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recoil of a rifle

ann brezinski

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Feb 12, 2008
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given a rifle with a 26 inch barrel and a weight of 10 lbs what would have the more recoil to the shoulder given a 300 ultra magnum or the 300 weatherby and a bullet of 180 to 200 grains and equal velocity of say 3100 fps.
gary b
 
given a rifle with a 26 inch barrel and a weight of 10 lbs what would have the more recoil to the shoulder given a 300 ultra magnum or the 300 weatherby and a bullet of 180 to 200 grains and equal velocity of say 3100 fps.
gary b

This calculator will allow you to compare two >>> Recoil Calculator. Whichever has more powder (esp. when different powders are used) to achieve the velocity will generate more felt recoil. However, as Barrelnut noted, you might not be able to feel the difference.

For instance, I ran the following numbers ...

300 WM
220 ELD-X
RL26 = 74.4g
2850 FPS

300 WBTY
220 ELD-X
Magnum = 84.3
2850 FPS

... and yielded the following free recoil energy (FT/LBS):

300 WM = 27.09
300 WBTY = 29.46

Cheers!
 
If the two guns are the same weight , same length barrel , shooting the same weight bullet at the same velocity then the measurable recoil would be very close to the same . Felt recoil is another thing and can be changed by different stock shapes and better recoil pads etc. Also powder speed can make felt recoil seem sharper or a slower jolt .
Either would be about the same . Don't go light on the gun and get a stock that really suits your build well and feels comfortable to shoulder . Don't shy away from the gun lean into it so it don't get a running start at your shoulder .
 
I went back to look at the actual recoil of the two rifles and these test were performed on our sled for testing muzzle brakes.

The calculated recoil that FEENIX posted was very close to the actual test recoil. so the recoil calculator was/is very close.

Our actual test numbers were slightly higher but to close to tell any real difference. The 300 WIN mag was 31.5 ft/lbs and the 300 Weatherby was 34.7 for a total difference of 3.2 ft/lbs.

Perceived recoil is very hard to quantify so we needed to have something that gave us actual numbers to compare.

So the answer to the posters question is that with the powder increase of the 300 Weatherby producing 22.2 gas recoil, and the 300 Win producing 19.0 gas recoil. The 300 Weatherby would have more recoil than the 300 win by3+ft/lbs with all other things being equal. I think some could tell the difference and some couldn't

J E CUSTOM
 
given a rifle with a 26 inch barrel and a weight of 10 lbs what would have the more recoil to the shoulder given a 300 ultra magnum or the 300 weatherby and a bullet of 180 to 200 grains and equal velocity of say 3100 fps.
gary b

Uh... question asked about the 300 Ultra, guys.

OP did not state why the question, but assuming the OP was contemplating which cartridge would be the easiest to shoot ( 300 Ultra vs. 300 Weatherby), and assuming both rifles weighted the same, and shooting the same bullets loaded to the same velocities, recoil would be close to the same, and not enough to be concerned about.

But shooting each same weight rifle to it's full potential with a same weight bullet, the 300 Ultra would kick a little more, but not enough to be of any real concern. I have shot both rifles, in the past without brakes and thinking back on it, They were actually about the same. Did not shoot them on the same day however.

My favorite link on rifle recoil, is the link below to Chuck Hawk's. He has basically compiled a pretty extensive list of cartridges, with rifle weights, bullet weights, and velocities, so you can easily gauge what rifle recoil might be like with various cartridges. The list is compiled using various reloading manuals and calculators. Which were proved to be fairly accurate by Ed and JE above.

I actually used the table below to help me with my decision on my 300 WSM. Easy to use and a good quick reference.

Rifle Recoil Table

Now, if you don't sort your bullets, the results might be skewed tremendously and all bets would be off...
 
Uh... question asked about the 300 Ultra, guys.

I fully understand but I do not have .300 RUM readily available for comparison but my statement below still holds true. :D

This calculator will allow you to compare two >>> Recoil Calculator. Whichever has more powder (esp. when different powders are used) to achieve the velocity will generate more felt recoil. However, as Barrelnut noted, you might not be able to feel the difference.

lightbulb"IF" the OP has "actual load info", he can use the recoil calculator provided to see calculated recoil. lightbulb

ADDED:

Not exactly the same but close enough for comparison ...

.300%20180%20WBTY%20LOAD_zpsbn5learx.jpg

.300%20RUM%20180%20LOAD_zpsjuj1ukcf.jpg

Recoil_zpsqarp21vr.jpg
 
Last edited:
l you for all your help on this subject.
gary b
ps I think I will be going to the 300 weatherby case for I was told by a friend he has a lot of cases and bullets to get me shooting this again.
 
I went back to look at the actual recoil of the two rifles and these test were performed on our sled for testing muzzle brakes.

The calculated recoil that FEENIX posted was very close to the actual test recoil. so the recoil calculator was/is very close.

Our actual test numbers were slightly higher but to close to tell any real difference. The 300 WIN mag was 31.5 ft/lbs and the 300 Weatherby was 34.7 for a total difference of 3.2 ft/lbs.

Perceived recoil is very hard to quantify so we needed to have something that gave us actual numbers to compare.

So the answer to the posters question is that with the powder increase of the 300 Weatherby producing 22.2 gas recoil, and the 300 Win producing 19.0 gas recoil. The 300 Weatherby would have more recoil than the 300 win by3+ft/lbs with all other things being equal. I think some could tell the difference and some couldn't

J E CUSTOM


Sorry, I missed the Ultra mag and thought it was a 300 Win Mag the ultra mag would have MORE recoil than the Weatherby.

J R CUSTOM
 
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