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recoil followup to 300 vs 7mm mag

jamesgray
Thanks guys for all the input.
One reason I don't want to get a .338 is because I weigh 135 pounds. I wouldn't mind the recoil in a hunting situation but I probably wouldn't like to practice with that much recoil. I figure I'd be able to sight in a 7mm mag or 300 win mag. I'm not a big wimp or anything, but the flinch is natural and I want to ensure accurate bullet placement on paper and then in the field. The other reason is I don't like overkill.

Anybody out there with experience shooting the big mags?? How's the recoil on the range?
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Rafter-S
    I weigh a lot more than 135 and I've gotten away from the mags because of recoil. I'm not a wimp either, but after 30 years of being kicked to hell and back, I got tired of it. And when realizing my 30-06 or 270 would have killed the animals just as dead, I sold my mags. That was a red-letter day in my life.

    When I was a kid, I recall seeing a stuffed polar bear at a local gun store. It was the world record at the time--stood over 8 feet high. The plaque told about where it was killed and who the hunter was. It also said the hunter's rifle was a 30-06 with a 220 grain bullet.

    When I worked for an oil company, we had lots of activity in northern Alaska. We hired local native Indians to guide us--and provide protection from bears. The Indian's guns of choice were in caliber .243.

    Bottom line: You may want to reconsider the whole issue of magnum calibers.

    My humble 2-cents worth,
    Rafter-S
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  • jamesgray
    I'm a little surprised to hear about the .243's in Alaska, but I do think the modern craze for magnums and more and more ballistic statistics is a bit out of hand. I know of all sorts who use 300 win. mags and 7mm mags on smallish whitetails at less than 200 yards. A 30-30 or .243 would be fine. I guess it's like having 4-wheel drive when you live in the city, work in the city, and don't go camping.
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  • aglore
    I am a big bore fan, 45-70's, 416's 375's 500 and the worst recoiling rifle I ever shot was a Savage 110 in 300 Win Mag. Downright brutal.

    Being as how you only weigh 135 the 338 should really not be that bad. Tall light weight people absorb recoil better than big people. They can sway better with the recoil instead of having the body weight try to stop it before it gets moving. Take a 2x4 stick it in the ground and put a rifle butt up against it and shoot it, watch the reaction. Now try that with a piece of 1x1 and you will see what i am talking about.

    AlleninAlaska

    http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com

    He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
    -- Thomas Paine
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  • JustC
    A quality synthetic stock can make all the difference. Wood stocks transmit the energy from recoil right down the grain and into your shoulder, like an electrical wire. The synthetic stocks with layers of glass and epoxy, spread the recoil in all directions which reduced felt recoil at the rear of the stock. Therefore, I would suggest that type of stock, no matter what route you take. That being said, 135lbs is plenty to handle the 7mm or 300mag. just my thoughts....

    I'm a man,....but I can change,.....If I have to,......I guess.
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  • Sunray
    "Tall light weight people absorb recoil better than big people." Nonsense. Everybody deals with recoil differently. It has nothing to do with size.
    I'm sure that any Indian who uses a .243 wouldn't think of using one on a big bear. It'd just annoy the bruin. And for most of the Indians up there, magnum ammo would be way out of his budget. On our side of the border, the Inuit use .303's and .270's. No magnums here either.
    Too many guys run to magnums with the erroneous idea that more power will make them better shots/hunters. If you make the shot with a regular calibre, you won't with a magnum shootzenbanger either.
    "I probably wouldn't like to practice with that much recoil"
    Jamesgray, you keep thinking like that and you'll be fine.
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  • longranger
    Everyone can say what they think, but in my experience I find the right tool for the job is best. Your "Mags" are best used in long range shots, far beyond the smaller caliper range, lets say just for example around 800 yds plus.
    I just might of beat on a wasp nest, but you dont take a knife to a gun fight!
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  • aglore
    Sunray, how much CAD you want to bet on my post. Put up or prove me wrong. Talk is cheap, experience is worth a gold mine.

    AlleninAlaska

    http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com

    He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
    -- Thomas Paine
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  • Rafter-S
    Your original question: "Anybody out there with experience shooting the big mags?? How's the recoil on the range?"

    The technical answer: The 7 mag will bring 12 tears to each eye and produce the word, "#*%!*#" whereas the 300 mag will bring 16 tears and the word, "%#*!%$#*."

    Forget the mags--they ain't worth it.

    My humble opinion,
    Rafter-S
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  • JustC
    Here is a quick and easy answer,......borrow one and shoot it. Most people who don't like the magnums,...are recoil sensitive. Decide for yourself what your comfort level is. I have found that 99% of the time, recoil is waaayyyyy overrated. It's never really as bad as the stories you have heard. It is all well and good to ask, and I think the answers thus far have shown every end of the spectrum, but until you borrow one, and shoulder it for 10rnds, you just don't know how YOU really feel about it. If it makes you uncomfortable after 2 or 3 shots, then do yourself a favor and back off before you develop a flinch. If it feels controlable and you find yourself grouping MOA with it, then your body has already told you to buy the magnum.

    Don't get me wrong, I have many more non-magnum calibers than I do magnums, but if I had to pick one rifle for everything, it would no doubt be a magnum.



    I'm a man,....but I can change,.....If I have to,......I guess.
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  • cowdoc
    i have a 300 mag the recoil never bothered me. now i have built the gun up heavy barrel with choate varmint stock and ect on it weights about 14-15 lbs now. can shoot it all day doesnt bother me abit just about like the recoil of my 22-250.. keep a good tight grip on it the recoil is not very bad ...but like justc said try to find sombody who will let you shoot theirs and see how you like it ....by the way i am not the largest person in the world either 6'1 200 lbs
    doc
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