50 cal for a woman?

[Civiljar]

I'm looking for a 50 cal for my girlfriend (So we can shoot the same rounds and cartridges). She's about 5'6". My Lyman great plains is obviously too big does anyone have a suggestion?

 

[Swtodd]

Have you looked at the Traditions "Tennessee Rifle"? .50 cal, lightweight, roundball twist. :2

steve

 

[Semisane]

Both the Lyman Deerstalker and Cabala's Sporterized Hawken are short lightweight rifles available in .50 caliber and readily available. The Dixie cub is a really nice little .50 made by Pedersoli. CVA Bobcats are very light and shoot well, but I don't know if they were made with wood stocks. The only one's I've seen had plastic stocks.

 

[ladysmithtrading]

Traditions Shenandoah is a lighter weight rifle also

 

[Rifleman1776]

CVA Bobcats are very light and shoot well, but I don't know if they were made with wood stocks

I wasn't aware of it either, but on another current thread wood stocks are mentioned.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Traditions Shenandoah is a lighter weight rifle also

There has to be a balance between what the girl can carry and shoot in comfort. At one time I built a short Ky. style flint rifle from an H&A kit in .50 cal. It kicked like an angry super mouse. I think it weighed only 4 1/2 pounds. I never used and sold promptly.
However, this is a very timely question. In my state of Arkansas the Game and Fish commission has banned .45 cal. muzzle loaders from deer hunting using a round ball. :cursing: Odd that my wife was able to kill two in one day with hers and they dropped only a few feet from where she shot them. But, I digress.

 

[BrownBear]

In a house full of guns my wife (5'6" and 130#) has two faves. They're the Lyman Deerstalker (hers is actually 54 cal) and the Pedersoli Frontier Carbine in 50 cal. Truth be known, if it was a 54 cal rather than a 50, I doubt she'd want any other than the Pedersoli. It's lots lighter and easier to shoulder as-is, but she prefers 54 cal for deer.

Another measure, our 12-year old granddaughter is nuts for the Pedersoli, too. She's 5' and real athletic so weight shouldn't be an issue for her. But she likes the balance of the Pedersoli better and certainly shoots it better than the Deerstalker.

 

[freekforge]

My sister is 8 and shoots my traditions deer hunter.

 

[jtmattison]

The Lyman Deerstalker is a great little rifle.

HD

 

[gmww]

I've found the calib. isn't the issue, it's how much powder you put behind the projectile. For plinking you can go light. For hunting I'd say min. 65 grns.

Start out light and work your way up with her. Lots of good guns to choose from for entry level.

 

[Civiljar]

I'll Check out the deerstalker, Like I said, it's more an issue of weight/length and what will be comfortable for a person with a smaller build to handle.

 

The Dixie/Pedersoli Deluxe Cub rifle is light weight and an excellent shooter.

 

[don hepler]

I responded to a similar question on another post, and this doesn't answer the question about a 50 cal for a women, but the old Thompson Center Seneca's were perfect for children and small women. I went to the Commenwelth Games to watch the muzzleloading competetion and a couple women were shooting Seneca's and they just loved them. Why in the world someone isn't making a rifle like that is beyound me. However, they are hard to find and largest caliber was 45.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I start newbies, including GIRLS, with a CVA frontier rifle in 50 caliber. Usually start with 30 grains of powder under a patched round ball. About like a 22 Rf

 

[longcruise]

My sister is 8 and shoots my traditions deer hunter.

I'll second that vote. My wife's Traditions DeerHunter in .50 cal is light and easy to handle. Recoil will be in line with the load in any of these guns. Hers shoots accuratley with 35 grains of 3f for fun shooting and also shoots well with 70 grains of 3f for hunting.

 

[Jayhem]

I assume you are saying the Lyman is too big as in weight and size, not the caliber is too big. I have a .45 cal Investarms Hawken with 29" barrel that is significantly heavier than my TC Renegade in .50 cal. The Renegade only has a 26" barrel and with round balls and 80 grains FFg (my deer hunting load) it recoils so light that a 6 year old could handle it.

 

[Mickc01]

Hey, it's the day of amazonian masterhood, there's a lot of women who can shoot any gun at any caliber with the best of the men. I say get her whatever she likes, that's also the best way I know to make most women happy.

 

[Civiljar]

Mick, and Sacremento. It's an issue of front end weight, my GPR is a long and a little front heavy, it's fine for my 6'6" body but on a smaller person it can be awkward, I'm going to look at the Thompson, and the deer stalker and see what I can find for a good deal. Thanks!

 

[Ron_T.]

My .50 caliber deer rifle is an older CVA Hawken Carbine with a nicely-figured, wooden half-stock which weighs just 6½ lbs with a 24-inch barrel, double set triggers and a screw-adjustable (for elevation & windage) rear sight.

It is definitely NOT muzzle-heavy.

It is super accurate with my hunting load of either 65 or 70 grains of Swiss FFFg, a vegetable-fiber over-powder wad and a round, swagged Hornady patched ball.

Recoil is not bad at all, even for a woman. You might be able to find one in good condition in the used market for a reasonable price. :thumbsup:


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

 

[BullRunBear]

My 5 foot tall wife uses a Deerstalker flintlock in 50 caliber and a 40 caliber percussion Dixie Cub. They balance well for her short arms and since they are only for targets she loads them down to a comfortable but accurate level. Rifles that fit me at 6'5" are just too long and heavy for her. (Yeah, we get a lot of Mutt and Jeff jokes.)

We've also assembled a battery of modern guns that suit her, which means I stood back and let her choose. (One of my smarter moves!) :grin:

Jeff