Rifle Recoil

For the 110 pound whitetails in central PA my 30-06 is a big gun...

There was a guy at our camp that hunted with a Weatherby .300 magnum
Everyone in the valley knew when that guy touched off a round.

My dad hunts PA Whitetails with a .257 Roberts
or a 7mm-08
My Brother shoots .243

The deer drop with one shot every time.

dZ
 
Guys,

Thanks for all the advice, Huntschool especially.

It's obvious that .338 is a lot of gun for southern Pa hunting and that .308 makes more sense, or even .270, I have some tough decisions to make. I know the bear issue takes up a lot of space hereabouts, whilst I've read of "Grizzers" being taken with .44 Mag pistols and 30-30's (I believe that's a John Wayne gun unless I'm mistaken, remember I'm a novice) I recall reading about one attack where the victims hunting buddy put 2 rounds of heavy .338 Mag into the bear, broadside, at no more than 20 yards in an attempt to get it off his friend. The bear was seen to run away with no apparent injury, a subsequent search revealed no carcass and it is believed that the animal may well have survived the wounds. It certainly focussed my attention on the subject hence my preference for a "do it all" caliber. Anyways, if all my teeth start to shake loose on the right side of my face I'll only have myself to blame.

Regards,

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A Person Is Smart
But People Are Stupid

Mike H
 
Mike, I used a .338 magnum to take the first deer I ever killed, about 25 years ago. It is not pleasant to shoot from a bench for extended sessions but you will never notice the recoil while hunting. If this is a hunting rifle and not for general plinking and shooting just for grins, you should get along fine with the 338. It is a perfect "insurance" gun for the possibility of a troublesome bear. Stubby
 
What I have never understood is the positive "phobia" that many American ol'timers seem to have of recoil.

To hear them, even a 30'06 is a formidable proposition that will get you in a shoulder-strap for a week. A 45/70 is a miniature cannon to be used only before a rapidly-approaching, highly displeased Montana buffalo. And any cartridge like the 338, the 375 or (heaven forbid) the 416s or 450s is sheer self-murder.

My gosh, we don't live in the days of 10-lb muskets firing slow 200gr roundballs anymore!

In Britain, where men are not exactly as healthy and buff as their American cousins, people have fired 375s for nearly a century without any horror stories. Are they better than us?

To pass up a perfectly wonderful cartridge like the 338 (one of the real strokes of modern ballistic genius) because of fear of excessive recoil is - to me - a real pity. The 338 is one of the most deadly, versatile, flat-shooting yet pleasant cartridges ever developed.
Women often take it to Africa, with very impressing results on the likes of plains game, leopard and even the mean stuff (where it is legal).

I own a beautiful Ruger #1 in that cartridge and find it a peach. And I am not exactly a big man.

The other cartridges you mentioned are all ok, I guess, but they all have serious handicaps compared to the versatility of a 338. (270=poor sectional density. 308=inablity to use heavier bullets. 45/70=range.)

The only other choice I would consider is the 30'06. Although not exactly a "stopping cartridge", it has been doing it all since practically 1903 and its following is still rightfully growing by the day.

As far as noise or fuss, look, you have to break the egg in order to make the omelette. I have been in the field with many cartridges and, when it comes time to shoot they all are louder than heck. But it's one shot. My hearing has never suffered (I am a classical musician, I should care); but I have been considering a pair of "Wolf Ears" for my next hunt.

Mike, it sounds like you are ready to become a real rifleman!!! ;) Get a real rifle cartridge and see how it will change your outlook on life!!!! :) :) :)

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Private gun ownership is the capital sin in the left's godless religion. Crime is merely a venial mistake.

Check out these gals: www.sas-aim.org
 
Aw c'mon 416Rigby! :) Not every American is a recoil-pansy. But you are right about the Brits and the 375...it's their cartridge after-all! One thing might be that Brits usually tend to be heavier into the sauce than American rifleman. Drunk shooting -- :eek: Anyway, no worries...I fully intend on purchasing a 458 Win Mag at the end of this month. Recoil is something one gets used to. But like I always say, I have the advantage of being extremely light. Take it easy, have a good one!


Hueco

Recoil all part of the fun for me!
 
but if your intended game is a PA whitetail...

most of them are the size of a german shepard!

considering the brushy terrain i hunt in, my 2-7 leopold sits at 2 most of the time.

a 30-30 with iron sights is great in PA for whitetails while still hunting a wood lot.

dZ
 
416 Rigby. I must beg to differ with you on the inability of the .308 to use heavier bullets. I have done some experimentation along those lines, primarily in pursuit of proving or disproving some things that the "egg-spurts" in the gun rags say. One. I have reached 2300 FPS with excellent accuracy in the .308 Win. with 220 gr. Sierras. I haven't tried the Hornady version yet, because they are difficult to obtain, and the local dealer can't be bothered with ordering only a box or two. The 220 gr. bullets I've chronographed in several 30-06's have barely gotten past 2430 FPS on the average. At the ranges either would be used at, I doubt any animal would notice the difference.
BTW. I'm not recoil shy. When I bought a new .375 H&H, I shot ground squirrels for practice to get used to the rifle for a planned hunt. My .338 mag. does not have a recoil pad. I shoot it off the bench with no problem. (No sense, no feeling????) :)
BTW. I noticed your post on single shots. Thatb 450/400 sounds like a fun deal. let us know how it comes out. I've got a spare #1 laying about that isn't being used for anything. Might even try it out for myself.
Paul B.
 
its not the bullet wheight but the bullet construction that you need to be looking at.a 180 308 in a fail safe,trophy bonded core or partition.should kill anything short of 800 lbs.provided the target is broad sided.if you choose to shoot angled shots on big game i suggest the 06 or 300 win.always choode your shotts after all that is why they call it "hunting"
 
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