Reba McEntire, who makes her Broadway debut Friday in “Annie Get Your Gun,” is just right for the role of Ms. Oakley – since, like her sharp-shootin’ character, McEntire is pretty fair with a rifle herself.

“I love taking skeet- and trap-shooting lessons,” says the flame-haired singer, who grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma in a family of rodeo champs, learning skills like roping and barrel racing.

“I have several guns at home locked up in a very nice safe. It’s very competitive when you’re shooting that little round pigeon thing.”

Like Oakley, who outshoots every man in the West but must overcome prejudice toward women, McEntire has struggled for success in a man’s world. Her long career began at age 4, when she earned a nickel singing “Jesus Loves Me” to a few cowboys on a rodeo trip with her family. As a teen, she performed with her siblings as the Singing McEntires.

In 1977, the green-eyed gal got her first gig at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Ten years, several movies (including starring as Annie Oakley in the miniseries “Buffalo Girls”) and 16 albums later, the perky, 5-foot-6 performer received a standing ovation at her Carnegie Hall debut – before she even sang a note.

Dubbed the Queen of Country Music, McEntire has also garnered four gold and 16 platinum albums, two Grammys, and this year is up for a Grammy once again, for the video of her song, “What Do You Say?” from her 26th record, “So Good Together.”

The 45-year-old diva lives outside Nashville with her manager husband, Narvel Blackstock, and their 10-year-old son, Shelby.

Q: What is it like working on your first stage musical?

A: I haven’t been this excited about doing something in a long time. I’ve done a different tour every year for 25 years, and this is totally different for me.

Q: Is there a lot of pressure to replace the stars – Bernadette Peters, Marilu Henner, Cheryl Ladd, Susan Lucci – who played Annie Oakley before you?

A: No. I don’t feel any pressure. Bernadette is a wonderful performer, a huge, great entertainer and a wonderful singer. I’ve admired her so much, and now I’ve got to mold the Annie character the way that I can do it. It’s just going to be a whole lot of fun.

Q: Who are some of your favorite designers?

A: Richard Tyler, Ralph Lauren, Armani, Donna Karan, Valentino, Tommy Hilfiger and there’s a designer I use out in L.A., Suzanne. Also Sandi Spika – she designed a lot of my clothes. I’ve also got a lot of Gucci suits.

Q: What’s your favorite pair of cowboy boots?

A: I’m getting a special boot made for the show. It’s all white leather all the way up to my knee – about 15 inches tall. And it’s going to have A and O in silver.

Q: How do you feel about the flashy, sexy style of fellow country singers Faith Hill and Shania Twain?

A: I like it. It’s fun to watch. They’re beautiful women, they’re built, they carry it well. They’re just the cutest buttons.

Q: You look great, too. How do you stay so slim?

A: I went to a doctor out in L.A. and he told me to get off dairy, white flour and white sugar and anything that was made of yeast, because it messed up my sinuses and gave me intestinal problems that I was unaware that I had. Basically, anything that’s white I don’t eat. In a month and a half, I lost 15 pounds, started feeling a lot better and sounding better.

Q: What was your biggest fashion faux pas?

A: There’ve been too many to name. Back when I first got started, all I wanted was shiny stuff. I had those little round piddleywings on my blouses, and I’d wear those shiny tops with long skirts and Spandex pants tucked into boots. Looking back on some of those pictures is pretty scary.

Q: What gives you substance?

A: I take my job seriously and respect it. And I respect my voice. I don’t like material things, so I haven’t blown away all my money. I’ve invested every penny I made back into my work.

Q: What do you use to accessorize?

A: My wedding band, a ring I bought myself after a movie; my watch that Shelby gave me for Mother’s Day; and my earrings that Narvel bought me. Hardly ever wear anything else except for special occasions.

Q: What can’t you live without?

A: Narvel and Shelby. I’m also very weird about having clocks, trash cans, Kleenex, water and phones around me.