Son's First Rifle

[BJE80]

With my experience shooting the 30-06 loads from Remington, I would be very surprised if it wasn't the same or less with the .308 rounds vs. the 7-08. There is a marked difference in the reduced 120 gr 30-06 and the 165 gr standard factory loads I shoot. I will ask my uncle, he shoots a .308 pump and I believe he has tried them both in his gun. I will ask how the reduced .308's compare to his .243, which I assume has about the equivalent recoil as a 7-08?

7mm-08 has more recoil than a .243.

Chuck Hawks has 7mm-08 at 12.6 ft-lbs and .243 at 8.8 ft-lbs

A normal 308 is 15.8 ft-lbs and 30.06 is 17.6 ft-lbs


http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

 

[wiscwhip]

7mm-08 has more recoil than a .243.

Chuck Hawks has 7mm-08 at 12.6lbs and .243 at 8.8lbs


http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Given that is the case and having fired many .308 factory rounds out of my neighbors rifle this past summer, I would bet that if the reduced .308 rounds are at all like the '06 ones, the recoil would be very close to a that of .243.

 

[wiscwhip]

Here is what Chuck Hawk's says about the Remington Managed Recoil loads for .30-06...

And the 125 grain Managed-Recoil load in .30-06 kicks the shooter with barely over 10 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy, instead of the 22.5 ft. lb. kick of the standard 150 grain factory load.

I would assume the .308 would be very similar. So at about 10lbs of recoil energy, it would fall somewhere between the 7mm-08 and the .243, and it may lean more towards the .243, given the standard .308 kicks a bit less than the .30-06.

 

[BJE80]

.308 sounds like a solid choice to be honest. I love 308. It is what I shoot for my rifle.

 

[foggy]

the suggested loads for the catridges listed had recoil levels as listed here:

243 Win W/ 75 grn bullet = 6.00 ft lbs vs 11.3 for the factory loads w 100 gns bullets
7mm/08 w/130 gn bullests= 8.6 ft blbs vs 16.3 for the facrtory loads w 140 gns
308 win w/ 125 gn bullets = 5.5 ft lbs vs 17.0 for the factory loads w 150 gns
30/06 w/ 155 gn bullets = 12.6 ft lbs vs 20.4 for the factory loads w 180 gns

yep...they are using lighter bullets and lower powder charges in thes hand loads. But look at how much recoil can be reduced until the shooter is ready for it.

 

[BJE80]

Did I mention my wife is gone? The house is quiet. And I have a buzz. I love guns and killing deer. Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[Terrific_tom]

Did I mention my wife is gone? The house is quiet. And I have a buzz. I love guns and killing deer. Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Oh boy.

 

[wiscwhip]

the suggested loads for the catridges listed had recoil levels as listed here:

243 Win W/ 75 grn bullet = 6.00 ft lbs vs 11.3 for the factory loads w 100 gns bullets
7mm/08 w/130 gn bullests= 8.6 ft blbs vs 16.3 for the facrtory loads w 140 gns
308 win w/ 125 gn bullets = 5.5 ft lbs vs 17.0 for the factory loads w 150 gns
30/06 w/ 155 gn bullets = 12.6 ft lbs vs 20.4 for the factory loads w 180 gns

yep...they are using lighter bullets and lower powder charges in thes hand loads. But look at how much recoil can be reduced until the shooter is ready for it.

There you have it then. .308 at 5.5 lbs of recoil, you really can' t go wrong and you potentially can upload and kill anything on the North American continent other than possibly griz and browns. I know Federal now loads reduced recoil in their Fusion lineup and I have heard good reviews on them, even though I have never personally tried them. The Managed Recoil loads from Remington did well on the one doe my daughter killed 3 years ago. 80 yards, high front shoulder, it stumbled about 8 yards and fell over dead.

Both of them claim that they are good to 200 yards. I can't speak to the Federal's, but I would not be afraid to shoot at a deer at 200 yards with the .30-06 Remington loads.

 

[foggy]

I loaded some reduced loads for my grandson and my son-in-law. Both were recoil sensitive and jumpy around guns for a while. After they shot a few dozen rounds.....we tried a few full-house loads and they were good to go. I think learning to shoot on low-recoil rounds its helpful to most everyone.

That is why a good varmint rifle with light bullets is so helpful. Bassically the same "bark" but so much less bite from the recoil. After a few dozen rounds one learns how to deal with the recoil. Somehow those whom have not shot too many rounds have this fear of the unknown. Don't we all? Most shooters can easily handle recoil levels of 25 ft lbs and more......we just don't know what that feels like.....so we get timid and flinchy.