Originally Posted by
homers brother
We've already been there, see OP page 2.
I will now propose a permanent ban on information coming from Chuck Hawks' recoil table. When it finally compares apples to apples (rifles of equal weight), then I might reconsider. Aside from that and just to illustrate a point, my old "needle-and-dial" thermostat seemed to work just fine until I replaced it with a digital. Now those one or two degrees one way or the other (now that she can associate them with a SPECIFIC number) become critically important to my wife, who always insists now that the house is either too warm or too cold. And she has the PROOF now to show me! Ahem.
Recoil energy, in and of itself, is about as practically useful to most of us as that little white spacer sometimes found between the forearm and the sling stud. If I were to put rifles identical but for caliber side-by-side, does anyone here REALLY think they'd be able to tell the difference between the recoil of a .243 and a .257 Bob without looking at a cartridge? I sure don't think I could. Yeah, I could probably tell the difference between a .243 and a .270, not that it matters all that much, the bullet will have already left the barrel.
I don't mean to slam you, BB - my apologies if you feel I have. It's just that I'm a little tired of all the data out there on the internet that often doesn't contribute much to the decision cycle but help split hairs that don't need splitting.
My feeling are not hurt. Any sincere discussion is what all of this is about. However, I have to disagree with you.
The point of the chart was to demonstrate that a variety of rounds are available with similar recoil and similar performance. If you notice, I selected those calibers for those qualities. I wanted to give Oakie76 some viable choices.
Like it or not, recoil energy is a objective measure of the effect on a shoulder . Of course, clothing, weight, experience and personal recoil tolerance are variables. It is simply a way of comparing. It tells even the novice that one caliber will recoil more or less than another. In Oakies case, he could look at a chart and know that your 257 Bob would be more comfortable for his son to shoot than a full load '06. It is a tool to help.
Horsepower is a measure of performance but it does not tell the whole story. Same here. As always, a buyer must do their homework and no tool should be dismissed.