Need some fatherly advise

[BANG_OW]

My young daughter, Emilee, has taken to target shooting. She is much too compassionate to kill anything other than paper. We now have a set of youth pepper laminate stocks, coutesy of Chancelivewire, a receiver, coutesy of Zermatt7, and are now trying to determine a caliber for the barrel(s). I can't believe I'm saying this, but we will be looking toward EXTRACTOR barrels. Emilee is 5'1", actually 4' 1 1/2", and 105 lbs., and will shoot whatever is in the box next to her. She's shot stout .45-70  and .35 Whelen loads without a wimper. I'm thinking  .357  and 20 ga. barrels would be just about right. She is very interested in reloading her own ammo. I'm looking for suggestions. BTW, she will shoot until the box is empty, so cost is a factor.
Thanks guys,
Don

[DalesCarpentry]

Glad to hear she has an interest in shooting!!!!!!!!  I think a 204  or a 223 barrel is what you need. Even though she has shot your 45-70 there is no reason for her to develop a flinch for no good reason. Take it easy and work her up to bigger calibers slowly.  Dale

[d_hiker]

I would agree with your choice of .357 Mag and 20.ga.  You could always ream the Mag to Max if you ever needed/wanted a little more power.  With the weight of a rifle there is not much kick to the .357 Mag.  My kids have shot both 38 specials and .357 Mag in my Marlin 1894 and have a good time with it.  If you reload you can't get much cheaper than lead for plinking and targets.  A 20ga should be easy for her to swing if shooting clay birds.

[EVOC ONE]

I agree with your suggestion of the .357 and 20 ga.  The .223 would also be a good choice.  It offers the option of extended ranges as she becomes a more proficient shooter, as well as low recoil. 

Both the .357 or .223 are inexpensive to reload.  The availability of bulk bullets as well as the small amounts of powder each uses provides for a great deal of shooting without going broke.  Unfortunately, not so for the 20 ga. given the current prices of shot, but we can't get around that.

Glad to hear of her enthusiasm with the shooting sports.  Stimpy could probably offer some excellent advice.  I believe he and his daughter are reloading/shooting partners.

[Graybeard]

NOTHING is cheaper or works better for volume paper punching than a .22LR.

[LaOtto222]

I agree on the 357. They are about as cheap to reload as it gets in center fires. They shoot well and are fun to plink with. The 20 gauge would be fun for her on clay birds or anything that is a moving target. A 20 gauge Stevens single was my first gun, still have fond memories of that one. I out grew it eventually. As her skill gets better you might consider a 223, again about as cheap to reload for as a "varmint" round gets and generally accurate. You also might want to consider getting her a 22 rim fire. You can shoot all after noon for $10. Bulk ammo is around $15/500 rounds. I still like to shoot my 22's. Good luck to you and your daughter, she has chosen a good path to go down.

[BANG_OW]

Thanks for all of the the good feedback. We shoot a lot of .22 ammo. My daughter has a Pliinkster that she is quite good at shooting. We also have a Versa pack .22 barrel that will go on her 'new' rifle. It hasn't been shot yet, but has been cleaned and oiled several times. The thought of reloading and reusing the brass is very appealing to her, as is the associated smells of the oils, solvents (Hoppes), burnt powder..etc. This sure is better than me trying to spend time in the kitchen with her baking stuff. I can sit and follow 'recipe' reloading cards all day, but get impatient in the kitchen. I think this is a result of my being on the road so much and cooking for myself. If it is warm enough to eat and isn't putting up a fight, its done. I have also used the house smoke alarm as a kitchen timer.

[darat100]

If you have the 22lr covered, the 357 sounds like a great idea.  However, for reloading, the hornet sure makes a pound of powder go a LONG way.

[MnMike]

I have found the smaller calibers more accurate. For shooting at 100 - 300 yards, I would suggest .204 or .223. It doesn't take 300 gr to kill paper. Cheaper reloading too.

JMHO

mike