the broadside of a barn,cause there afraid of the recoil .I guess they feel like a stud when they tell their friends they have a .356 super -duper mega-blaster. There ain't a deer on earth that needs a gun that big to kill cleanly.

PT

My mistake, i must have read the regs wrong. Thanks for clearing that up.

My first deer season is this season! I didnt get drawn for anything, I tried for four locations all on the east side. The guy who is taking me will be loaning a rifle, so I plan on trying it at the range first.

I've been doing ducks for about 7-8 years now, maybe a little longer. I REALLY hope its anything like duck hunting, because otherwise I'm afraid I might gut shoot some poor deer.

Any tips for the actual time when it comes to shoot, etc?

Thanks!

Curtis

BBVD...If your not absolutly,positively,100% sure you can make a clean kill shot,DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER. I'd rather eat my tag than have a gutshot deer or elk running thru the woods.Those of us that hunt or fish don't need anymore bad press.PETA is licking their chops,just waiting for more reasons to try to stop hunting and fishing.

BBVD, Shoot, shoot, shoot.
Put a couple of boxes of shells thru your gun before the season starts.
Knowing your gun is half the battle. Go shooting in different weather conditions, and at different ranges.

Thanks guys!

HB, I know its probably not the same, but even in duck hunting I've never pulled the trigger unless I knew I could hit. Of course I have missed every so often, but over 80% of my shots bring down a duck. I'm sure I could make that percent higher. If never shot anything higher then a .22, so this should get reeeeal interesting.

I started out using a pre 64 winchester feather weight 30 '06. It was a great gun for a kid so you might look at what feather weight models are out their. I use a 7mm mag now and it is used for dual purpose deer and elk. I liked the flat projectory with this caliber. It is a lot heavier than that old feather weight. The 270 has a really flat projectory also and a lot less gun. If recoil is a problem look for a used semi auto as some of the recoil will be taken up in the action but they do get a little spendy.

I admit it........I don't like recoil, but like venison in my freezer, there are two different guns I will use for Blacktail. I started with a .243 but now use a .257 Thompson Single Shot. I have gotten my deer every year with just one shot, I like using the Thompson because it makes you be darn sure that you have a killing shot. There is nothing worse than coming across a deer that has been wounded and gotten away to die later. My second suggestion for your kids would be to practice, practice, practice!

BBVD

Where are you going this season if you dont mind me asking.

I know you said eastern but what part.