stagpanther
New member
I still shoot quite a few heavy recoiling cartridges and am well north of 60 years, I find that recoil on my shoulder isn't as much of a factor as my brain and teeth getting jangled by the concussive report.
Maybe the perfect Whitetail round?
- Thread starter Wildernesshunter
- Start date
603Country
New member
I don’t mind the recoil much if I’m deer or pig hunting, but I have parked the 270 for a lighter 260. My Dad went to a lighter rifle when he was in his 70’s, and I’ve followed his lead. My chosen bullet is the Nosler 120 gr BT, but if I needed a lighter recoil I’d go to the 100 gr BT, which seemed just as effective on deer and pigs as the 120 gr version.
reynolds357
New member
I agree on the .243 Winchester. I am not totally sold on the Grendal.Both the rounds below are 100gr, one being the venerable .243 Win and the other being the 6.5 Grendel.
Now... when I say the 'perfect round'.... maybe I am referring to the perfect round for myself. You see, I had a bad motorcycle wreck four years ago, basically bouncing my body off a set of cattle corrals, after I avoided a ranch dog running across the road near a homestead. It took a full 18 months for my thoracic to heal enough where I could start lifting weights again. I just don't like the recoil of the big fire sticks any more.
Heck, if you shoot the Hornady 123gr SST's, they are running at 2,000 fps and have over 1,000 ftlbs of energy at 400 yards. And it is delivered with very little recoil.
Is anyone like me.... the older I get the more I want guns that are pleasant to shoot and hunt with?
stagpanther
New member
If you are confident in putting the shot in the right place and don't necessarily mind tracking if necessary--you could also consider a modern 6mm which typically shoots very fast and accurately. The spin-offs of 6mm BR and the newer ARC come to mind, they are very soft to shoot.
stinkeypete
New member
The important thing to remember is it's a big county and what's perfect of the West is different from other terrains.
One thing I have learned though- it's not how big a hammer you used on whitetail deer- it's hitting the nail on the head.
Missing, no matter how hard you miss, is either a clean miss or the horrible feeling of wounding an animal and hoping you can track it down fast before it suffers too much.
.243 is the classic choice for a nice accurate bolt action rifle that doesn't kick too hard but can reach out and do the job. It's what I'd prefer to own.
All these new rimless cartridges seem to be for guys looking for some use for their semi-auto rifle roughly based on the you know what platform with a huge magazine hanging off it. If you need more than three shots, you really really did it wrong. Just my opinion.
Me? In the Midwest I have settled on 30-06 which I can load to a little hotter than 30-30 or as fast as I wish.. a nice semi-auto shotgun that's gentle with slugs, and perhaps bringing along a .44 Magnum Blackhawk that I load .44 Special Plus. Ranges are short in the hilly farm country or forests. Perfect for me, no one else unless by chance.
One thing I have learned though- it's not how big a hammer you used on whitetail deer- it's hitting the nail on the head.
Missing, no matter how hard you miss, is either a clean miss or the horrible feeling of wounding an animal and hoping you can track it down fast before it suffers too much.
.243 is the classic choice for a nice accurate bolt action rifle that doesn't kick too hard but can reach out and do the job. It's what I'd prefer to own.
All these new rimless cartridges seem to be for guys looking for some use for their semi-auto rifle roughly based on the you know what platform with a huge magazine hanging off it. If you need more than three shots, you really really did it wrong. Just my opinion.
Me? In the Midwest I have settled on 30-06 which I can load to a little hotter than 30-30 or as fast as I wish.. a nice semi-auto shotgun that's gentle with slugs, and perhaps bringing along a .44 Magnum Blackhawk that I load .44 Special Plus. Ranges are short in the hilly farm country or forests. Perfect for me, no one else unless by chance.
I have always been a fan of using a 180gr bullet out of my 30/06 for whitetail wile hunting in the thick woods of KY. I changed loads several years ago to a 165gr HPBT gameking when I couldn't find any 180gr RN bullets one particular year. I liked that load so much I never switched back to the 180's. About 3 years ago got a wild hair and decided to take my kids 7mm-08 afield and discovered that the shorter, lighter and easier to handle 7mm was much more pleasant to pack around through the hills. Couple that with the reduced recoil and even in the lighter frame gun it is not abusive to shoot on extended range sessions. The cartridge still has plenty of punch for whitetail and likely anything else in North America, with proper bullet selection of course. A 120gr pill provides flatter trajectory then a .243 if field hunting is your thing or you can step it up to a 150 or 160gr pill for real long range work or larger game.
I liked the 7mm-08 so much that I went out and bought myself one. Now the ol' 06 sits in the safe keeping my other firearms company wile I'm afield.
I liked the 7mm-08 so much that I went out and bought myself one. Now the ol' 06 sits in the safe keeping my other firearms company wile I'm afield.
reynolds357
New member
.25-06 is sweet with the right bullet.
BornFighting88
New member
300 WSM. Recoil not bad, knocks them over in first shot, and that pill moves hard and fast. Have taken many of the brown four legged and horned devils with it. One hit, they don't get up, and I have personally taken them out to 400 yards. One shot, one kill.
I think the 6.5 PRC I am having built with 143-147 grain bullets will do just about the same.
I think the 6.5 PRC I am having built with 143-147 grain bullets will do just about the same.