Hey guys, I have a savage axis II in 30-06 that I use to hunt whitetails. I usually use 150 grain hornady superformance SST ammo, but I have been thinking about trying out hornady custom lite or Remington managed recoil ammo, both 125 grain bullets. Has anyone had any experiences with either of these types of ammo? Did they significantly reduce the amount of felt recoil for you? How do you guys think these reduced recoil types of ammo would do for hunting deer? I also have a .243 that I could shoot, but have never hunted with before. Specifically for deer, do you guys think it'd be better to shoot a 100 grain .243 or one of the reduced recoil 125 grain 30-06 rounds? I probably won't be taking any shots over 200 yards, and I would use it to hunt open fields or lanes. Any comments are appreciated.
30-06 Reduced Recoil ammo vs. 243 for deer
- Thread starter Tswitz109
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Dead is dead. A 30-06 with any ammo made won't kill a deer any deader than a 243. With the better bullets made today a 243 is just about the ideal deer cartridge.
The 30-06 is overkill until you get to elk, bear, or moose size game. But it is versatile enough to work on animals from 100 lb deer up to 1000 lb game. A 243 will kill an elk, but isn't ideal for the task.
The 30-06 is overkill until you get to elk, bear, or moose size game. But it is versatile enough to work on animals from 100 lb deer up to 1000 lb game. A 243 will kill an elk, but isn't ideal for the task.
I've used both .243 and .30-06 on deer in my sons guns. He started with a .243 when he was 7, then got a .30-06 when he turned 13.
With proper bullet selection I think you'd do fine with either. I don't think you even have to bother with reduced recoil loads...just use regular 125's...they don't recoil much at all.
With proper bullet selection I think you'd do fine with either. I don't think you even have to bother with reduced recoil loads...just use regular 125's...they don't recoil much at all.
That's true when comparing two dead deer. But consider the buck my son shot with a .243 SST that lived for a long time after being hit square in the shoulder at 142 yards. That deer almost wasn't recovered. It took 3 or 4 hours of painstaking tracking to find him. He made it 311 yards from where he was shot. The bullet never even penetrated the chest cavity...it blew up on his shoulder. Most people would've chalked the shot up to a miss and that deer would've been lost.
That bullet might have been a fluke...but I've yet to have a bullet do that with my larger calibers on the 100+ animals I've shot.
Sav .250
Member
That type of ammo was made to help out "felt recoil" . Plus, designed for deer and such.
Look it up. get educated. J s/n.
Look it up. get educated. J s/n.
ZWCoffindaffer
Member
Hunt with whichever of the two rifles you shoot better. A good shot with .243 is better than a bad one with a 30-06.
I know a guy that uses Hornady Custom Lite for his 8 year old son to hunt with a 7mm-08. He hasnt had any problems with it so far.
If you do use the .243 I wouldnt heavily suggest the SST or Win Supreme rounds. I've seen them "explode" on shoulders and though the deer will die, there is hardly any blood and it can some times make it a long ways before falling. There's nothing wrong with a good ol 100 gn BTSP.
I know a guy that uses Hornady Custom Lite for his 8 year old son to hunt with a 7mm-08. He hasnt had any problems with it so far.
If you do use the .243 I wouldnt heavily suggest the SST or Win Supreme rounds. I've seen them "explode" on shoulders and though the deer will die, there is hardly any blood and it can some times make it a long ways before falling. There's nothing wrong with a good ol 100 gn BTSP.
TimSr
Member
These two statements contradict each other.
A .243 fan here.I use 100 grain Remington core-lockts and hand loaded 100 grain sierra spitzers for 150 lb whitetails.The spitzer blew a 1 inch piece of bone into the chest cavity of my best buck at 70 yards.I have taken more than 50 deer from 40 to 150 lbs at ranges of 20 to 270 yards with it.
Olympus
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I've never had a SST bullet fail to do a devastating job. I use that bullet in all my hunting rifles of different calibers.
If you want another option, try the 100gr Sierra Game King bullet. It's been tried and trued. Or if penetration is a concern, the Barnes TTSX or Hornady GMX are good bullets.
If you want another option, try the 100gr Sierra Game King bullet. It's been tried and trued. Or if penetration is a concern, the Barnes TTSX or Hornady GMX are good bullets.
LeonCarr
Member
I think the only people that think the .243 won't kill a deer are gun writers that are paid to promote the latest ubermagnum.
While I really like the .30-06, and every red blooded American should, the .243 will kill the deer the same with a lot less muzzle blast and recoil. Less muzzle blast and recoil means that you will have better shot placement and also practice with the rifle more. I believe if you shoot a .30-06 well, you will shoot a .243 better, even with shooting reduced recoil ammunition in the .30-06.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
While I really like the .30-06, and every red blooded American should, the .243 will kill the deer the same with a lot less muzzle blast and recoil. Less muzzle blast and recoil means that you will have better shot placement and also practice with the rifle more. I believe if you shoot a .30-06 well, you will shoot a .243 better, even with shooting reduced recoil ammunition in the .30-06.
Just my .02,
LeonCarr
Olympus
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I have become a big advocate for the 243. It was my first deer rifle caliber at 12 years old. Through the years I worked my way up the caliber later to 7mm Mag and 300 Mag in the belief that bigger must be better. I am now seeing the error of this way of thought. I have slowly worked my way down the caliber ladder and I'm back at 243 again. In doing so, I have to know what my capabilities are as a shooter with my particular rifle. Become knowledgeable and proficient with whatever caliber you choose and know you and your rifles capabilities and limitations.
41 Mag
Member
While I'm sure that there are multitudes of people out there who use the "managed recoil" ammo with complete satisfaction and effectiveness, in the few examples I have been around when someone was using it, it proved to be a complete disappointment to all involved. In three cases with three different shooters all experienced hunters, there was lost animals. I cannot say the exact cause of why they left as when we did find them they were hit solidly right in the curl behind the shoulder. Trouble is coyotes found them before we did so there wasn't much left to recover when we got there.
I have been hunting for most of my life, I shot and killed my first deer at 6 with of all things an M1 Carbine and a Sierra 110gr RNSP. The next year I got a new Win 70 in .243 and that year, and each year after that, until I was in my teens, I used it to take three if not four deer each season.
When I got into my teens I started using other calibers including the 30-06. Most if not all of the folks I was around were older gentlemen who had been around for some time and were all accomplished hunters and great shots. I learned real quick though if I wanted to hang with them I had to keep my ears open and my mouth shut. Best to be seen and not heard. I really enjoyed those times and learned a ton of thing from them.
One thing that stood out the most though was this, with most brand name factory ammo, or when using the proper handloaded bullets for the critter in question, either one will do a clean job of putting Bambi in the freezer.
Neither however, will do it, if the person behind the trigger doesn't do their part no matter what ammo or bullet they are shooting. There is also no substitution for practicing with what your going to use. If you want to shoot $45 per box ammo for hunting, you had better be willing to cough up the extra to shoot enough to be confident and proficient with it. Don't use numbers 1 through 5 for sighting in on a paper plate at 100yds, and then think #6 is magically going to take the buck of your dreams at 400yds.
I have been hunting for most of my life, I shot and killed my first deer at 6 with of all things an M1 Carbine and a Sierra 110gr RNSP. The next year I got a new Win 70 in .243 and that year, and each year after that, until I was in my teens, I used it to take three if not four deer each season.
When I got into my teens I started using other calibers including the 30-06. Most if not all of the folks I was around were older gentlemen who had been around for some time and were all accomplished hunters and great shots. I learned real quick though if I wanted to hang with them I had to keep my ears open and my mouth shut. Best to be seen and not heard. I really enjoyed those times and learned a ton of thing from them.
One thing that stood out the most though was this, with most brand name factory ammo, or when using the proper handloaded bullets for the critter in question, either one will do a clean job of putting Bambi in the freezer.
Neither however, will do it, if the person behind the trigger doesn't do their part no matter what ammo or bullet they are shooting. There is also no substitution for practicing with what your going to use. If you want to shoot $45 per box ammo for hunting, you had better be willing to cough up the extra to shoot enough to be confident and proficient with it. Don't use numbers 1 through 5 for sighting in on a paper plate at 100yds, and then think #6 is magically going to take the buck of your dreams at 400yds.
well said!
The "deer-specific" rounds I see (and use) in .243 are actually the opposite of what you describe. They are controlled expansion bullets. Rapidly exxpanding bullets are more of a trait of varmint rounds than deer rounds. I shoot things like the Partition, Fusion, etc....all designed for penetration as well as expansion.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
From a magazine article:
"Federal Cartridge Company (ATK) has announced "Power-Shok" reduced-recoil loads in .308 Win and .30/06. Both calibers are being loaded to a muzzle velocity of 2,000 fps with a 170-grain, flat-tipped Speer bullet that expands well at reduced velocity levels. The folks at Federal say the new Power-Shok loads function in autoloaders and are effective on medium-size game out to 200 yards."
That's roughly the performance of a thutty-thutty. Trajectory about the same. Oughta do just fine.
"Federal Cartridge Company (ATK) has announced "Power-Shok" reduced-recoil loads in .308 Win and .30/06. Both calibers are being loaded to a muzzle velocity of 2,000 fps with a 170-grain, flat-tipped Speer bullet that expands well at reduced velocity levels. The folks at Federal say the new Power-Shok loads function in autoloaders and are effective on medium-size game out to 200 yards."
That's roughly the performance of a thutty-thutty. Trajectory about the same. Oughta do just fine.
Stainlessbutcher
Member
I shoot a 30-06 for deer hunting simply cause it's what I've got. I'm having a .243 built on an old Mauser action that I'll be using next year. Here in TX, the deer aren't particularly large, and a .243 is perfect with a well placed shot, a side benefit is that you can shoot a turkey or coyote with one and it won't explode into un-useable meat/pelt.
Butch.
Butch.
Sunray
Member
"...significantly reduce the amount of felt recoil..." Dropping the bullet weight will do that regardless of the velocity.
The Remington 125 runs at roughly 2660FPS according to their site. Hand loaded 125's run around 3,000 FPS.
The Hornady 125 starts at 2700 FPS MV. Same as the old .30 M1's 150.
Anyway, felt recoil is very subjective and Bambi won't know or care what kills him. Use the rifle/cartridge you shoot best. One is not better than the other.
The Remington 125 runs at roughly 2660FPS according to their site. Hand loaded 125's run around 3,000 FPS.
The Hornady 125 starts at 2700 FPS MV. Same as the old .30 M1's 150.
Anyway, felt recoil is very subjective and Bambi won't know or care what kills him. Use the rifle/cartridge you shoot best. One is not better than the other.
I shoot 30-06 mostly. I shoot .243 on occasion but my 243 doesn't have as good a scope as my 30-06. Both are Savage rifles. Both have killed plenty of deer over the years. I have never had a deer run far with a properly placed 243 bullet of any kind. I had a nice 8 point run 150-200 yards a few years ago with a perfectly placed 30-06 shot. He was dead and didn't realize it for a few seconds I suppose. Downhill into a swamp and wasn't that a lot of fun. Maybe he rolled down the hill?
A 12 year old boy got his first gun (Ruger American 30-06) from his grandfather for Christmas in 2014 and it was sighted in using the reduced recoil rounds. He killed his first deer, a spike, earlier this year. I helped dress the deer and the bullet was boiler plate. Deer ran maybe 20 yards into a ditch and was dead. The shot was under 100 yards. I don't know the specifics on the actual bullet used but can get it this weekend as he is supposed to be coming back for another hunt.
A 12 year old boy got his first gun (Ruger American 30-06) from his grandfather for Christmas in 2014 and it was sighted in using the reduced recoil rounds. He killed his first deer, a spike, earlier this year. I helped dress the deer and the bullet was boiler plate. Deer ran maybe 20 yards into a ditch and was dead. The shot was under 100 yards. I don't know the specifics on the actual bullet used but can get it this weekend as he is supposed to be coming back for another hunt.
Andrew Leigh
Member
From all the hunts that I have been on both the .243 and 30-06 remain amongst the most popular calibre's. It has been my considered observation that the former results in more meat damage and also results in more recovery time.
I love the .243 as a calibre but purely from a meat damage point of view I hunt with the 30-06 using 180gr bullets at slower speeds and or a 6.5mm Swede with 130gr bullets.
If meat damage is not your concern then the .243 is surely a wonderful calibre for that size deer.
I love the .243 as a calibre but purely from a meat damage point of view I hunt with the 30-06 using 180gr bullets at slower speeds and or a 6.5mm Swede with 130gr bullets.
If meat damage is not your concern then the .243 is surely a wonderful calibre for that size deer.
Berger.Fan222
Member
There is nothing wrong with a .243, but there is no need to buy another rifle if you own a 30-06 already and want to reduce the recoil. We hand loaded 125 grain bullets in the 30-06 for years, and found recoil to be very mild compared to full power, normal weight hunting loads. The loads were very effective on deer to 200 yards. I expect the comparable factory loads will be comparable in recoil and results.
Young&Ret.
Member
Muzzle break is the name and recoil is its game
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