I don't really understand what you're getting at then?
As has been covered to death, bullet weight and velocity are but one of many factors in felt recoil. Asking what's the biggest bullet with the lightest recoil is like asking how long a piece of string is. It depends. It depends on powder charge, muzzle pressure, muzzle velocity, rifle weight, rifle fit, shooter technique and more I'm surely omitting.
If the question is simply what's the biggest bullet with the lightest recoil, then the answer is a 10 gauge muzzleloader with a 10 grain powder charge. But that's not a particularly helpful answer.
If you want a general rule, lower muzzle velocity and muzzle pressure will result in lower recoil, all other factors being equal. Energy = 1/2 weight x velocity squared, which pretty much gives you your answer.
User consensus can't escape the laws of physics, and what you're asking is fundamentally a question of physics. You're looking for a specific answer without the knowledge to understand WHY that's the answer.
A 7mm-08 in a very light rifle will kick more than a .375 H&H in a very heavy one. It'll kick more than a .338 lapua in a heavy rifle with a muzzle break. There's just no such thing as a "light recoiling" cartridge - it depends on the whole system of cartridge, rifle, and shooter.
I've had a .416 Rigby I found more enjoyable to shoot than some .30-06s... I had a Sako 85 that was far more painful and teeth rattling to fire than a Ruger 77 in .416... and I hunted with the .416 Rigby when I was 17, and the Sako .30-06 when I was 37... so that should tell you looking at the cartridge alone is meaningless.
As has been covered to death, bullet weight and velocity are but one of many factors in felt recoil. Asking what's the biggest bullet with the lightest recoil is like asking how long a piece of string is. It depends. It depends on powder charge, muzzle pressure, muzzle velocity, rifle weight, rifle fit, shooter technique and more I'm surely omitting.
If the question is simply what's the biggest bullet with the lightest recoil, then the answer is a 10 gauge muzzleloader with a 10 grain powder charge. But that's not a particularly helpful answer.
If you want a general rule, lower muzzle velocity and muzzle pressure will result in lower recoil, all other factors being equal. Energy = 1/2 weight x velocity squared, which pretty much gives you your answer.
User consensus can't escape the laws of physics, and what you're asking is fundamentally a question of physics. You're looking for a specific answer without the knowledge to understand WHY that's the answer.
A 7mm-08 in a very light rifle will kick more than a .375 H&H in a very heavy one. It'll kick more than a .338 lapua in a heavy rifle with a muzzle break. There's just no such thing as a "light recoiling" cartridge - it depends on the whole system of cartridge, rifle, and shooter.
I've had a .416 Rigby I found more enjoyable to shoot than some .30-06s... I had a Sako 85 that was far more painful and teeth rattling to fire than a Ruger 77 in .416... and I hunted with the .416 Rigby when I was 17, and the Sako .30-06 when I was 37... so that should tell you looking at the cartridge alone is meaningless.
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