8mm/06

6.5 x 55, 7mm/08,.260,6.5 Rem Mag,, 7 x 57, 8 x 57, .35 Remington.270,,.308, and 30/06all come in at less recoil than the 7mm Rem Mag.

I listed them in order of felt and recoil energy and recoil velocity with the lightest listed first and the heavier listed last. The 30/06with 180 loads will recoil just atad more than the 7mmRem Mag in the 140 gr and/or 150 gr
The link below is where I stole my info and is very informative for anybody that may be recoil sensitive.
BTW, a good stock fit and recoil pad along with proper shooting form can do more to reduce your recoil woes than dropping down to marginal calibers.
That said, I'm a fan of light recoiling guns if they can do the job efficiently.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
The #'s listed in this link all assume around a 8 lb. rifle

ELKampMaster

Lamb,
If you don't have ANY rifles and the 7mmRemMag was to0 sharp a recoil AND you want to hunt elk then I'd recommend three things.

** If you don't have a 22LR, then you need to own one and practice with it before getting a centerfire.

** Assuming you don't reload, then get a 30-06 the number and variety of factory ammo is outstanding for this cartridge. IMO the '06's recoil is less sharp than the 7mmRemMag. Start with the managed recoil loads for practice and then work your way up in bullet weight and powder charge according to the game you will pursue.

We had a poll of folks FAVORITE elk rifles that they CURRENTLY use and have ACTUALLY taken elk withand by the numbers the 30-06 was the entry level cartridge with strong support --- after that the magnums kicked in.
http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/fb.asp?m=1142362&key=elk%2Cpoll

** Once you get your new rifle have a gunsmith fit it to you for length (proper fit) and then get some instruction from an NRA shooting instructor regarding proper form and technique both off the bench and in the field (recoil management technique), I'd bet you "dollars to donuts" that you will learn things that matter that you didn't know. The latter is very uncommon among most Americans who would rather suffer thru the "school of hard knocks", why is still a mystery --- we get PROPERLY trained for almost everything else.

ButchA

Another option would be to look at the ageless, classic, 30-30 winchester (either a Marlin 336 or a Winchester 94). The 30-30 hasbeen around for well over 100 years and is still a great deer rifle. But nowadays, people don't look to the 30-30 for a main deer rifle - they just shoot their "ultramagnumthunderboomer" rifle!

If you have thick woods and heavy brush, the 30-30 will shine. But if you are in open terrain in say, Nebraska or South Dakota or eastern Colorado, then the you'd be better suited with a .270 for deer.

Just my opinion folks.... I am a fan of the classic 30-30 rifle. It is lightweight, easily, manuverable, and has such a mild kick that even a 12 year old boy would appreciate it. 100+ years and still going strong... That speaks a lot about a deer rifle!

ELKampMaster

Reading for detail is a *$%$#%]*

Wide open spaces, big critters, 30-30 ..... may as well take up bowhunting.

James B

Many elk and boar have dropped to the 30-30 as has every other game animal in NA and elsewhere. However the 30-06 and 308 would be better all around choices. I just returned from Canada and our outfitter hunts all species all over Cananda. He told me that he owns a .22 rimfire, a 12 Ga pump shotgun and a 308 bolt rifle. I have seen his tropy room and there is no arguing with his success. He is however a very good hunter and very good shot.

bronko22000

lambchops, good to see someone new getting involved with hunting. As for the one rifle, remember the old saying "Beware of the person with only one rifle - he probably knows how to use it."
With what and where you're going to be hunting and being that the 7mm Mag was too much for you, I would probably tell you to get a '06. You can now get factory ammo with reduced recoil in them and use the 'juiced' up loads for elk. As much as I love the .270 and know it is a capable elk rifle, it is marginal. If you opt for the .270 pick you shots carefully.

firstshot

Lamb

I see thatyou've narrowed it down to .270 or 7mm-08 in wood & blue. There are a lot of different makes & models out there that fit the bill. The main difference you are looking at here is long action (.270) vs short action (7mm-08).

If you are going to be doing a lot of spot & stalk type hunting in Utah where lots of walking is involved, you might want to consider going with the short action 7mm-08 in a lighter rifle. Having said that, I just noticed that there is only 1/8 Lb difference between the .270 & 7mm-07 in Remingtons Mountian Rifles.

The .270 has a little more case capacity and in general shoots a little lighter bullets than a 7mm-08; however, there really isn'tthat much"ballistic" difference between the two at normal hunting ranges. Here are a couple of links where you can compare the ballistics of the two for Remington and Federal factory ammo.

Remington Factory Ammo Comparison
http://www.remington.com/NR/exeres/000014d2dhzaqbajqdgkipen/RemArms+Product+Group.asp?NRMODE=Published&NRO RIGINALURL=%2fammo%2fballistics%2fballistics%2ehtm &NRNODEGUID=%7b4F84126C-5E11-4B1F-89E6-95AB18499B6A%7d&NRQUERYTERMINATOR=1&cookie %5Ftest=1

Federal Factory Ammo Comparison
http://www.federalcartridge.com/default.asp?pg=27&firearm=1

I just went through this same decision process this past spring and wound up with a Remington 700 Mtn LSS in 7mm-08. Of coursemine is the stainless laminated version, but the same rifle is available in wood/blue as a Rem 700 Mountian Rifle DM.

My 700 Mtn LSS 7mm-08 was a MOA shooter right out of the box. All I did to it was lighten the trigger pull to about 2 1/2 Lbs. The only thing I've shot through it is handloads. Sierra 140Grn Game Kings, Hdy 154Grn RN, Nosler 140Grn Accubonds, Speer 145Grn SP (Hot Core) Hdy 140Grn SP and Nosler 150Grn Ballistic Tips have all shot MOA or better with the Sierra 140Grn Game Kings and the Nosler 140 Grn Accubonds being the most accurate at about 3/4". Only the Nosler 140 Grn Ballistic Tips shot larger than MOA and they came in at avg 1.4" at 100 Yds.

I don't really think you could go wrong with either caliber. They are both great calibers! The 7mm-08 would allow you to use a little heavier bullet for Elk, but the trade off would be a little less velocity = not quite as flat a trajectory. I compensated for this by putting a 3-9X40 Burris Fullfield II with Ballistic Plex reticle on my 7mm-08. The BPlex reticle is a bullet drop compensating reticle which allows you to sight in dead on at 100 Yds and then has additional reticle aim points for 200, 300, 400, and 500 Yds. This type reticle makes tragectory a mute point. You might want to check out this thread at Accurate Reloading forum. http://forums.accuratereloading.com/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=518103&f=3411043&m=1021 07323&r=102107323#102107323

As is said previously, both are great calibers and both would meet your needs. I hope the info I've provided will help you with your decision.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

ELKampMaster

Close enough (22LR, 12 gauge, 30-06) --- a .308 is a fair substitute, drags a bit on the heavier bullets, but close.
=================================

Bronco,
A very appealing, rugged, prolitariat, underdogimage (damn near myth IMHO), but I seldom have found it to be true in real life (possible, yes ---dominant, no). Personally I've found the person with only one gun usually don't shoot much and usually don't hunt much eitherandthe gunusually spendsway too muchtime in the closet. I've definitely seen the "one gunners" over-represented amongst those who are all gung ho for an away from home/remote hunt a year in advance and then drop out at the finish line. Usually money is the issue. Generally folks who are passionate, dedicated and progressing in their pursuits usually expand their tool sets.

I'm sure everyone is ready to list all the exceptions; however, my comments are simply based on what I've seen over a long time with folk who swear to me (and cross their heart) that they want to "head for the high country for elk."

lambchops

First, thank you to everyone who has helped, all of the information was great!

ELKampMaster, I have other guns and dont reload...yet. Also, could you explain these shooting techniques or perhaps you have a link?

I mentioned befpre that I had a 7mag and sold it due to recoil, I sold it about 3 years ago when I was 18, I have neer had any of this formal training, but do like to shoot and am pretty good at it. The 7mag was uncomfortable and I started to develop a flinch. I had bought the rifle for pig hunting because I was told it was the only caliber worth getting for a pig. I dont want to be undergunned but I always thought that shooting was supposed to be fun, and shooting that rifle sucked. I have a winchester 94 trapper in 44 mag that is a hoot, also like shooting the 870 but that damned 7 mag kicked my ass! Is there a way a person can train to take more recoil or does it just come with practice? I am kind if a skinny guy and dont have lots of padding in the sholder area. Anyways thanks for all of the help guys!

Doe Dumper

Lamb I got a .270 and a 7-08. Theres no way I would ever get rid of either..I love em both. Its gonna be tough pickin which one goes out opening day....coin flip i think. You will be very well served with either gun. 7-08 has just a hair less recoil. Both are tack drivers even with factory ammo..for some reason they both LOVE core lokts.