James B

Recoil in the range of those i listed would be hardly noticable, the difference that is. I have used all of these calibers quite a bit and the 7mm-08 probably the most pleasant to shoot. However like I said, the difference is slight.

saladin

a (very) general rule of thumb is that above 15 ft lb starts to become uncomfortable for long shooting sessions. however, it depends a lot on stock design, shooting position ( ie - bench rest is more severe than offhand), recoil pads and most critically - shooter tolerance. some people have no problems with 338's, others get jumpy above 257 roberts! ( was it the late bob milek who admitted to being recoil shy and prefered to stay with the 25 cals? i think it was). everyone is different.

the extra 2ft/lb of the 308 would be unnoticeable for two or three shots in a day. it might become a factor if you're going to blast varmints all afternoon though.

Mountain Cur

Thanks everyone, like swamp collie said, a good stock and recoil pad are invaluable. I have an old model rugerm77 in 7mm rem. mag I bought it new in 1986, a savage stainless model 112 with an aftermarket stock in .300 win. mag (I got it the year before the accutriggers came out it has a timney in it), and a model 7600 rem. in 30-06. Those 2 magnums have good pachmayr pads on them, I honestly believe i could shoot that m77 off my chin if I wanted to lol. Not so before I put the pachmayr on. And, that replacement stock with the pachmayr made a huge difference with that savage.So yeah, wichever particular model rifle I get it will have a quality pad on it one way or another. Regarding what saladin said about shooter tolerance and recoil, I think as you get older (at least for me anyway) you really start to appreciate calibers with a milder recoil especially from the shooting bench. Or should I say mainly from the shooting bench! For me it's irrelevant in the field. The only reason I put the .308 in the mix to start with is that I really like .30 calibers wether it be the .300 or the 30-06 and for reloading it would be nice to have mainly all .30 calibers. Speaking of wich brand I might go with, have ya'll seen the stainless synthetic short action rugers? Even though their not called youth models, they are a perfect fit for the majority of most youths and women. My brother has one and my brother-in-law has one, I haven't shot either of them, but they sure do feel good when you put them to your shoulder!

aimiablerooster

I shoot a 6.5x55SE and a .308 primarily. Honestly, once you get over recoil flinch by wearing a shoulder pad and ear protection when practicing, you can tolerate either one easily for hunting. Onf e of the key problems to overcome is confidence that a gun won't hurt you by cutting your eye with the scope. If you have a good eye relief scope, you won't be as worried about a punch in the shoulder, and when you hunt you feel nothing. The .308 is not a huge difference to the others. The recoil actually felt will have more to do with gun weight and bullet weight. If you shoot a (.308) 150gr bullet in a 7.5-8lb gun it is plenty tolerable.

Squirreldog

Rifle fit, the recoil pad and the good scope with eye relief. are most critical imo,
I love my 7/08 my son shoots a 260 and I just started playing with my new 6.5x55, and i would agree with the others that the recoil would be un noticable between the calibres.
all three are poision to a whitetail. that much i can promise.
good luck.