Folically Challenged

Here's where it gets complicated.People far more knowledgeable thanmyself have done the math homework to calculate the recoil numbers for different cartridges, in different rifle weights, shooting different weight bullets, at different muzzle velocities. If you're up for some dry reading, try http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm.

The problem is that recoil is an awfully subjective thing. Stock design, and especially stock fit play acrucial role in how a rifle's recoil feels toyou. Shooting experience & technique make a big difference, too. You'll find people, both in real life and on the internet, who say a rifle/caliber combination has "no" recoil, while others will say the exact same setup will plant them on their a$$.

It's not that the calculations are wrong, it's just that there's a lot more involved than just the numbers. How can you judge therecoil opinions from a shooter who's6' 7" tall vs. someone who's 5' 4"?What does it feel like when you're dressed in 5 layers of clothing, versus in a T-shirt? What does it feel like when shooting from a bench, versus shooting prone, or offhand? About the only thing you'll get the majority of folks to agree on is that you won't feel much recoil at allwhen you're shooting at the deer of your dreams!

That said, there aren't manywho'll complain about the kick of a .243. It seems (to me, anyway...) thatalmost everyone will startto acknowledge an increase in recoil at about .270 level (though some will say there's a big difference far sooner than that!). If you're committed to putting in some practice time at the shooting range, you shouldn't have any problem learning to master any of these cartridges you've mentioned.

FWIW, I don't carefor recoil in the least, but I've learned to manage my .30-06. I think it's a combination of fit (the gun feels like it was made just for me!), construction ( a sturdy 8.5 lbs. with scope, & anexcellentSims recoil pad), and practice (shooting a few hundred roundsshowed me how to hold a firm but comfortable grip, concentrate on my breathing, & slowly squeeeeezzzzeeee the trigger 'til I wassurprised that the rifle has fired). No, I'm not a crack shot, but I can consistently put the bullets reasonably close to where they need to go.

As for calibers, the .243, .270, and .30-06 are all among the top sellers in the country, as is the .308, and the .25-06 isn't far behind.You'd have a hard time finding a place where you couldn't find ammo in those calibers, and find it in several different bullet types/weights. The 7mm-08 has been rapidly gaining in popularity over the past couple of years, and ammo choicesfor it are spreading steadily. For deer hunting, you'd be well-served by any of them, providing you put in the practice to become proficient with your rifle. No caliber will make up for being a poor shot!

In my opinion, you'll sometimes hearhunters say that a .243 is too light for deer, myself among them. To be fair, there are many, many others who swear that the .243 is tremendous for deer.It seems, though, thatfrom .25-06 on up, you don't hearmanyshooters say they feel under-gunned when chasing whitetails.

Now, if you want to ask about.270 vs. .270 WSM??? There are lots of blue-faced posters around here who've argued both sides for quite some time. Do a search & see for yourself. If one of them was that superior to the other, the debates would've ended a long while ago. They'll certainly both kill deer. There's no debate, though, that the .270 will be more widely available than .270 WSM: it's had a several decade head-start in sales.

So, do you ever want to hunt critters bigger than a deer? If you don't see that coming 'til you're rich enough to afford a glamorous hunt, then get a smaller cartridge. You'll shoot it better now, and if you're ever wealthy enough to afford a dream hunt, you can go ahead & buy the dream rifle in a bigger caliber to go with it.

Again, go handle as many rifles as you can get your hands on! Pick outyour top few choices, & have the gun shop guys hand them to you when your eyes are closed. With as many models as they make nowadays, you're bound to find one that settles in perfectly to your sholder every time you hold it. THAT'S the one you buy, & you'll have solved the majority ofany recoil problems in the process.

Let us know how it goes,

FC

CamoCop

i've been hunting around 20 years now and have used everything from a .30 carbine, mini 14, .410, 20 gauge, 12 gauge, .30-06, .308 and wby .300 mag to take deer. the last 5 or so years i exclusively used my wby .300 mag, which is a FINE shooting rifle with a considerable recoil. while i was doing so, i took notice to my father. my father has only used a remington .25-06 for the last 20 years of hunting. i got to thinking one morning while sitting in my tree lounge hunting. my fathers deer have always been just as dead as mine when he shot them. this is when i decided to buy a .25-06. i am a large guy (6'3" and 300), i can handle any recoil from any rifle BUT why should i? it's certainly not pleasurable to feel the recoil from a rifle, heavy recoil provides no extra accuracy or performance...so why must it be tolerated if it does not have to. needless to say i now shoot a T/C Pro Hunter .25-06 with no regrets. sweetest shooting rifle i have ever shot!

p.s. i still own the above mentioned rifles. i keep them around in case i ever get a chance to hunt moose or bear.

The Prodigy

Tikka T3 Synthetic Stainless in .270. It's a great gun

Serrinon

This thread has been really helpful for me. Tomorrow I'm going to the store to see how different brands of the 243, .25-06 and .270 feel. At this point in time I don't think it would benefit me to have the power of anything higher than that cal.

zrexpilot

Actually, I would only consider the .243 and 7mm-08, both these cartridges are short action and are both based off the .308 case, both have very little recoil. The 25-06 and .270 are based off the 30-06 case which is bigger and uses more powder giving more recoil and noise, nothing wrong with that butI just prefer less of it.
The the 7-08 shoots 140 gr bullets while the .243 shoots 100 gr. The .243 is a bit faster and flatter but the 7-08 has a bit more punch. The .243 can double duty asvarmint gun and the 7-08 can double duty as a big game gun. But a lot of people have killed elk with the little .243.
Both these are ideal for whitails though.

Serrinon

Hi All, so I went to Walmart and checked out the Remington 700 in .243, .270, and what they called a 7mm (I'm guessing thats the 7mm-08, but they didn't seem to know, are there any other 7mm's?). They all felt good, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow when the actual gun shop opens, they should hopefully have more brands.

kendo

my pick is a 270. the first time i shot my boyfriends 270 i got a deer! the recoil on it is not bad at all!

wyotimberghost

7mm-08, 30-06, 270, 243, 25-06, 6.5x55, 280, etc, etc. Write them all on a piece of paper, put them in a hat, mix em up, and pick one.

shepdogwv

The 7mm that they showed you was probably a 7mm Mag which is significantly different than the 7mm-08. It will shoot faster and will kick a little harder than the 30-06.

mo trained

hello. what kind of country will you be hunting in? if its real thick brush country a good all around gun is a 3030.if its just woods and open country you will be hunting a 243 or 270 would be good.But a good powerfull cal is a 7 mag. not to much over kill but it will drop them.hope this helps.