Gauging Felt Recoil (300 Win Mag)

The 300 WM has less felt recoil than the 3" slug. The slugs are brutal, and from the bench, 5 shots starts hurting. I can shoot much more than that with the 300 WM.

If you are wanting a 300wm and are worried about recoil, check into the 300wsm. I have a bad back and neck, and have no problem with the 300wsm. Can't say the same on the 300wm.

Agree that .300 kicks less than a 12 ga slug. However, the stock will make a huge difference. I had a .308 that I sold due to kick and a .300 that was a pussycat. Stock (and weight, to a lessor extent) make what you feel comfortable or not.

I could shoot 300 win mag all day (well maybe not all day, but you get the idea) and be totally fine with it, 3" slugs on the other hand are not fun. I can't really tell a difference between 300wm and 30-06.

Recoil energy numbers don't tell the complete story. I shoot 3" 2 oz turkey loads from a light pump but I find that a heavy, slow load gives a push (sometimes a BIG push) that you can roll with, while a 300 mag is a sharp jab.

Actual recoil is affected by weight of the gun, velocity of the round, mass of the ejecta. Felt, (or perceived), recoil has more to do with gun FIT - and everyone's perception is different because no gun fits two people identically the same. Factors affecting felt recoil will be the LOP (and all of the other stock measurements), type of pad, action type, even your shooting stance.

3-inch slugs or buck are brutal. You should be fine shooting a 300WM if you can handle those puppies.

natman said:

Recoil energy numbers don't tell the complete story. I shoot 3" 2 oz turkey loads from a light pump but I find that a heavy, slow load gives a push (sometimes a BIG push) that you can roll with, while a 300 mag is a sharp jab.

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I agree. Turkey loads, heavy buckshot, slugs and even muzzle loaders and 45-70s feel to me like more of a push and are not at all bad to shoot. Recoil energy numbers are almost useless IMO without recoil speed numbers. Supposedly, a .500 S&W carbine has roughly the same recoil lbs as a 45-70 of the same weight. But, the .500 handi rifle I had would downright, forever more make a preacherman cuss.

Stock design and the newer modern recoil pads make a huge difference. I once had one of the Colt light rifles in 300wm. Even in a 6 lb rifle recoil was not any worse than some 30-06 rifles I've shot.

I've shot every hard-hitting shotshell out there, including slugs and boxes and boxes of 3 1/2" steel. Some are not fun, but no big deal. I've shot a .300 mag a few times. I hated it, and would never own one. I perceived it to be the hardest kicking gun I've ever shot, though that empirically is not the case. My theory is that recoil velocity matters just as much as the pounds hitting you. If it comes back fast enough, it is going to seem like a hard kicker. Experts may disagree, but this is my experience.

Like stated above the weight of the gun, the stock and your body will tell the tale of how hard a .300 win mag kicks. I owned a Ruger KM77 all-weather in .270 win that kicked like a mule. My T/C Encore pro-hunter in .300 win mag is shot by my wife. She is 5' 11" and weighs about 145#. I have watched her put 15-16 rounds down range in a matter of minutes without a wimper. I am 6' 1" 210# and that .270 win made me cringe to shoot it. I could stand about 5-6 rounds before I had to put it down because I hurt to bad. So just because the cartridge says magnum does not mean it has to hurt. A good recoil pad and a moderatly heavy rifle will save your shoulder regaurdless of what the head stamp says.

What I would like to know is, how does the recoil of the 300 Win stack up to a 3" slug?

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It just doesn’t work that way, there are other factors. I have two 300’s that recoil less than my 30-06 but one has a brake the other a semi auto. Even the 50 BMG I have recoils less than the 45-70 but it is also has a brake and weighs around 30 pounds more.

What guns with what loads will get you closer to your answer.

I agree that a 3"slug in 12ga is brutal. I also agree that it depends on rifle weight, pad and action. The most that I have ever shot my .300 WIN Mag at on time was 20 rounds and that was enough. Like one of the other posters stated, I have an all-weather Ruger MK77II in .30-06 that kicked worse than my Win Mag. I put a Houge stock that has a nice butt-pad on it and it is fine now.

I have a Remington 870 Mag pump with the BlackHawk Spec-Op stock for recoil. I have shot 3" Mag slugs from that gun & it feels like a 410. That recoil reducing stock really works. Try a shotgun with this stock & you'll find out I'm right. Anybody else have this stock on their 12 gauge (remmy or mossy)? Tell us what you think.