hardluck71

Dixie,

Welcome to the world of hunting. You will find that the help you have gotten here is only the tip of the Ice Berg. Most of us on this board are just average people who love hunting. You will probably learn to almost live for it. In my life GOD, My family, and hunting come in that order.

Good Hunting

Backstrapper

I would go with the .243 at the minimum, better yet the .260. Just don' t use ballistic tip ammo - use a bullet that will expand better. Ask your local gun shop for a bullet to match your gun and size of deer in your area.

kyhuntsman

Welcomoe to the board. It' s great to welcome another female huntress. If we get more huntress' involved ion the sport, then the male will come as well.

Anyway, If I were you I would go with the 260 and then the 243. You will want to go to a gun store and see what model fits you the best. The caliber is secondary. If you do not have a gun that fits you, then you will not want to shoot it. Once you find the gun that fits you the best, the one that just snaps right to your shoulder (you' ll recognize it when you find the one), then talk to the dealer about calibers.

That' s my 2 cents worth,
Matt

rockytop

Welcome aboard, it seems we are getting more females and that' s great. As far as a rifle, stay away from the .30 calibers, they can be punishing. .243 is great, but a 6mm is just a hair better but you don' t have as great a choice of factory bullet sizes to choose from. My wife shoots a .243 youth remington 700. It' s great out to 200 yards but after that, the short barrel causes the bullet to drop darn fast. It also has an adjustable trigger, from the factory it' s a bear to pull.

dixiecups

You guys have been a great help. I plan on going and looking as soon as I get a day off from work. A friend of mine was hunting yesterday and he was on the ground next to some brush deer hunting and he heard something behind him but thought it was far off so he did not turn around. Well, he kept hearing it so he turned around and a 8 pointer jumped over him and leaped twice then took off running. He said he about had a heartattack. I laughed at that one. He said he could not even get his gun up in time. I will never let him live it down. LOL. " the one that jumped away." Sorry, just thought I would tell a little story for you all to read up on. But I really do appreciate the advice. ttyl

farmcntry

You can use about any gun you want. In NC you can' t legally use a .223! A .243 is the smallest you can go. I have a Savage Tactical .308 with bull barrel and synt. stock. This gun is loud and powerful but does not kick. My wife uses it.

Check out the so called ' varmit' rifles. They are usually heavy but have bull barrels and don' t kick very hard. I had a nice .243 with bull barrel mouser, that we cut the stock on so my wife could hunt with it.

Good luck. And if you can' t find one, send me an e-mail and I probably can find you one if you know what you want.

Remington Lady

Walmart has any gun you want. They have a book that you can look at if you don' t find what you want in the store, anyway just ask for that book and if you find a rifle that you want they' ll order it for you. I would suggest a .243 it is a pretty awesome rifle. It has less kick than a .308 and it' s not very heavy. Remington 7mm .243 is what I use.