I have shot both the 6.5x55 and the 25-06 at the range on the same day, and the felt recoil seemed a lot less from the Steyr 6.5 vs the Tikka laminated Stainless in 25-06. Plus I was shooting a fairly hot load in the 6.5, 48gr of Re22 with a 140gr bullet. I like my 25-06 as it is a very accurate shooter, But I love the Steyr Prohunter in 6.5 FS
Recoil between 25-06 and 270 win?
- Thread starter chaslavk
- Start date
BC Bigbore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- BC's Peace Country
Amen! I have Decelerators on several rifles and they are (among others) the cat's ass for reducing felt recoil. Don't let a few poor fitting rifles stop you from enjoying the amazing array of cartridges out there! A few years ago, a friend's son was along at the range while his Dad and I were tacking in a rack full of rifles from .22RF to .338WinMag. Out of all the rifles, the youngster kept grabbing the .338Mag as his favorite to shoot and this was with fairly stiff handloads. But that Ruger just fit him well and had a Pachmayr Decelerator on the butt. Go to the range and try out a bunch of different rifles and you might be pleasantly surprized as to what you find. Have fun!
Although I don't currently live in Ontario I am puzzled by the comment that the .30-30 was not allowed due to calibre restrictions. My search of the current Ontario hunting regulations found this statement (which has been there as long as I remember)
The holder of a small game licence may not use a rifle of
greater calibre than .275, except a flintlock or percussion
cap muzzle-loading gun, for hunting small game in the
counties of Brant, Elgin, Essex, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex,
Northumberland, Oxford, Perth and Wellington and the
regional municipalities of Chatham/Kent, Durham, the
former regional municipalities of Haldimand-Norfolk and
Hamilton-Wentworth, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and
York and the City of Toronto.
This only applies to hunting small game, which really means you cannot use your .270 or .30-06 for hunting groundhogs, or small game.
So, if this is the regulation you are concerned about, and you like the .30-30, then go for it.
As already mentioned, the recoil from a military 8mm mauser is not the way to judge recoil from a hunting stocked rifle with a soft buttplate. Saying that, you cannot go wrong with the .25-06 for hunting deer; just make sure that you are using good bullets and the correct bullet weight.
The holder of a small game licence may not use a rifle of
greater calibre than .275, except a flintlock or percussion
cap muzzle-loading gun, for hunting small game in the
counties of Brant, Elgin, Essex, Huron, Lambton, Middlesex,
Northumberland, Oxford, Perth and Wellington and the
regional municipalities of Chatham/Kent, Durham, the
former regional municipalities of Haldimand-Norfolk and
Hamilton-Wentworth, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and
York and the City of Toronto.
This only applies to hunting small game, which really means you cannot use your .270 or .30-06 for hunting groundhogs, or small game.
So, if this is the regulation you are concerned about, and you like the .30-30, then go for it.
As already mentioned, the recoil from a military 8mm mauser is not the way to judge recoil from a hunting stocked rifle with a soft buttplate. Saying that, you cannot go wrong with the .25-06 for hunting deer; just make sure that you are using good bullets and the correct bullet weight.
I'm a lefty shooter, I love the lever actions, BLR's are an excellent choice, I use my BLR's in 257 Roberts, 243 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, 308 Win, 358 Win. I'm not a fan of hefty recoil, by no means, in fact the less the better! All of my BLR's I can handle with ease, I am an old dude and a well seasoned & experienced shooter. I also have an entire collection of the Winchester 94 rifles, including the Big Bores. Love every one of them, too. All are easy for me to shoot. Santa was good to me this yr, got a Sako A7 bolt action in 7mm-08, no recoil there! Just might be the answer to your quest! Add a Limbsaver if need be! Jr #1 has a Tikka T3 in 308 with Limbsaver, not much recoil there.... Good Luck.
The funny thing is a .25-06 feels like a .270 to me, I can't really tell any difference in recoil between the two. I suppose if a guy wanted bigger critters like elk or moose the .270 would be the natural choice, but I doubt any bull would argue with a .25 caliber, 100 grain Triple X.
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
I have both a 257 Roberts & a 25-06, both make good varmint/deer guns for the
"under 275" areas. For deer/varmint alone, a 243 would also be a good choice with minimum recoil. For a bit more oomph, I would certainly consider either the
260 Remington or 6.5 x 55 as a good choice as your one and only rifle, if moose were also part of the menu. Both seem to generate less recoil than the 25-06 in similar weight rifles. Good stock fit & a proper LOP for your build is important, as is mounting the scope as low as possible. With a "bare" gun weight of around 7-1/2 lbs, by the time you mount even a low poweres scope, you will be at 8-1/4 to 8-1/2 lbs. Recoil with any of these calibers shouldn't pose problematic.
The 25-06 certainly seems to provide less felt recoil than any of the 270's I've owned, save and except one 270 custom Mauser heavy-barreled varmint rig ... at over 10-1/2 lbs, recoil from it was minimal.
I'm a big fan of the Pachmayr Old English Decelerator pads on all my guns. I have over the years tried Kick-Eez, Hawken, Silvers, Simms Limbsavers, Remington R3's and Super Cells. They all work, but Pachmayr's are still my first choice. Others swear by their Simms or Kick-Eez, but I still prefer the Decelerators !
"under 275" areas. For deer/varmint alone, a 243 would also be a good choice with minimum recoil. For a bit more oomph, I would certainly consider either the
260 Remington or 6.5 x 55 as a good choice as your one and only rifle, if moose were also part of the menu. Both seem to generate less recoil than the 25-06 in similar weight rifles. Good stock fit & a proper LOP for your build is important, as is mounting the scope as low as possible. With a "bare" gun weight of around 7-1/2 lbs, by the time you mount even a low poweres scope, you will be at 8-1/4 to 8-1/2 lbs. Recoil with any of these calibers shouldn't pose problematic.
The 25-06 certainly seems to provide less felt recoil than any of the 270's I've owned, save and except one 270 custom Mauser heavy-barreled varmint rig ... at over 10-1/2 lbs, recoil from it was minimal.
I'm a big fan of the Pachmayr Old English Decelerator pads on all my guns. I have over the years tried Kick-Eez, Hawken, Silvers, Simms Limbsavers, Remington R3's and Super Cells. They all work, but Pachmayr's are still my first choice. Others swear by their Simms or Kick-Eez, but I still prefer the Decelerators !
A lot of recomedations about fit of the gun. Regarding fit, what should I be looking for? I don't own modern hunting gun; they are all military guns: Yugo M48, Le enfield Mk 4 and one sporterized, russian SKS and Nornico SKS,
A-Bolt 22LR and M44 Moisin Nagant. They all fit well when I sholder them but when I fired them only Lee Enfield and SKS were reasonably comfortable to shoot.
I never hunted, mostly shoot handguns, hoping to get my first deer this year.
I was looking to buy one of the cheap bolt guns: Mossberg, Stevens,Handy rifle and Marlin.
Other hunters told me that there is caliber restriction.
A-Bolt 22LR and M44 Moisin Nagant. They all fit well when I sholder them but when I fired them only Lee Enfield and SKS were reasonably comfortable to shoot.
I never hunted, mostly shoot handguns, hoping to get my first deer this year.
I was looking to buy one of the cheap bolt guns: Mossberg, Stevens,Handy rifle and Marlin.
Other hunters told me that there is caliber restriction.
- Location
- Possum Lodge.... Bracebridge,Ontario
I use to have a Savage 110 270win and the recoil was terrible. Gun kicked like a mule. I went out and bought one of the good Limbsaver recoil pads for it, precison fit one. Paid about $40 for it. Put it on and went to the range. There was little/no real felt recoil like before. Took it out and did some stand up shooting and was impressed as to how much/how little recoil there even was. It was well worth the money to put the Limbsaver one on. Made shooting the 270 win a breeze.
I haven't completely read every post, but certainly seen enough to make some comments.
You can't see the difference in recoil between a 25-06 and a 270? This is exactly the way it should be. With the same type rifle there will be no difference. They are each loaded to about the same foot pounds of energy.
It's a complete myth that a lighter bullet in a given calibre will create less recoil than will a heavier bullet, each loaded to standard loadings. Force goes both ways on firing, thus the foot pounds of energy in the bullet determines how much the rifle recoils.
There is a tremendous difference in rifles of the same calibre, as has been stated here many times. Added to the way a rifle fits you is the size of the forearm on the rifle. Without really thinking about it, a lot of teh recoil of the gun is absorbed by the left (off) hand, if it is holding a rather large, well fitting forearm.
A rifle that I detest shooting is the Model 88 Winchester in 308. That lever action has such a crooked stock that the comb whaps me in the cheek every time I fire it. By all means, try out the particular rifle, before you buy it.
And here is another thing. I take it you are not a target shooter so there is a good chance you have never worn ear protecion. When you try out a rifle for recoil, be wearing good ear muffs. That will cut sown the "recoil" about 40%!
Having said all that, I would strongly advise you to buy a 243 Winchester, in a nice bolt action rifle. Forty or fifty years ago the 243 was probably over rated as a big game rifle and one hunter I know used it for a one shot kill on a record size bull elk. Another took it to the mountains and killed the hard to kill, mountain goats, at a considerable range. Many other hunters went on successful moose hunts with it.
Now, many people, especially urber magnum supporters on these threads, think it is of doubtful power as a deer rifle.
In point of fact, the 243 Winchester is a top calibre for deer, if good solid bullets of about 100 grains are used. The only drawback may be in heavy brush, where the bullet MAY be deflected more than would a heavier bullet. However, any difference between it and a 25-06, or even a 270 in brush, could likely never be detected in the field.
You can't see the difference in recoil between a 25-06 and a 270? This is exactly the way it should be. With the same type rifle there will be no difference. They are each loaded to about the same foot pounds of energy.
It's a complete myth that a lighter bullet in a given calibre will create less recoil than will a heavier bullet, each loaded to standard loadings. Force goes both ways on firing, thus the foot pounds of energy in the bullet determines how much the rifle recoils.
There is a tremendous difference in rifles of the same calibre, as has been stated here many times. Added to the way a rifle fits you is the size of the forearm on the rifle. Without really thinking about it, a lot of teh recoil of the gun is absorbed by the left (off) hand, if it is holding a rather large, well fitting forearm.
A rifle that I detest shooting is the Model 88 Winchester in 308. That lever action has such a crooked stock that the comb whaps me in the cheek every time I fire it. By all means, try out the particular rifle, before you buy it.
And here is another thing. I take it you are not a target shooter so there is a good chance you have never worn ear protecion. When you try out a rifle for recoil, be wearing good ear muffs. That will cut sown the "recoil" about 40%!
Having said all that, I would strongly advise you to buy a 243 Winchester, in a nice bolt action rifle. Forty or fifty years ago the 243 was probably over rated as a big game rifle and one hunter I know used it for a one shot kill on a record size bull elk. Another took it to the mountains and killed the hard to kill, mountain goats, at a considerable range. Many other hunters went on successful moose hunts with it.
Now, many people, especially urber magnum supporters on these threads, think it is of doubtful power as a deer rifle.
In point of fact, the 243 Winchester is a top calibre for deer, if good solid bullets of about 100 grains are used. The only drawback may be in heavy brush, where the bullet MAY be deflected more than would a heavier bullet. However, any difference between it and a 25-06, or even a 270 in brush, could likely never be detected in the field.
I read in one of these posts about the fit of the rifle. I feel that is correct. I have a 270 and a 25-06. My 270 use to leave my shoulder black and blue. I have since put a limbsaver recoil pad on it and I can now shoot it all day. It now feels like my 25-06.
On another note, I like the ballistics of the 25-06 much better in comparison to the 270.
On another note, I like the ballistics of the 25-06 much better in comparison to the 270.
- Location
- Southern MB
Also, if you can go with something in a semi-auto, the recoil will be slightly less, as well as spread out over a longer time. More of a push, than a jab.
Fit and stock design are the two biggest factors in felt recoil, in my opinion. My Winchester featherweight in .270 had far less recoil ( the scope didn't leave the target ) than my brothers much heavier Remington 7600 in .270 which had a lot more muzzle flip.
