suggested rifle for wife?

[buttonbuck]

My wife is interested in getting a muzzleloader. She is 5 feet tall and has a bad back the she broke a couple of months ago. I let her shoulder the 50 cal renegade single trigger she said the barrel was too heavy to hold straight. The pull was good compared to my rifles. I wonder if it is more of a question of FORM? I perfer a bit of weight to steady a rifle. Any suggestions for a good rifle for her to hunt and shoot with? This would also be the gun my younger kids will shoot. Is a new englander in 50 or 54 cal a bit lighter with the round barrel than the renegade? I will be putting together a 45 cal cva mountain rifle soon but I think the pull is a bit long and the barrel is 32" long. Maybe one of the cabella carbines?

 

[paulvallandigham]

MANY WOMEN ARE NOT BROAD ACROSS THE SHOULDERS, SO THAT A GUN BALANCES DIFFERENTLY TO THEM THAN TO A MAN OF EQUAL HEIGHT. Balance is much more important to small shooters than weigh, altho a gun that is muzzle heavy is difficult to impossible for them to hold up.

Because she is so small, ask first what she is going to use the gun for? Does she hunt? If so, what kind of hunting does she do, or want to do???

If not hunting, then is she simply interested in recreational shooting, or competition target shooting?

The Answer to these questions will determine largely what to get your wife.

Most women don't like recoil, so a nice .36 caliber squirrel rifle works just fine for them. And, they often will let their nice husbands "borrow " that gun to go squirrel hunting, too! :blah: :blah: :shocked2: :hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[David W.]

Exactly what I was going to suggest. A Bedford County .36 comes to mind. The Bedford also has a big drop in the stock which allows the head to remain upright when sighting. The .36 is also a favorite of mine because I can purchase 000 buckshot which is the perfect pill to shoot in that rifle. Whether target or competition shooting, at 25 yards (I know that is close), I have had to place a adhesive dot on the target because I was hitting the same hole. Of course, I was using an H&H barrel. DeHass makes that same barrel now, I understand.

Another choice would be to get a rifle with a swamped barrel which takes weight off the muzzle end.

 

[Tom Compton]

A shorer length of pull also changes the point of balance and there fore the muzzle heavy feel.

A CVA Squirrel rifle should do just fine.

TC

 

[BrownBear]

My wife handled both 50 and 54 cal Lyman Deerstalkers and settled on the 54 rather than the 50 for better balance. That's her preferred deer rifle, and she uses it very effectively with small charges for plinking and small game.

With deer off the list, her favorite all around rifle is the Traditions Crockett 32 cal. It's light, balances well for her, and just a whole lot of fun to shoot.

 

[jsams]

If you can find a Thompson Center Seneca, I think it would make a great little rifle for your wife and the kids. They look like a small hawken and come in .36 and .45 cal. I have one in .36 cal. that I will save for my son when he starts shooting. JSAMS

 

[buttonbuck]

She does want to deer hunt so when I get an opportunity to get her to shoulder a deer stalker I will. I know I can go with a light gun like some of the cva bobcats etc but recoil could be an issue I believe for the 25 yard shots we take somewhere around 60 grains 3f in a 50 or 54 with a prb will take deer if you do your part. I like the notion of taking her out squirrel hunting on a BRISK fall day to see how she handles a taste of the cold. I usually see tons of deer then but when bow and gun season comes they scatter.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For smaller women and youths I always recomend finding a T.C. cherokee or seneca. They are excellant rifles and well balanced. Both were made in 36 and 45 calibers.The biggest mistake I ever made with muzzleloaders was selling the Cherokee I had for my boys to a member of a local club for his daughter. She shot one year and then moved to stay with her mother ( Her parents were divorced ). I will always regret selling that gun.

 

[excess650]

I have a New Englander in .50/12ga and think it a bit barrel heavy with the .50 in place. TC made some shorter barreled "carbines" like the Tree Hawk, White Mountain Carbine, and Pa Hunter Carbine that should be lighter, but might not be PRB friendly with quick twist barrels. If you're going to be shooting close enough to cauterize them, I doubt it would matter. :rotf: My Grey Hawk shoots its best with non-traditional projectiles. :hmm:

This might be a good time to think "custom gun" and build it yourself. I came home from the stock carver on Friday with a Jaeger/transitional style stock and 28-1/2" Colerain Hessian Jaeger barrel in it. It will finish up around 7-1/2# but not barrel heavy, and broad across the butt to tame the .62cal.

 

[nkbj]

For an example of what women oftimes handle well, a 410 shotgun is about as good as it gets for small game and deer.
You know, there's really no reason a 42-45rb gun shouldn't handle like a 410 shotgun (instead of like a wrecking bar with a hole in the middle). A smaller bore back action lock hunting rifle perhaps modeled on the southern european shotguns could be extremely nice. Maybe a 36" barrel. Much punch for the weight. Nicely balanced.
Gosh fellas, does anybody make anything like that?

 

[cratwelder]

For a production gun, you ight want to give the pedersoli "dixie cub" in 45 caplock....its what my wife shoots. She is 5 feet 2 inches tall. and has fibromialgia so recoil is definately an issue. She shoots a 440 PRB over 50 grains of 3f...has killed 2 deer with it and an untold number of skunks...(we are infested out here with em)...its short with a roughly 12 1/2 inch length of pull...overall length is right at 45 inches.
We have a club shoot next weekend I'll put the word out for a cherokee, seneca, or dixie cub...if you want me too.....just email me and let me [email protected]

 

[Billnpatti]

Pedersoli makes a rifle specifically for women and youngesters It is called the Cub Dixie and is available in .36, .45 and .50 calibers. It is lighter in weight and has a LOP more appropriate for a woman of your wife's small size. I would recommend it as a possible choice. Since Cabela's carries many of Pedersoli's guns, they will likely have it in their store or available online through their catalog.

Another excellent choice would be one of the Hopkins and Allen underhammer buggy rifles. Unfortunately, they are out of production. However, every once in a while you will find one for sale on The Forum or other online gun sales sites and at gun shows. I have one chambered in .45 caliber. It is light, nimble and it is a tack driver.

If you are so inclined to build one, the parts are available through and outfit called Fire and Iron. Come to think of it, they may offer a completed rifle but it won't be cheap. If you are a builder of rifles, it will be worth taking a look. :thumbsup:

 

[410-er]

Go with the TC Seneca or Cherokee in 45cal.Sweet little small frame guns but just be carefull not to over charge them like a standard frme muzzy.With a charge of 50grs of FFFg,you will kill deer.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Mwife is 5'4" 115 lbs and as we were looking for her I had her shoulder a T/C Renegade, Grey Hawk, and a Hawken...The .50 HAwken "felt" the lighest/best to her.....she enjoys shooting it with 65 grains of Pyro RS and a .490 ball....

 

[zimmerstutzen]

a cva Squirrel rifle can be sholdered by nearly anyone iincluding kids. A CVA frontier rifle is also light and is usually in 50 cal so it can be loaded light for target and heavy for hunting.

 

[Celt5494]

I bought the Dixie cub for my son on Christmas. Some of the guys on this site recommended it and after a bit of research decided to go with it. That rifle is a perfect fit and is a shooter as well. I've tried it out myself and had a lot of fun with it. Very light and accurate. He's regularly hitting targets at 200' with that rifle in .45

 

[cowpoke1955]

Dixie has the Pedersoli Scout Carbine that comes in different calibers and also available in jit form: http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92_186_191&products_id=5914 . Another possibility is the Traditions Tennessee Rifle: http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_92_186_191&products_id=12447 .

 

[The Hermit]

One of my boys is less than 5ft tall, 110#, when he's full.
It was comical to see him shoot the .50 cal Penn long rifle with shooting sticks, but he fell in love with a CVA .50 cal youth model, so I bought it for him. It fits him well and is very accurate.

 

[BrownBear]

She does want to deer hunt so when I get an opportunity to get her to shoulder a deer stalker I will. I know I can go with a light gun like some of the cva bobcats etc but recoil could be an issue I believe for the 25 yard shots we take somewhere around 60 grains 3f in a 50 or 54 with a prb will take deer if you do your part. I like the notion of taking her out squirrel hunting on a BRISK fall day to see how she handles a taste of the cold. I usually see tons of deer then but when bow and gun season comes they scatter.

I haven't weighed it, but the 54 cal Deerstalker seems "light" among our other muzzleloaders.

As for loads, I recommend cheating. I started my wife out with 35 grains of 3f and after she'd gotten really good with that I made her a new measure and told her it was only 60 grains.

Liar, liar, my pants are on fire! :rotf:

It's actually 80 grains, but thinking it's only 60 grains has taken the bight out of the load. I asked her if she wanted to try my 80 grain measure, and she declined. "Nope. 60 grains is plenty!" :wink:

 

[morehops]

I haven't tried some of the other guns mentioned but the Deerstalker seems to be a good solution for your wife. It's short, light, handles well and shoots good too. It's also priced right and readily available. I have a bad back, so to handle recoil at the range I bought a Caldwell lead sled. I can shoot 80-100gr all day with no back problems. Good luck, and I hope you find a rifle that your wife will love to shoot!