Relative Recoil Between Cartridges

[D4570]

The 308 and 7mm/08 are very good hunting rounds.
A 30/06 is too, all three are way better than a 6.5 Creedmoor.
If you WANT to shoot the 06 and find the recoil a bit much have a "Dead Mule" in staled into the stock and a limb saver pad then they will feel about the same.

 

[buffybr]

Stock fit and design are important as to how the recoil is transferred to your body. A good, modern recoil pad, like a Limbsaver, helps to absorb some of the recoil. A "Dead Mule" or other type of recoil reducer installed in your stock adds weight to the stock, and they are designed to spread the force of the recoil out over time, even if the time is only fractions of a second.

I don't like recoil! I have made the stocks or adjusted the stocks on most of my rifles and shotguns. I installed Limbsaver or Decelorator on all of my shotguns and most of my rifles. including my bolt action .223. I have also installed recoil reducers in 3 of my shotguns and in the stocks of my .300 Wby and .375 RUM.

I don't remember anyone mentioning muzzle brakes. These are controversial but are the greatest reducer of recoil. I had my competition Trap and Skeet shotguns ported, which reduces recoil a little, but the ports also reduce the muzzle jump, which greatly helps for a quick second shot. The porting also helps to reduce the fatigue of a 500+ targets per day event.

I also had KDF muzzle brakes installed on my .300 Wby and .375 RUM which reduced their recoil down to a tolerable level, even from shooting prone. As it came from the factory, I only shot 5 shots through my .375 RUM before I had to quit because of the recoil. It was the heaviest and sharpest recoil of any gun that I have ever shot. Now, with a stock that fits me with a Limbsaver pad, a recoil reducer, and the KDF muzzle brake, it's kick feels no more than the kick of my 7 mm Rem Mag.

 

[CycleFishHunt]

Thanks for the tips, all. I have been remiss in posting a followup, but since this post was recently resurrected, here goes.

I ended up getting a Tikka T3x Lite in 7mm-08.

The scope is a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL Duplex, purchased from @schmalts (highly recommend). You'll also notice I extended the stock slightly to accommodate my gorilla-arm LOP (I am 6'6").

Sadly, I stuck out in the draws I put in for last year. On the bright side, more time to practice with the gun.

Thanks again!

 

[VikingsGuy]

Thanks for the tips, all. I have been remiss in posting a followup, but since this post was recently resurrected, here goes.

I ended up getting a Tikka T3x Lite in 7mm-08.

The scope is a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL Duplex, purchased from @schmalts (highly recommend). You'll also notice I extended the stock slightly to accommodate my gorilla-arm LOP (I am 6'6").

Sadly, I stuck out in the draws I put in for last year. On the bright side, more time to practice with the gun.

Thanks again!

View attachment 209531

If it's in the budget you may want to consider a Bell & Carlson replacement stock - many of us Tikka fans find the factory stock a little bit of an odd fit. They run $250 or so last time I checked - much stiffer, much nicer look and feel, do add a few ounces.

 

[nhenry]

Thanks for the tips, all. I have been remiss in posting a followup, but since this post was recently resurrected, here goes.

I ended up getting a Tikka T3x Lite in 7mm-08.

The scope is a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL Duplex, purchased from @schmalts (highly recommend). You'll also notice I extended the stock slightly to accommodate my gorilla-arm LOP (I am 6'6").

Sadly, I stuck out in the draws I put in for last year. On the bright side, more time to practice with the gun.

Thanks again!

View attachment 209531

You also may want to make sure that it's sitting properly in the stock before firing it more -- it looks like it's sitting on the recoil lug out of the slot.

 

[Irrelevant]

You also may want to make sure that it's sitting properly in the stock before firing it more -- it looks like it's sitting on the recoil lug out of the slot.

Mine had that issue and I had to switch to a B&C stock to fix it.

 

[winmag]

You might be able to make that stock work. You only need the recoil lug to contact the stock on the back (butt of the gun side), so dremel out the rest. The good news is no one will see your dremel hack job below the stock line. If it were a different stock material you’d bed the recoil lug after clearancing it, but it’s not a good option for that stock. I wouldn’t attempt to bed an injection molded stock like that; it’s just a can of worms and busts out easily as injection molded plastic is very slick and they flex too much under recoil.

Or send it back and make Tikka fix it to keep your warranty on the stock intact.

 

[nhenry]

You might be able to make that stock work. You only need the recoil lug to contact the stock on the back (butt of the gun side), so dremel out the rest. The good news is no one will see your dremel hack job below the stock line. If it were a different stock material you’d bed the recoil lug after clearancing it, but it’s not a good option for that stock. I wouldn’t attempt to bed an injection molded stock like that; it’s just a can of worms and busts out easily as injection molded plastic is very slick and they flex too much under recoil.

Or send it back and make Tikka fix it to keep your warranty on the stock intact.

Honestly, he doesn't need to do anything. Those stocks just fit tightly and it's harder to line up the recoil lug into the slot. He doesn't need to modify it or anything, though. I had that problem before I bought an Altitude for mine.

 

[winmag]

Honestly, he doesn't need to do anything. Those stocks just fit tightly and it's harder to line up the recoil lug into the slot. He doesn't need to modify it or anything, though. I had that problem before I bought an Altitude for mine.

Gotcha. I don’t own a Tikka but wanted to describe how he might clearance it if needed.

 

[ludville1]

Really nice set up, congrats!

 

[OntarioHunter]

Just to give you an idea what a slight change in bullet can make in recoil, last fall at the range when zeroing my 30-06 for Montana elk/deer hunt, I grabbed a couple of 191 gr to shoot after it was sighted in for 165 gr. The 191 gr would be for thick timber where grizzlies are also about. I had recently rebedded the rifle after adding a custom trigger to my sporterized WWII Springfield so would be a while on the bench getting it to shoot where I wanted. It fits me well enough to knock down animals on the run when needed (see attached). Only a hard rubber butt plate so the gun does pack a bit of a punch. I finally get the gun grouping well at 100 yards with 165 gr and slip in a heavy load to see where it will shoot. Due to change in barrel harmonics I don't expect a group to be in the same place (though I do expect to get a group). Boom ... and it draws blood ... mine. That's the first and only time in my life any gun has given me a "Weatherby eyebrow." Mind you, I was shooting off a rest with left hand under the butt. In the field both hands would be holding the gun. Needless to say I had a good hold on that gun while I finished the rest of the group ... after the bleeding stopped. The group was near MOA but down and to the left four inches or so. Good to know.

If you haven't figured it out yet, anything Weatherby is not the calibre for you if you don't like recoil. 30-06 isn't a shoulder buster by any means. I think you were using a badly designed gun or wrong cartridge recipe.

Edit: I should learn to look at dates and read to the end of thread before posting a comment. Good luck with your new gun.

 

[ramsdude47]

I sold off a really nice 30-06 BDL because the recoil was unpleasant. One of my bigger regrets, I should have just put a better recoil pad on it.

My similar weight 308 kicks a bit less, but not a huge difference.

 

[CowboyLeroy]

Pick something comfortable, if you’re not comfortable you won’t go practice.

 

[CycleFishHunt]

Thanks for the sharp eyes, @Nhenry! I had not noticed that.

I am not sure how/when/why that happened, but I think I've got sorted out now.

That said, those Bell & Carlson stocks look nice.

 

[Mooretitan]

my light weight 300 ultra mag rattles my teeth.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I have 2 Tikkas, a .308 and a .270. I actually kinda like their stocks. On both of mine I've gotten a vertical grip extension. It's very easy to install and much cheaper than getting a Bell & Carlson or something along those lines. The Tikka factory stocks are great for what they are designed to do, be a good moderately stiff, light weight backcountry rifle stock. My advice is install a grip extension and use it for a season or 2 before you decide to replace the whole thing or not. I've used the .308 with the original factory stock for many years.

You can find the vert grips easily on Amazon or Midway USA, probably a half dozen other places.

 

[ImBillT]

Nothing worse than patterning a shotgun with 3.5 inch Turkey loads.

I can shoot 2 1/4oz at cranes and hardly notice the recoil, but as soon as I point it at a piece of paper I wanna cry.

 

[ImBillT]

The primary factors that control recoil are total ejected mass, velocity, and mass of the rifle. How you perceive that recoil can have a lot to do with fit, clothing and recoil pads.

So, yes a 30-06 shooting 59gr of powder behind a 150gr bullet will generate more recoil than a similar weight 308Win shooting 46gr of powder behind a 150gr bullet. Did increasing velocity by about 100fps, and ejected mass by 13gr increase recoil? Yes. Enough to go from “tolerable” to “kicked like a mule”? Unlikely. It’s possible that the slight increase in recoil combined with a difference in fit of the rifle to your body made the difference feel exaggerated. What most likely happened however, is that the most common hunting ammo in a 308Win uses 150-168gr bullets, and the most common hunting ammo for a 30-06 uses 180-200gr bullets. Stuff a 200gr bullet in a hunting weight 308Win and it’s gonna kick like a mule as well.

There are recoil calculators online. You can compare anything you want to things you’ve shot, and you can even see what loads your shot in the 308Win and 30-06 to see how far apart or close together they were and if there is 30-06 ammo you may want to try, or 308Win ammo you may want to avoid.

 

[nhenry]

I have 2 Tikkas, a .308 and a .270. I actually kinda like their stocks. On both of mine I've gotten a vertical grip extension. It's very easy to install and much cheaper than getting a Bell & Carlson or something along those lines. The Tikka factory stocks are great for what they are designed to do, be a good moderately stiff, light weight backcountry rifle stock. My advice is install a grip extension and use it for a season or 2 before you decide to replace the whole thing or not. I've used the .308 with the original factory stock for many years.

You can find the vert grips easily on Amazon or Midway USA, probably a half dozen other places.

I’m with you. I like the Tikka’s factory stock. The only reason I replaced it was for a larger profile barrel, and for the cool factor

 

[Gunner46]

I have posted this probably two dozen times, but I believe it still holds true.

In the video Randy proclaims a 7/08, or a 308. I'll add a 3rd, the 338 Fed.

Deer, or Elk , you won't go wrong.