.308 recoil question....

C

Coop de Ville

New member
I've fired a mini-14 and found the recoil to be mild and manageable. And, I know what my 870 feels like:(

So, where would a 7-8 pound bolt in .308 fall among these? I am looking at a few rifles as my first and would like a .308 for long distance power, but wonder if the .223 will make up for that power in cost, accuracy, and less pain/ more enjoyable practice.

While I'm here Is the ADL a 1-2" rifle out of the box?

Thanks, -Coop
 
Coop,
All things being equal, I'd say you are going to see better accuracy from a 700ADL in .308 than from a Mini-14 in .223. To be fair to the Mini, you are likely going to shoot faster with it, but are going to give up something in the accuracy department unless you spend some time/money/effort into accurizing the autoloader. The ADL is pretty good as it comes out of the box, and if you feed it what it likes, will turn in some pretty impressive groups. Something else you might consider is getting the R700 VLS or the VS model if you don't mind the weight (9 lbs. before mounts/rings/scope). The price difference between it and Ruger's Mini-14 is small, and you will likely have out of the box accuracy around 3/4ths of an inch. Recoil out of an 8 pound 308 is going to be a bit more than half way towards the 870 from the .223, but is not hard to put up with.
 
At age 16, my first centerfire rifle was a Model 1917 Enfield in .30-'06. At about 5'-10" and 125 pounds, that steel butt plate "liked to beat me to death". I complained about the "kick" to my uncle. He looked at me with his usual expression of infinite scorn and told me that the gun didn't kick; it was all in my head; and I really needed to get over such foolishness.

Well, now I weigh about 175 pounds. I have an ADL in .308, and have put maybe a hundred rounds through it. I'd call the recoil "mild".

From a .243 on down, I call the recall "real mild" or "Aw, it doesn't really kick."

IMO, anything under a .300 Mag of some sort is not all that much recoil, whether '06 or 7mm Mag...

The quality of the butt pad, and the fit of the stock--these can help reduce the recoil you feel. But for anything under the .300s, it's mostly the noise that upsets folks.

$0.02, Art
 
Thanks all

Art,
How do you like your ADL? I have really been zeroing in on this one. I like the fact that it's not too big and it has open sights. It's reliable and I have the option of mounting a low power scope on it later. It seems to be a good "scout" type rifle.

Is yours new? I have heard that the Rems now have plastic parts 8(

Regards, -Coop
 
An ADL in .308 will give you a push but nothing to really be concerned about. I believe you will find that its not that bad at all. I have a funny recoil story: when I was about 10 my big brother had me shoot his .270! It was too big for me to even hold properly and it gave me a good jar and after about 6 rounds I had a nice bruise! lol But now I shoot my .270 for about 40 rounds with no problem.
 
like anything else, you will get used to the recoil. The first couple times I shot my .30-06 ADL I ended up using a trice folded towel as a makeshift recoil absorber (and I still thought it had heavy recoil). Now after only about 200 hundred I could shoot it with only a tee shirt on and not notice it during my typical 20rnd shooting session.
 
Coop, the ADL's are awesome right out of the box. I have several and they ALL shoot sub-moa with quality bullets and handloads. I have a .243, 25-06 (24" barrel), 270, and a .308. I love them all and handloading definitely shrinks the groups WAY down. Take any one of my rifles with the appropriate habdloads and if I shoot over an inch from a rest then I am having an off day. The Remington trigger can be adjusted to a crisp light pull if you would like. The plastic parts spoken of are the the trigger guard on the synthetic version. Simple fix, call Remington and get a trigger duard from a regular ADL (wood stocked) or a BDL without a hinged floorplate and put it on. That is what I have done on all my synthetics. Gets rid of the plastic and replaces with metal. The most accurate of the ones I have would have to be the 25-06 with the 24" barrel. Of the 22" barrels, It is about a tie between the 270 and the 308.
 
If you hold the rifle into your shoulder tightly, recoil shouldn't be that much of a problem. Both my ex (M1A) and my current flame (700VS) are in .308 and I've never found the recoil to be anything worth mention.

BTW, my first bolt action hottie is an ADL in 30.06. Same deal. And this used 10+ year old hunting rifle can make 1/4" groups consistantly with concentric, properly seated handloads.
 
Coop. My preference would be to go with the synthetic. I know they're butt ugly, but they are more stable than wood. Then, If recoil seems to be a problem, although I can't see it as a problem in a .308, have your local gunsmith cut the stock back and install a Pachmeyer Decelerator pad on the gun. They work good. I had one put on a .338 Mag. and it sure tamed that rifle down.
JMHO, but I feel any "serious" rifle should have a synthetic stock. All mine do.
Paul B.
 
Aw, shucks, Paul B, here I been thinkin' my ol' Weatherby '06 was fairly serious! :D

Coop, I've just shot Argentine GI stuff through my ADL. It does about 1-1/2 MOA with that stuff. I haven't sat down and tried to work up a load for it, yet.

It weighs seven pounds, bare. I found a gunsmith who said he'd buggy-whip the barrel, shorten it to 20" and recrown for a hundred-dollar bill. And then I learned about the new Remington Titanium action jobberdo, which at 5-1/4 pounds sounds like a good walking-hunting gun. I've held off doing anything...

Anybody want an ADL? :)

Art
 
Coop, get the wood ADL if you like wood. I prefer the synthetics. Don't worry about the recoil. Remington puts a nice thick rubber butt pad on the stock. I shoot 308 and 270 all day long and I am 5'8" and 140 pounds! Just ensure the butt is in contact with your shoulder!
 
Just a note that proper form and hold will go a long way toward reducing felt recoil. I think any of us here will agree that, after we got used to shooting center fire, our tolerance of recoil improved.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top