Help me compare the recoil between these 2 rifles.....
 

So I'm pretty much sure that I'm going to order a New Ultra Light Arms Rifle from Melvin.

I'm trying to get an idea of what recoil might be like from such a light weight rifle, and how it compares with what I'm used to. I'm not really recoil sensitive, so it may not make much difference anyway.

Here's my comparison.....

My current .300 Win. Mag. weighs 8 1/4 lbs with scope. I'm shooting 180gr. loads at around 3,000fps.

Compare that to a......

.30-06 shooting 165gr. loads at around 2900fps. in a rifle with a scoped weight of 6 1/4 lbs.

or...

.280 Rem. shooting 140gr. loads in the same 6 1/4 lb. rifle.


Your help would be appreciated

SCHOOLCRAFT

man yer all over the place..what cal ya gettin in the ultra light?
you say compare 2..but ya got 3 guns posted..

if yer shootin a win mag, then it probably wont matter like ya said.
comparin a 270 to a 300 win mag is just like comparing any other 2 cals, it is like comparing horses, to horse power.

Sorry if the original post was a little scattered.......

I'm going to order a NULA model 24 left hand in either a .270 Win., .280 Rem. or .30-06.

All three calibers have such similar recoil (at least to me) that I can't really tell them apart.

I was just wondering how the recoil of one of these calibers in a 6 1/4lb gun might compare to the recoil of my current .300 Win. Mag. which weighs 8 1/4lbs.

Any opinions on WHICH CALIBER TO CHOOSE or the recoil difference between these and my .300 Winny would be welcomed........

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

For what's worth, take a look. I have a feeling that you might have less felt recoil with your 300win mag.

Here we go again.....

Let's put a more practical twist on this than simply "recoil." Consider that the .300 and .30-06 are capable of throwing EXACTLY the same projectiles (bullets). The .300 simply pushes them faster (and farther as a consequence). If you intend to keep the .300, there's little reason to select the .30-06, and particularly in an ultralight.

My recommendation between the two calibers you list would without question be the .280. I'd be tempted to look into the .264s though as well.

Plugging Hawks load for .300 Win (180 gr @ 2960 fps) and his .280 (160 gr @ 2800 fps) into LB3:

The 8-1/4 lb .300 generates 28.6 ft/lbs of Free Recoil Energy and Recoil Velocity of 14.9 fps.

The 6-1/4 lb .280 generates 22.2 ft/lbs of Free Recoil Energy and a Recoil Velocity of 15.1 fps.

A likely load in a 6-1/4 lb .30-06 (165 gr @ 2900) generates 24.3 ft/lbs of Free Recoil Energy and a Recoil Velocity of 15.7 fps.

For what any of that is worth....

I hunt with a Rem. 700 LSS Mountain rifle 30-06, weighs between 6-7 lbs. I shoot 165 grain bullets, and have no problem with the recoil. I have stayed away from the 300's because I don't enjoy heavy recoil (I've never shot a 300 Win Mag, but have shot a 7mm Mag and did not enjoy it). Granted, it could have been the stock design, recoil pad, etc, but that's my 2 cents worth.

So, for what it's worth.....

Looks like whether I went with the .280 Rem. or the .30-06, the recoil should be a little less than what I get with my current .300 Win. Mag.

That actually helps a lot.

And for the previous post that asked if I was going to have my .300 AND this ultralight....no.

I would be selling the .300 to help pay for this NULA. The 06 ' class of calibers suits my hunting needs much better than the .300 Win. Mag. I honestly should have built a .270/.280/.06' in the first place.....but I sure have learned a lot from the experience!!!

If you reload, .280 Ackley Improved!

I must ask, what is your intended purpose of an ultra lightweight rifle? My idea of a lightweight rifle is a browning Xbolt with a lightweight scope. They go under 7lbs in 300win plus the glass. So you add 12oz or so for some lightweight glass. I dont see it making a big difference in packing in anywhere. If it did, I would be inclined to believe its a matter of lack of physical conditioning for the hunt. If our men could win WWII with an 11lb M1 Garand, then an 8lb rifle is a walk in the park IMO. Now if you are looking for another toy, well, dont let me get in the way of a man wanting more guns,lol.

Might want to consider the 7MM RM for your new mountain rifle, best balance of power & recoil IMO.

I own a Sako A7 Stainless in 7MM RM as my mountain rifle and weights in at 6.5lbs stripped.

The recoil using 160 gr. bullets is very managable & will handle most big game in North America.

I must ask, what is your intended purpose of an ultra lightweight rifle? My idea of a lightweight rifle is a browning Xbolt with a lightweight scope. They go under 7lbs in 300win plus the glass. So you add 12oz or so for some lightweight glass. I dont see it making a big difference in packing in anywhere. If it did, I would be inclined to believe its a matter of lack of physical conditioning for the hunt. If our men could win WWII with an 11lb M1 Garand, then an 8lb rifle is a walk in the park IMO. Now if you are looking for another toy, well, dont let me get in the way of a man wanting more guns,lol.



Streetglideok,

The weight of my current rifle, or any I've ever owned for that matter, has never been an issue. My issue in this case is I simply made a poor choice of caliber in my Hill Country Rifles .300 Win. Mag. for what/where I hunt. I would be better served with something in the 06' family of cartridges for the deer and hogs that make up 99% of what I hunt.....and the 06' would be no slouch if an elk hunt did happen to come into the picture one day.
So, I'm kinda' starting fresh and looking for a "smarter" choice for deer and hogs. Something that I really enjoy owning and carrying with me all the time. My hunting lease in only 10 minutes from my house, so I'm down there 2-3 times a week doing something. Some stand hunting. Some still hunting.
While I do LOVE firearms, I think I've learned that I would rather have ONE rifle.....just like I want it...in a caliber that serves my needs rather than 4 or 5 in the gun safe that overlap in their inteded use. I guess I'm just weird like that......

Put a recoil pad on your shoulder and a good pad on the gun. You won't feel a thing.

I used to shoot a .458 mag like that, and never noticed the recoil which was 70lbs.

While I personally would choose a 30-06 for what you are doing, I think at this point, you are likely to take such a loss on the custom rifle you just bought that I'd just keep it. Maybe load some mild loads for it if you don't want that much recoil. I just don't see that the 300 Winchester Magnum has a huge downside other than recoil. Sure it's overkill, but since you already have it, I'd rather use it than take a big loss on it just to have a slightly slower caliber.

Melvin makes fine ultralight rifles. If that's what the original poster wants (or has decided upon) good for him. His selection criteria is his decision.

BugsNBows,

THANK YOU!!!!!

This was just a question about recoil in lightweight rifles.....

Why not just re-chamber your .300 Winny to a 30-06 or something of your choice? Re-chamber will be simple, would take some bolt face work or possibly a new bolt but would still be cheaper then selling it for a loss and starting over...

I have both a 280 Rem. and 30-06 Spr. and like them both. My 280 Rem. is a Remington 700 Classic with an older Redfield Tracker 3-9x40mm Scope. My 30-06 Spr. is a Remington 7600 Carbine with a Leupold VX-II 2-7x33mm Scope.

The 7600 30-06 is my main big game hunting rifle/carbine. I use it when my shots will most likely be 2 to 200 yards. I use my 700 280 for anything longer then that, watching fields, power lines, clear cuts, ect. So they're used for totally different things.

The 280 Rem. is my favorite cartridge and the 700 Classic is my favorite rifle, so I absolutely love my setup, might put a Leupold on it though. If I was going to have a light weight rifle built it would be a 280 Rem. I've often though about getting a 700 Mountain Rifle in 280 Rem., really don't need it though. Just my opinion.

Good luck, NYH. :wink:

Try the recoil calculator at this site:

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

I have a lightweight .280 built by some guy on the outskirts of Morgantown, WV using a Douglas barrel, and it is my favorite all-around medium game rifle. It has done the job with style on deer, elk, kudu, etc. without the same level of shoulder wear that the 300, 338, and 375 magnums make.

It was not my intentions to question the OP, or anything, I just was curious, why he was compelled to get rid of his 300win, for an ultralight '06. There really isnt any advantage of the ultralight '06 over a 300win in standard weight, recoil is going to be about the same, its going to cost alot, and it, and your wallet are now lighter,lol. As I said before, if he wants to buy it for the sake of it, more power to him, I'm all about more guns. As to the idea of having just one rifle, I think its an excercise of compromise, doing many things ok, but nothing great. If you are set on an ultralight rifle, get the 280 rem(7mm express), keep the 300win, and use them for two different purposes. The lightweight for when you are going to do alot of walking and stalking, the 300win for stands and things. I know, this goes against some peoples logic, so flame away. Its not my money.

A little sad to hear, but not at all weird.

If you see yourself in the deer woods primarily, my choice would still be the .280, though the .270's perfectly capable as well. If you FIRMLY believe that you'll hunt elk one day, either the .280 or .270 would suffice, but it might then be worthwhile considering the venerable .30-06.

Should always bring two rifles on an important hunt !