Changing rifles because of excess recoil.

[Tradewind]

Aside from the lever 45-70 all I own are magnums.....no brakes. The brockel accurized 7 Supa Mash Mag is the mountain go to. Edge stock carry friendly light but I never feel recoil on game. The 300 RUM reports only slightly more robustly at approx 1/2 lb more carry weight. The .257 Wby is tame and a smattering of 7 Rem Mags, 300 short & long mags are all manageable...shoot em all, some have been pretty much relegated to range duty.

Gonna be a mental tussle between the lever and the .257 come deer season.
[/QUOTE

Creedmoor is not a magmun, no matter how you parse it.

 

[specneeds]

Luckily recoil hasn’t bothered me enough to make decisions based on that. My go to elk gun is a 300 Weatherby that is much less fun to shoot after 20-30 rounds but fine in normal use. In my 60’s now both sons in law bought 300’s this year & both are planning on installing brakes now.

When/if I back off I have an old 7 Mag with a brake that is a soft kicker and extraordinarily accurate too.

 

[FLS]

An 15 lb 6.5 Creedmoor with a brake has made me a recoil wimp.
. 270 is my BIG rifle now. 25-06 is even better.

 

[belshawelk]

As a young kid I shot my dads 12 gauge with no recoil pad. It hurt bad. Since I lived through I just always dealt with recoil. There is a big difference between a hunting gun and shooting at the range. I have Nosler .30 in a Nosler M48 custom. It "kicks" like a #$#%$. I don't enjoy it off the bench for too long. I have shot two elk with it and barely heard the gun go off or the felt any recoil. I just got a .28 Nosler in a Browning X-Bolt Pro and its lighter than my Nosler and has more felt recoil as it only weights in the 7lb range. Put 20 rounds through it last weekend. Its fine but 20 was enough. I am sure if I shoot an animal during hunting season I wont even notice it. I don't do muzzle brakes. Both of those guns have way more felt recoil than my 300WM or my buddies 300 Weatherby. Both weight more.

 

[D4570]

Dead Mule Recoil Reducer (standard model)

Dead Mule is a mechanical energy absorption unit; it turns inertia onto itself and negates felt recoil. The recoil reduction system, a design comprised of two springs and a weight, negates up to 15% of felt recoil.
Dead Mule inserts into the space occupied by the stock bolt. Most applications are a drop-in installation - if the hole is standard sized (at least 7/8†diameter). You can check your shotgun by removing the two Phillips screws that secure the recoil pad to the stock.
A simple and effective upgrade that we have been very pleased with, especially in late-afternoons of a full day of shooting.
There may be room in your rifle stock to bore a hole. I but one in my factory take off rem 700 composite stock.
You need to install it solid as to not move. I used fiberglass resin and fiberglass insolation to "Glue" mine in.
8mm rem mag 220 gr bullets at 2000 fps. But with the mule and a limb saver, the recoil is less than a 30/06

 

[Brian in Montana]

I started out with a .270 and a .308. Some years later decided I needed a .300wm. I hauled that noisy, heavy, miserable thing around for a long time. It was undeniably effective on game, but I got to realizing 2 things: 1. most my shots in the field are between 200 and 350yds, at which distance the previously mentioned non-mags are also undeniably effective. 2. The more I shot it, the more bad habits I developed. Primarily flinching. Other cartridges don't do that to me as bad. I've come full circle in the past few years. My 300wm just sat untouched in the safe for a solid year and I finally sold it. I haven't missed it and really don't have any interest in magnums these days.

It's a very impressive cartridge, but just not for everyone. My brother uses one and does great with it. A good friend of mine won't use anything else. I just want to hunt with guns I actually enjoy shooting. 300wm is just a little over the threshold for me.

 

[Buckyranger42]

I started out with a .270 and a .308. Some years later decided I needed a .300wm. I hauled that noisy, heavy, miserable thing around for a long time. It was undeniably effective on game, but I got to realizing 2 things: 1. most my shots in the field are between 200 and 350yds, at which distance the previously mentioned non-mags are also undeniably effective. 2. The more I shot it, the more bad habits I developed. Primarily flinching. Other cartridges don't do that to me as bad. I've come full circle in the past few years. My 300wm just sat untouched in the safe for a solid year and I finally sold it. I haven't missed it and really don't have any interest in magnums these days.

It's a very impressive cartridge, but just not for everyone. My brother uses one and does great with it. A good friend of mine won't use anything else. I just want to hunt with guns I actually enjoy shooting. 300wm is just a little over the threshold for me.

I just picked up a 300 WM, going from a heavy 7mm Mag and 30-06s with the same weight as the 300, so as much as I’m a believer the rifle weight and design plays a key factor in felt recoil I KNOW the 300‘s felt recoil will be higher than the other rifles. My predicted outcome, which may be similar to what you’ve experienced, is I’ll appreciate more and shoot better my ‘06s. It’s all relative, right?
Shot some pistols recently. Started with a 9mm, went to 45 ACP, 454 Casull and finally 500 S&W. Now when I go back to the 9mm it’s like shooting a .22lr.

 

[Boarmaster]

I still own magnums but rarely shoot them. Not worth me having them and I should sell off but you know how That goes. I see the younger guys and newer guys at my hunting club with magnums. But the old guys that been hunting that property for decades they shoot 25-06, 260s and 270 being their biggest. im the only one with a 7mm08. No 6.5 creedmores have graced the lease yet.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I just picked up a 300 WM, going from a heavy 7mm Mag and 30-06s with the same weight as the 300, so as much as I’m a believer the rifle weight and design plays a key factor in felt recoil I KNOW the 300‘s felt recoil will be higher than the other rifles. My predicted outcome, which may be similar to what you’ve experienced, is I’ll appreciate more and shoot better my ‘06s. It’s all relative, right?
Shot some pistols recently. Started with a 9mm, went to 45 ACP, 454 Casull and finally 500 S&W. Now when I go back to the 9mm it’s like shooting a .22lr.

To an extent things are relative. Something that kicks your shoulder like an angry horse is probably a little different from managing the recoil of different handguns. But like several folks have said, some people are more recoil sensitive than others. You'll probably do fine. I, however have accepted the fact that I'm a recoil wuss.

 

[Justabirdwatcher]

I look at recoil the same way I do archery tackle. Sure, I could shoot a 70 lb. high tech compound and blow huge holes through both sides of the 110 lb. deer I shoot, but they wouldn't be any "deader" than they are when I poke two holes through them with my 50 lb. recurve and a zwickey 2-blade head. In fact, the deer I have shot with that setup have gone down as fast or faster than what I usually see on the 30-minute ads they pass off as bowhunting shows.

Folks like Randy and many others have proven over and over again that shot placement is the key component in ethical kills, and that a 7mm-08 or .308 someone can shoot extremely well (because they enjoy practicing with it) is probably more deadly than a larger caliber rifle that someone thinks twice about shooting day in and day out. Considering the average shot distance, even on western game, the likelihood that we "need" magnums really is very small indeed.

 

[mdhunter61]

I had a Tikka T3 Lite in .338 Win Mag.......love the caliber, but oh boy the recoil was punishment. Broke two variable scopes before I put a fixed Nikon 4x on it.

I had a good friend re-barrel it to a .264 WM (same bolt face), I changed the crappy Tupperware stock to a Bell and Carlson, and put a nice Viper 4-16x44 on it.

Happy with the change, so it my shoulder. Still want another .338 someday......something a bit heavier though.

Man, I can't imagine shooting a .338 off the T3 platform, I picked up a T3 once and the gun just seemed too flimsy to me. Have heard many good testimonials about the rifle, just didn't feel right in my hands.

Consider a Ruger M77 Stainless Synthetic when you get another .338. Mine weighs 9.5 pounds with a Leupold VXII 2x - 8x scope and a 24 inch barrel, and it fits me better than any other rifle I have ever owned. No muzzle brake, I just wear a PAST recoil pad when at the range and don't seem to notice the recoil when shooting at moose or caribou.

As to the OP's question, I am 59, started hunting big game when I was 9, and have only ever used 4 rifles - my Dad's .44 Magnum carbine when I was young, then a Savage 340 in .30-30. The past 25 years or so I have used a Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 and my Ruger Model 77 in .338 WinMag. After shooting the .338 for several rounds, the .30-06 feels like it has no recoil.

I may retire the .338 when I stop hunting Alaska in a few years, but there will never be a rifle that replaces it as my favorite. It just fits me like a glove.

 

[Ben Lamb]

PAST Super Mag Plus Recoil Shield Ambidextrous

The PAST Super Mag Plus Shield is designed to provide the highest protection level of any PAST Shield. With the maximum amount of absorbing protection,...

www.midwayusa.com

I only have 1 magnum anymore, but I like medium bores pushed to the edge in the 06 case, as well as classic cartridges like 9.3x74R.

My 338 is a pussycat compared to a lightweight Mauser w/ a Model B stock that has the drop for open sights instead of a scope.

The 9.3 is in a Ruger #1 medium sporter and will knock fillings loose at the bench.

With the PAST, I can usually shoot all day.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

I'm with mtmuley on this one. Started using 300RUM around 20 years ago. Decided to try a 7mm-08 a couple years ago. I will take the punch of the 300 RUM with consistent results over the light tap of my 7mm-08 with finicky, inconsistent and erratic results every day of the week.

 

[JMG]

I bought a new Winchester 338 w/ a 26" barrel from Cabelas. Took it to the range, shot 2 boxes of ammo through it and just could not get a consistent grouping. Spoke to some folks that are more into guns than I and went back to the range and shot another 2 boxes through it. I used a gun sled, shot off a sleeping bag, and shot it fee hand. Still could not get any consistent grouping. I even took it to a Gun Smith and he stated that something was not quite right. I went back to Cabelas and told them what I did and what I perceived as an issue. I was wanting to return it, but put the "money" towards another gun in their store. I was even willing to put additional money towards a "replacement" gun. Cabelas told me, "no". If there was an issue with the gun … I would have to contact the manufacturer directly. This pissed me off. I equate it to purchasing a car at a dealership. If the car is a "lemon" … I'm going back to the dealership to make good on their sale. If the dealership said, "no, … you need to contact Ford/Chevy/Dodge and deal with them directly; I would be pissed. So, suffice it to say, I will never buy a gun at Cabelas and I have steered away from Cabelas as a whole (this includes Bass Pro). I now shop at Scheels.

Anyone want a Winchester 338 w/ a 26 inch barrel . Make me an offer.

 

[DropTyne]

My brother and his wife shoot 7mm-08's too and they're in a funny pickle now, having been invited to hunt a huge ranch in Colorado, with bull tags next fall. The owner never received the memo about shot placement/modern bullets, etc. He insists that a .30-06 is the smallest rifle anyone can hunt with on the ranch.

Just curious, is his requirement based on caliber or case capacity? Would a 7RM or 308Win be allowed?

Anyway if a 308 is a no go, I would recommend they load something like a 130 or 150 TTSX in an 06 loaded down to 308 velocities, and go kill elk. The rancher doesn't have to know what the bullet size or load velocity is.... If a 308 is allowed, use the same bullets loaded down a bit. Downloading a 308 should reduce the recoil to 7-08 ranges without giving up any meaningful performance within all sane elk hunting ranges.

 

[mdhunter61]

PAST Super Mag Plus Recoil Shield Ambidextrous

The PAST Super Mag Plus Shield is designed to provide the highest protection level of any PAST Shield. With the maximum amount of absorbing protection,...

www.midwayusa.com

I only have 1 magnum anymore, but I like medium bores pushed to the edge in the 06 case, as well as classic cartridges like 9.3x74R.

My 338 is a pussycat compared to a lightweight Mauser w/ a Model B stock that has the drop for open sights instead of a scope.

The 9.3 is in a Ruger #1 medium sporter and will knock fillings loose at the bench.

With the PAST, I can usually shoot all day.

Ben, that's the same PAST recoil pad that I have. It was always hot in MD in the summers, so it served 2 purposes - minimized any felt recoil on my part, and imitated the thickness of hunting clothes when I was actually shooting in a t shirt, to help with rifle fit and proper eye relief.

 

[danielboone]

I also went to the Past recoil pad to help mitigate felt recoil from my Tikka 300 wsm. It has made a tremendous difference.

 

[Dougfirtree]

Just curious, is his requirement based on caliber or case capacity? Would a 7RM or 308Win be allowed?

Anyway if a 308 is a no go, I would recommend they load something like a 130 or 150 TTSX in an 06 loaded down to 308 velocities, and go kill elk. The rancher doesn't have to know what the bullet size or load velocity is.... If a 308 is allowed, use the same bullets loaded down a bit. Downloading a 308 should reduce the recoil to 7-08 ranges without giving up any meaningful performance within all sane elk hunting ranges.

I don't think it's based on anything other than a general and anecdotal sense of what certain cartridges did when everyone was shooting cup and core bullets. I offered to load them up some "sneaky" lighter loads. She's going to do some shooting with factory loads and they'll see whether that's neccessary. Silly, but a good problem to have, I suppose. Thankfully, they have an older .30-06 rifle that is quite heavy.

 

[quiet22]

Sold my 375 HH Win....now use a 270 win Weatherby Vang SS for long distance....

 

[rjthehunter]

I enjoy shooting my 338, sure she kicks but it's a consistant shooter and it'll knock anything down but isn't overkill for deer. As far as shooting at the range, it's all mind over matter for me. Bipod in the front, bag in the rear, and let her fly. I have a 270 and a 243 but given the option, I'll take the 338 everytime. I know the gun, I know how it shoots, and I am most comfortable with it at any range past 300 yards.

Hell just for fun I took my 338 Prairie dog shooting last weekend. Felt good to run a box of shells through it. I should've had a video camera with...