First of all, wasnt sure where I needed to put this thread, so if mods need to move it, my apologies.
My question goes to the following:
I was always told that a lighter rifle, will kick harder, than a heavier rifle (caliber being same). The theory behind it sounds reasonable, and believable. So, with bench rest/prone shooting, would want a heavier rifle, so you can cut down on felt recoil.
So, I've been shooting my .308 (@ 8 1/2 lbs without scope/base/rings/ammo) for awhile now and it's pretty good thumper. After 40 or so rounds of it, I can start to feel shoulder barking. One would also say, that for a typical .308, that 8 1/2 lbs would be considered pretty heavy. Got to figure with scope and ammo, would go between 10 and 11 Lbs.
So, I picked up a 7MM Rem Mag, and it's a light setup..rifle weighs less than 6 1/2 lbs. I was told, that it was gonna kick harder than my .308
Took to range, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be (does have some pretty serious muzzle jump) In fact, after 40 rounds, my shoulder felt fine. So after 60+, I ran out and felt I couldve gone 40, 50, whatever more as my shoulder still felt fine.
Now, I know the 7MM Rem mag creates more energy and velocity than my .308 and it's SUPPOSED to hit harder. I am here to tell you, that my shoulder says otherwise. I even went BACK to the range with both guns to give it another go, and same thing. Shoulder starts to bark with .308 and it's fine with my 7MM Rem Mag.
Ok, so last night I got to thinking WHY is that? If 7MM creates/produces more energy/velocity with same weight bullet (I shoot 150 and 175 grain with 7MM and 150 and 168's with my .308), why would the .308 hit me harder than that rifle AND the .308 weigh more.
Then it hit me (no pun intended):If say I swung a stick (light rifle) at "X" speed, and hit myself with it, it would not hurt as much if I took a bat (heavy rifle) and swung at same or even slower speed. The bat (heavier rifle) would hurt more.
So I thought more and more about it, and while I know the theory is heavier rifle is harder to move, so won't kick as hard as teh light rifle. But, if you have enough energy to move that heavy rifle, the heavier rifle SHOULD kick harder than the lighter one.
What I am getting at is, would you rather have a lighter "stick" hit you, or a heavier one, swung at same speed/velocity? The lighter one off course.
So, why is teh theory that the heavier rifle is the one that wont kick as hard? Has someone actually setup a test and done this to get ACTUAL results, and not just a "feeling" like I have?
I understand that if you take a REAL heavy object (let's exaggerate) and say rifle weighs 100 Lbs and it's a .308, it won't kick (if at all any) as bad as say one that weighs 8 Lbs. Because the actual energy from the .308 isnt enough to actually move that 100 Lb rifle. Kind of like putting a 1 cylinder lawnmower motor in a Motorhome.
But, talking about at the weight's we are normally dealing with, 6, 7, 9, 10 lbs, these rifles have enough energy to move them, and I would THINK that the heavier rifle would hit harder than the lighter one.
Speaking of Motorhome..think of a Motorhome hitting you at 30 MPH, then a car hitting you at 30 MPH. What's gonna do more damage? The heavier object because it's carrying more mass. So, stands to reason the heavier rifle is carrying more mass, so will hit harder.
Anyways, I was just curious as to if an actual test has been done, and someone has ACTUAL results and not just someone that came up with this idea/theory and everyone since has just bought into it without actually thinking about it.
OK, Im ready for MY theory to be shot down in flames, so fire at will.
Also, let's eliminate the stock/pad. I even put a B&C on my .308 that has a pretty "comfy" pad on it, and the 7MM has stock stock on it. So, let's leave that part out, and talk about teh heavy vs light
My question goes to the following:
I was always told that a lighter rifle, will kick harder, than a heavier rifle (caliber being same). The theory behind it sounds reasonable, and believable. So, with bench rest/prone shooting, would want a heavier rifle, so you can cut down on felt recoil.
So, I've been shooting my .308 (@ 8 1/2 lbs without scope/base/rings/ammo) for awhile now and it's pretty good thumper. After 40 or so rounds of it, I can start to feel shoulder barking. One would also say, that for a typical .308, that 8 1/2 lbs would be considered pretty heavy. Got to figure with scope and ammo, would go between 10 and 11 Lbs.
So, I picked up a 7MM Rem Mag, and it's a light setup..rifle weighs less than 6 1/2 lbs. I was told, that it was gonna kick harder than my .308
Took to range, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be (does have some pretty serious muzzle jump) In fact, after 40 rounds, my shoulder felt fine. So after 60+, I ran out and felt I couldve gone 40, 50, whatever more as my shoulder still felt fine.
Now, I know the 7MM Rem mag creates more energy and velocity than my .308 and it's SUPPOSED to hit harder. I am here to tell you, that my shoulder says otherwise. I even went BACK to the range with both guns to give it another go, and same thing. Shoulder starts to bark with .308 and it's fine with my 7MM Rem Mag.
Ok, so last night I got to thinking WHY is that? If 7MM creates/produces more energy/velocity with same weight bullet (I shoot 150 and 175 grain with 7MM and 150 and 168's with my .308), why would the .308 hit me harder than that rifle AND the .308 weigh more.
Then it hit me (no pun intended):If say I swung a stick (light rifle) at "X" speed, and hit myself with it, it would not hurt as much if I took a bat (heavy rifle) and swung at same or even slower speed. The bat (heavier rifle) would hurt more.
So I thought more and more about it, and while I know the theory is heavier rifle is harder to move, so won't kick as hard as teh light rifle. But, if you have enough energy to move that heavy rifle, the heavier rifle SHOULD kick harder than the lighter one.
What I am getting at is, would you rather have a lighter "stick" hit you, or a heavier one, swung at same speed/velocity? The lighter one off course.
So, why is teh theory that the heavier rifle is the one that wont kick as hard? Has someone actually setup a test and done this to get ACTUAL results, and not just a "feeling" like I have?
I understand that if you take a REAL heavy object (let's exaggerate) and say rifle weighs 100 Lbs and it's a .308, it won't kick (if at all any) as bad as say one that weighs 8 Lbs. Because the actual energy from the .308 isnt enough to actually move that 100 Lb rifle. Kind of like putting a 1 cylinder lawnmower motor in a Motorhome.
But, talking about at the weight's we are normally dealing with, 6, 7, 9, 10 lbs, these rifles have enough energy to move them, and I would THINK that the heavier rifle would hit harder than the lighter one.
Speaking of Motorhome..think of a Motorhome hitting you at 30 MPH, then a car hitting you at 30 MPH. What's gonna do more damage? The heavier object because it's carrying more mass. So, stands to reason the heavier rifle is carrying more mass, so will hit harder.
Anyways, I was just curious as to if an actual test has been done, and someone has ACTUAL results and not just someone that came up with this idea/theory and everyone since has just bought into it without actually thinking about it.
OK, Im ready for MY theory to be shot down in flames, so fire at will.
Also, let's eliminate the stock/pad. I even put a B&C on my .308 that has a pretty "comfy" pad on it, and the 7MM has stock stock on it. So, let's leave that part out, and talk about teh heavy vs light
