My brother is thinking of buying a Mod 700 in 8mm Rem Mag how would the recoil of this caliber compare to my rifle in 300 Win Mag?The same or is the 8mm more brutal than the 300?

More! I've got both and the 8 mag (700 Classic) is stouter. Not unexpectedly nor unbearable, mind you, just more. The 300 180 gr. at 3000 vs the 8 mag 200 gr at 3000-3100 has got to recoil a bit more. And, for me at least, the Remington 700 stock is less comfortable than the Winchester 700 Classic stock.

Oops, correction: 8 mag is a Rem 700 Classic and the 300 Win mag is a Winchester 70 Classic synthetic, not 700 as originally posted.

The 8 mag still recoils more. And if I ever get around to loading some 220 grains with Reloader 25 and manage to get 3000 fps, Ill bet it kicks even more. Current load is 200 gr. Nosler Partitions, H-4831, Fed 215 and CCI 250 that yields 3016 fps.

The factory 185's are noticeably milder and chronograph in the mid 2900's.

I have presently an 8MM Mag. that has a synthetic stock and recoil reducer. The recoil is tolerable without the reducer, downright tame with it. I had a European 300 Mag and found the recoil intolerable. Check out the following:

http://beartoothbullets.com/resources/calculator/php/recoil/php

it should give you all the information you need.

Go to Ballistician's corner and then Recoil Calculator

I always thought the 8mm Mag was something special. You have to be in the right frame of mind to shoot it. The recoil is bad I have found it very sharp unlike the 8 x 68. Off the bench if you are not ready it will hurt you.

[This message has been edited by alekojjensen (edited 03-25-2002).]

If he can tolerate the 300 with full house loads with 180 grain or heavier bullets, he should be able to live with the 8 Mag.

There will be more kick but not enough to matter. I regularly shoot both a 300 Win and a 8mm Mag (both in 700 Classics) and I'm not sure I could tell the difference if blindfolded.

Why I would be shooting a rifle while blindfolded, I couldn't say.

I've got the 8 mag and a 300 Weatherby and it is a toss up as to which is worse. I've been doing some load development for the 8 mag so I've been shooting it quite a bit and find that the more I shoot it the more tolerable it becomes.

I have the 8 mag and four differant 300 mags (H & H, Norma, Win, Wby). The 8 mag, like the 300 Wby, really needs a 26" barrel to settle down. I don't find the recoil any worse than the 300 Wby, which is a little faster than the 300 Win. A lot depends on barrel length and stock design. One word of advice, check the bedding on the Rem stock. If it wasn't done properly, it WILL split. - Dan

like everyone else i'd say the 8 mag and 300 win are about the same in recoil.i have an 8 mag in the rem classic.it's my reach in the gun cabinet and go deer huntin gun.i mainly use 150 gr and 180 gr bullets.one thing for sure you don't have to track any.although i'll have to admit that havent layed down and shot it off the trypod yet.but just havent had the need so far.i'll bet that will be interesting.

I have one of the classics in 8mm Rem mag. While factory loads are expensive, they don't kick much either. When I shoot handloads near max and chronographed, that's when it kicks. It can be a pain off the bench. I had a 300 win mag in a model 70 that seemed to have half the recoil. First, I don't think the classic stock on the Remington is a great design for heavy kicking rifles. Second, it's accurate. If you don't want it to kick, shoot 150's or 180's, 175's etc.. want it to kick and be a great all around north american rifle, shoot 220 grains at full tilt. The recoil of this beast is sharp and really fast. But in the field, you'll never know.

Take the best of both worlds and make a 30-8mm Remington, maybe I am just biased because the new 1000yd bench rifle I am building is 30-8.