What factory 30-06 round has the least recoil

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pcmentor29

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I was hoping to find out the least recoil producing setup for my Ruger American in 30-06. I have some 150 grain bullets from Remmington from Walmart. The projectile size seems the only difference between the 3 sizes Walmart has in Remmington 30-06 ammo. Can you tell me how the projectile size affects recoil felt? Can you tell me which factory ammo would have the least recoil? I just want to target shoot with the least recoil. Thanks
 
Recoil is a factor of 4 things

Bullet weight
Muzzle velocity
Weight of the powder charge.
Weight of the gun.

Your rifle is among the lightest of factory 30-06 rifles, so it is going to have more recoil.

If you handload you can go to lighter bullets with reduced powder charges to get less muzzle velocity. This will greatly reduce recoil, but also reduce the effectiveness of the round. For typical deer hunting this is not an issue. You can also buy "reduced recoil" ammo. Remington makes some, possibly others. Walmart doesn't carry it, but it is simply lighter 125 gr bullet at reduced velocity. Unless you want to do that stick with 150 gr bullets. They will have slightly less recoil than 165's or 180's.
 
If you are really recoil sensitive you can get Remington's Managed Recoil ammo. It uses a lighter bullet (125grn if I recall). Ballistics out to about 200 yds are supposed to be similar enough that you wouldn't need to adjust.
 
I'd start with a top of the line recoil pad.

As example, FWIW, my 7mm08 Rem700 Ti is fully dressed at 6.5 pounds. It's not at all bad for recoil at the bench because of the really good recoil pad. If the recoil at the bench is easily tolerated, it's hardly noticeable in the field--as I have found.
 
It's interesting that you're discussing recoil on the same day that I finished working up loads for my 270. A few days ago I was doing the 223 (no recoil worth note) and then the 260. With the 260, a hot load with the 120 grain bullet has noticeable recoil, but just noticeable and not painful. Now that I've gone to the 100 grain bullet, recoil isn't worth mentioning. And today I got the 270 out of the safe. I shoot a hot load with the 130 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, and that load has a very noticeable recoil. I don't want ya'll to think of me as a wimp, but after about 20 rounds with the 270, I did say "ouch". So...a hot load in a 30-06 paired with a heavy bullet just might have some recoil.
 
Probably the accelerator rounds with the sabot have the lightest recoil.


http://www.midwayusa.com/product/220009/remington-express-ammunition-30-06-springfield-accelerator-55-grain-pointed-soft-point-box-of-20
sudo apt-get update
 
It's common for folks to gripe about bench-rest recoil, but have no problem in the field. More "give" when shooting.

So, either figure out some sort of pad when at the bench or just interpose a small sandbag between the buttpad and your shoulder. No big deal.
 
Another option might be to fill the hollow butt of the stock with lead shot for bench shooting. ...that's based on the assumption that removal of the butt pad exposes a hollow stock, of course.
 
Another option might be to fill the hollow butt of the stock with lead shot for bench shooting. ...that's based on the assumption that removal of the butt pad exposes a hollow stock, of course.
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I did that with my Remington 700 SPS in .30-06, though I was trying to balance the gun rather than tame the recoil. It worked well for both. I think I added about 1-1.5lbs of lead shot to it.

The stock would actually take somewhere around 3lbs of shot, but that made it way too butt-heavy. It made it shoot like a .243, though, which was nice.
 
Felt recoil is so subjective it's almost a personal issue. Lots of things combine to affect felt recoil that it's almost impossible to say how one thing affects the others. However, there are some tricks you can use.

When at the bench, sit as upright as possible so your body can roll with the recoil. If you're "hunkered over" at the bench you have more body mass behind the rifle and it can't move backwards as easily. If you're sitting more upright, the recoil impulse is working on the long end of your body's lever. I guess the best illustration is the difference between shooting a rifle that recoils viciously. Shoot one shot standing, then one shot prone. The prone shot will probably hurt more because your body wasn't able to move with the impact.

Add weight to your rifle. My .30-06 weighs in at 8 lbs, 12 oz with scope, sling, and ammo. That's a real good weight for the caliber, especially for a rifle that I'm not carrying up and down mountains. I understand the need for lightweight mountain rifles, but with light weight comes increased felt recoil. Dave Petzal talks here about increasing the weight of a light rifle with shot in the stocks. Such a practice is not unheard of.

The newer recoil pads are really nice. I put a Limbsaver on the stock of my .30-06 and it turned that rifle from a 10-shot-per-session rifle to one that I can pretty much shoot all day.

And, you're right that the lighter the projectile, the less felt recoil you'll generally feel. Newton's laws of motion will not be denied. The best that we can do is to mitigate them.
 
If the rifle is mainly intended for target shooting as the op indicated and he wants the "least recoil producing set-up" for his Ruger American, chambered in 30-06 Springfield; one option would be Remington "Accelerator" ammunition, loaded with 55 grain bullets. This would also make for a rifle very suited for varmint hunting.
Drawbacks include limited availability (you won't find it at Wal Mart), relatively high cost (when considered in context with other 30-06 ammunition choices) and less than stellar accuracy (at least in my experience). However, the recoil is minimal for this cartridge.
 
If you want to shoot off the bench, plink, or varmint hunt, I've reloaded a Speer 100 gr. short jacket round for years. It is the only bullet short enough to load with a huge amount of powder. I'm not even sure they make it any more, so I'm not comfortable passing that one along. I will say it was light recoiling, clean burning, fast, and highly accurate fueled by a huge cup full of Win. 748. However, you certainly can load many of the plentiful 110 gr. bullets with similar results for accuracy and recoil. One of my favorites was Re 12 or RE15 and the Hornady spire point. A good starting varmint load for me was always 54 grs. of IMR 4064 under a fast Sierra 110 gr. HP.

Accuracy may vary for you. Lighter bullets tend to have very short bearing surfaces for the rifling. I never got my military guns to shoot any of those loads, only civilian factory guns. If you run into this, just switch to the 125's and adjust accordingly. Good luck. -7-
 
and less than stellar accuracy (at least in my experience).
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From everything I've heard that would be a "generous" description. I've heard reports of "minute-of-barn" type of accuracy.
 
If you're wanting the Ruger American in 30-06 to be a target rifle, I hope you have a loving and supportive wife. You may need a lot of hugs.

The American is a budget hunting rifle, that I have to believe, is certainly accurate enough for any hunting you might need it for, but probably isn't going to a very rewarding target rifle. Also most 30-06 rifle i'm familiar with have a 1-10" twist which may be too fast for a 100-110 gr bullet.

If you're determined that you are going to use it only for target work and are recoil sensative, I use a tube sock inside a tube sock with about 10-12# or so of number 8 lead shot, between the recoil pad and my shoulder. This does work. I shoot, reload and hunt with 300WB, and 340 WBY. I'll fight my weight in bumble bees or red ants, but will only shoot 9 rounds at the bench with these rifles, W/O my lead sock.

I also own a Cooper MDL 22, Montana Varminter, 6.5x284, which scoped must weigh nearly 11#, and it is a honeymoon compared to the WBY's, but still recoils about like a heavy 308 load, but is much more satisfying for target work. You know you have a magnum Jones, when you buy a varmint rifle that you can use to kill a moose.
 
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You should not need to go lower than a 150 grain bullet with a 30-06.. If you need less recoil, you need a smaller calibre. For example, a .284 in 140 grain will have better ballistics than a .308 with a 150 grain bullet. Same, a .277 calibre with a 130 grain bullet will perform about the same as a 140 grain .284 calibre bullets. The .264 calibre 125 grain bullet will perform about the same as a 130 grain .277 calibre bullets.

Then why not use a real small calibre bullet? Well, you have higher performance but with less weight; a bigger bullet at the same speed on impact will do more damage.

Even if you are only target shooting the lower ballistic coefficient will be less accurate, usually.

All gun folks have their own ideas, some backed by science, some by experience, some just believe what they believe. I would say, the 30-06 is best with a 165 grain bullet or heaver, while a .284 will do as well with a 140 grain bullet, yet the 165 grain bullet will have more effect when it hits the point of impact, at the same speed.

To make it simple, if you use a 280 Remington, with a 140 grain bullet of most game, it is going to be effective, same with using a 270 with a 130 grain bullet, yet the 280 will still be a bit more effective, as will the 270 with a 140 grain bullet, now all you need to know is how fast is the bullet moving when it reaches the point of impact? I would say the 270 with a 140 grain bullet will do about the same as a 280 with the same weight bullet, yet many will disagree, how many, as many as there are who prefers one calibre over the other.

For you, you’re looking at recoil, it seems to me the 30-06 is too much rifle for you, and a smaller calibre may be what you need.

There are other means to tame recoil, such as a recoil muzzle break, which is very loud, or as one man said, using a better recoil pad, this really does help. There is also a way to use a weight in the stock, which moves against the recoil, by making it slower, but such is often not used because it adds weight. Speaking of weight, the heavy rifle will tame kick more than a light rifle, yet if you need to carry it far, the heavy gun may be a determent.
I like the 260 Remington for most game I hunt at long distance; however, if I were to hunt an Elk, I would rather use a 30-06 with a 180 grain bullet.

I am sure more members here will fill in the many details I left out. What I am saying is if you do not get what someone said, my explanation may be informative.

caliber and calibre are the same word.
 
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