.260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

I hope to buy a rifle for my kids next year. I was wondering if there is really that much more recoil from a .308 compared to the 7mm-08 or the .260? I would really love to get the .308 but if recoil is that much of a difference, I'll probably choose the .260 over the 7mm-08. What do you guys think?

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

You need to tell us more about your kids. I know a 14 year old that is afraid to shoot a 22 LR. And I know a first grader that shoots a Winchester 1300 Turkey gun with heavy loads. It depends completely on your kids. Tom.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

Well, my daughter is 13, I'm about 5' 8'' and she is almost as tall as me. She shoots my old marlin 336 in .35 remington with 200 grain bullets, she killed her first deer last year, and her second one this year both one shot kills. Both with me sitting beside her!She's also getting an 870 youth model 20 gauge for Christmas, she just doesn't know it yet;). My son is only 5 and I don't know for sure when I'll start letting him use an actual firearm. He currently shoots a daisy bb gun lol. I started my girl out shooting with a lever action .22 to get her usedto using a scope, and when I moved her up to the .35 she drilled a 2 inch bull at 100 yds, and that gun only has a 4 power scope on it. That's irrevelant to this topic, I just wanted to brag on her a little bit:D.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

Irrelevant to the topic. Lord no. I would brag on my daughter a whole lot more than that. It sounds to me like you are doing it right. Congratulations on her success. Tom.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

Just for you to compare. the 260 with a 140 grain bullet has 13.6 lbs of recoil. The 7MM-08 with a 140 grain bullet has 12.6 lbs of recoil. The 308 with a 150 grain bullet has 15.8 lbs and your 35 Remington with 200 grain bullets has 13.8 lbs. This is with 7.5 lb rifles in 260 and 35 Rem. and eight lb rifles in 7MM-08 and 308.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

Wow, thanks James, that's good info. But that leads me to another question. Real world actual shooting, I wonder how much of adifference that 2 lbs. will make? I have to think not much. I need to find one of my friends with a .308 and shoot it sometime at the range.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

The 7mm-08 is a great gun. Very accurate and hardhitting with little recoil. For the most part, those two pounds won't mean much physically, but mentally they may. I have both guns, a 7mm-08 and a .308. The .308 does "kick" slightly harder than the 7mm-08.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

This link below might help a bit in your quest for knowledge. I think it may be where James B researched his info, but I know it's available in a variety of books and charts. It is merely one source of info,.... there are others.
It is interesting to see where all your cartridges and/or rifles fall on the chart, including those you have thought about purchasing.
Take a look (again) at the tameness of the 6.5 X 55. Albeit the #'s listed are for a fairly moderate and un-agressive loading. Typical of what you might choose to push through a vintage military. Although I might slow it down a hair for an older Model 94.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

I have rifles in all three calibers. My wife shoots them mostly. She says the 7mm-08, with 140 gr bulletsrecoils less than the 260 Rem with 140 gr bullets. And of course we're getting faster velocity out of the 7mm-08.However, our favorite load in the 260 is Sierra 120 grPro Hunter @ 2875 fps, and we both say it recoils the least of all. She's killed a lot of deer with that rifle and load.
I would prefer her to hunt with the 308 with a Barnes 130 grTSX @3000 fps, (recoils about like the 7mm-08 w/140's)but she thinks her 260 is magic and won't use anything else on deer. Go girl!

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

To be quite honest, if you were to put all three calibers in the exact same rifle (lets say a Model 7 Remington), and were shooting 140s and a 150 out of the 308, the difference would be almost un-noticable. A lot of felt recoil has to do with the cut of the stock and the recoil pad, although, a great cut and fine pad will never make a 338 kick like a 243, if you know what I mean.

I am a huge fan of the 7-08, and I am nearly as equally fond of the .260. I do like the 308 too, but that 7-08 is just so sweet.

With regards on the direction you should take...if you really think you are going to need that extra bit of bullet diameter that is the difference between .284 (7mm) and .308, then go ahead with the .308. If the recoil with 150's is a bit much for her, go with some of Federals Low Recoil 170gr loads. They will give you about the same trajectory/distance as your .35, with less recoil to boot. When she is ready for the 150s or 165s, you can step her up. But unless you are going after some larger game like elk/moose etc, I'd really go with the 7-08. Besides, the 7-08 has killed piles of elk, some outfitters may express concern, but that depends on the outfitter frankly.

But do make sure you get her a rifle that fits her well, and has a good pad, like Remingtons R3, which is a Limbsaver/Simms pad.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

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.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

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.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

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!

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

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.

RE: .260, 7mm-08, .308 recoil comparison??
 

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.