Are kids and women suppose to be the better shots?

B

BenKeith

Guest
When mention is made of a 243 or 260, it's mostly associated with the fact they are good calibers for kids and women. Thursday I was in Acadamy Sports and they had one of those cheap, black Remingtons in a 243 and I was just wanting to look at the rifle but told a young clerk to let me look at that 243. He got a puzzled look on his face and ask "why", that's a ladies gun, you probably want to look at a 270 or 30-06. I told him no, I wanted to look at that one and he commented back again, "but we don't never sell them to men" and asked why I would want something like that. My comment back was "look, I know how to shoot, I don't need a friggin shoulder cannon" an older clerk laughed and said "I like that answer".

After all, if they are perceived as only being good for kids and women, because of the reduced recoil, and not very good deer/hunting rifles, then they must figure the women and kids have to be better shots than men, for them to be able to use them for hunting.

I guess I'm still a kid because for 45 years, the lions share of my hunting and shooting has been with a 6mm, and haven't had one to walk away from it yet.
 
Could it be you were looking at the "youth model" with the shorter stock?

I believe the idea that the .243 and similar cartridges are mostly used by women and children is a misconception.
I can think of many on this board along with many of my deer camp partners, that while they still own the traditional 30/06 class rifle they predominately opt for the more shoulder friendly rifles ....such as the .243 and 7/08 as their go-to carry guns.
 
Well, a 243 may be called a "light" gun by some salesman in a store, but ours was used mainly on antelope. My wife shot it, and at times I shot it.

An adult antelope may weigh only 90 lbs. They are really not very large animals. IMHO, a 243 is plenty with them, especially when choosing bullets carefully. And placing the shot with care.

We killed three or four mulies with the 243, and while it works after a fashion, I think it is a little light. Big mulie bucks can go to 220 lbs or more.

As for whether women and kids are better shots -- well, this was just sarcasm by the fellow starting the thread.

However, this is like with kids the same as with adults. The individual. Some kids can be excellent shots -- surprisingly good shots. Same with some women.

Others may practice till the cows come home, and be little better than fair shots at best.

Ever helped at the range during sighting in day? Some guys can't even seem to hit the paper, much less the bulls-eye. Others put them all in the center of the bull. It is not how old you are. You can shoot, or you can't. I think some of this is innate-- extra practice or coaching will not make up the gap.
 
the 243win/6mm rem's are great cartridges for deer and coyote. the lil .243 will kill any whitetail on the face of the earth with ease, as long as the shooter understands its limitations.
 
No, was not a youth model.

As for sarcasm, didn't know there was any until you started it, and that was not my intent at all, I guess some people just try to look some something to make a stink of.

My comment was toward the perception that those calibers mainly seem to be consider calibers for women and kids. Not they can or can't shoot any better or worse than anyone else. The thought that if you're a real man, you should be shooting something that would blow half the animal away when you shot it. That way, you don't have to worry about placing the bullet, you just shot the animal. Even on here, when someone mentions a 243, there is usually the comment they are good calibers for women or kids, not they are just down right good calibers deer hunting, no matter if your'e a man, women or kid.

If they are not really good for hunting and you must be a better shot to use them, then I figure women and kids must be better shots than the average hunter because that's what most seem to only recommend them for. That was the reason for the heading.

I've be shooting a 6mm for most of my life and have alway considered it the ideal caliber for white tail and most other similar size game and smaller.
 
differing viewpoint

Ben,
from what you stated i believe the first sales person needed his horizons expanded and a new oppertunity to meet alot of new people. surely sales is not his venue.
just my .02 from a grumpy old fart. Fred ;)
 
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BenKeith said:
My comment back was "look, I know how to shoot, I don't need a friggin shoulder cannon" an older clerk laughed and said "I like that answer".
Click to expand...

Ben, I like that answer, too. I will use it in the future, if you don't mind. My deer rifle of choice for these Texas Whitetail Deer might be considered a kid's gun by some. However, I have never had a deer walk off or crawl off from one shot from my 22/250. I have seen many 30/06 shot deer get away to die painfully in a bush or require several shots.

Concho Bill
 
I have little patience with most gun clerks, particuariily of the variety usually found at the box stores.

As an example - I was in a SW just about the time that folks here were starting to gear up for hunting season, I was standing at the counter looking over what they had on the rack and could not help but overhear the salesman and customer talking. The customer was looking to purchase a rifle for his son who appeared to be about 13 or so and surely weighted no more than 90 lbs at most, the salesman was hyping a 300 Ultra Mag for the boy, he almost had the dad convinced that this was the ultimate rifle for him, that it recoiled very little and killed everything on the face of the earth.

At that point I could not keep my mouth shut any longer, I entered into the conversation as politely as I could, which was diffiicult to do because I wanted to tell the clerk what an idiot he was, and started talking to the father about how he may want to consider something in the 7/08 range would be for his son. I managed to pull him away from the salesman, took him to the book section and opened a reloading manual and showed him a few ballistic charts, showed him how much powder the 300 Ultra Mag used and explained to him that there are no free lunches as far as recoil is concerned, I am not sure just how much he got out of it all but the light did seem to come on.


The story had a happy ending for all - the father left with a 7/08 for his son, the salesman still got to sell a rifle and I felt much better knowing that the kid would not be terrified of shooting after pulling the trigger for the first time on his new rifle.

I have no idea of what they use for criteria when sticking someone behind the gun counter in most stores but knowledge of what they are selling doesn't seem to be one of them.

drover
 
I bought a Remington 788 in .243 not long after they came out. It was pinpoint accurate, but shooting it gave me no real satisfaction. I traded it off, and of course now wish I still had it, but at the same time I'm unlikely to buy another .243.
I like a powerful cartridge, not that I have much use for one these days.
At the same time I recently aquired a Savage 23B in .25-20 caliber, far lighter in every respect than a .243, but for some reason a far more satisfying rifle to shoot, and within its range limitations also a tack driver.

Lightly built women and youngsters can learn to shoot centerfire much more easily if introduced to it with a light recoiling rifle in a lightweight package, the short bolt throw also helps.
The .243 is adequate for any game a youngster or lady is likely to want to hunt. Not many kids and women lining up to go hunting Kodiak or Polar Bear, not that it hasn't been done.

First centerfire rifle I remember shooting as a kid was an M1917 in .30/06, way too much gun at the time. But in later years I found that the 8mm Mauser and .303 held no hidden terrors for me, that M1917 had beat the fear of recoil out of me at an early age.
I don't care much for recoil pads, I think they increae group size slightly at best and interfere with precision shooting at worst.

I'd as soon shoot an airgun as a .22 rimfire, the .22 just doesn't seem like a real gun anymore, probably why I got that .25-20 as a step up in power for small game, plus cleaner kill potential on turkey and such.
 
Ben,

We suffer from a similar problem. When someone opens their mouth I expect something intelligent to reach my ear canal. Usually, I end up reminding myself that they probably can't make change without a computer. ;)
 
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