Deer hunting caliber for shoulder injury

Cocking a crossbow could be really painful depending on the injury/procedure. Be sure to get a model with a crank if you go that route.

You don't say what State. If allowed, .223 with 64 gr PSP Winchester is good for deer up 250#.
I have taken 17, from 70 to 235 yards. All 1 shot. 1 ran 50 yards and dropped (the 70 yard shot) The others were DRT.

223 if legal and the right bullets will fight above its weight division. A level up, 7.62 x 39 with SP ammo is a popular calibre some areas of the world for hunting( Europe, Australia). Also 357 mag carbine. I ran mine with 140-158xtp and took hogs to around 130-140 yards scoped.

Be careful if you start taking game at these levels, you might not go back to the big stuff

im not an expert in any sense of the word. what i can tell you is my freezer gets filled every year with a 243 and it doesnt kick much. we use a home load 85 grain ballistic tip and have never had to track a deer with 200 yard or less shots. they never make it off the plot.


good luck man

My Ruger MPR in 350 legend, very light recoil, best performance inside of 250(200 or less is better good selection of ammo , I favor the 150 gr Winchester XP or hornady 170gr interlock, it will drive it between 2000-2300 fps depending on ammo selection offers less than 10ftlbs of recoil in most rifles, if you prefer bolt action they offer the Winchester XPR, Ruger American, Savage axis, and mossburgs all for sub $650 price range

mongoslow said:

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My Ruger MPR in 350 legend, very light recoil, best performance inside of 250(200 or less is better good selection of ammo , I favor the 150 gr Winchester XP or hornady 170gr interlock, it will drive it between 2000-2300 fps depending on ammo selection offers less than 10ftlbs of recoil in most rifles, if you prefer bolt action they offer the Winchester XPR, Ruger American, Savage axis, and mossburgs all for sub $650 price range

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Viable choice if you are keeping it inside 200 yards. I use one for beaver hunting in the winter. Even when I had a frozen shoulder the recoil never bothered me.

.350 legend upper

6.5x55, hits like a .308, kicks like a .243. Have taken cow elk with mine.

Another vote for the XP-100 in 7mm BR.

ldlfh7 said:

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I ended up picking up a 6.5 grendel upper for my AR lower. So far I am very pleased with it and the recoil is almost non existent as it has a muzzle brake on it.
Looks like deer season is salvaged this year, just need to make sure my buddies can help pull the deer out of the woods!!

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I have a solution for that. Standard equipment on my hunts is a gorilla brand plastic garden cart which has tractor type wheels and some clearance. Field dress the deer, get it into the cart, and you have an easy haul. For a bigger animal you could even tie a length of Paracord to it and use an overhanging tree limb to lift it into the cart. My cart works well enough that even the young guys in the group use it.

Lowe's and home Depot sell gorilla carts inexpensively.

Why not just load down the .308? A light bullet designed for big game would still do the trick.
You can make it shoot even lighter than a factory 30-30, which I presume your Marlin 336 is. Would you add a scope or somehow plan to rise to the occasion with worsening vision? If you add a scope, even a simple 4x32 would make a huge difference.

Failing that, if .223 is legal in your state, you could use your AR and it would kick a LOT less than either of the above, since the action absorbs the recoil and it's a lower power round in general. There may be more tracking after the shot, though...

Smaug said:

Why not just load down the .308? A light bullet designed for big game would still do the trick.
You can make it shoot even lighter than a factory 30-30, which I presume your Marlin 336 is. Would you add a scope or somehow plan to rise to the occasion with worsening vision? If you add a scope, even a simple 4x32 would make a huge difference.

Failing that, if .223 is legal in your state, you could use your AR and it would kick a LOT less than either of the above, since the action absorbs the recoil and it's a lower power round in general. There may be more tracking after the shot, though...

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I've experimented quite a bit with downloading 30-06. Commercial 125 grain reduced recoil ammo is "tolerable" but with a banged up shoulder it is uncomfortable. Cast loads with bullets in the range of hunting weight (150-200 grains) range from fairly weak sauce (unclear if they will get the job done) to potent, but with recoil that is starting to become problematic. When my shoulder aches, 6.5 Grendel, 350 Legend, etc. are a lot more comfy.

I also deliberately built a heavy mother of a grendel, weighing in at 10.6 pounds unloaded. Felt recoil is peanuts. Could shoot it all day.

ldlfh7 said:

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I ended up picking up a 6.5 grendel upper for my AR lower. So far I am very pleased with it and the recoil is almost non existent as it has a muzzle brake on it.
Looks like deer season is salvaged this year, just need to make sure my buddies can help pull the deer out of the woods!!

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You made a great choice the 6.5 grendel is a great whit tail round.I had neck and shoulder surgery and have permanent problems and the grendel i can tolerate.

Consider a crossbow with a crank. Very little kick. I been there! with my left arm broken and many cracks in my rotator cup. Thank god I am right handed! If possible, think about hunting in a blind with a table and sand bags to steady the crossbow.

The year I tore my rotator cuff I got a 250-3000 savage that I used while recovering and it was painless. Even killed a nice 7 point with it that year using a Ruger 77 RSI. I heartily recommend it with either 87 grain Speer bullets or 100 grain core locks

why would recoil matter to your off arm? I'd think you'd want the lightest rifle possible, but if you are mindful of what you are doing and throw on a recoil pad or a shoulder pad, a 30-30 isn't anything like a 30-06, but is a good deer cartridge. I never had a torn up shoulder, so - I don't know I'm just curious. I'd think you could just use your off hand as a rest and don't really grab ahold of it hard, I shoot better like this anyway - and the off arm is kind of out of the equation for handling recoil. with a bad shoulder I'm not sure I'd want to hold it with the bad arm and work the lever though. a downloaded .308 like other suggested might make more sense, then you don't have to risk working the action for a follow up shot and tweaking the shoulder running a manual action.

Your AR will kill any deer on the planet with the right bullet. My personal favorite for white tails was a 69 gr Federal GMM. Lots of better options available today though. Anything above 60 grains with a solid copper or soft point bullet will do the trick.

9x56MS said:

The year I tore my rotator cuff I got a 250-3000 savage that I used while recovering and it was painless. Even killed a nice 7 point with it that year using a Ruger 77 RSI. I heartily recommend it with either 87 grain Speer bullets or 100 grain core locks

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The 250 Savage really doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

9x56MS said:

The year I tore my rotator cuff I got a 250-3000 savage that I used while recovering and it was painless. Even killed a nice 7 point with it that year using a Ruger 77 RSI. I heartily recommend it with either 87 grain Speer bullets or 100 grain core locks

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All during my physical therapy (which I thought they enjoyed hurting me) I thought they were saying "cup" instead of cuff. AHHHH the stuff I have learned on THR. One thing though.. I doubt I can call it a rotator cuff in front of my friends.. They all called it a "cup" also and they would think I was lisping! Had to go to the webster on this one.

Put a pad on the 336.

film495 said:

why would recoil matter to your off arm? I'd think you'd want the lightest rifle possible, but if you are mindful of what you are doing and throw on a recoil pad or a shoulder pad, a 30-30 isn't anything like a 30-06, but is a good deer cartridge. I never had a torn up shoulder, so - I don't know I'm just curious. I'd think you could just use your off hand as a rest and don't really grab ahold of it hard, I shoot better like this anyway - and the off arm is kind of out of the equation for handling recoil. with a bad shoulder I'm not sure I'd want to hold it with the bad arm and work the lever though. a downloaded .308 like other suggested might make more sense, then you don't have to risk working the action for a follow up shot and tweaking the shoulder running a manual action.

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So, your shoulders and collarbone create a frame, not dissimilar to a vehicle frame, force applied to one side will affect the other, arms are different, between my previously stated injury, and a certain lady's broken collarbone, I will attest that the recoil will carry through, imagine getting punched on the point of your shoulder, in line with a stock's position, your off side WILL move, the lady ditched her much loved 1911 10mm and custom stocked .243 over this, even 3 years after healing....I CAN go bigger, but I will pay for it, with my heavier choices, I can't run 20-50 rounds in a sitting anymore, I went from a .300 wm top limit (60-80 rds no problem) to tamer critters without looking back, I will still have to help with load development and sight in on my brother's .338 wm and I dread/hate it every time and it's not just my right shoulder, I've added to the damage on the left side since my injury and just wish he'd either shoot better or ditch it completely

@horsey300 your brother may want to dump the 338wm and replace it with a lighter recoiling rifle.
I have reduced my sessions with handguns do to arthritis in my hands. I do suck-up the pain a little. Because I still like the magnum revolvers for wilderness carry. With the cost of ammo and reduced availability less rounds more often helps keep your skills.

WisBorn said:

@horsey300 your brother may want to dump the 338wm and replace it with a lighter recoiling rifle.
I have reduced my sessions with handguns do to arthritis in my hands. I do suck-up the pain a little. Because I still like the magnum revolvers for wilderness carry. With the cost of ammo and reduced availability less rounds more often helps keep your skills.

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Yeah I've been telling him that since he brought it home punch line: he went in looking for a .308