lo recoil hunting rifle
- Thread starter nova_scotian_guy
- Start date
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
For the role you mentioned, .243, 6.5x55 or 308 win. Stay away from lightweight rifles and done is done.
Everyone mentions a 6.55 swede the factory load is very underloaded because it has to work in auto's and old weak Mauser actions so unless you are going to reload it is a poor choice as far as light weight rifles in calibers such as 270- 7mm-08- 308 light rifles will be just fine .
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
6.5X55 or a 7-08 are some of the best.
True. Underloaded compared to what it could do. But what those loads are still capable of is taking any non dangerous game without nonsense. Nothing comes from nothing. Load it hotter and recoil, while still manageable, continues along its exponential increase with ever diminishing gains.
For someone on a budget, as is the case here, an extra $200 on the scope will go further than an extra 200 fps from the cartridge to making a solid hunting rig.
RG
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quackquackbang
CGN Regular
- Location
- Newfoundland
7mm-08!
manbearpig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Somewhere in the Third World
x2
if he doesnt reload then 6.5x55, 257 roberts, and any other non-mainstream chambering would be a poor choice IMO. even .25-06 is getting hard to find.
the Marlin XS7 at $350ish sounds like an awesome deal - top it with a Bushnell Elite 3200 and youve got a great budget gun and a few hundred bucks left for ammo.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
7mm-08 would be my choice. I instantly thought of it when I saw the title of this thread.
The reason to stay away from a lightweight/feather weight rifle is to be found in the OP's caption "lo recoil." Most of us are concerned about felt recoil, as opposed the actual energy generated by the cartridge. Same cartridge, lighter gun, = more felt recoil, all else - stock material and dimensions - being equal.
As for the 30-30, it lacks a bit in the legs department for the OP's 300 yard "out there " upper range limit. Can get it done, but starting velocity predicates a fairly curved trajectory, necessitating accurate range measurement (laser) and excellent sight adjustablilty. There are better choices, such as the .243, 6.5, 7-08, 270, .308, 25-06, to name a few. Availabilty of factory ammo is an important consideration if the OP is not a handloader, as well.
As for the 30-30, it lacks a bit in the legs department for the OP's 300 yard "out there " upper range limit. Can get it done, but starting velocity predicates a fairly curved trajectory, necessitating accurate range measurement (laser) and excellent sight adjustablilty. There are better choices, such as the .243, 6.5, 7-08, 270, .308, 25-06, to name a few. Availabilty of factory ammo is an important consideration if the OP is not a handloader, as well.
"Very underloaded", Lmfao!
Seriously dude I have never heard of a Deer or even a Moose hit from a commercial loaded 6.5 round getting up off the ground saying Hey bud that was very underloaded, bad hunter bad...
- Location
- queens county nova scotia
Why "Stay away from lightweight rifles" ??
Lots of the cartridges mentioned work well with a light rifle so the shooter can have his cake and eat it too. Who wants to lug around a 9# deer rifle?
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Because the OP specifically wants low recoil.
"Very underloaded", Lmfao!
Seriously dude I have never heard of a Deer or even a Moose hit from a commercial loaded 6.5 round getting up off the ground saying Hey bud that was very underloaded, bad hunter bad...
They are pretty soft compared to full house reloads in a modern action. The Federal blue box ammo I used last fall runs about 2450fps with a 140gr. bullet and max loads will be closer to 2850fps. 400fps is a major difference in my books. OTOH, both deer I got died with no problems when shot with the blue box stuff. I would say that 6.5x55 is a good caliber using commercial ammo and a great caliber when handloaded. I plan to never use anything else on deer sized game.
Mark
How big are deer in Nova Scotia (or wherever you hunt)? If they be the smaller sub-species (120lbs average, maybe 160lbs for a big one), then a 243 would be sufficient (not ideal, but sufficient). If they're the larger sub-species like they get out in prarries (where 350lbs is not unheard of), I'd stand by my original choice of 308 Winchester.
Any gun that goes "bang" is a fine gun to shoot a coyote with (kind of like how the best shot placement on a coyote is to try and hit him on the side that's facing you). The deer you want to shoot are what should make your choice for you.
Any gun that goes "bang" is a fine gun to shoot a coyote with (kind of like how the best shot placement on a coyote is to try and hit him on the side that's facing you). The deer you want to shoot are what should make your choice for you.
