.308 recoil?

[ilmonster]

Here is a link to a recoil table showing the recoil impulse of most modern calibers.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

As you'll see, they do list the gun weight as that does play into the equation. The three factors that determine recoil in any firearm are the: 1) weight of the ejecta (bullet weight), 2) speed of the ejecta (bullet speed) and 3) weight of the gun. Lessening recoil would require a lighter bullet moving slower in a heavier gun.

As you're a paper or steel shooter (like I am too), get a heavier gun with a bull type barrel. As others have said, a 6mm or 6.5mm round will do everything you need without the recoil of a .308 (see the table). The 6.5 Creedmore has been very popular as of late as it has better ballistics than the .308 with less recoil. Savage makes a model 12LRP that is in 6.5 Creedmore that weighs more than your ave. hunting rifle - perfect for punching paper.

Also, if you reload, you can taylor the load for the recoil characteristics you're looking for no matter what the caliber.

 

[briandg]

If you are looking solely to punch paper, want an easy-to-use rifle, and would be happy to challenge yourself to 300 yard accuracy, I'm not sure what rules out a 223. You really wouldn't have any business shooting deer or equivalent game, but sniping pests like hogs is just fine. Decent, even March grade223 is far more available and less expensive than any other caliber that has such inherent accuracy and user friendliness.
In case you want to hear it again, twelve gauge slugs h u rtf.. I ran twenty magnums through my coach gun. They make you feel the burn.

 

[Mr. Hill]

An interesting option for the OP would be a new rifle in 7.62x39. That's a 30 caliber with less recoil than the .308 Win., and less expensive ammo for target shooting.

 

[farmboy]

My Ruger GSR has the composite stock and the new muzzle brake that they've included with some of the latest rifles. With a Nikon Prostaff 2.5 x 7 scope, it weighs just over 7 pounds.

My shoulder seems to bruise up pretty easily, and after 3 or 4 boxes of shooting clays with a 12 gauge auto, I'm done for a few days.

With this Ruger, I did well over 150 rounds one morning shooting from a rest, and I was truly sorry I ran out of ammo. It shoots very light and easy in my opinion.

Now, the noise I created with that short barrel and a brake is a different matter....

 

[briandg]

Dog gone auto correct.

 

[cw308]

I'm a bench rest shooter using a Remington 700 with a heavy M24 21" brl. 308cal. I shoot from a bi-pid & rear bag, I'm a left handed shooter shooting a right handed bolt, so my left hand finger on the trigger thumb to the side not wrapped around the stock, my right hand is only used to squeeze the rear bag if needed . So the rifle is really shot with one arm. Weight of the rifle is a factor in recoil. I would say it's like a 20 gauge with 00 buck. On the mild side. Can't go wrong with a 308.

 

[COSteve]

Here's a couple of recoil comparison tables from Chuck Hawks you might find interesting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rifle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Many shooters find the recoil of a 180grn 30-06 at 20.3 ft/lbs recoil energy the top of their tolerance level for accurate shooting.

Cartridge (BW@MV) . . . . Rifle Weight . . Recoil Energy . . Recoil Velocity
.17 HMR (17 at 2550). . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . 0.2 . . . . . . . . . n/a
.17 Rem. (25 at 4000) . . . . . 8.5 . . . . . . . . . 1.6 . . . . . . . . . 3.5
.223 Rem. (45 at 3500) . . . . 8.5 . . . . . . . . . 2.6 . . . . . . . . . 4.5
.223 Rem. (55 at 3200) . . . . 8.0 . . . . . . . . . 3.2 . . . . . . . . . 5.1
.223 Rem. (62 at 3025) . . . . 7.0 . . . . . . . . . 3.9 . . . . . . . . . 6.0
.243 Win. (75 at 3400). . . . . 8.5 . . . . . . . . . 7.2 . . . . . . . . . 7.4
.243 Win. (95 at 3100). . . . . 7.3 . . . . . . . . 11.0 . . . . . . . . . 9.9
.243 Win. (100 at 2960). . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . 8.8 . . . . . . . . . 8.7
.30 Carbine (110 at 1990) . . 7.0 . . . . . . . . . 3.5 . . . . . . . . . 5.7
.308 Win. (150 at 2800). . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . 15.8 . . . . . . . . 11.7
.308 Win. (165 at 2700). . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . 18.1 . . . . . . . . 12.5
.308 Win. (180 at 2610). . . . 8.0 . . . . . . . . 17.5 . . . . . . . . 11.9
.30-06 Spfd. (150 at 2910). . 8.0 . . . . . . . . 17.6 . . . . . . . . 11.9
.30-06 Spfd. (165 at 2900). . 8.0 . . . . . . . . 20.1 . . . . . . . . 12.7
.30-06 Spfd. (180 at 2700). . 8.0 . . . . . . . . 20.3 . . . . . . . . 12.8

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Shotgun - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Gauge, length (oz. shot@MV) . . . Gun weight (lbs.) . . . Recoil energy (ft. lbs.)
20 gauge, 2.75" (7/8 at 1155) . . . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.4
20 gauge, 2.75" (7/8 at 1200) . . . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.1
20 gauge, 2.75" (1 at 1165). . . . . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.0
20 gauge, 2.75" (1 at 1220). . . . . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.0
20 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/8 at 1175). . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.0
20 gauge, 3" (1 1/4 at 1185) . . . . . . . 6.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.0
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 at 1180). . . . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.3
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 at 1290). . . . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.8
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/8 at 1145) . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/8 at 1145) . . . . . 8.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.5
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/8 at 1220) . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.0
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/4 at 1220) . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.0
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/4 at 1330) . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.0
12 gauge, 2.75" (1 1/2 at 1260) . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.0
12 gauge, 3" (1 5/8 at 1280). . . . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.0
12 gauge, 3" (1 7/8 at 1210). . . . . . . . 7.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.1
12 gauge, 3" (1 7/8 at 1210). . . . . . . . 8.8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.0

 

[stagpanther]

A good brake and a solid buttstock will make a significant difference in felt recoil (not to mention reduce muzzle-lift and prevent scope-eye).

 

[briandg]

Those tables are always interesting.

I've got a friend that goes through a hundred loads or so of heavy ten gauge waterfowl rounds every year, maybe two or even more some rears, shooting geese. Pass. Shooting upward isn't easy. He uses a semiautomatic, and he feels that his system is far less painful than a twelve pump with nearly equal loads. I still can't imagine shooting that beast. You could take down nearly any game animal with a buckshot load delivered properly.

 

[Colorado Redneck]

10 gauge auto-loader

I shot one of those many moons ago. Friend of mine had his goose gun in his truck, and when he said he was shooting a 10 gauge I remarked about recoil, and he offered to let me shoot a couple of rounds of goose loads. Recoil was lots less than my 12 gauge. Amazed me! Then another friend let me shoot his grampa's auto-loader 12 gauge for pheasant hunting one fall. Again, the recoil was way less than with a double barrel 12.

So I thought a semi-auto 270 Win would be just the nuts for me. The recoil and muzzle blast was not much different than a bolt 270 Win. Turned out it was a very poor firearm (rem 750) and got rid of it and bought a model 70 Winchester.

Recoil is not easy to define, as others have stated. I have a 25-06 in Ruger 77 MKii and it is a joy to shoot. As all of us, the OP will have to take the chance and go with what he decides. Having fun is the biggest thing.

 

[briandg]

My father's 742 Remington semi, my model seven bolt, and my customized 03-a1 we're all very different, all in -06. The small bolt hurt. The heavy bolt was quite tolerable. The semi was "different."

 

[DAVID NANCARROW]

I also shoot my heavy barreled Remington off a bipod and bag rest, both in 30-06 and 308. The recoil is certainly more noticable from a bench. I have fired lightweight minimalist 308s off a sandbag and the recoil is noticable, but then I am taking all the recoil into my shoulder rather than standing up and being able to roll with the punch. That's why I am a big believer in good quality recoil pads.

 

[stagpanther]

300 win mag--when properly matched to brake and reinforced stock--can be fun and reasonably comfortable to shoot. Seriously!