Recommendations needed for newbie female shooter

TankGunnar · Jun 21, 2018

I have been reading article after article online and the choices are confusing and overwhelming so I am reaching out to the experienced rifle owners to help me narrow down my choices. I am a middle aged female with neck issues (read poor upper body strength when practicing for extended periods). I am looking for a varmit rifle to use around my house to kill field mice, armadillos and snakes and also to practice with. I will need something lightweight with a shorter reach to the trigger and minimal kick to my shoulder. What rifles would you recommend I be on the lookout for? Thanks!

dougstump · Jun 21, 2018

It sounds like the .17 HMR rimfire would be a good choice. If you were closer to Shreveport I've got a couple you could try. Would a .410 shotgun be too much recoil?

AZ2VET · Jun 21, 2018

Seems to me that a 22lr could be the ticket as well. 22 lr ammo is cheaper than 17hmr and unless I am mistaken I believe there is a Nylon66 or a Ruger 10- 22 in the rifle classifieds. Not trying to dis the 17hmr but wouldn't it be bit more than needed?

I have a M&P 15-22 that I really enjoy. Would be willing to let you give it a try, contact me if interested at A-1 Signworks in Ponchatoula

340six · Jun 21, 2018

I agree with a light 22lr ar like mentioned or a Sig 552 with a cheapo scope

Jasarii · Jun 21, 2018

M&P 15-22 (capable of multiple stock positions & lightweight)

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LaBelle · Jun 21, 2018

You may also want to check out the;

Marlin XT series of bolt action .22 rifles with a youth stock. They come in a detachable magazine and tube magazine version. The tube mag will allow the gun to feed the .22 short, long and long rifle cartridges. Nicely versatile!

Henry lever action rifles, .22 and .17.

Even the Rossi single shot rifles - you can get the combo that has a .22 barrel AND a .410 gauge shotgun barrel to swap out.

beauxdog · Jun 21, 2018

Would a small caliber air rifle meet your needs. Some of the new air rifles are as strong a regular .22 caliber rimfire and are just as accurate.

Beauxdog

Bmash · Jun 21, 2018

22rf will handle all of those. And rat shot is readily available for close shots. I googled it and it sounds like the crimped brass rat shot will feed in a semi auto, but if may not eject.
Your options are many! I hesitate to even say this after ARs are mentioned, BUT...on the smallest end is the very lite and short - really a kids gun - Savage Rascal (I love to shoot my grand daughter's rifle) it is very short and a single shot, I would not call it a "Varmint" gun or use it for target practice but for around the house critters you describe it will work fine.
You don't say how experienced you are with semi automatics. A semi auto like the 10/22 is a great gun. Stock/trigger pull should be ok on a 10/22. Of course an AR 22rf is fine if you are willing to get familiar with it. (For both you must learn how to disassemble, clean, and maintain. It's not hard to do.)
Otherwise stick with a simple bolt action. There are many choices out there. Go to a good gun shop and handle several.
Of course the best bet is to find a good range near you and go shoot a few rifles. Any coworkers or friends with 22s?

mike84z28 · Jun 21, 2018

Ruger model 10/22 or Marlin model 60 would be great choices. Light weight easy to handle and cheap to shoot. Semi auto would be better than a bolt gun with the health issues you described above. Whatever you decide get some good instruction if you are not an experienced shooter. Not sure about the area you live in so be aware that a .22lr can shoot a great distance so be sure of what's beyond your target. Good luck

Big H · Jun 21, 2018

Seems to me anything other 22 LR would overkill---Henry 22, Marlin 60 22 or Ruger 10/22 in my opinion should be a good choice.

RaleighReloader · Jun 21, 2018

These are all great suggestions. .17 HMR, .22 LR and .22 Magnum are all excellent calibers (I own rifles in all of these), and they've all proven their worth at keeping varmint populations under control.

With your neck / upper body strength concerns, you may want to spend a bit of time in a local gun shop looking at the various actions (bolt action vs lever action vs semiautomatic) to see which you feel the most comfortable manipulating. Each requires some sort of exertion, but the semiautomatic has the advantage that you won't have to do anything between shots except let the trigger reset itself. But, when you do have to manually cycle the action you'll need to use a bit more effort than you might have to with a lever or a bolt.

When I read your post (and before I read the other excellent suggestions), my first thought was a Ruger American Rimfire bolt-action rifle in either .17 or .22. I have the .17 HMR version of this rifle and it's an absolute tack driver, with very minimal recoil and a bolt that I can cycle with two fingers. But there are many, many other excellent guns out there and a lot will come down to what you're comfortable shouldering and cycling.

Mike

TankGunnar · Jun 21, 2018

I should have included the guns that we do have here, all of which are too heavy for me to deal with for more than a few shots from a standing or sitting position without some type of support. We do have an old .410 which I would be able to use for snakes since one shot will usually do the trick. My problem is that we are overrun with field mice in my chicken coop and armadillos tear up my plants. The old Remington Fieldmaster 572 .22 is too heavy for me and I cannot keep it up on my shoulder comfortably unless I stand and use a step ladder to support it. I also have a Crosman Phantom .177 break barrel air rifle which is even heavier than the .22 and the stock is way too long. I would not say I am very experienced at all but I have recently been putting quite a few rounds through my .380 while waiting for my CCW. I have been around guns all my life but have only taken an interest in the last couple of years. My husband travels for work so safety at home is paramount. I live only yards away from my in-laws but it is not practical to call them every time I need to be rid of a snake. After losing many plants to the mice, I now have a vendetta against them and would like to be able to take care of them myself instead of waiting for the husband to be home. I am taking note of all the suggestions so I can go put my hands on a few. I am particularly interested in a .22 semi-automatic that will be super light and that will accommodate a scope and night vision LCD screen (have the Bestsight kit that mounts on a scope). All of you have been so helpful and I appreciate it.

LaBelle · Jun 21, 2018

Just another idea - I used to "hunt" rats in my father-in-law's barn at night with a flashlight taped under the barrel of a .22 revolver loaded with ratshot. About 10 feet was effective range, pattern opened up pretty far after that.

A revolver loaded with .22 CB rounds would be good for the mice - teaches "Aim small, miss small" LOL.

A lightweight .22 semi-auto pistol might be an option, like a Browning Buckmark with an aftermarket Tactical Solutions barrel, slide is easy to pull back. or maybe a Ruger SR22, for the larger targets of armadillos & snakes.

kz45 · Jun 21, 2018

Also think about using shooting sticks, a nice monopod will help steady and take the weight of the gun

TankGunnar · Jun 23, 2018

All great suggestions that I appreciate! LaBelle, the firearms bug has hit and one of my next purchases will be a .22 revolver. I went and put my hands on a few rifles and ended up with a Ruger 10/22 semi LR with stainless barrel and synthetic stock. With the addition of a scope and night vision LCD screen, it is still a bit heavy but hubby has fixed me up with a tripod mount since I am mostly sitting quietly in the dark waiting for the mice to wander into the chicken coop. With the night vision setup removed, it is quite manageable and even more so without the scope. I also purchased the 25 round mag and I have already put quite a few rounds through it shooting at a target in daylight. Fun!

RaleighReloader · Jun 23, 2018

Good move on the 10/22. It is the standard bearer of .22 semi auto rifles and will serve you well.

.22 revolvers are a ton of fun. You may also consider a Ruger Standard or Ruger Mark IV, which are .22 semiautomatic pistols, and which will probably be a bit lighter than a revolver. I love shooting my Ruger Standard, and its close cousin, the Colt Woodsman.

Mike

EightySix · Jun 23, 2018

Sounds like you really want to shoot the mice and fun way to exterminate them, but without trying to derail your thought process, go to youtube and search homemade mice traps. There are some very clever traps with several different methods of getting rid of the pest. They seem to be very efficient. Imho

Here's just one example

https://youtu.be/eF6xwUSkT1k

TankGunnar · Jun 23, 2018

EightySix said:
Sounds like you really want to shoot the mice and fun way to exterminate them, but without trying to derail your thought process, go to youtube and search homemade mice traps. There are some very clever traps with several different methods of getting rid of the pest. They seem to be very efficient. Imho

Here's just one example

https://youtu.be/eF6xwUSkT1k

I will continue researching for more options since there is always someone striving to build a better mousetrap. In the past 4 months I have used 3 different types/styles of snap traps, sticky traps, a live trap, an electronic trap, and a bucket trap. Seems once I get one or two by those methods, I never get another the same way. We have removed two low lying wood decks (found major nest sites, one with a really full chicken snake lying in the nest), regularly turn the dirt in the coop where they also tunneled and nested, put up a screech owl house and removed my chicken feed from a shed nearby. I have tried everything except poison which I refuse to use because of the detrimental effects on birds and pets that may eat a poisoned mouse. Apparently these burrowing field mice, AKA voles, have a population explosion every 3 to 5 years. I have never seen so many! The only positive thing I can say about them is that they prompted me to purchase a really fantastic rifle.

falshooter · Jun 23, 2018

Get a cat..

machinedrummer · Jun 23, 2018

falshooter said:
Get a cat..

Beat me to it.

Recommendations needed for newbie female shooter

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