i have a question that i can't resolve. i have two .338 Mags...one is a model 70 and the other a model 77. the model 70 weighs 9 pounds and the model 77 weighs 8.5 pounds. the Ruger is a rifle that i can shoot for many rounds at a time. i have shot 50 rounds many times and stop because i am out of ammunition. on the other hand, that Winchester is an 18 round rifle and by then i am really starting to feel the strain of the recoil. the Ruger has a Decelerator pad and the Winchester has a Kick Eez. i see no reason for this situation to exist.

i am shooting the same round out of each rifle, a 225 grain bullet and 68 grains of 3031. i have other model 70s and don't notice this phenomenon with any of them.

what's the deal???

Well, I suspect probably several things, most likely being the stock. There's a good probability that the angle of the comb on the stocks are different, and therefore one of your rifles has a butt pad that sits lower than the other (in relation to the bore) creating a different felt recoil.

gd

Are the barrel lengths the same? A longer barrel has a longer pressure curve than the a shorter barrel. A possible explanation, but I wouldn't think it would make that much difference. I'd lean to problem with the way the rifle fits you as a more likely cause of the problem. My nickel's worth.

Red: the barrel on the Ruger is 24 inches and on the Winchester it is 26 inches.

GD: man, i hate to hear that business about the stock. this is a beautiful piece of wood. oh well. to tell you the truth, that's the way i was leaning myself. i hoped someone might have a different suggestion.

guys.....thanks for the help.

That sounds like a classic case of stock fit. One thing I've noticed about Ruger 77 stocks is they seem to be kind of thin in the butt area. Take an M70 stock and compare and there's more surface area and from the top the stock seems to be wider. There really is no other reason for the rifles to be recoiling differently for you.

If the Model 70 is an older rifle, the butt probably has more drop than the Ruger (and newer Winchesters) to accommodate iron sights. Going to a small objective scope and low rings may offer a little relief, depending on the current configuration. Probably not the answer, but possibly worth a look.
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Bill:
Excuse me for sticking my nose in your business but....
I just ran your load of 68 grs. of IMR-3031 and a 225 gr. bullet thru my copy of Quickload. If your numbers are correct, QL gives one phenominal amount of pressure - I'm not even gonna put it down here. If your info is correct, I'd highly suggest you rethink your load. I apologize in advance if I'm wrong.
LAter, Bear in Fairbanks

didnt some guy named Brownell design the ruger 77 stock?

Bear: you're right. my head sometime doesn't communicate too well with my ass. the powder i am using is IMR-4350, not 3031. hmmmmm...i wonder how come no one else noticed that.

It's got to just be the way the rifle fits you. I have a ruger in the same caliber and I find easier to shoot than a 30-06 in other brands mainly because the rifle just fits me better. there's probably nothing that's going to make it feel like your ruger except a muzzle brake or adding more weight. Since you like the stock so much on the winchester, just shoot it less, but find a good load for it. use it for hunting because you won't be shooting more than 15 rounds in the field

I'll add my .02. I'd say two things: Stock shape/design and barrel length. If memory searves the ruger has a slightly lower drop on the stock than the winchester making the bore of the win more in line with the stock and causing more of the recoil to go straight back. The Ruger has the bore a little higher than the but of the stock causing slightly more of the recoil go be directed towards muzzle lift (If I am right about the difference in the stocks.)

The 26 inch barrel will give you 50 to 100 fps more than the 24 inch barrel and that will equal more recoil.

excuse me if i am wrong but what i read is that the ruger kicks less then the winchester?

quote:

Originally posted by bill smith:
Bear: you're right. my head sometime doesn't communicate too well with my ass. the powder i am using is IMR-4350, not 3031. hmmmmm...i wonder how come no one else noticed that.

Having purhcased my 1st .338 recently, the only load I've tried so far has been up to 67 grains IMR-4350 behind a 225 gr bullet -- didn't know anything about the 3031. I've been content with what I've seen of the IMR-4350 loads, and have stuck with the 67 grs.

Dan

I have a winchester rifle, and Rugers, and I have also a 338 mauser. I can tell you that for me the only problem with a winchester model 70 xtr is in the stock (regarding recoil), I don´t like the design of this stock, and for this reason, I´ve change it for a straigt line custom, and the difference was solved.
When the gun has a "monte carlo" kind of stock, tend to rise when shooting, that´s why yo feel more the recoil, most in your face (if you have short kind of neck, you´ll feel it worse). Try this.