friendliest heavy caliber for the recoil sensitive?

Another vote for the 6.5x55. I love it so much I have three. I have taken all kinds of critters with it, both big and small and I love to shoot it. I too do not care for heavy recoil which is likely what keeps me going back to the swedes in my life. I also own a 7mm 08 and have to say it is another great choice. Mine is a Savage and I initially bought it for my daughter but find I like to hunt with it also. Very manageable recoil and good for anything you are likely to shoot at the distances you emotion. My daughter shot her first deer with it at 260 yards and it was a one shot kill.

There are decent factory ammo choices out there for both but you see their real potential when hand loading is added to the picture. There is good advice here about the weight of the rifle and about 7 ponds or a tad more is about right. One of my swedes is a custom light weight ( under 6 pounds) and it is a snappy little devil.
 
What's everyone got against brakes? Sure they can be annoying if the guy next to you at the range is shooting one, but if the guy is out in the bush huntin what does it matter to anyone if he has one or not if it makes shooting for him possible without causing serious injury...
 
Joe549 said:
What's everyone got against brakes? Sure they can be annoying if the guy next to you at the range is shooting one, but if the guy is out in the bush huntin what does it matter to anyone if he has one or not if it makes shooting for him possible without causing serious injury...
Click to expand...

First, recoil on a light recoil rifle isn't likely to cause serious injury...second, they are annoying at the range and in the field and can cause serious injury if shot without ear protection.
 
Joe549 said:
What's everyone got against brakes? Sure they can be annoying if the guy next to you at the range is shooting one, but if the guy is out in the bush huntin what does it matter to anyone if he has one or not if it makes shooting for him possible without causing serious injury...
Click to expand...

It only takes one time to cause significant hearing loss. I was nearly deafened by a brake in South Africa and have never met a guide that had anything good to say about them. I wouldn't hunt again with someone that's using a braked rifle.
 
if you need a brake for your rifle , you NEED a smaller rifle .

do some research , there are lots of ways to reduce felt recoil without going to a brake.

my favorite is a oversized recoil pad and mercury recoil reducers glued into the stock .
 
I'm thinking if .308 causes pain and dislocation, you're going to have to go much, much lighter. The .260, 6.5x55, 7mm-08, and .308 all have identical / indistinguishable recoil to my shoulder, very mild. I'm thinking you're in the rare bracket well justified to using a .243 on Moose with a very good bullet, or a .30-30. If .308 is too much, there is really nothing else available commonly off the Canadian Tire shelf that will offer a meaningful reduction besides the .243 and .30-30. .35 Whelen sounds like it would put you in the doctors office, it has real recoil compared to .308. Not a bruiser in the grand scheme of things, but significantly above what sounds appropriate given your position. I'm also not a fan of brakes, but in your position I would argue a brake makes excellent sense for you.

.257 Roberts would be pretty good, except it's not a common cartridge at the hardware store cabinet.
 
sheephunter said:
Ultralight a low recoil don't go together. I hate brakes. I'd look at a rifle in the 7 pound range.
Click to expand...

A resounding YES! to the above quote.

O.P. I'd get the Forbes idea out of your head for the time being. As I mentioned in Ardents thread from the other day I talked to Melvin personally regarding the Forbes Rifle and production is slow going. Realize also that they are chomping at the bit stateside for this rifle, right now picking one up would be a serious stroke of luck...hurry up and wait.
 
Joe549 said:
What's everyone got against brakes? Sure they can be annoying if the guy next to you at the range is shooting one, but if the guy is out in the bush huntin what does it matter to anyone if he has one or not if it makes shooting for him possible without causing serious injury...
Click to expand...

Often a polarizing topic here on CGN, I personally don't have much use for brakes but they do help some with the recoil pulse, some designs seem to work better than others.
 
A 7mm-08 with 120grain Barnes loaded normally will be a good choice for the game you desire and be gentle as a pussy cat on THD.

Although a 140gr quality bullet is also not very harsh and will still do 2800 ft/sec out the end.

You can also still load heavier and slower but 140's are the sweet spot for the 7-08 for hunting.

I have shot and loaded a lot for the 7-08 , if you want some load details send me a PM.
 
Kelly Timoffee said:
A 7mm-08 with 120grain Barnes loaded normally will be a good choice for the game you desire and be gentle as a pussy cat on THD.

Although a 140gr quality bullet is also not very harsh and will still do 2800 ft/sec out the end.
Click to expand...

No pussycat out of a sub 6lb scoped rifle. Without knowing the O.P. personally and just going on his description of his dilemna I think 7-08 in an ultralight would #### kick him. I've gone the reduced power route in 7-08 for my son and but I don't think it's feasible in this case.
I'm with Sheephunter when he says to move up to a lightweight around 7lbs.
 
blasted_saber said:
I wasnt aware 7-08 was typically loaded that high, my mistake!

EDIT - And a quick seach says its not. I couldnt find any factory loads over 150gr
Click to expand...

You are probably correct about factory loads since I don't use them in any rifle I have, but I do know my Brother's pet load in his 7mm / 08 for many years was a 175 gr. Nosler Partition over a case full of W760.
With that load he killed several Moose and Black Bear, a nice Pronghorn and a Dall Sheep among others.
 
Where in BC are you Mr. Friendly? I own a Tikka T3 Stainless in 6.5x55 Swede. My go-to gun in all things. If you are truly local, I have no qualms taking you to the range, where you can sample, whether or not, it is a suitable calibre for yourself. PM me if you are interested. Cheers!

~ Thomas
 
7offsuit2 said:
Where in BC are you Mr. Friendly? I own a Tikka T3 Stainless in 6.5x55 Swede. My go-to gun in all things. If you are truly local, I have no qualms taking you to the range, where you can sample, whether or not, it is a suitable calibre for yourself. PM me if you are interested. Cheers!

~ Thomas
Click to expand...

Thomas has a good idea there, I'm in the South Cariboo and travel to the Lower mainland frequently, if you're somewhere close you can give my Kimber in 7-08 a whirl. Let us know where you are.
 
Go with a 6.5 of some sort put a muzzle break on it and a recoil pad leave it with factory loads you can kill moose all day long and your shoulder will be fine
 
Ear damage from a muzzle brake is far more serious than shoulder or rib pain. A sprain/strain heals - hearing loss is for life.

If it were me, I would forgo the brake, and shoot a light caliber with a good bullet. As mentioned numerous times above, anything in the 260/6.5/7-08/7x57 range with a good 120-130 grain bullet will perform fine and not beat you up, and you won't go deaf either.
 
I would buy a 25-06. Shoot nosler partitions or other premium bullets. I had a ruger model 77 mark 2 when I was younger. I killed moose, black bear,deer, a stone sheep and a pile of coyotes with it. I think it's the mildest recoil for the amount of power I've ever shot in a cartridge.
 
Make sure you go through this list too to take a look at all your options to manage recoil:

http://www.quora.com/Guns-and-Firearms/What-are-all-of-the-ways-you-can-reduce-recoil-on-a-rifle

There are a number of ways this can be achieved:

1.) Use a muzzle brake, though this can increase the noise of firing the gun.

2.) 3rd party recoil pads on the rifle

3.) Recoil absorbing pads you can wear over your shoulder

4.) Recoil absorbing shirts (they have a pad where the gun fits, can be slightly more comfortable than #3

5.) Change the stock of your gun to have a wide base, so the "felt recoil" is spread out over a larger area

6.) Increase the weight of your gun. Heavy scope, ammo belts over the stock, rebarrel with a heavier barrel etc.

7.) Action choice: semi-automatics can be easier on recoil
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom