Or do they?

Eric Leonards quest for a light recoil load for his son and some of the replies got me thinking.

For a given bullet weight and velocity do different calibre/cartridges provide different amount/characters of recoil?

I could swear that on changing to a 6.5x55 the full house 140gr load (2700fps) recoiled less than the light 135gr load (2400fps) in my .308. I haven't got it to compare but was I imagining it or was it just better stock design.

Perhaps it's delivered with more of a push than a blow.... whatever I would be interested in people's views/theories.

(Also are some calibres more prone to bad recoil. Here in the UK 270win has a bad reputation for recoil with 130gr factory loads yet 2506 with factory 120gr thought to be very pleasant!)

Actual recoil is easy weight of rifle weight of bullet and how fast you pust it. Precived recoil is another matter. How one person thinks it feel to how another person thinks it feels. That has to to with stock sign,how you hold the rifle, what position you are in when you fire it. I know that my 338 mag from standing,sitting, or a bench is fine to shoot but go prone with it and it doesn't feel the greatest. Then you have a mental factor also if you think it will recoil more it most likely well to you that is. You listen to some of the guys that really enjoy the big stuff nothing recoils for them or at least they say they don't mind it. My son who is just starting shooting larger cals 30 and bigger thinks that a 8mm 150 at 2400 kicks less then a 300 sav at 2400. Go figure.

This is an interesting and nebulous issue because the mind's perceptions are involved. A friend of mine has a lightweight .358 Winchester on a Sako action with 22" barrel and well designed synthetic stock - high, straight comb with modest cheekpiece (no Monte Carlo) and a .5 inch thick Pachmayr Decelerator pad.

He also has a Steyr SBS Pro Hunter (synthetic) in 9.3x62. The loads we've been shooting in the 9.3x62 use more powder and heavier bullets, but the recoil is quite tolerable. That little .358 backs up into the shoulder with a quick vengeance.

We're going to weigh the .358 to see just how light it is. Other than weight, I can't account for why the 9.3x62 is so comfortable to shoot and that .358 so, uh, exhilarating.

What you're asking about is percieved recoil, as opposed to a foot-pounds number; indeed an interesting subject. Stock design and rifle weight are two major factors. What the butt plate is also plays a part-recoil pad, or not? It makes a difference. Another factor is noise- a lot of people will percieve a short barreled rifle to kick more than a long barreled one, and the reason is noise.
270/130 and 25-06/120 I would expect to be pretty similar in recoil-scratching my head over that one.
I feel that the Win 94 carbine in 30-30 seems to kick more than the mild cartridge would suggest- lots of 94's (older ones in particular) have a lot of drop in the stock.
I have a light 308 with an 18" barrel and a checkered steel butt plate that is no fun to shoot off the bench- weight and buttplate, plus barrel length being the reasons.