30-06 Recoil?

[M E Morrison]

In general, felt recoil is much worse from the bench. Grains of bullet weight tend to effect things as well, 180 recoils harder than 150.

Are you leaning into the rifle, or sitting straight up? It'll hurt a lot more if you lean into it; sitting up allows you to "roll with the punch" a lot better.


Since the arthritis has taken over, I have become a lot more recoil sensitive.

 

[M E Morrison]

Ok, here are some generic values of recoil, in foot/pounds

Your 30 06 in a 8 lb gun with 165gr @ 2900 is 20 ft/lbs

a 284 Win in a 7.5 lb gun with 150 gr @ 2850 is 17 1/2 ftllbs

a 7x57 Mauser in a 8 3/4 lb gun with 139 @ 2700 is 11.7 ft/lbs

a 260 Rem in a 7 1/2 lb gun with 120 @ 2850 is 13.0 ft/lbs

a 250 Savage in 7 1/2 lb gun with 100 @ 2900 is 7.8 ft/lbs

a 243 in 7 1/2 lb gun with 100 @ 2950 is 8.8 ft/lbs

my 338 Win mag in a 8 lb gun with 200 @ 3000 is around 30 ft/lbs.

Shot my 338 last fall off the bench for about 35-40 rounds and was surprised what the 1" limbsaver did to the recoil. it was also cooler and I had a jacket on over a thick shirt. I could have enjoyed shooting several more rounds, but was out of the loads and the gun needed cleaning. Stock design and a hard butt plate can make some guns killers on both ends.

I have a 4 3/4 pound 284 with a limbsaver and Carbon fiber stock that is not all that uncomfortable to shoot from the bench. The carbon fiber does help in recoil reduction along with the design of the stock (one of Melvin Forbes crown jewels of the hunting rifle of the world). Actually ran 20-25 rounds thru it from a bench before with no complaints. I have friends with those steel butplates '06's that I would not shoot 5 times from a bench for a case of beer.

This is a VERY important detail to consider.

 

[Wyo]

I first started shooting NRA Highpower matches back in the late '70's. The only rifle I had that qualified for service rifle was an 03A3 Springfield - steel buttplate and all. A full match with sighters was 88 rounds and I shot a couple matches each month. With practice in between matches I was going through about 500 rounds of 30/06 per month. I learned to handle the recoil OK and shot some pretty good scores but it took some serious concentration. I still use the cartridge to hunt elk but have gone to the 5.56 for match shooting long ago. I still shoot some really big rifles from time to time, but I don't care for the high volume pounding that I used to like.

 

[steelslaver]

I will second the jacket when shooting the heavier recoiling guns. I don't mind recoil much, but my 338 mag flat hurts when fired off the bench wearing just a light shirt. With a lined Carhart jacket its not bad and as I use hunting in elk country I am going to be wearing a jacket then anyway. I have never noticed the recoil when taking game.

Another thing is shooting off a bench. You are sitting usually bend a bit into the gun. No adrenalin going for you. Off hand your whole body moves back helping to take up the recoil effect.

 

[model70hunter]

Remington 700's are light rifles.

A hard butt plate can bring the pain.

Are you pulling the butt tight to your shoulder?


someone above mentioned standing straight upright which allows your body to flex.

Also Remington and others offer reduced recoil ammo. This will put it down to the 243 level.

I have owned 375 H&H, 338, 300 Win Mags, 264's in win calibers and 257, 270, 300, 340 WBy's. I shot them off the bench. I'd rather shoot the 338 or 340 all day vs 2 boxes of 300 mag. It seems to push rather than crash into your shoulder.

My brother has used a 30-06 for 50 years and uses it well. He had me find him a good 300 Win Mag. He got rid of it, could not take the recoil.

Find a slip on pad or a vest type to cut recoil. This is what my wife uses for target shooting, it really reduces felt recoil.

 

[zzzippper]

I have a Limbsaver vest for shooting in the summer.
Helps a lot.
Think your 30-06 kicks? Try a 300 Win., they all seem to try to break your shoulder...

Try a 458 Lott. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

 

[LVSteve]

Stock design and a hard butt plate can make some guns killers on both ends.

^^ This x1000. As a milsurp owner there are some stock and buttplate designs that make me sure the designer never shot their own creation.

I wear one of those Limbsaver pad/vest gadgets when I shoot anything over 7.62x39. I just don't have enough meat in the shoulder area to risk not doing so.

Semi auto guns have less perceived recoil as the process seems to be spread in time. My FAL is a ***** cat to shoot compared to my Howa in .308.

 

[UncleEd]

Stock design has a lot to do with felt recoil though not all, of course.

I've always been amused, or hurting, how much a .30-30 Winchester Model 94 can smack a fella.

 

[STCM(SW)]

Try a 458 Lott. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

I shot my 416 WBY magnum with it.....
Try 5 rounds fast with that!


It's gone now, no elephants or cape buffalo where I live.

 

[Big Stick]

Imagine what it was like, during WWI/WWII, carrying a M1903/M1917 in combat. Keep in mind, body size and mass has changed a bit since then...... recoil still the same.....

 

[dmar]

Well, IMO, a bolt action, hard butt plated .30-06 rifle is not a 'range,' or plinking gun. That's a hunting rifle. Get it sighted in with the load you'll be carrying, and go hunt. In the field, when you fire on an animal, you will not notice the recoil, or even the sound. I've always been fine with the .30-06, but have known some guys that have not cared for the round.

Now, if you want to sit at a bench and shoot, you'll notice it more. To me, recoil is 50% psychological, and 50% technique. As for technique, pull the gun tight into the right spot in the crook of your shoulder where your pectoral muscle meets your shoulder muscle (more on your pec muscle). I've seen some people rest it on the shoulder bone; ouch. Some people don't pull the rifle in tight; definite bruise/ouch. Use a shoulder pad for bench-work if it bothers you, and try mixing in a lesser recoiling rifle during the session.

A recoil pad will help some, but IMO not a whole bunch. I suppose some recoil pads are better than others. I would not cut down the rifle. I'd get a different rifle before I did that.

 

[msinc]

It's an American male thing...taking recoil. We really don't want/need it but we all take it. Why??? Because in America our grandpappy carried an 03 bolt gun with that sharp hard metal buttplate and he did complain, but we weren't around to hear it...then our pappy carried either the same rifle or a Garand...we never heard him complain...those guys were men!!! Now if we cant at least do the same thing, even if it is just to hunt with, well, you might as well blow fairy dust up our skirt and let us go pick daisy's and dye easter eggs with the kiddies!!!!!!

 

[DWalt]

The Momentum (MxV) of the rifle is the same as the Momentum of what comes out the muzzle, namely the bullet plus the powder combustion gas. And the V part of the Momentum of the rifle is what you feel as recoil. The fit of the stock and dimensions and shape of the buttplate will affect how you feel the recoil, but do not reduce the velocity of the rearward-moving rifle. I don't think that recoil pads make a great deal of difference in what you feel. but there are some with a soft silicone filling which may help. At one time, Winchester offered a telescoping butt with a shock absorber inside for its shotguns. I've seen them, but never fired a shotgun with one of those on it. They were supposed to help a lot, and what they did was slow down the rearward movement of the rifle against the shooter's shoulder. I remember seeing ads long ago for some kind of tube full of mercury you could put in a hole in the stock which was supposed to help, but that always seemed like snake oil. Regarding semiautomatics, the old long recoil mechanism used in the humpback Browning A-5 and Remington Model 11 shotguns and Remington Model 8/81 rifles generate more felt recoil due to a lot of moving metal in the form of the barrel and bolt coming to a sudden stop against your shoulder. Try firing a Remington Model 81 in .35 Remington or .300 Savage and you will see exactly what I mean.

Best ways to reduce recoil: Use a heavier rifle, a lighter bullet, and/or a lower MV.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Shooting a 30-06 in a T shirt is just plain masochistic. I've know others to complain about the 760/30-06 combination recoil wise.
Wear a shooting jacket or use the towel suggestion. Recoil while hunting usually isn't an issue because of the thicker clothing worn or because of the excitement of the moment. But getting your shoulder pounded black and blue while bench shooting is a sure way to develop a bad flinching habit.

John

 

[wbraswell]

I second getting a shooting jacket with built in pad. Be sure and pull the gun to your shoulder. I wouldn't shoot an '06 or .308 in a bolt gun for long and certainly not on a bench. I would imagine it will be plenty accurate. It shouldn't take many rounds to find out.

 

[GatorFarmer]

Plenty of folks pay $150 to $200 an hour to have a woman beat them black and blue....no, I wasn't one of them, I just scheduled the... wait what were we talking about....

Oh yeah, recoil. Slip on pads work fine. Having a rifle that "fits" the shooter, an often elusive goal, helps a lot too. I would not worry about shortening the stock, by the time the rifle is collectable you will likely beblong dead, so enjoy your purchase.

I used to shoot a Russian...or was it Hungarian, I forget.....Model 44 carbine. Short rifle, steel butt plate...I put a slip on pad on eventually, but even in issue trim it was not terrible if one wore a jacket.

Some people do learn to enjoy the pain in a way. Some even seek it out. Tolerance will also vary. Most people can deal with a well fit and padded .30-06, some can't. No shame either way.

 

[Krell1]

Way back when, I used to compete in local high power rifle matches. All local clubs and it was a lot of fun. I used a bolt action Springfield 30-06 and fired a lot of rounds through that rifle, mostly all military ammo. Honestly, the recoil never bothered me. The matches were not official, just us local guys getting together for some fun. The gun did not have a recoil pad but I did wear a shooting jacket with a lightly padded shoulder so that would have made it a tad easier.

I never was bothered at all by the recoil and I think the kick from a 12 gauge shotgun to be far worse.

 

[bobcat]

IN 1977 I bought a Remington 700 ADL in .270, shot about 5 rounds with it off the bench. I put it back in the case, and took it down to the local gunsmith and had a Pac white line recoil pad put on it, and haven't looked back. I still have the rifle and and am not worried about collector value one whit, my heirs can do with it as they please, but I see it as improving the value of the gun.

 

[30-30remchester]

When I was working with heavy recoiling rifles, 458, 416, 475 type, and shooting from a bench, I used a sissy bag my wife built. She sewed 2 6" pieces of tanned deer shin together and filled them with kitty litter. This completely eliminated felt recoil when put between shoulder and stock. Din not do anything for muzzle rise.

 

[rwsmith]

This is extremely stupid......

What I have never understood is adults setting children with punishing rifles just to laugh at them when they get hurt. Same for men setting women up with the same kind of rifle and then not understanding why the women do not want anything to do with firearms.

Give people a gun they aren't used to and find hard to control, especially the unexpected recoil and you get something like that young lady that shot herself in the head with a .500 S&W Magnum. It's an unsafe and irresponsible 'bubba' trick.

And the second point is that we should be encouraging potential shooters rather than scaring them away from the sport.