Rifle for Tender Shoulder

get an tc encore (preferably a 6.5 creedmoor:D) a 243 up to a 308, a high plains gun stock with a limbsaver, and a past recoil pad. i am getting one to help the 444 marlin, and bellm's muzzle brake. i shoot one handed because of a stroke and the right arm/leg don't work:)

http://matchgrademachine.com/

http://www.highplainsgunstocks.com/wood selection page.htm

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/Dept/Shooting/Shields_And_Pads

http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=151

this is my 20 vartarg, it also has a 6.5 creedmoor with a 16 1/4" mgm barrel

 
Plus one to a good muzzle brake. A friend of mine has a .338 Win mag with a brake on it and it kicks less than my .308 Win. If you Put a brake on a .25-06 or a .243 Win along with a good recoil pad, it could very well be tolerable for you...

If that fails a hunting buddy that can shoot for you is the best I can think of.

Tony
 
A .270 Winchester in a mid weight rifle with a brake and a pad, should recoil like a pussycat and have more than enough power to take down anything in the continental US.
.270 win has all the power of a .30-06 with a tad less recoil. An auto loader like a BAR should bring down the shock even further.
 
If you don't want to get a new rifle, consider using 30-06 "Reduced Recoil" factory ammo. They use 125 grain larger game bullets, but at reduced pressures to achieve adequate killing force out to 200 yards. Recoil is much like a .243 Win, but it makes a bigger hole in game.

I have Remington Reduced Recoil ammo for my .270 Win because my grandkids wanted to hunt and I didn't have a .243 Win for them. Other makers are also offering reduced recoil ammo. One caution: Dispite claims, they may shoot a bit off the zero used for full-power rounds, so be sure to sight-in with the ammo you're going to use.
 
Well Browning already makes the rifle you need.
The BAR with the BOSS system on it.
Look here.
http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=002B&cid=031&tid=001
It can be had in 30-06 and with the vented BOSS the recoil is about like a bolt action 25-06. If you were to buy the same rifle in a 270 Winchester the recoil will be even less.

I agree with your choice of calibers if you are only going to own one high powered rifle, the 30-06 covers more ground than about any other for the money. Especially if you are only going to use factory ammo.
 
My suggestion would be a .308 with the following:

1. Muzzle brake
2. Recoil reduction system (look at NoKick.com for a variety of choices).

Between the muzzle brake and the recoil system it should be about .223 or less for recoil.

I shoot a .308 with a muzzle brake and it's slightly less than a .243. With a recoil system that should reduce it to .223 or less.
 
I got to shoot a BAR with a Boss a few years ago and was actually surprised at how much recoil it had. Certainly less than any other 30-06 I'd ever shot but more than I expected. In your situation I'd suggest you shoot one before buying to make sure your shoulder can take it.

There is a lot of excellent advice stated above and in your situation I would try as many different rifles as I could before making up my mind. Being able to shoot a rifle only a few times a year does not help you to become a better shot so try and pick one that you like shooting and you can shoot a lot. I would much rather see someone hunting elk with a .243 who is an excellent shot over someone hunting them with any other cartridge who was not.
 
I really do think that the answer to your need is that old reliable and very accurate 250 Savage. Get that in a standard weight bolt gun with a best quality recoil pad. People think of that round as being less than enough in this modern age, but it'll shoot a 100 gr bullet as fast or faster than a 243 and it'll also take a heavier bullet than the 243 will. And it's on a par with the 257 Roberts and not far behind a 260 or 6.5 Creedmore (neither of which kick much). You could go with the 260 and shoot the 140 grainer and that would probably do Ok for elk, but that heavy bullet is going to cause more recoil.

250 Savage with 110 grain Nosler Accubond or the 100 gr Partition at 2900ish fps. That won't have much kick in a standard weight Ruger 77 (which is not a lightweight rifle). I shoot a similar load in my Tikka SS lite in 260 and there's not much kick even in the light rifle.
 
everything beyond a .22 hurts badly,
Click to expand...

I am able to shoot my Browning Maxus 12-gauge about 15 times before I start to hurt,
Click to expand...

Those two statements seem utterly contradictory. A Maxus might be a light recoiling shotgun but it's still waaaaaayyyy more than a .22LR and most any smaller bore rifle.

In any case, I see two obvious solutions. One being that you sure don't need a .30-06 for your purposes. The other being... switch shoulders.
 
Big handgun?
Slugs in Maxus?

Being a gun nut, if I wanted a light recoiling hunting rifle, it would likely be a .257 Roberts... if not a .256 Newton. In a medium weight rifle with a squishy recoil pad.
 
OP is in central Washington, that means east of the cascade mountains. Open fields or sparse trees, with shots ranging from up close to 300+ yards.
Click to expand...

True enough, for a lot of the terrain, but there are forests, too. Particularly as one goes north. Also a lot of us on the "dry side" hunt in the Cascades or the Blues, so deep woods hunting is not something to rule out.

Without a muzzle break, I would say the best balance between power, range, and recoil would be the 6.5mm Swede. Moderate recoil, and some loads actually have a flatter trajectory than a .30-06!

The 6.5x55mm Swede has been in use taking MOOSE for over a century, so I think one would get good results on elk, if you do your part.

More modern cartridges that deliver approximately the same ballistics are the .260 Rem, and a couple of the 6.5mm rounds developed for the AR series rifles.

An AR10 in .260 Rem would give about the best of all worlds, if fitted with a good muzzle brake. Fairly heavy gun, gas operated semi auto, and a mild recoiling cartridge to begin with and fitting a good brake will further reduce the felt recoil.

Not cheap, nor the lightest thing to pack around all day, but a decent blend of all the things that are desired to reduce the recoil, and still have adequate power for things up to elk.
 
1. The answer to your question is "in between a little and a dramatic reduction" of recoil. Moderate. Measurable. Significant. But dunno about "dramatic". BUT, go with a heavy semi-auto, like one of those crazy-heavy 26" BARs with BOSS, and it will be dramatic.

2. Best practical solution here is to just shoot from the other shoulder.... just a little practice is all you need. It's pretty easy to transition. Don't need a new rifle.

3. Failing all that, new rifle .260 rem or .243 win or 6.5x55 or .257 Roberts.
 
Cartridge: 260 Remington or 6.5 Swedish. Use a 120 grain for deer, 140 grain premium bullet (Partition, Trophy Bonded, Barnes monometal) for elk.

Rifle: as heavy as you can carry. A semiauto like a BAR won't reduce the amount of recoil, but it does reshape the curve to spread it out a bit more. It's not available in either of the 6.5 calibers, but the 7mm-08 is close enough.

Limbsaver recoil pad.

Shirt / vest / jacket with Browning Reactar pad

Muzzle brake. I usually don't like muzzle brakes, but yours is a special case. Be SURE that you and everyone around you is wearing hearing protection. I use a Peltor 6 electronic muffs. Don't fire a gun with a brake without it.
 
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There is one other option that comes to mind with me.

As a bit of background, a few years ago I did some smithing on a Ruger 77 light weight rifle for a woman who wanted to hunt elk but hated recoil. She bought one of those 6 pound Rugers so I could add 2 Breko Mercury recoil reducers to it. That brought the weight up over 7 pounds. I then added a Pachmayr triple magnum pad and I threaded the muzzle for a bird-cage. When the gun was done I could hold the pad against my chin and fire it with no discomfort at all. I have to say that rifle kicked about like a 223.

So that may be an option for you too.
Get a very light rifle and add two mercury reducers to it, a super good pad and a break.
You may find that such a rifle is just what you'd like.
 
Oh, how I do love this forum.

Thanks, everyone for the advice.

And one point of clarification for the responder that said I was contradicting myself when I said that anything above a .22 hurts, but that I can shoot my Maxus without too much pain.... I forgot to mention I have an aftermarket recoil pad on the Maxus - the same type I would put on any rifle I would get for hunting.
 
Well, a 30-06 has certainly taken a lot of elk. The 308 has also taken a lot of elk, and it is a particularly good cartridge for a semi auto. So I am going to try to change your mind about wanting a 30-06.

But recoil is a bunch of things put together; momentum, velocity, time, and energy. Reducing recoil is about increasing mass to decrease momentum and velocity (mass is resistance to force), increasing the time (speed equals distance over time, so increasing time decreases the speed), and channeling away energy (which is what a muzzle brake does, uses some of the gas energy to prevent rearward movement of the rifle).

Comparing the recoil from my Garand in 30-06 and Saiga 308, made me want to rebarrel the Garand to 308. I don't enjoy recoil. I do enjoy hitting the target, and I can still get Lake City brass for 308. Neither rifle had a brake or aftermarket buttpad.

Of all the semi-auto platforms, the AR pattern is probably the best at reducing felt recoil because of the mass and barrel being in a direct recoil line with the shoulder (it largely eliminates the twisting moment effect of having the line of bore higher than the buttstock), and is generally easy to work on to install a muzzle brake.

A 7mm-08 will also take elk, and have less recoil than the 308 with some loadings. I wouldn't step down as far as a 243 Win, as I believe that sometimes there is no substitute for bullet mass in terminal ballistics. But even a 260 Rem can push a 140gr bullet fast enough to duplicate the 6.5x55 Swede load that has taken thousands upon thousands of Scandinavian moose.

I hope this helps, or is at least food for thought.

Jimro
 
Having BTDT, due to work, injuries, surgeries, and information I choose not to share.

-Gun fit to shooter. I am BIG on this
-Then, add a quality, professional recoil pad.
-Less caliber, does not mean less results.
IRT:
- Recoil pad, and yes, being the old guy I am, I like Pach stuff....
 
I too have a soar shoulder after about 200 rounds with my 5.56. I found the appropriate LimbSaver recoil pad that made a significant difference for a pleasant shoot. Also, if you use a smaller grain option to your bullet, the energy in recoil should reduce the kick-back.
 
Cross bow aint an option

Washington State only allows cross bows for persons of disability. You have to apply to Fish and Wildlife and get a specific form filled out by your doctor...odds of getting that done by hunting season are slim.

Your caliber options are vast to reduce recoil for rifle hunting and you could hunt with a handgun if you can handle that recoil. What you pick depends on if you also want to hunt elk.
 
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