I have thousands of rounds on a 9lb-10lb, 308 win and Im 100% comfortable behind it. The biggest I can shoot comfortably, without a muzzle brake is an 8lb 7mm Rem Mag. But after 20-30 rounds or so of 140-160gr loads, Ive had enough and im out of the comfort zone. Muzzle brakes or suppressors dont count. How much recoil can you handle and still hit your mark?
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Biggest cartridge/caliber YOU can shoot comfortably?
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I shoot a 300 H&H with 190 SMK with no brake. Weighs about 13 pounds but I load up 50 rounds for this rifle. I'm out of ammo in the same amount of time as my similar 25-06. Really, it as all about getting square behind the rifle just like the videos by LL and Rifles Only instructed.
I've had a 300 RUM Rem 700 BDL with pencil barrel for 15 years. It's a factory rifle right now, probably weighs about 7 to 8lbs with scope. Kicks like a freaking mule, I can usually do about 20 rounds in a session from the thing before my shoulder is wore out.
I'll add, I was a wide eyed 18yo kid who knew nothing about shooting beyond 100 yards and who had dreams of hunting every North American big game species, and wanted the ability to take those game animlas at 500+ yards . Thus, I asked my Dad for that 300 RUM when he said he wanted to buy me the hunting rifle of my choice.
I tried to start shooting medium ranges (200 to 400 yards) a few years later. I got a Rem 700 PSS in 308 that let me shoot more rounds, but I had developed a bad flinch from getting kicked around by the 300 RUM. My shooting results and skills were not consistent.
Now, 10 years after that I finally am shooting 600 to 1200 yards regularly. I had to overcome that flinch, and it took a while of shooting my 17lb .260 with a muzzle break to start learning proper form again. I still find myself falling back into old habits sometimes, and have to watch for that.
I haven't shot the 300 RUM in almost 2 years. It's my next project rifle. I have a new Krieger #5 contour barrel blank, and plan on buying a Manners stock for it. The barrel WILL be threaded with a brake, and I will keep it chambered for 300 RUM.
It took me a while to learn the lesson, that bigger isn't better when it comes to shooting at long distances.
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I'll add, I was a wide eyed 18yo kid who knew nothing about shooting beyond 100 yards and who had dreams of hunting every North American big game species, and wanted the ability to take those game animlas at 500+ yards . Thus, I asked my Dad for that 300 RUM when he said he wanted to buy me the hunting rifle of my choice.
I tried to start shooting medium ranges (200 to 400 yards) a few years later. I got a Rem 700 PSS in 308 that let me shoot more rounds, but I had developed a bad flinch from getting kicked around by the 300 RUM. My shooting results and skills were not consistent.
Now, 10 years after that I finally am shooting 600 to 1200 yards regularly. I had to overcome that flinch, and it took a while of shooting my 17lb .260 with a muzzle break to start learning proper form again. I still find myself falling back into old habits sometimes, and have to watch for that.
I haven't shot the 300 RUM in almost 2 years. It's my next project rifle. I have a new Krieger #5 contour barrel blank, and plan on buying a Manners stock for it. The barrel WILL be threaded with a brake, and I will keep it chambered for 300 RUM.
It took me a while to learn the lesson, that bigger isn't better when it comes to shooting at long distances.
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Can understand the flinch. Thats why I never ventured into anything over a 308 win in 30 caliber. Just dont need it, or want it. A 308 or 7mm RM can tackle anything in North America and not kill yourself in the process. I did mess around with a 338 Edge for a bit. But it was braked and wasnt bad at all. The hardest kicking gun I ever shot unbraked, was surprisingly, a 308 win with an old savage tupperware stock. That thing may as well have been a 2x4 piece of wood. After the first shot I thought to myself..."I must have been out of position...". Nope, it just thumped the shit out of ya. No mercy on the shooter end. A good stock goes a looong ways. I still have that stock propped up in the corner. Maybe Ill give it to somebody I dont like.
Im building a 6.5-284 Norma for my next long range killer. I dont shoot anything bigger than coyotes/deer anyway. And with modern bullets, I suppose I could shoot an elk with it too at a reasonable range.
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Most any non-magnum caliber. Got no problem shooting .30-06, 7.62x54r, 8x57 etc. milsurp rifles. .300wm hunter weight rifles suck. .300 wsm isn't much better in light profile.
My 6.5 SAUM is a pussy cat compared to the .30 cals.
Little guy here, 5'7" 155lb.
Edit to Add: I can hit whatever I aim at for a handful of rounds. I used to shoot .50bmg pretty regularly. I just had to call it quits after 15-20 rounds. Comfort factor goes to shit and it's harder to convince my subconscious to "let it happen".
My 6.5 SAUM is a pussy cat compared to the .30 cals.
Little guy here, 5'7" 155lb.
Edit to Add: I can hit whatever I aim at for a handful of rounds. I used to shoot .50bmg pretty regularly. I just had to call it quits after 15-20 rounds. Comfort factor goes to shit and it's harder to convince my subconscious to "let it happen".
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270 win with a Sako finlight is about 7.5 lbs with scope. I can shoot 50 rounds for load development but I dont want anything bigger. My 338 Norma Mag is too much out of my Desert Tech after 10 rounnds I go back to shooting a .22 until I stop bleeding from the ass.
AXMC 20" weighs about 13.5lbs, with no brake I can shoot 50 rounds or so no problem but my shoulder pocket is a bit beat up(red) afterwards. Put a brake on it and all day no problem. Suppressed out of same rifle with a 7/338 can be shot all day too but that's at least 16lbs with the 30" barrel.
~8lb Savage 7mm Rem Mag shooting 180s at 2950. Very little in the way of recoil pad. After about 30 rounds off the bench, it becomes a huge mental task to maintain good form, particularly when it comes to trigger pull. When I start jerking the trigger, I know I need to take a break.
Throw on the 30P-1, however, and she becomes a pussycat.
Throw on the 30P-1, however, and she becomes a pussycat.
I can comfortably shoot all day behind my 7mm Rem Mag. I changed out the stock last year, and before that it was a much different story. A good recoil pad made all the difference I would say.
It is not a lightweight gun, before the Atlas rail and bipod, it weighed in at just over 12lbs with the Razor 4.5-27 on top.
My grandfathers .243 has more felt recoil now, the thin plastic recoil "pad" does not help.
If body weight matters, I am 185lbs and 6' tall.
It is not a lightweight gun, before the Atlas rail and bipod, it weighed in at just over 12lbs with the Razor 4.5-27 on top.
My grandfathers .243 has more felt recoil now, the thin plastic recoil "pad" does not help.
If body weight matters, I am 185lbs and 6' tall.
My limit is 30-06 with 200gr at 2700-ish fps. I can shoot about 30 rounds in a 9lb rifle before I'm worn out. That, or a 9lb 45-70 with 535gr at 1250fps for about 30 rounds.
I have one of those, an un-braked Mark 5 300wby and it's pretty intense. That's OK, it's a hunting rifle - shouldn't need to shoot a string anyway.
A heavier caliber is pretty easy if it's in a heavy gun and it's suppressed,
A 45/70 pushing 405 grains brings a smile to me every time.
I can comfortably shoot my AI AT with a 30”" barrel and 200 grain Berger Hybrid without a brake, but I had a chance to shoot an AI PSR last year with a 338 LM barrel. Had a box of 10 rounds Lapua ammo with the 300 grain HP – the stuff that cost around $60 a box. Took two shots and hit the steel at 1,859 yards, got up and gave the rest of the ammo away. If my life depended on it, I would gladly shoot the whole box and more but….....
With good muzzle breaks, my round count is limited to how bad a headache I want that evening. I shoot 300 norma mag.
Back with a pencil barrel and 220 grain in my 3006 without a recoil pad I could handle six shots. Would literally sit me up if not backwards from laid over on the bench. Holding sight picture my ass, barely holding my shit together. And I still haven't shot those remaining bullets either.
I'm going to say what I consider enjoyable.
for target shooting..
308 with no brake is about as far as I'm going. I get tired of it after 50 rounds in a 12lb rifle
Hunting
I'm not going any further than 270, and I'm only shooting it 2-3 times.
Now don't get me wrong I can shoot the big calibers, and ultra mags... But I just don't have any desire to... I don't consider it fun anymore at that point
for target shooting..
308 with no brake is about as far as I'm going. I get tired of it after 50 rounds in a 12lb rifle
Hunting
I'm not going any further than 270, and I'm only shooting it 2-3 times.
Now don't get me wrong I can shoot the big calibers, and ultra mags... But I just don't have any desire to... I don't consider it fun anymore at that point
Shot up to .50 in the AW 50 and .338 in the AI and blaser, definitely wouldn't want to shoot them all day. My unbraked 9.3 is tame by comparison to the .338. Saying that, my mate's browning maral in 9.3 has a lot sharper recoil than my tikka. Am keen to see how .300NM compares to the lot when it shows up.
Kind of an interesting thread.
I am having trouble making a decision on a cartridge for a rifle that i would take hunting but would probably shoot at the range a lot more.
Hard to find something that has lots of knock down power, easy to shoot, and has available factory ammo in a rare event that ammo was lost on a hunting trip.
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I am having trouble making a decision on a cartridge for a rifle that i would take hunting but would probably shoot at the range a lot more.
Hard to find something that has lots of knock down power, easy to shoot, and has available factory ammo in a rare event that ammo was lost on a hunting trip.
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I'm only 5'6" and 148 lbs, but I'm surprisingly recoil tolerant. I think its a bit of a fallacy that you have to be big to handle heavy recoil. The way I see it, my light body mass means my shoulder tends to move with the rifle during recoil rather than just soak up all that energy like bigger guys do.
Anyway, I can pretty easily put 70 rounds down range with my 284 Win pushing 180gr Bergers in the high 2700s and maintain 1/2 moa or better. That's without a brake, but it is a pretty heavy rifle at 18 lbs. For those who are unfamiliar with the 284 Win, it has about the same recoil as a 30-06. 7mm Mag sporter weight is no problem although 20 rounds is the most I ever put through it in one sitting.
I once shot a 340 Weatherby mag in a 7.5lb sporter and no brake. That was definitely beyond my comfort zone. After 7 rounds, I was bleeding from the nose and the cuticle of my trigger finger. The nose bleed wasn't from the rifle or scope hitting me, it was purely from the concussion of the rifle. My trigger finger cuticle bled because the rifle came back so fast and hard that my finger would slam against the inside front of the trigger guard. Hurt like hell and no fun at all to shoot.
All that being said, my favorite range plinkers are 223 and 6mm Dasher. I'm recoil tolerant in the sense that it doesn't throw me off my game, but less recoil equals more fun in my book.
Anyway, I can pretty easily put 70 rounds down range with my 284 Win pushing 180gr Bergers in the high 2700s and maintain 1/2 moa or better. That's without a brake, but it is a pretty heavy rifle at 18 lbs. For those who are unfamiliar with the 284 Win, it has about the same recoil as a 30-06. 7mm Mag sporter weight is no problem although 20 rounds is the most I ever put through it in one sitting.
I once shot a 340 Weatherby mag in a 7.5lb sporter and no brake. That was definitely beyond my comfort zone. After 7 rounds, I was bleeding from the nose and the cuticle of my trigger finger. The nose bleed wasn't from the rifle or scope hitting me, it was purely from the concussion of the rifle. My trigger finger cuticle bled because the rifle came back so fast and hard that my finger would slam against the inside front of the trigger guard. Hurt like hell and no fun at all to shoot.
All that being said, my favorite range plinkers are 223 and 6mm Dasher. I'm recoil tolerant in the sense that it doesn't throw me off my game, but less recoil equals more fun in my book.
Like good and evil, these two things are diametrically opposed to each other. For me, 7mm Rem Mag is the best balance I can find. It hits really hard with heavies, but is still very manageable in a medium weight rifle. With a suppressor it is really quite pleasant to shoot.
For a hunting situation I can shoot my 300 win mag for about 20 rounds without issue, anything more and I will start to send flyers. For a match rifle that I plan to shoot hundreds of rounds through it would have to be 308 with a good recoil pad or anything down from there.
I used to be able to pretty much shoot anything comfortably, but in my middle age I have developed some shoulder arthritis, so things have changed. Oddly enough, I can still shoot heavy calibers from heavy rifles pretty comfortably, but even a 308 from a light hunting rifle gives me fits pretty quickly. Slow, heavy thuds on my shoulder are fine, but not quick snaps.
10 rounds is enough from a 7lb Steyr M95/30. The trigger guard actually takes skin off my knuckles...
I shoot a Cooper in .375 H&H a lot. My .470NE double is tough to shoot more than 6-8 rounds at a time.
Used to shoot a 300 Wm loaded hot in F class. 80+ round days was the norm. My 300 wsm Featherweight tires me out after 30 or so rounds. The one time I shot a 375 H&H I think I put a box and a half through it. Ended up buying the ammo for that. Don't think I would want to do that again, the buying or shooting...
I'm 6'1" and about 280. So kind of petite....
I'm 6'1" and about 280. So kind of petite....
I always wondered how a DT in the big calibers felt. My thought was if not shooting muj it would REALLY suck after 20 rounds. And now I know....Cool rifle though.
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Shoot comfortably for how long? I have an unbraked .308 Norma that I can shoot 25-30 times before I say enough. I have a 9.3x62 that I can shoot five times. It's a 6 1/2 lb. Husqvarna with a steel buttbpad. I'm good for about 20 times with it when using my Past pad..
The was a time before I had my shoulder surgery that even a .223 felt rough. Not anymore.
The was a time before I had my shoulder surgery that even a .223 felt rough. Not anymore.
I've shot my buddies 338 artic warfare (16lbs w/o glass) for about a hour and had no issues
However my 12lb 300wm build has been a nightmare on my shoulder. After about 40rnds I've had enough. Mk11 with that steel recoil stock shit is about 3 rnds before I'm done
However my 12lb 300wm build has been a nightmare on my shoulder. After about 40rnds I've had enough. Mk11 with that steel recoil stock shit is about 3 rnds before I'm done
Got brakes on larger cal. rifles, so don't have to suffer them. Could shoot my .30cal Norma Imp all day, without a blink.
One firearm I don't enjoy shooting in volume is my 3.5" 12ga. turkey gun...
One firearm I don't enjoy shooting in volume is my 3.5" 12ga. turkey gun...
what is "lots of knockdown power" to you? Dont look past a 243, 6.5 CM, 6.5-284 Norma or a 270. All 4 of those are capable of filling your hunting/range desires. Hornady now has a nice factory load for 270 featuring their 145gr eld-x. Pretty flat and deadly. New life to the 270.
I had a 7mm wby mag in their ultralite model. 6 3/4 lbs without the scope. So about 8 1/2lbs with. Never had a problem with it in the field. Shot little groups on the range. But it did hit hard.
Now I find little reason to not shoot with a brake or suppressed. If nothing else to spot shots. And if it's a close range gun, I don't need the extra "power". So anything from .243 to .308 is fine. And not issue with recoil
Now I find little reason to not shoot with a brake or suppressed. If nothing else to spot shots. And if it's a close range gun, I don't need the extra "power". So anything from .243 to .308 is fine. And not issue with recoil
When I was shooting a stock Remington Sendero in 300 WM (w/ a Gen II RAZOR & bipod) I was good for 30 - 40 rounds w/ no issues afterward. I was shooting 180 gr E-tips w/ 78 gr Ramshot. I actually haven't used that gun in like 2 years. For a stock rifle it shoots exceptionally well. I've just been using other rifles for range, hunting, etc. I think I've been spoiled by the short-action w/ a muzzle brake...
Good thread. I have a whole fleet of 260's, 308's, etc...but there is one gun in the safe I just stay away from...my wife's 20 gauge 870. Am I a pussy, must be. It's a Youth model (shorter LOP), scoped, and she typically runs 3" magnum slugs in that damn thing. Set up for deer hunting in Iowa (no rifles on deer here). Couple three rounds to verify zero, and I call it good.
Hi, my name is QH and I am a recoil pussy. Posters are being remarkably honest in this thread. A similar thread a few years ago got pretty testy. The first thing people associate with a flinch is jerking the trigger. Probably the first thing that actually happens is you blink the shot and then you start pushing into the gun when you break the trigger,
I get to shoot as much as I want because my 100yd. range is fifty yards from my back door but I know there are some of you, particularly those that compete, that get in a lot more triggertime than I do. The guys that shoot competitive clays are the real lunatics. The ATA has a 500,000 round award. Now, I don't know whether this is registered targets or not but who cares. It's still almost a thousand rounds a month for fifty years straight. They use everything from increased gun weight, release triggers, ported barrels, mercury reducers, barrel weights, frikkin' shock absorbers to who knows what to reduce the effects of recoil. Not everybody but everybody uses something.
Take a cue from the clay sports guys and the PRS competitors and use whatever is available. Recoil degrades accuracy.
I get to shoot as much as I want because my 100yd. range is fifty yards from my back door but I know there are some of you, particularly those that compete, that get in a lot more triggertime than I do. The guys that shoot competitive clays are the real lunatics. The ATA has a 500,000 round award. Now, I don't know whether this is registered targets or not but who cares. It's still almost a thousand rounds a month for fifty years straight. They use everything from increased gun weight, release triggers, ported barrels, mercury reducers, barrel weights, frikkin' shock absorbers to who knows what to reduce the effects of recoil. Not everybody but everybody uses something.
Take a cue from the clay sports guys and the PRS competitors and use whatever is available. Recoil degrades accuracy.
30-06... My Remington 700 ADL sporter is fairly light, and my shoulder can't take as much as it used to.
I have a 270 WSM in a Sako A7 Tecomate. It weighs about 8 to 8-1/2 lbs with scope and I can only get 12-15 rounds before I start flinching and have some flyers. I haven't shot that gun in 4 years and constantly debate whether to keep it or sell it. Its just such a pretty gun, I have a hard time selling. My kids all want to try shooting it, but I don't want them to develop bad habits.
I purchased a Bergara B14 in 6.5 CM. It weighs 8-1/2 to 9 pounds with the scope and I can shot it all day without a muzzle brake (not threaded). My 14 year old daughter even shots it constantly. I don't know if we will ever get anything bigger again.
I purchased a Bergara B14 in 6.5 CM. It weighs 8-1/2 to 9 pounds with the scope and I can shot it all day without a muzzle brake (not threaded). My 14 year old daughter even shots it constantly. I don't know if we will ever get anything bigger again.
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