[glockmeister40]

Remington 700, 30-06 caliber

[mad_as_he$$]

Barret 50. but seriously up to Elk? humm My better half uses my Sako 7mm Mag. for some reason that frame has very little kick. Elk can be tricky with smaller calibers. as recommended a 30-06 but I wouldn't get a Remington try a Ruger or a Winchester. All of the fairer sex around here say Remington's kick to hard.BUT the best advice I can give you Practice Practice Practice. After 40 years of shooting this year I took a sloppy shot at a deer and had to hump it's dead butt 1/2 mile further than I should of. Bad habits develop fast and good ones take time in shooting.

[augray]

I am shorter than your wife and can handle a 30-06 just fine. So, I agree...30-06

[Khurkris]

For a good all-around rifle just pick a .30 cal that feels comfortable. .308 or 30-06 both offer a wide range of over the counter loads. This pretty well cover the gamut of NA hunting at just about all normal ranges. Good Shooting.

[July 4th]

I agree with post #2. Also, I like the .223. It's great to learn marksmanship, but it's not going to do much with big game. (although I know of people who successfully hunt deer with them.)

Now, the rule should be that whenever you buy your wife a gun, you get one too:

[DugwayDuke]

Go with a lighter rifle. There are special recoil absorbers especially for women that strap on to their shoulder/chest areas. BTW, some cheap folks use a kotex.

[Double Tap]

The best suggestions already been made, but I'll second the Remington Mod. 700 (ADL or BDL) in 308 or 30-06. Get the fiberglas stocked model, it has a better design for recoil management.

And don't go cheap on optics, you'll be sorry later if you do.

[BlueLancer]

"...and to hunt North American game animals up to the size of Elk."

Including the majestic møøse?
Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti...

[eskimo]

I would suggest a Browning A-bolt in .30-06. About the same weight as a "mountain" rifle. The 60 degree bolt is perfect for small hands to apply sufficient force to chamber a round quickly with less effort.

If you have access to a reputable dealer, they will usually have good suggestions as to what is best for you.

[Marauder]

I've recently gotten into the black powder scene, and bought a .50-cal Hawken muzzleloader. It has a recoil pad like a shotgun, and it kicks about the same.

The same company that makes these also makes a shorter carbine, which I see as very easy to carry and reload.

It finally dawned on me that I don't get to shoot a heck of a lot on any hunting trip - once or twice at the most - so the act of stopping to load the weapon every time I shoot it is not a big deal. And of course, any critter that gets hit with a .50-cal round isn't going to wander off too far.

[Rain-maker]

My reccomendations for a big game rifle would include either a 7mm magnum, .280 or .270. Reason being includes less recoil,higher muzzle velocities and flatter trajectories than a 30-06, 30-30, or .308.
Ask the local gunsmithy on the best calibers, he should give you some more ideas. Perhaps he may allow you to test shoot a few models to determine the best one suited for her needs.

The 7mm-08 is the best all-around hunting cartridge! A true giant killer!

• Shoots flatter than the 30-06 Springfield!
• 100 yard energy is four times greater than a 44 Magnum revolver!
• Recoil is a little more than a 243 Winchester!
• Tack driving accuracy is inherited from the 308 Winchester!
• Point blank range is over 300 yards (+/- three inches!
• Cheap to reload and brass last longer than most!
• Available in lightweight short action rifles!
• Versitile! From varmits to moose!
  Related link: 7mm-08
  More: comparisons
  

[PoorMuttly]

Certainly a 30'06, because it works. You can get lighter or heavier loads for it, and I recommend Federals with the Nosler PARTITION bullet, if she wants to actually bring the animal down, with deep penetration almost regardless of where hit. It works in Africa...it'll work for her. Exit wounds are not unknown with this bullet, which always help with rapid bleed-out and tracking. Elk are dangerous, so use enough gun.

Rifles with straight combs are known to deliver milder recoil, which is why the classic safari rifles had them, as well as keeping the cheek and eye closer to the bore line. I'd say balance and hefty barrel thickness are the most important factors in hunting rifle comfort, and likeability. Remember that when hunting, VERY few shots are fired, often only one, and many, many hunters don't even hear the shot go off. What kicks and only punches paper is a lot more stressful than what suddenly brings an edible trophy down, with one irrelevently loud (or strangely silent) and sudden shot. Buck fever, even when controlled...absorbs almost ALL recoil....and winter clothing, cold numbness, recoil pad, a solid grip on a rifle you know will hit where you point it, and with authority...you get the picture. I have seen FIVE year old boys shoot Rem.1100-12ga. shotguns they could hardly lift, and beg for more ammo. Then, there's always the stock-mounted Edwards Recoil Reducer...adds weight, but removes kick.

The .308 generally delivers 150 fps less velocity, and doesn't like heavy bullets. My '06s like 200gr. bullets, and so do I. They are deadly, and deadly accurate through crosswinds, which often happen. Have you considered the Browning BAR (come on guys, the civilian one!)? It's a real recoil-tamer, accurate enough for the job, and certainly faster to the next shot, should it be necessary. It is, or was also available in .300Win.Mag, a famous elk-tamer. In the trade, everyone I've sold them to through the years still has the one he first bought, with no intention of giving it up. If they still make it, the BLR is an excellent GEAR-actuated lever action, with the entire trigger group moving with the lever. This breaks through ice around the bolt in REALLY bad environments (not what you'll probably be in!), never pinches fingers, reloads quickly, is short and light, and chambered in real big game calibers.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I think a .223 would be a good start (that was my first rifle)... and I'm short, thin, (but also not too recoil sensitive)...

[Revelation 911]

Marlin .45/70 lever - everthing up to moose - and it doesnt kick much at all- if not that, then the .308, .30/.30 - etc

[donozark]

.30-06' capable of killing any North American game animal. .308 Win. is close. I have used one for many years, in many states and climes. Never had to track my "kills." I have a pre-64' Model 70 Winchester. Leupold Vari-Xll. Remington 700 is fine also. If looking to save a few $$, Wally World usually has a Savage, bolt action available in either caliber, as well as .270, etc for less than $300. A friend of mine picked one up last year. Furniture not exactly comparable to my Weatherby Athena, but Savage is a well built rifle. And for less than $300, with sling and I believe scope came with it. Check their store or website. Bass-Pro.com also may have some nice ones-but a little more $$.

[Roger_W_Isom]

For a woman that has not fired any bigger caliber than a .22 a Ruger .243 is PERFECT... if you can find a .250... thAts even better... shell'll NOT have to worry about any serious kicking of the rifle....

[white trash redneck]

Congratulations on having found a woman who likes to shoot and hunt. Sounds like a keeper!

You've gotten LOTS of great advice, so what I'd add is that she really needs to TRY these various rifles and cartridges. A 30-06 will take any game in the lower 48 (ignore anybody who tells you that you have to have the latest magnum to take elk), but only she will be able to say whether she finds the recoil just an annoyance or unbearable.

[PoorMuttly]

.35Whelen M70/700, W/ Partition bullets. That is a classic elk rifle. Then '06, .308, the 7mm/.308 class...but from gophers up to elk, .243...but you have to shoot the elk in the ear when they're sleeping, and jump back really fast. A bayonet may be a handy stocking stuffer this year too, while we're at it! (*Please observe local game laws).