Rifle Recoil

B

BIGR

New member
I was wondering if anyone had any web sites where I could look up the recoil of large rifles.I am thinking about buying a large magnum rifle above 300 mag and was wondering about the recoil of each one.I would greatly appreciate any help on this matter.
 
BIGR,

Have fun! I recently purchased a Savage in .338 Win Mag myself. Recoil is a subjective thing to most people...some folk think .270 Win is a thumper and some think .416 Rigby is a walk in the park.

Anyways, there is a mathematical formula to measure recoil. I just do not have it handy...perhaps someone could post it for you.
 
The formula is very complex. It has been published and I am not about to try to give it here. It has to take into account the weight of the powder (which is part of what is pushed out the barrel), the "jet effect", the weight of bullet, the velocity of the bullet, etc., etc.

And that covers only the actual recoil. Felt recoil depends on the shape of the stock, the size and shape of the buttplate, the clothing, the shooter's position (freedom to absorb recoil by moving with the recoiling rifle), experience, etc., etc.

Jim
 
Rough Guesstimates

As a reference, for an eight-pound .30-'06 firing a 150-grain bullet, the recoil is 27 (IIRC) pounds of force. (Whether I'm right or wrong, the units don't matter.)

So: You can compare any cartridge by taking the ratio of the product of bullet weight times velocity, to any other cartridge.

Arbitrary example: Compare a .30-'06 firing a 150-grain bullet at 3,000 ft/sec with a .243 firing a 100-grain bullet at 3,000 ft/sec. (I love to cheat and make it easy.) 150 X 3,000 divided by 100 X 3,000 = 1.5; this means an '06 has about 50% more kick than a .243.

So, some critter firing a 450-grain bullet at 2,500 ft/sec, compared to the '06 example, would have 2-1/2 times the recoil of an '06. (Yuck! :( )

Now, if you factor in the weights of the particular guns, you'll get a bit more accuracy in the comparative numbers; it's common for bigger critters to weigh more, which reduces the *effective* recoil.

Like I say, this is rough, but it'll do for basic comparisons. "Close enough for Government Work."

:), Art
 
Johnwill;

I agree shooting a .416 is not a walk in the park but you can't equate bore diameter to what I call the slap factor. I have a ruger 77 in 416 rigby and a Weatherby Mark-V in .378 weatherby. I have also fired .416 Weatherby. The .416 Rigby and .416 Weatherby are far more pleasant to shoot than the .378. The .378 seems to slap the rifle into your shoulder while the .416's have more of a heavy shove.
 
A close approximation of free recoil energy in foot pounds is provided by:
(b+p)p/80g, where b=bullet weight in grains, p=powder weight in grains, and g=gun weight in pounds.

The apparent effect of recoil is much more influenced by the fit of the gun, recoil pad, clothing and the shooter's experience and perceptions.

A light .308 rifle which seemed to kick pretty hard now seems quite comfortable, after a three day, 400+ round class with it. You just get used to it.

KLN
 
A recoil calculator can be found at:http://benchrest.com/sst/recoil.html
It will give recoil in foot pounds as well as recoil velocity..Just plug in the numbers
 
Thanks men for the help and quick response.I am trying to figure out if I want the 340 weatherby mag ,the 30.-378 weatherby or one of the ultra mags. I want a large caliber for out west and posibilly a hunt in Alaska. Any suggestions.
 
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