I am getting ready to buy another rifle or barrel for deer, elk, antelope for 300 yards and closer. My dilema is 7mm rem, 30-06, or 300wm. How bad is the recoil in a 300wm? I owned a 7mm rem in a light rifle and it kicked pretty good. I shoot a 45-70 and 12 gauge with no problems, but is the 300wm real bad? Thanks, good shooting!

In identical rifles except for caliber the 300 win mag does have noticeably more recoil than the 7mmm mag but in a rifle of average weight neither is all that harsh.

I think the .300 Winchester Magnum kicks quite hard. It's not just the recoil energy, which is up there, but the recoil velocity also.

I suggest the .280 Remington or the 30-06 and maybe the 7mm Rem Mag if you want to try another one.

Not long ago the .280 Remington was the #1 chambering choice for custom rifles.

If you will be shooting 300yds or less, there is no need for a magnum. A 30-06 handloaded with 180 grain premium bullets will work very well for you with less recoil that either the 7mmMag or 300WM. I push mine pretty hard, but it will shoot 2750 and keep them inside an inch. With a 230 yd zero (2.9" high@100), it should be 6"low at 300yds. Energy at 300yds is 1900+ft#'s.

If you are over 300 yds, then try the 7mmMag if you are recoil sensitive. Recoil will be more like your 30-06.

I am getting older, and I am trying to minimize my heavy recoil shooting. Ku-dude

The kick on the rounds you are talking about would greatly depend on the rifle you buy. If you are going for a lightweight rifle stay away from the Mag rounds such as the 300 Win. If you do not mind an 8 to 9 pound rifle the kick is not bad. I shoot both a 7stW and a 338 Excalibur. Nether of them kick to a point that it is unpleasant. With that said I have a friend that has a 300 Weatherby in a 5 � pound rifle and that rifle is not fun to shoot in any way. Just my opinion.

Chris

Let's try to understand "felt recoil" first. It is influenced by the weight of the projectile (bullet) and the amount of force behind it (powder charge). The heavier the bullet, the more recoil you will feel, and added to that is the more powder you use, the heavier the recoil will be. Another factor that helps us to feel recoil is, the weight of the rifle. The weight of the rifle absorbs the reaction (recoil). If it is a lightweight rifle, it won't absorb as much of the recoil as a heavy rifle and you will have to absorb the remaing recoil with your shoulder. There are some shooting pads that could help you in this area. Some good pads are made by "Past". Now as to the choice of caliber: The .280 Remington and the 7mm Remington magnum are so close in all respects, they are almost the same. They both use the same bullets, and the powder charges are about the same, with the 7mm magnum edging out the .280 in velocity only when loaded with the heavy bullets, and only then with a maximum charge of powder. Still, both are generally lighter than a .300 Win. magnum. Tough choice. Possibly a smaller caliber would use a lighter bullet weight and lessen felt recoil. .25 caliber, or 6.5 caliber both offer some nice cartridges that are flat shooting out to 300 yards...and beyond. 25.06 and .264 Win. magnum both come to mind. If it were me, I would probably try the Past shooting pad for the shoulder, and a pachmeyer de-cellerator pad on the rifle, and use a wood stocked rifle chambered for the 7mm Remington Magnum. That's about as good as it gets.

You got some pretty good advice posted above.
My suggestion would be based on whether you perceive the rifle as an elk gun to be used on deer also or a deer gun to be used on an occasional elk. If an elk rifle, get the 7mag. Use 160gr Grand Slams or Partitions for elk and WELL CONSTRUCTED 140-145gr bullets for deer. Something on the order of, again, Grand Slams or partitions.
If its a deer rifle, pick the .280 using 140-145gr bullets for deer. For the occasional elk, stoke it up kinda hot and use the 160 Grand Slams.

Best advice? Go shoot one and decide for yourself. If you think a .45-70 or a 12 ga is no big deal I cannot imagine that a .300 Win Mag will overwhelm you. A straight comb on a nice classic stock and a decent recoil pad will go miles toward making almost any rifle a pleasant experience. Its mostly in your head anyway.

Hey hunting1, I agree that you are getting good scoop from the above folks.

One thing I've not seen mentioned is to get the 300WinMag and then down-load it to start with. As you become accustomed to the recoil, you can either take it up or stay right where you are.

I've got a buddy who is going through the exact same thing you are and we were looking at 30-06 level loads for his 300WinMag just yesterday. Lots of them available.

Or you could go on and get the 30-06 and use either Federal High Energy or Hornady Light Magnum factory loads for the BIG animals on your hunting list.

But, I'd still recommend the 300WinMag and down-load it to start with. Great cartridge!

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Good hunting and clean 1-shot kills, Hot Core

With many loads, the 12 ga. shotgun has a much greatere "free recoil" than any of the rifles you mentioned, EXCEPT FOR A HEAVY LOADED .45/70!! If you van stand up to a heavy .45/70 load, the .300 Win. Mag is a pussycat!!

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Larry

The devil is in the details as regards to recoil. The recoil velocity from a shot gun or the 45-70 don't snap you back like a .300 mag. Even more important is that the aiming demands may be far more important with a .300 mag where a shot at 300 yards may be attempted. Such long range aiming means that precise aiming should be done every time.

Long ago Les Bowman concluded that the worst shots had .300 mags. He pushed for the development of the 7mm Rem mag and I think he is still right.

The recoil effect varies a lot with the person also and with practice even heavier kickers can be handled. This is one of the reasons why never to get in the ring with a professional boxer.

If I had to bet on who would make a long range kill and one rifleman had a .270 and the other a .30/.378 I would go with the .270.

Shot placement is the #1 priority.

Lots of sensible advices alredy, but for what ever its worth, recoil also depend a lot on what rifle you shoot.
I once owned a Rem 760 pump action rifle in 30-06. A real pussycat in the woods hunting red deer, but shoot prone on the range, it was really hurting my shoulder and jawbone.

I sold it and got a Ruger in 338 winnie, and the felt recoil shooting from bench or prone, was less than with the 30-06.
Subjective as in might be, but thats my experience.
So the calibre it self is not the only factor. Do as Harald and the others say..
Try for your self and than decide.

Arild

Arild, I am the same way. I rather shoot my 35 Whelen with 250's than my 7 mag with 140's. I believe it is in the "jet effect" of the powder. The higher the muzzle pressure, the faster that rifle comes back at you. FWIW, Dutch.

So then, a 416 Rigby with lower pressures will have a slower recoil than a 416 rem?