.308 has a kick?

Think of it this way. You want to be a military sniper. You will learn to shoot the 308 and more.

KJamesJr said:

Im 33. 5’9 @ 190lbs. I frequently lift weights. If you saw me you’d think I could handle a .308 easy. It’s aggravating because currently I’m having issues.

I’m going to talk with a few more people and weigh my options. I’ll report back next weekend after I finalize the purchase. I’m going to worry less about it now and focus on finding a gun safe.

Click to expand...

IMO, strength is pertinent but relatively minor in the context of handling recoil. I'm nearly 33 as well (month and a half from my birthday), though I'm 6'5" and around 290. Don't mistake size for strength though, I don't really work out and actually have my share of back and shoulder issues. I'm sure the extra mass doesn't hurt, though.

I think form and familiarity with the weapon and its recoil impulse matters alot more than brute strength.

Hi,

I shoot a lot of different calibers and the .308 in a heavy Ruger K77VT is the
first target type rifle I have ever owned. Prior to that the only rifles
I owned were my late 70's Ruger 10/22 and an early 80's Ruger Mini 14.
The .308 does have a recoil that is sufficient such that if you plan to
do some bench rest shooting like I do and plan to shoot
30 - 60 rounds each outing, you should use a shoulder protecting pad.
Yes, 'the group of guys' will probably call you a sissy or other things.
But if you are like me, athletic with minimal body fat and about
5'8 and 145 lbs wet, the recoil from a .308 even in something like my
13 pound Ruger is sufficient to actually cause nerve damage in
the shoulder. I practice with an ex SAS guy and a park ranger who
shoots competition. Both use the .308 and both said they would
not shoot a lot of rounds through the gun without shoulder protection.
OK, That pertains to sitting at a bench and pounding off 2 - 3 boxes of 168 gr
match ammo.
Your issue is double fold. First the recoil is enough using a lot of rounds
to really hurt. Second is that your hinting rifle will probably weigh half what my
old K77VT does. So, felt recoil will be even more intense. My rifle
has a heavy 26" barrel with a heavy thick laminated wood stock.
But, the thing with hunting is that you are probably only going to fire off one or
possibly two rounds so the recoil may be stout but won't really hurt
with only a couple rounds.
Now, if the recoil is sufficient that you find that you just can not control
the flinching as you pull the trigger, then you will need a milder caliber.
A good compromise is the .260 Remington. It is basically a .308 necked down to handle
the 6.5mm bullets. With a 120 grain Nosler bullet, it has mild recoil but can
easily take deer sized animals. The other is the 6.5x55 Swede round.
Both are slightly more powerful then the 6.5 Creedmore but do not have any
more felt recoil. The 6.5x55 is slightly more powerful then the .260
if loaded to European specs. CZ makes a fantastic little bolt action
with a 22" barrel in 6.5x55 Swede. The gun is amazingly accurate given it
does not have a bull barrel, but, rather a regular hunting contour barrel.
The gun retails for under $600.00 and can shoot sub MOA groups all
day without breaking your shoulder. I personally use a .260 caliber
in a Savage model 10 Tactical and it kicks about like a light non
bull barrel .243 hunting rifle.
The Creedmore is popular right now, but the 6.5x55 and the .260
are just as accurate and when loaded to proper spec a bit more
powerful. For deer, I would suggest against anything under
6.5mm or with a bullet weight under 120 gr. The 6.5 can shoot bullets
from 100 gr to 160 gr with 120, 130 and 140 gr being
the most common. The .260 and the 6.5x55 have been used
in the hunting fields with great success both in the USA and in
Europe. They have also been used in competition and you still see both to this
day in competitive shooting.

To answer you from earlier, I replaced the factory stock with a bell and Carlson and that made a huge difference. I can go about thirty rounds before I need to switch to a .223 or something. I used to soak up recoil a lot better but I lost a pile of weight and more of it was padding my shoulders than I thought apparently.

Stock fit is pretty huge. Savage plastic stocks just fit me like a glove, and they have great recoil pads these days. I can shoot a much more powerful caliber in a Savage stock, than I can in - say -a Ruger wood stock. Those just hurt.

BASIC = INTAKE COMPRESSION POWER & EXHAUST.
How much horsepower can you handle?
If a 308 is a muscle car to you then you need to take a look at smaller calibers like 243 or 7mm 08 but it
is no secret they are the SAME rifle case so you have the same motor, just a smaller carb on top.
But if the 243 or 7mm08 have composite stock the KICK will still be there.
My wife is 70 years old & shoots my 308 tactical bull barrel perfectly accurate but doesn't like the recoil,
then on the other hand she loves to make it hit where I hit with it.
However she hunts with a 7mm08 Savage with composite stock, shooting my 100 grain reloads out of it
& never has complained about the KICK.
A 21 year old girl, I reload for, is trying out some 100 grain 243 loads in a Ruger with composite stock &
says the reloads KICK a bit more than the factory loads but are worth the increase because of the accuracy
& so far the function seems ok.
Believe me when I tell you, no matter what you settle for, you will continue to seek out other options in
calibers & mfg but above all things, keep it fun.
Welcome to the group.

Welcome to the Howa Club!

I purchased a Howa several years ago. A 20" heavy barrel with a 4x-16x included (they don't offer this particular model anymore), the gun weighs in around 10 lbs fully setup. Which Howa are you looking at currently? I can say that mine when I added a proper fitting cheek pad is pretty darn comfortable to shoot. Getting your head in the right spot to where you can fully rest it on the rifle helps with recoil a lot, as it adds another 5-6 pounds to the weight the rifle has to move. You mentioned that most stock's don't fit you. Depending on what your budget is, getting a different stock with some adjustment options probably wouldn't be a bad idea as a properly fitted stock helps a lot.

Second if you have only shot it from the bench, each position will have a different feel to recoil. Prone can be the worst if you do it wrong (or have a really hard kicking rifle). However if you're really in tight on the gun and it has a good recoil pad, you're giving it a solid stop to compress against which will help a lot. Shooting from the bench, you only have your shoulder to brace the gun, and not your entire body weight to help keep it from knocking your shoulder back. Sitting if constructed properly, is a very good position for heavy recoil as your whole body can literally roll with it. Lastly standing as counter intuitive as it may seem, works very to tame recoil. With a good stance and the gun pulled in tight, the majority of your body weight is there to help mitigate the recoil.

I'd get a 270 for range versatility.

For hunting you arent gonna be firing 20 rounds but that being said i am partial to the 30 30 for where i hunt the 308 can be a very mild mannered round through a walnut stocked gun. Try dif things though. Its been a while since ive been sore from shooting i think the last time was trap shooting. So may be that im wrong but perhaps it goes away the more you shoot?

The 1500, is basically the name for the barreled action, there are a host of different options from there. You might look at:

https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/howa-krg-bravo/ the KRG stock is very adjustable (a well fitting stock does wonders), adds some mass, and if 99% of your shooting will be targets it has a very good form factor for it. You can get the KRG stock later for about $450, but buy once, cry once right?
https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/howa-multicam-rifle/ or https://www.legacysports.com/catalog/howa/howa-hogue-kryptek-full-dip-rifle/ (I was wrong they are still offering this one). The multicam has a longer barrel (24 vs 20) so it will be a little heavier. Both have heavy barrels, which aren't quiet bull target barrels, but they have plenty of heft. My kryptek full dip, even with the 20" barrel, is very shootable, and heavy enough I wouldn't want to do any hunting in the mountains with it (flat land or hills is fine).

Some quick checking online, the patriot weighs in at 6.5 lbs. The mulitcam is 9lbs base, and the other two start at 10+ lbs. I don't know about the KRG stock, but the other two will come with a very good recoil pad.

If you can find some for practice ammo, light weight bullets in .308 really drop the recoil, 150's on down (I believe Hornady makes a 110gr TAP round .308). Also if you know anyone that reloads, light loadings of course can be done very easily. If you're goal is precision than 20 rounds can be a full day, as the goal is perfection rather than volume. I see no reason that you wouldn't be able to easily shoot 60+ rounds in a session once you get the rifle setup for yourself.

A decent recoil pad and proper bench form should make a .308 win w 150's a tolerable affair.
If the rifle fits you.
I shoot with my left arm bent so that hand helps w buttstock on rear bag.
Usually off a bipod.
The gun is up a bit and I'm not hunkered way down.
Shooting from a more upright position.
Even w light grip and letting the rifle slam me.

I get good groups and take the hit.

It aint bad.
Am 5'11" and 190# (used to be a little less LOL).

Its a bonk. A jar, but no pain. 20 rounds with the rifle giving me all it has.
Feel it sometimes next day. But its no big deal.

Remington factory stuff tends to fit me very well.

I shot a .30-06 w 150s, T shirt, Rem 760 w buttplate.
Buddy dang near same size as me, used one up north yrs ago, said it kicks.
Bought one, first shot I thought maybe something was wrong.
Expected way more.

Varmint hunter from way back, mild cartridges. I shoot my boomers same way.
So I take more smack off the bench.
But it's tolerable.
I don't flinch, just aim through the shot.

I don't shoot funky systems so gun fit is good and there's no scope bonk.

Get out of alignment and touch one off on something of oomph and you could get tenderized right then.

Also started deer hunting w slug guns. Yeah boy. Good groups there but they chew on ya.
One problematic rig required a bunch of testing/work.
90 slugs in two days, from the bench.

No physical damage. But down in my shoulder joint? Oh yeah, it was sore deep down for a week.
Got it figured out, shot my deer too.
And then sold that rig.
Last Mossberg I'll ever own (835 w 3" mags).

Buddy had some magnum rifles
Shot a lot of .45-70 too.
He liked thumpers.

His worst rifle?
A .308 Win model 600 Remington.
He said the stock ergonomics sucked.
He a little smaller than me.

Seen many w recoil pads added. Think there something to that.......the stock not ideal.

Shoulder smack is one thing.

Cheekbone whack is another.

TC Hawken Silver Elite .50 cal............worst rifle I've ever shot.
Buds. 54 is no big deal.

Dunno why my .50 bashes me to pieces. But it does.
Lighter bullet w a little less powder helps, but still can "click" me once in a while.

I gave that thing to my dad. Don't need such nonsense.
Think maybe a taller front sight and spacer under rear might get me up enough.
Not tried it.
Too cranky to mess w BP anymore.

I had a 600 Rem in .243.
Bit of a bump w hot 70gr varmint loads.
Read: not the most pleasant rig for chucks.
But it was cool and shot good.

My ol lady.......100#, 5'5".
Plops on the ground and rips 1.5" groups w it at 135 yards (buds range).
Prone off bipods.

Shoots maybe once every couple of yrs.

In T shirt, buttplate, no recoil pad....she goes "no big deal".

Guess it fit her better than me. Weird. But she liked that rifle.

The thing I enjoy most about shooting is that I enjoy shooting. Buy a rifle that you enjoy shooting and it will be a life long hobby. Buy a rifle that beats you up and it will only help you develop bad habbits. Buy a rifle that suits you and you might find that in a few years a 308 isn't as bad as you remember.

The first center fire rifle I ever shot was my fathers Remmington 760 in 30-06. I had no wish to repeat that experience. 35 years later and I still have the 760 and shooting it is absolutely no big deal. Start with what you can shoot well and work your way up.

.243 is an excellent first rifle and you will be MUCH more sucessful with a .243 that you shoot well than a larger caliber which makes you flinch as you anticipate the recoil. Even if you run into something larger (I don't udnderstand what exactly you are expecting) a rifle you shoot well will be MUCH more effective than one that you aren't good with. Shot placement will pretty much always be more important than knock down power.

Not everybody is born with an inate ability to shoot high power rifles well... some of us actually had to learn and develope our skills along the way.

Blackhawk tac vest with sniper shoulder padding

At the bench, put “something” in between you and the rifle - I use a folded bath towel, works great. I can then concentrate on shooting technique and accuracy rather than anticipating the jolt. When in the field and “the heat of battle”, one does not feel the recoil or hear the report of the discharge - you are tuned into the game target.

I would still consider one of the bolt action 7.62 x .39. Would make for an all day shooting , good enough for deer ,rifle that shoots cheap ammunition.

Make sure when you are shooting you are padding yourself. When you are shooting from a rest (my guess) the recoil is directly back to your shoulder. Hunting you don't feel thte single shot with a heavy coat, etc. on. I am not proud. I bring a thick towel and fold it several times to place between the stock and my shoulder. Next, cut down on the number of shots. ONe of the biggest mistakes folks make target shooting is worrying about the quantity of rounds they shoot, and not the quality of their shots. Frequently I will only shoot two or three shots. More frequent shorter range times are better than fewer longer sessions. Do you have a .22 rimfire? Get one in the same action type as your deer rifle. That you can practice all day long with without any concerns, and it still will help you develop your sight picture/reflex memory.
You say you are NE hunting? I hate to start the .243 thing, but in the northern climes, deer run heavier. The .243 is seldom seen (I am not saying never seen) due to its much lighter bulleter...most northern hunters want mass, which translates usually into a .30 cal.
Shorten up your range times, pad yourself.

If you have a problem with 308 150 gr. kick then a 140 gr. 7mm-08 isn't going to be much better.
A substantive reduction from that level of recoil is usually realized when you drop down to the 100-110 gr. cartridges, usually 24 cal.
If you are dead set on going larger, find a rifle with a good pad that really fits you.

mshootnit said:

If you have a problem with 308 150 gr. kick then a 140 gr. 7mm-08 isn't going to be much better.
A substantive reduction from that level of recoil is usually realized when you drop down to the 100-110 gr. cartridges, usually 24 cal.
If you are dead set on going larger, find a rifle with a good pad that really fits you.

Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing about the 30-06, 270, 280 and maybe even some of the larger 6.5's. The stock design makes a lot of difference as does a nice recoil pad. Muzzle brakes help a lot but expect a lot of increased blast (noise).

Theres nothing wrong with a 243. On game, its not quite as forgiving as the larger calibers if you make a bad or marginal shot.