Recoil Difference Between Different Grains?

C

CC268

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Well I am thinking about getting a 300 WM this summer, but I am a little worried about recoil. I have shot a 7 MAG and a 300 Ultra Mag (quite a bit more power behind it than a 300 WM), both with 150-170 grain bullets. I didn't find the recoil to be bad at all, and neither have muzzle brakes.

My worry is that...I was only shooting 150-170 grain bullets...is there a big difference in recoil if I was shooting a 200-220 grain bullet?

I am just trying to gauge whether or not I should get a 300 WM...it seems to me that if I shot both the 7 MAG and 300 Ultra Mag with no issues then I shouldn't have any issues with the 300 WM recoil, especially if it is an 8-9 pound rifle.

I guess I just psych myself out reading different threads on the internet, especially when people act like the 300 WM is like getting hit with a truck.
 
You'll have no trouble at all if your already shooting those other calibers you mention. By .300 WM I assume the w is fr winchester and not weatherby. I have a .300 win mag and it is very enjoyable to shoot, I find. As you have mentioned the rifle will be appropriately heavy, I se nothing to worry about. I have loaded and shot bullets from 110 grain vmax to 220 grain round nose with no issues whatsoever. Biggest gun I owned before getting it was a .270 so you should be good to go! Have fun!
 
I've shot 180's through 220's in 30 caliber magnums never noticing any significant difference in recoil. It will be more noticable as rifle weight gets lighter.

If you know you're shooting heavy ones, you may think they produce more recoil.
 
Alright that is good to hear...I am looking at something like the Remington 700 Long Range which is a 9 lb gun. My buddies 300 Ultra Mag was a Remington Sendero which is a 8.5 lb gun. So I should be fine then.
 
What do you plan to do with his 300WM? The recoil may not be all that bad but it's far from a pleasure to shoot.

All else being equal, which in this case it would be (except for slight differences in powder charge), heavier bullets produce more recoil than light bullets.

I checked a recoil calculator, put the gun at 7.5lbs and used Hodgdon data for fps and powder charge for 150 and 220gr bullets.

The calculator says the 220 has 17% more momentum, 17% more velocity and 36% more energy. That sounds very significant to me.
 
Long range target shooting...but mostly for longer range hunting (400+ yards). I have discussed the topic a lot with the guys over at a long range hunting forum and the 300 WM seemed to be the general consensus. I have way to many opportunities here in AZ to shoot elk at longer ranges. I feel that the 300 WM would allow me to do everything I would ever need...with other calibers (.308, .270, etc) I am more limited with the ranges.

Although I have not ruled out .270, .308, 7MAG, 30-06...I would hate to miss that opportunity at 500+ yards on a trophy elk because I didn't have the caliber for it. Trust me though, if someone can talk me into one of the above calibers I would probably not get the 300 WM.
 
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Well, you certainly don't need a .300WM to kill an elk at 500 yards.

I don't know what could be said to convince you to go with a different cartridge. If you're convinced that you need a .300WM, you should get it. Confidence matters more than anything else.

You've probably seen the video that I've posted many times which shows a lady dropping a cow elk at 688 yards with a .243Win.

That video has been called a "parlor trick" and worse, but it certainly should illustrate the point that if a .243 can do it at 688 yards, a .270 or 7mm-08 or .308 or etc, etc can do it at any conceivable range.

I must be the only guy on earth that hates recoil but I don't care. If I had to have a .300WM to hunt elk, I wouldn't hunt elk.
 
What would you personally recommend and why? You seem to be very knowledgeable, so I would like to hear what you think.
 
Oh boy... you want my advice on purpose... haven't I taught you anything?:D:eek:

Well... me personally... I wouldn't worry about a 500 yard shot. That's a long damn ways to shoot. Under ideal conditions, which means a rock solid rest, a calm animal, calm wind and time for my excitement to die down before making the shot, I might take it. Under normal hunting conditions, no thank you.

My favorite cartridge for all around hunting is the 7mm-08. If I wanted to hunt elk, that's what I'd buy. I'd shoot one at 500 yards with it too, under the conditions outlined above.

I don't think anyone "needs" anything bigger or more powerful to hunt anything in America.

If you want a 7mm Mag of some kind instead, that's a reasonable choice too.

Really, if you want a .300WM and can shoot it well, have at it. As I said, confidence in your equipment matters as much (or more) than anything else. I just get concerned about the number of folks who *really can* shoot such high recoil guns well. I've seen far too many who *think* they can and can't.
 
Yea the 7 MAG has been my second choice...I know it has quite a bit less recoil than the 300WM, but can do most of what the 300WM can do.

The only thing I would be worried with the 7mm-08 would be the ammo availability. I do plan on getting into reloading, but it may be a while as it will cost a decent bit to get all the stuff I need. I don't know anything about the 7mm-08 so I guess I should do some research on it.

I also have a .243 already so not sure how small of jump there is between that and the 7mm-08...

Anyways thanks for the help!
 
In a manner of speaking, the 7mm08 is essentially double the killing power of a .243Win.

The cool thing is that the .243, 7mm-08 and .308 all use the same parent case. The .308 IS the parent, so you don't even need to buy different brass when you reload.
 
Ahh that would be nice! The .308 is the other caliber I have really thought about, but I wasn't sure what the acceptable range would be for elk with the .308
 
At this stage I don't think I would be taking a 500+ yard shot at an elk, but it would be nice to have a caliber capable of it for down the road...
 
I'm a fan of Brian's suggestions. Sure overkill is nice but there's a point where it becomes overkill.

Besides that anything with the 308 parent cartridge is going to keep shooting/reloading cheap. Especially compared to some oddballs.
 
If your rifle is appropriately heavy you will not have problems with the .300 win mag. To be sure, lesser calibers are still adequate and if you're scared dont do it...but if your ready for it don't hold back or second guess yourself....I love my .300! It's a wby vanguard and the weight of the rifle, the design of the stock, and the recoil pad make it a true pleasure to shoot, no joke. I shoot it just because I enjoy shooting it quite often. Up to 30 rounds at a time and no pain. Just hold on the forend or you get scoped!
 
Use this link to look up some load data.

http://hodgdon.com/

And this link to plug in the numbers to calculate recoil

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

I ran some numbers for you with an 8 lb rifle

300 WM/200 gr @ 2960 fps 34 ft lbs recoil
300 WM/165 gr @ 3142 fps 26 ft lbs recoil
300 WSM/165 @ 3050 fps 23 ft lbs recoil
30-06/165 @ 2900 fps 20 ft lbs recoil
308/165 @2760 fps 16 ft lbs recoil

My advice. With modern bullets, 165 gr bullets are more than enough. They shoot flatter and recoil less.

The 308 will still have enough for elk at 400 yards, the 30-06 will take you to 500 and the 300 mags to 600. The question is are you good enough.

If someone is bent on a 300 mag I REALLY like the 300 WSM best. It is close enough to the 300 WM to not notice, but in a 308 sized rifle with recoil splitting the difference between 30-06 and 300 WM. If anyone can tolerate 30-06 recoil they will never notice the difference with a 300 WSM. They are proving to be the most accurate too
 
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Yea if I got a 300 WM the rifle itself would be around 9lbs.

It is a super tough choice...there are too many calibers to choose from!! At this point I am a college student so I can't buy multiple calibers right now (although that may be closer to an option in about a year). I am trying to get something that I know will have plenty of off the shelf ammo and something that will be more than enough for any hunting that I will do.

Based on those numbers there is definitely a big difference between 150 grain and 220 grain...

I will say I have noticed that on this forum there are a lot of differing opinions...on the other forum it seemed like everyone was for the 300WM...makes it really tough lol
 
You mention being on a college budget...worth noting then that .270, .308, and .30-06 are entirely adequate "all around" guns that are notable cheaper to feed. Consider that as you make your choice...how much do you want to shoot?
 
At this point I am a college student so I can't buy multiple calibers right now (although that may be closer to an option in about a year). I am trying to get something that I know will have plenty of off the shelf ammo and something that will be more than enough for any hunting that I will do.
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I am about the least qualified person to advise on calibre choice for hunting, but boy am I qualified on shooting on a budget!!

I have, more than once, thought that I may have bitten off more than I can chew in buying the guns I already have and, indeed, some I don't shoot as much as others. However, essentially, shooting swallows up a large part of my disposable income.

As those who know have already pointed out: all the .30 cal rounds and some others, are up to the job in mind at the distances in mind to a greater or lesser degree not to mention the technical challenge of do it cleanly and ethically from the shooter's point of view.

I'd love to buy a .338 Lapua with dreams of my 1km .5MOA groups, but for now I make do with a .308 at 100-300m because I know that my skills would make anything else just a waste of cash, time and comfort on the clavicle!!

So, given your situation, I would let the availability and cost of cartridges to guide you more than their relative power. My guess is that the .308 or 30-06 or similar would be ideal.
 
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