Best Rifles & Shotguns for Women

Looking for the best long guns for women? We examine our best rifles and shotguns that are lighter, have a shorter length of pull, and have less recoil. Over the last decade or so, there has been a significant improvement in information for female shooters. These days, it’s easy to locate lists of suggested guns for women, and many of them are even written by women!

However, most are made up entirely of pistols or only include one or two rifles, and they almost completely disregard the fact that many women seek long firearms for a variety of reasons, including hunting, home defense, competition, and recreation. Today, I’m going to assist you make up for the dearth of recommendations by recommending a couple long guns that are ideal for women.

Factors to Consider While Looking for a Rifle for Women

In general, most women benefit from long guns with the following features:

• Short length of pull (LOP), moderate to low recoil.
• Lightweight construction.

Women, in general, have smaller bodies and lesser upper body strength, therefore the qualities listed above make the rifle easier to hold, aim, and carry, especially over extended durations.

None of this implies that all women should exclusively use firearms with these features, or that no men benefit from these types of long guns. Stronger or broader women may prefer larger, heavier firearms than those listed here. This advice may also be useful to males who are narrower and less bulky.

Selecting the ideal pistol is ultimately a matter of taste. It ought to be determined by what works best for you, not by what other people may think.

Best Rifles & Shotguns for Women

1. Daniel Defense DDM4 V7

With a weight of only 6.2 pounds, the Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 is particularly compact and lightweight compared to other AR-15s. With its eight-position adjustable stock, the rifle’s total length may be changed from 32.25 inches to 35.875 inches, and the length of draw can be modified between 10.5 and 13.25 inches.

This enables you to adjust the length to suit your comfort level and body type. The rifle is even more pleasant to wield and has less recoil thanks to the soft-touch over-molding on the stock and pistol grip.

The rifle’s 16-inch barrel is the shortest available without falling within the short-barrel rifle category. Remember that the National Firearms Act applies to rifles with short barrels.

Because of its shorter barrel, the rifle is simpler to balance and has more agility when used for home defense.

Rifles with 10.3, 11.5, and 14.5-inch barrels are also available from Daniel Defense on the DDM4 chassis, assuming you can get past the NFA red tape and still want a shorter barrel. The DDM4 V7 LW is supplied without sights, but you may mount your own on the rifle’s continuous Picatinny rail that spans the length of the upper section.

2. Ruger Precision Rifle

Needs for shooting at the range are too different to suggest a single weapon. To address a few distinct sets of demands, We have provided two recommendations from Ruger and it was hard enough bringing it down to just these two.

While the second rifle is ideal for plinking and rimfire competition, the first is an excellent option for most competitions and more serious leisure shooting. To fully cover your range time bases, acquire both, or just one, depending on your needs. Considering its price range, the Ruger Precision Rifle is among the most well-liked and well-reviewed firearms.

Needs for shooting at the range are too different to suggest a single weapon. To address a few distinct sets of demands, I’m providing two recommendations from Ruger (and it was hard enough bringing it down to just these two).

While the second rifle is ideal for plinking and rimfire competition, the first is an excellent option for most competitions and more serious leisure shooting. To fully cover your range time bases, acquire both, or just one, depending on your needs.

Considering its price range, the Ruger Precision Rifle is among the most well-liked and well-reviewed firearms. Because the rifle weighs 9.8 pounds, you may want to consider getting a bipod to assist you manage the weight if you are not very strong in the upper body. The rifle’s in-line recoil path, which runs from the receiver to the buttstock, lessens felt recoil regardless of caliber.

You may utilize your favorite attachments with a 15-inch free-floating M-LOK handguard and a Picatinny rail. You may change the trigger weight of the Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger from 2.25 to 5 pounds.

3. Savage 110 Lightweight Storm

Although it isn’t as adjustable as any of the rifles we’ve already covered, the Savage 110 Lightweight Storm is another rifle with an adjustable stock. Its draw length is adjustable from 12.75 to 13.75 inches, and its overall length is between 39.25 and 40.25 inches. Additionally, the stock of this rifle has movable comb height spacers rather than a height-adjustable comb.

The gun is intended for hunting purposes, thus the slower spacing won’t be a problem. The rifle is reasonable in size, with a relatively short barrel (20 inches), an overall length of only 5.65 pounds, and a weight of only 5.65 pounds. It’s easy to take it into a tree stand or blind, or to go through the woods.

The gun uses an AccuTrigger that may be adjusted by the operator. In the unlikely event that the rifle is dropped or jostled, this trigger helps reduce the possibility of an unintentional fire.

Even little shooters may maintain a solid grip with the assistance of the rifle’s Checker textured plates on the wrist.

It lacks sights, so you may mount your favorite optic without any problems. You have alternatives for a broad range of game with models chambered for.270 Win,.223 Rem,.308 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and.243 Win.

4. Franchi Affinity Catalyst

Although the Affinity Catalyst is designed exclusively for women, it is based on Franchi’s current Affinity range of semiautomatic shotguns. Franchi redesigned the Affinity’s stock to make it more comfortable for women to hold, and the higher comb helps to better blend in with women’s higher cheekbones.

Also, cutting the pull’s length to only 13.875 inches is shorter. Similar to the initial Affinity, the Affinity Catalyst is propelled by inertia. Hence, compared to gas guns of a comparable caliber, it has fewer moving components and less perceived recoil. It becomes lighter as a result.

The 12-gauge and 20-gauge versions of the Affinity Catalyst are both available. It appears that the 20-gauge model is pretty difficult to locate in shops, so you might need to region an order for it.

Based on my observations, the 20-gauge is foremost to the 12-gauge due to its 40% to 50% decrease. Additionally, the 20-gauge is somewhat smaller.

Final Thoughts

Whether the bulk of the gun industry realizes it or not, you and I each realize that many women need or require lengthy firearms for plenty of reasons. All of the weapons I’ve listed are extraordinary alternatives, but you don’t ought to stick with them. Choosing a gun is a personal choice, and also you must test out a number of possibilities to locate the one that fits you first-rate. However, these guns are a superb place to begin.