Felt recoil

[Mfletcher]

Noob question here. I'm currently shooting a .300 RUM mainly for hunting, but I'm wanting to go to a caliber with less recoil. I've narrowed my choices to a 6.5 PRC, 7mm mag, and the .300 wm. For those who have experience with all of these, is there a major difference in recoil between all three? Obviously the 6.5 is going to be less than the others and there are a lot of factors that go into felt recoil, but is the gap big enough to go with a newer round like the 6.5 PRC?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

Yes...if I had a RUM and I was wanting a practice rig ( or something I shoot more often--out of the ones you had listed, I'd do the PRC...I myself have a 223 I shoot at steel and also a 6.5x47L I shoot a good bit. Less blast, lest powder, and those guns "make" me a better shot. I hunt with much "better preforming " calibers but usually only "do" hunting with my 338 Norma, 240 Weatherby, 257 WBY, 28 Nosler etc...

 

[Country Bumpkin]

I started hunting with a pumpkin chunkin 30.06 (named because a pumpkin gun would shoot better groups than that thing). I thought I needed a "western rifle", so I bought a 300 RUM, needing to knock the daylights out of anything with fur, including deer, elk, myself and anyone in the same canyon as me. That didn't shoot acceptable either, so I got a takeoff barrel in 7RUM. It shot better but after all of the abuse from load development of both 300 RUM and 7 RUM, I started flinching (being the manly man that I am). Gave up rifle hunting for a few years because I was so disgusted with the process but didn't have funds to build what I wanted, so archery only for a few years.

Finally built what I wanted, but when deciding caliber the 6.5 PRC was still "too new", untested and unsure of whether it would gain popularity (I wanted to be able to fall back on vast offerings of Factory ammo). I built a 7 RM. I'm very happy with it.

Now that the 6.5 PRC has caught like wildfire, and given the field reports and data, an ever growing variety of 6.5 bullets, I wish I had taken the gamble....

 

[Mfletcher]

Yes...if I had a RUM and I was wanting a practice rig ( or something I shoot more often--out of the ones you had listed, I'd do the PRC...I myself have a 223 I shoot at steel and also a 6.5x47L I shoot a good bit. Less blast, lest powder, and those guns "make" me a better shot. I hunt with much "better preforming " calibers but usually only "do" hunting with my 338 Norma, 240 Weatherby, 257 WBY, 28 Nosler etc...

When you say "better performing" can you elaborate on that? Again, my expertise on the subject is limited.

 

[Mfletcher]

I started hunting with a pumpkin chunkin 30.06 (named because a pumpkin gun would shoot better groups than that thing). I thought I needed a "western rifle", so I bought a 300 RUM, needing to knock the daylights out of anything with fur, including deer, elk, myself and anyone in the same canyon as me. That didn't shoot acceptable either, so I got a takeoff barrel in 7RUM. It shot better but after all of the abuse from load development of both 300 RUM and 7 RUM, I started flinching (being the manly man that I am). Gave up rifle hunting for a few years because I was so disgusted with the process but didn't have funds to build what I wanted, so archery only for a few years.

Finally built what I wanted, but when deciding caliber the 6.5 PRC was still "too new", untested and unsure of whether it would gain popularity (I wanted to be able to fall back on vast offerings of Factory ammo). I built a 7 RM. I'm very happy with it.

Now that the 6.5 PRC has caught like wildfire, and given the field reports and data, an ever growing variety of 6.5 bullets, I wish I had taken the gamble....

This sounds exactly like my story.

Thanks!

 

[scdogman]

There are calculators online that give recoil values.

Sell the rum, if you can't practice with your gear it's hard to improve. IMHO

 

[Deleted member 103481]

6.5 prc is a ***** cat compared to the win mag. 7RM is a decent balance between but closer to the win by maybe 60/40 depending on the loads of each.

A 215 grain 300 win mag is a lot different than a 150

 

[Don A Parsons]

Same boat for me.

30/06 Sherman loaded hot with 200grain'ers and no MB is still uncomfortable at the shooting range,,, not that bad on the hunts since I normally get the critter in the first shot,,, sometimes the second to dispatch it fast... The 2 rifles in 30/06 were 11 lbs,,, the sporter unit was 8 3/4 lbs all in with bells and whistles for each of them...

So I turned the sporter into a 6,5 A Square,,, thickend up the barrel and tap it kool on the charge,,, 11.9 lbs with no MB using a 25" pipe...

140/47gr boolitz,,, it feels like a souped up 25/06 or a tamed down 270,,, what a dream to shoot,,, and shooting free hand is very similar to my Feather 22 rimfire...

I can free hand 5 shots in various targets at different distances from 135 meters up close to 60 feet in 7 ish seconds on closed fist targets...

Add a fraction of weigth to the rifle,,, keep the powder charge in check and find lighter / longer booltiz to Rattle the thick skin critters...

I limited my Sherman to 180gr and liter boolitz with a softer charge at the shooting range,,, but she loaded hot when I take it into the wilds... Ha.

I hope that my 65 pencil boolit rifle works this fall since I have 3 thick skin draws to fill """if""" given to opertunity to pull off a up close and personal encounter...

Good luck finding what works,,, we only get to find out how things play out with boots on the ground.

Cheers from the North

 

[Deleted member 107796]

Noob question here. I'm currently shooting a .300 RUM mainly for hunting, but I'm wanting to go to a caliber with less recoil. I've narrowed my choices to a 6.5 PRC, 7mm mag, and the .300 wm. For those who have experience with all of these, is there a major difference in recoil between all three? Obviously the 6.5 is going to be less than the others and there are a lot of factors that go into felt recoil, but is the gap big enough to go with a newer round like the 6.5 PRC?

Thanks for your input!

What kind of recoil pad is on the 300RUM?
I use Limbsaver custom fits on pretty much all my rifles from .308 to 338WM and they tame the felt recoil. Using a good scope with long eye relief, I just shoot and let the rifle jump into the pad. My 6.4lb (stock) Tikka T3 338WM is one of the most accurate rifles I own and love to shoot it. I think until you get to the elephant rifles, recoil should be a factor that can be well controlled. I don't use brakes but many would suggest them as a way to effectively control recoil.

 

[Mfletcher]

What kind of recoil pad is on the 300RUM?
I use Limbsaver custom fits on pretty much all my rifles from .308 to 338WM and they tame the felt recoil. Using a good scope with long eye relief, I just shoot and let the rifle jump into the pad. My 6.4lb (stock) Tikka T3 338WM is one of the most accurate rifles I own and love to shoot it. I think until you get to the elephant rifles, recoil should be a factor that can be well controlled. I don't use brakes but many would suggest them as a way to effectively control recoil.

It's the factory recoil pad that comes on the Remington sendero's so I'm guessing an HS precision factory pad. I've got a brake installed and it does help with the recoil. I do however find myself flinching before shots sometimes and I just don't think that's fair or ethical to the game I'm hunting. I may try the limbsaver on my next rifle. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Orange Dust]

I have a RUM with a brake. I also have an unbraked 7MM
weatherby. I shoot 150's in the Weatherby and 190's and 215 in the RUM. When I shoot them one after another I cannot tell any difference in the recoil. This is kinda rough, but a real and decent comparison. If your RUM doesn't have a brake, this is the reduction you can expect. If it does, you will not like a 7 mag either. 300wm is between them. None of can really offer advise on what you should turn to without knowing what you are hunting, or how far. If you are flinching, even a little I would assume it is not far. A 7mag with a brake is pretty easy on the shoulder. I am able to shoot my new 28 Nosler with 175gr bullets pretty much free recoil with max loads. It weighs less than 9lbs. I have to hold the RUM or the scope will bite me.

 

[Hand Skills]

Same boat for me.

30/06 Sherman loaded hot with 200grain'ers and no MB is still uncomfortable at the shooting range,,, not that bad on the hunts since I normally get the critter in the first shot,,, sometimes the second to dispatch it fast... The 2 rifles in 30/06 were 11 lbs,,, the sporter unit was 8 3/4 lbs all in with bells and whistles for each of them...

So I turned the sporter into a 6,5 A Square,,, thickend up the barrel and tap it kool on the charge,,, 11.9 lbs with no MB using a 25" pipe...

140/47gr boolitz,,, it feels like a souped up 25/06 or a tamed down 270,,, what a dream to shoot,,, and shooting free hand is very similar to my Feather 22 rimfire...

I can free hand 5 shots in various targets at different distances from 135 meters up close to 60 feet in 7 ish seconds on closed fist targets...

Add a fraction of weigth to the rifle,,, keep the powder charge in check and find lighter / longer booltiz to Rattle the thick skin critters...

I limited my Sherman to 180gr and liter boolitz with a softer charge at the shooting range,,, but she loaded hot when I take it into the wilds... Ha.

I hope that my 65 pencil boolit rifle works this fall since I have 3 thick skin draws to fill """if""" given to opertunity to pull off a up close and personal encounter...

Good luck finding what works,,, we only get to find out how things play out with boots on the ground.

Cheers from the North

Sorry for going off topic here, but I too have been considering a 300 Sherman. I would have PM'd you but for some reason I cannot. Just curious who chambered it for you - if there is a reamer floating around north of the 49th, I'd love to know who's got it. Thanks Don!

 

[Don A Parsons]

Sorry for going off topic

My friend Darryl and his friend own lots of reamers for custom builds,,, we cheated the game on my build like many others by cutting the edge forward on the lands allowing the boolitz to sit long in the case... 3.543 with 20 thou jump to the lands that's max length for the Remmy 700 long actions on the LR models... Max is 3.600 on those actions...

We left the shoulder alone at 35 degrees instead of the 300 Sherman taper of 30 degrees if I recall.

Poor man's Sherman,,, then throw in some RL powder if you want the barrel to stand up...

I tap it kool at 2930 ft-per seconds on the 178/180 grain'ers,,, 2830 ft-per seconds on the 200/208's...

I've had both of those booltiz going faster then that in the winter time by loading hot... Case stretch fore sure...

Elkoholic has alot of info on those real Sherman cartridges. I've read many of his post on this over the years... Muddruner has chimed in on that stuff as well...

All I know is that my shoulder with a quality gel pad don't like those loads these days...

The best thing happened this year switching to the 6.5 A-square...

A few more years of good times ahead...

 

[bigngreen]

It's the factory recoil pad that comes on the Remington sendero's so I'm guessing an HS precision factory pad. I've got a brake installed and it does help with the recoil. I do however find myself flinching before shots sometimes and I just don't think that's fair or ethical to the game I'm hunting. I may try the limbsaver on my next rifle. Thanks for the advice!

I would suggest to dry fire on game till your settled in then drop a round in and send it, I dry fire all the time, out scouting I'll pull the rifle out and set up and dry fire on them, picking the timing to send it then watching it break is a HUGE help.
You can also get a 308 and shoot the same bullet and put serious rounds on it to help.