Recoil question

[Newbie]

The only rifle I've ever shot so far (other than in the Army) is my .30/06. It weighs 6.5 pounds and has a 22 inch barrel. It has only the skimpy recoil pad that came with it. I have a chance to buy a .300 Winchester Magnum. It weighs 10.25 pounds and has a 26 inch barrel.

I'm completely comfortable with the recoil of my .30/06. However, I haven't put more than a couple of boxes through it in one afternoon yet, so it might be a little different if I did. My question is if any of you have experience with both cartridges and can tell me if the .300 Winchester Magnum is going to have way nastier recoil? Will the fact that it weighs 10.25 pounds (as opposed to the 6.5 that my current .30/06 weighs) and has a 26 inch barrel (as opposed to a 22 inch barrel) and the fact that I could put an actual recoil pad on it (whereas my .30/06 has basically none) possibly minimize a significant portion of the difference in recoil?

I've been told that a heavier rifle will kick less and that a longer barrel can also reduce muzzle blast. Is this true and can it make a significant difference?

[ 07-30-2004: Message edited by: Newbie_71 ]

 

[Guest]

I really don't think you'll notice that much of an increase in recoil. The heavier weight of the 300WM along with the longer barrel will help. The 26" barrel will help with the muzzle blast. I had a 280 with a 20" barrel and everytime I fired it at the range everybody would ask "What the heck are you shooting"? I never had that happen with my 7mm Rem Mag with a 24" barrel.
JMHO,
Wayne

 

[demarpaint]

Here is a site my son found that calculates recoil energy in foot pounds. Plug in the info and you basically can compare just about any combination.

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


Hope this helps
Frank D

 

[winmagman]

Newbie
I've got a simalar setup 10lb. rifle 26" tube, 22 oz. scope. A good friends 13 yr old son shoots it off a bench and does nothing but smile, he can't get enough of that thing. He can't hold it up to shoot free hand but he's only 4'8" and about 110lbs.
I can run about 50-75 rounds through it in an afternoon before it gets counter-productive.

 

[LDO]

here are some calculations i came up with-i used basic load densities- for given weight of the bullet in both cases to get the figures -so they are close but not exact. 30-06-6.5lb rifle-180g bullet @2700fps=27lbs recoil 300wm-10.25lb rifle-180g bullet @3000fps=25lbs recoil hopes this helps a little-my-2-dave

 

[LDO]

i also used the link that demarpaint submited and got slightly different different figures but the 300wm. still has less measured recoil due to the extra weight of the rifle-stock design is also a major contributor to "felt recoil".barrel lenghth is also an issue as muzzle blast really bothers some people-ex. i had 20" in. bbl. 308win. that i just couldnt worth a **** due to the muzzle blast and muzzle jump associated with the short bbl.-again-my-2-dave

 

[Oregonhunter]

Hmmm,

I shoot both the -06 and the 300 win,and I think the others here have pretty well covered it. You arent going to have a hunge amount of recoil from a 10 pound 300 win.

I had a 10 lb 300 Ultra that still had a little punch to it but it was'nt enough to keep me from shooting it often.

My 300 win. is a Browning and I am pretty sure it does'nt way any more than 7.5 pounds without the scope, it has a little bite to it but nothing that kicks me into the next county! Just remember to ad scope weight to your recoil table as well.(if you havent already)

Good luck!

Oregonhunter

 

[Guest]

Although the weight is a big factor don't forget about the stock " fit " I have a 8lb scoped 300Wby that is a pleasure to shoot due to the scope being made to fit me and having a bit of cast off to it , I also have an 8lb scoped 7mm mag with a strait stock and it seems to kick alot more than the 300Wby , the actual recoil force is less but the stock desgine make it feel worse.
If you don't believe this just try shooting a left handed rifle with you right shoulder,unless the stock is strait you will feel a big differance

 

[Newbie]

Thanks guys. You've answered my question.

Also, that site is kind of neat. It has some "Taylor K.O. formula" on it that has to do with killing power.

Is this formula commonly used or are Kinetic Energy and Momentum the most commonly used methods of approxiamting theoretical killing power from a firearm's ballistics?

[ 08-01-2004: Message edited by: Newbie_71 ]