I have a Browning blr in both 243 and 300 wsm. The 243 is a wood/blued pistol grip model and my 300 is the takedown model (laminate/stainless). Now my question, does anybody else have a blr and thinks it kicks very little? My 243 has the recoil of probably a 223 and my 300 has the recoil of a 243. Both guns are 6 lbs 12ozs. I am only 5'6" and weigh 140 lbs.
Browning BLR
- Thread starter Deerhunt
- Start date
OzeanJaeger
New member
No. You are just a beast. Be happy. I would be sad if I was recoil sensitive.
Add roughly 1 lb for optics and mounts, maybe as much as 1.5 lbs depending on what you are using and your actual weight is somewhere between 7 3/4 lb to 8 lbs. By todays standards that is about average. I don't have a bolt rifle in my safe that weighed over 6 lbs 4 oz prior to adding optics, including my 300 WSM. The lightest is 5 lbs 2 oz.
At that weight a 223 will have less than 5 ft lbs of recoil, a 243 about 11 ft lbs and a 300 WSM between 25 to 30 ft lbs of recoil. There is a wide range of bullet weights and MV with 300 WSM and the amount of recoil could vary quite a bit depending on the load. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.
A good recoil pad will spread out the recoil over a fraction of a second and make it feel more comfortable, but the recoil will be exactly the same.
Some guns are ill fitting to some shooters and will hurt more than the numbers say they should. I suspect that at some point you've fired something that didn't fit you and the Brownings do. It isn't that they reduce the effects of recoil, it is that something else you've shot made it seem worse.
I've found that most of the effects of recoil are between the shooters ears.
At that weight a 223 will have less than 5 ft lbs of recoil, a 243 about 11 ft lbs and a 300 WSM between 25 to 30 ft lbs of recoil. There is a wide range of bullet weights and MV with 300 WSM and the amount of recoil could vary quite a bit depending on the load. The laws of physics are strictly enforced.
A good recoil pad will spread out the recoil over a fraction of a second and make it feel more comfortable, but the recoil will be exactly the same.
Some guns are ill fitting to some shooters and will hurt more than the numbers say they should. I suspect that at some point you've fired something that didn't fit you and the Brownings do. It isn't that they reduce the effects of recoil, it is that something else you've shot made it seem worse.
I've found that most of the effects of recoil are between the shooters ears.
OzeanJaeger
New member
Invest in a good, big brake, (or a big can if $$$ is no object) and you can turn a punisher into a *****cat.
I have a BLR in .308 Win. One of the straight grip guns with the "flush" magazine. It was my Dad's last deer rifle. It kicks me noticeably more than my other .308s, even lighter ones.
Recoil is two things, first the calculated number, which is determined by bullet weight and speed, and gun weight.
Second, is FELT Recoil, which is a totally individual thing and is largely determined by the stock design, and how well the stock fits the shooter.
If the stock doesn't fit you perfectly the gun will seem to kick harder.
If you think your BLR's recoil in .300WSM is light, you and your stock are probably a good fit. If you think the .243 recoil is light, that's because it is!
Recoil is two things, first the calculated number, which is determined by bullet weight and speed, and gun weight.
Second, is FELT Recoil, which is a totally individual thing and is largely determined by the stock design, and how well the stock fits the shooter.
If the stock doesn't fit you perfectly the gun will seem to kick harder.
If you think your BLR's recoil in .300WSM is light, you and your stock are probably a good fit. If you think the .243 recoil is light, that's because it is!
"...only 5'6" and weigh..." That makes no difference. Felt recoil is subjective.
The ammo used matters too. A 180 grain WSM at 2970 FPS out of a 7.25 pound rifle has 27.1 ft-lbs of actual recoil energy. A 95 grain .243 at 3100 FPS out of a 7.25 pound rifle has 11.0 ft-lbs. of recoil energy. How it feels is different for everybody. Mind you, there's really no comparing a .243 to a .300 WSM. No like bullet weights.
"...Add roughly 1 lb. for optics and mounts..." A scope alone will weigh more than a pound.
The ammo used matters too. A 180 grain WSM at 2970 FPS out of a 7.25 pound rifle has 27.1 ft-lbs of actual recoil energy. A 95 grain .243 at 3100 FPS out of a 7.25 pound rifle has 11.0 ft-lbs. of recoil energy. How it feels is different for everybody. Mind you, there's really no comparing a .243 to a .300 WSM. No like bullet weights.
"...Add roughly 1 lb. for optics and mounts..." A scope alone will weigh more than a pound.
Hi Deerhunt,
The BLR is an excellent rifle. I'd be in quite a quandary were I forced to choose between a BLR and a Finnwolf.
Recoil is a value based upon known criteria: bullet weight, powder charge, rifle weight, etc. Felt recoil can exacerbate or mitigate known recoil; e.g., stock design.
That your BLR .300WSM has felt recoil of a .243 Win is quite an accolade of the quality of the BLR. A .300 mag out of a good-quality bolt action rifle is not pleasant.
I hope that your BLR's fill your big game tags, and you enjoy many successful hunting seasons with them.
The BLR is an excellent rifle. I'd be in quite a quandary were I forced to choose between a BLR and a Finnwolf.
Recoil is a value based upon known criteria: bullet weight, powder charge, rifle weight, etc. Felt recoil can exacerbate or mitigate known recoil; e.g., stock design.
That your BLR .300WSM has felt recoil of a .243 Win is quite an accolade of the quality of the BLR. A .300 mag out of a good-quality bolt action rifle is not pleasant.
I hope that your BLR's fill your big game tags, and you enjoy many successful hunting seasons with them.
Hi GeauxTide,
'bama is gonna take it all ;-)
I have serious shooting shoulder issues. I was able to mitigate .270 Win recoil buy having a shotgun recoil pad on it. With that recoil pad installed, I can shoot max .270 Win loads w/o issue.
I own a 7MM Rem Mag. It's all that and a lot more. It will kill the largest North American big game. There is magic in .284 caliber bullets. While I love my 7MM Rem Mag, I could not definitively write that it's superior to the .280 Rem. Had I known that when I bought my 7MM Rem Mag, I'd of gone with a .280 Rem.
I wish you the absolute best with your spinal issues; more importantly, I hope you're able to continue to fill big game tags.
'bama is gonna take it all ;-)
I have serious shooting shoulder issues. I was able to mitigate .270 Win recoil buy having a shotgun recoil pad on it. With that recoil pad installed, I can shoot max .270 Win loads w/o issue.
I own a 7MM Rem Mag. It's all that and a lot more. It will kill the largest North American big game. There is magic in .284 caliber bullets. While I love my 7MM Rem Mag, I could not definitively write that it's superior to the .280 Rem. Had I known that when I bought my 7MM Rem Mag, I'd of gone with a .280 Rem.
I wish you the absolute best with your spinal issues; more importantly, I hope you're able to continue to fill big game tags.
I also wanted to get a '81 blue/walnut BLR in 270 win as the other day I saw they were on sale at cabelas. But I have heard the long action BLR s are not so great. If I knew of any stores around here with them in stock I would try them out but I would have to order it from cabelas. So does anybody have/had a long action BLR? Thanks
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Because of the cartridge length.
The terms "short", "long", "standard", and "magnum" are applied differently to different rifle models.
The rifle here is the Browning Lever Rifle (BLR), originally produced to handle .308 Win length rounds. Later a "long" version was made, to handle .30-06 length rounds (which includes the .270 Win)
So, with that rifle, we use the terms standard (or sometimes short) and long action.
Do note that this is different than the use for most bolt actions, where we say "short" for .308 Win length, "standard" for .30-06 length, and "long" or "Magnum" for actions made to takes rounds longer than the .30-06.
1972RedNeck
New member
My 7mm Mag BLR '81 hurts a fair bit more than any other 7mm's that I've shot. It has less "push" to it, but it has a "sharp" kick to it. I attribute it to the fact that the stock has less drop at the heel than the average bolt action rifle so more power comes straight back instead of raising the muzzle.
jackstrawIII
New member
I think the opposite is true. My BLR kicks more than my Model 70 in the same caliber.... in my opinion.