How does recoil compare?

P

Pond James Pond

New member
I often see threads about revolver cartridge lever actions (one on the 41-mag being the most recent) and I wondered who recoil on these compares next to a regular rifle cartridge. I'm thinking of .44mag here and, say, .308.

So if we assume similar weight rifles (lever-action versus a light-ish single-shot) and fairly standard bullet weights (240gn for the .44Mag and 155 or 165gn for the .308), which would be the bigger shoulder-shover, and by which margin?
 
Mr. Pond,

I own a 44mag pistol, stainless Super Blackhawk. I have fired my brothers Ruger 44mag carbine. I found the recoil negligible and the little rifle much fun to shoot. Yes, it does recoil, but I don't see how any reasonably fit person, could find it unpleasant.

I don't consider the 308 an offensive cartridge as far as rifles go. That said, I own and reload for 340WBY and 300WBY. So my perceptions may be skewed.

A 308 in a rifle weighing a pound more will recoil with more felt energy, than a 44 carbine, but the 308 will more than likely have a stock with a recoil pad and a design more suitable to the recoil of a high pressure centerfire rifle.

I have fired a 30-30 in rifle w/o a recoil pad and after a lot of shooting a was a little sore.

I'm not suer if most 44mag lever rifles even have a recoil pad or just a butt plate. I am sure plenty of readers will know more.
 
no comparison

I have always found fullhouse .44 mag from a carbine a reasonably pleasant round to shoot. My experience is with the old Ruger tube feed numbers, a pal's newer detach mag fed Ruger 99, and my Dad's M94 Win as a teen.

I've never fired a break open, single shot .308, but have shot a good bit of .308 from other models, and there is just no comparison, the .308 having more recoil by a good deal. There are likely ways to figure, but I'd estimate that my bolt .308 carbine recoils about twice as much as my .44's, and the bolt .308 is likely a pound to pound and a half heavier to boot. In equal weights, the .308 would be even more stout. Muzzle blast in .308 is much heavier too.

Of course, the .308 is just plain more cartridge, period.
 
recoil

Just ran these stats:

44 Mag/ 240 grain bullet at 1700 fps from a seven pound rifle: 10.43 ft.lbs of free recoil. Recoil velocity is 9.8 fps. 18 grains of propellant.

308 Win./ 150 grain bullet at 2700 fps from a seven pound rifle: 14.86 ft.lbs of free recoil. Recoil velocity is 11.69 fps. 44 grains of propellant.

So....the 308....42% more free recoil in the same weight gun and it comes back at you faster.
 
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From a typical 6 lb rifle a 44 mag shooting 240 gr bullets @ 1650 fps generates about 13 ft lbs of recoil. If it were from a 7 lb rifle it'd be closer to 11 ft lbs. For comparison a 7 lb 308 shooting 165's @ 2750 fps would generate a little over 17 ft lbs of recoil. From a 6 lb 308 you'd be looking at closer to 21 ft lbs.

In typical lever action rifles a 44 is going to be closer to 6 lbs in the real world than 7. Scoped and ready go go most 308's are going to be 7.5-8 lbs. I used data from rifles and loads I actually own and use and my 308's are a little lighter than the norm. In the real world 44 mag is going to be closer to 13 ft lbs recoil and 308 closer to 15. When you factor in the crooked stocks on most lever action rifles the net result is going to mean the recoil from both will be very similar and many shooters may find 308 more comfortable.
 
Not quite what you asked but pistol & rifle weight & so on arent the whole equation as I discovered.

I tried a .357 Mag lever action as I was thinking of buying one to go with my 6" .357 Mag revolver.

The recoil was way, way more than I expected! I have no problem with .357 loads running 1350 FPS with a 125 Gr bullet in the revolver, but in the rifle it was surprisingly unpleasant!
 
Get it in a Henry Golden Boy, you'll appreciate any recoil just to take the weight of the rifle off you for a moment....:)
 
The recoil was way, way more than I expected! I have no problem with .357 loads running 1350 FPS with a 125 Gr bullet in the revolver, but in the rifle it was surprisingly unpleasant!
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I think the difference is in stock design. Most lever actions have stock designs dating from the mid 1800's and most have no recoil pads. Modern rifles stock designs are MUCH more comfortable to shoot even though they have more recoil.

I own about a dozen levers in various calibers including 44, 35Rem, 30-30 and have had 45-70's in the past. All of them had recoil that was much more pronounced than the numbers said they should have. My 5 lb Kimber 308 puts out nearly 22 ft lbs of recoil and is more comfortable than my 7.5 lb 30-30 that has about 13-14 ft lbs.
 
I haven't fired a 44 mag in a rifle but even from a large revolver it's not that bad at all. I've fired a 308 in a lightweight rifle without a recoil pad and it beat the heck out of my shoulder. Even my heavy target 308 rifle with a recoil pad will leave my shoulder sore the next day. So the 308 is a much heavier recoiling cartridge than a 44 mag.
 
I think the difference is in stock design. Most lever actions have stock designs dating from the mid 1800's and most have no recoil pads. Modern rifles stock designs are MUCH more comfortable to shoot even though they have more recoil.
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It could well be, but I'm by no means recoil shy.
These two, both developments of turn-of-the-century designs are firing a cartridge way more powerful than the .357 S&W magnum & neither bother me even with solid metal butt-plates. Neither does the revolver.
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There was just something about the pistol caliber carbine that was worse for felt recoil than two full bore military rifles that surprised me. I've also fire a friend's 30-30 lever gun & the .357 was considerably more unpleasant than any of the three.

This isn't really the point though. What I'm trying to show is that pistol to rifle comparisons aren't quite as simple as you'd think at first glance.
 
I have a M70 308 Lightweight and my brother in law has a Marlin 1894 44mag.
The 44 shooting a full power 240gr load seems much milder compared to the 308 with a 165gr load.
The stock of the 44 should amplify recoil more than the 308's.
I also think the 308 is a little heavier due to the fact it has a 4X Leupold scope and Redfeild rings and base.
Now I do have an 8" Octagon barrel Contender in 44mag if you want some recoil!
 
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Contender

I hear ya on the Contender. I loaded up some mouse fart loads, so my grandsons could tell their buddies they shot a .44 They LOVED it.

I did also load up some full house stuff, but I'm not a wicked grandpa. I asked them if they wanted to shoot a little something more, they both of course said yes.

I said let me fire a couple first then you can shoot..........both refused after watching it buck in my hands.

A light .44 mag, and grips that are seemingly designed to punish you.
 
I get the impression that more and more shooters of pistol caliber carbine are going with heavier bullets like 300 grain in 44 Magnum and 45 Colt. If you switch those calibers to the heavier bullets at full strength velocity, you will find that it's a lot more rifle than you thought with a lot more punch on both ends of it.
 
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