john fisher
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What's the best gun for deer with lower recoil?
Best hunting gun for deer with medium recoil
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ontarget
Member
Rifle type makes a difference but you can't go wrong with a bolt action in .243. Great deer cartridge with minimal recoil.
troy fairweather
Member
find our self a bot action in 243 win.but more info will help, like range even type of hunting
Armored farmer
Member
...like they said ^^^^ .243
Fine Figure of a Man
Member
A frequently asked question. The default answer has long been .243 and a good choice IMO. The 6.5 Grendel would be a good choice as well, maybe better.
Cannot go wrong with the .243 however I have lately been gravitating towards my .257 Roberts. Perhaps more because of a nostalgic leaning to an old classic but in any case, minimal recoil and excellent on game performance. Cannot say it kills better but the deer never complain with either. Almost all my shots are within 150 to 200 yards and the deer never go far, most drop within 20 yards - performance is usually stellar with a double lung shot
Typically use something the 100 gr range with the .243 and handholds with 117 gr. PSP in the Bob.
Gary
Typically use something the 100 gr range with the .243 and handholds with 117 gr. PSP in the Bob.
Gary
Patocazador
Member
I love .25 caliber rifles. .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, and .25-06 are all great on deer. The .250 Savage is very low recoil and does a fantastic job on deer. However, it's hard to find one nowadays.
The .250 Savage was nick-named the .250-3000 because it was the first commercial cartridge to achieve 3000 fps.
The .250 Savage was nick-named the .250-3000 because it was the first commercial cartridge to achieve 3000 fps.
mustanger98
Member
Another .243Win fan here. 
Winchester 100gr PowerPoints do the job, but so do others.
Winchester 100gr PowerPoints do the job, but so do others.
There are any number of lower recoil cartridges that are great for deer. What the .243 has going for it is good ammo availability with a selection of different bullets to meet your needs.
If you reload just look for a good deal on a quality rifle and load the ammo to suite your needs. Personally I prefer 6.5x55 but it does not have near the off the shelf ammo availability as the .243.
If you reload just look for a good deal on a quality rifle and load the ammo to suite your needs. Personally I prefer 6.5x55 but it does not have near the off the shelf ammo availability as the .243.
.308 Norma
Member
Another vote for the .243 here, but the 7mm-08 ain't a bad choice either.
earlthegoat2
Member
.243 is a good choice but it does not fit my definition of medium recoil. I’d call it light. My recommendation would be 7mm-08 or 6.5CM
john fisher
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How does a .270 compare to a 30-30?
I'm comparing recoil here
I'm comparing recoil here
WTBguns10kOK
member
I'm going to break from the consensus here and suggest a .243
It kills big deer and black bear fine, so any deer you hunt will fall if shot placement correct,
It kills big deer and black bear fine, so any deer you hunt will fall if shot placement correct,
WTBguns10kOK
member
Grumulkin
Member
The heading says "medium recoil" and your post says "lower recoil."
Low recoil: 204 Ruger, 243 Winchester, 22-250 Remington, 223 Remington, 222 Remington, etc. I've taken deer with all of these except the 243 Winchester and the 223 Remington.
Medium recoil: 30/30 Winchester, 270 Winchester, 25/06 Remington, 308 Winchester, 30/06 Springfield.
Heavy recoil: 375 H&H Magnum, 458 Lott, 378 Weatherby Magnum.
If you put a suppressor say on a 308 Winchester, recoil will be cut down to the low range.
Recoil is subjective. You should check into borrowing / renting a gun at a shooting range if possible. Like those above have said ^^^ .243 Win is the default answer to this question. I had a light Rem. Model Seven in .243 that was excellent. I'm now using an AR platform in 6.5 Grendel which is also excellent.
It has also been reported that a 30-30 works well on deer but that cartridge may be obsolete since it is not a super-whiz-bang heavy magnum and so may no longer be effective. There is also the .30 carbine in an M1 carbine.
IMHO those suggesting a .270 or .308 as 'lower recoil' might have a different recoil tolerance than you have. They are certainly correct in the grand scheme of rifle calibers as these have lower recoil than many popular calibers.
1. It's all subjective
2. Almost any reasonable amount of recoil can be managed with practice.
3. It's best to try before you buy if this is a concern
It has also been reported that a 30-30 works well on deer but that cartridge may be obsolete since it is not a super-whiz-bang heavy magnum and so may no longer be effective. There is also the .30 carbine in an M1 carbine.
IMHO those suggesting a .270 or .308 as 'lower recoil' might have a different recoil tolerance than you have. They are certainly correct in the grand scheme of rifle calibers as these have lower recoil than many popular calibers.
1. It's all subjective
2. Almost any reasonable amount of recoil can be managed with practice.
3. It's best to try before you buy if this is a concern
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mustanger98
Member
Comparing those two, both factory-loaded and running 150gr jacketed bullets, the .270 is going to outkick the .30-30. For the extra recoil, inside 200yds, IMO you won't gain much if anything.
Back upthread, I went with .243, but I've killed deer with a .30-30, too.
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There are several threads on this very topic you can read, but I'd suggest checking out a few things:
First, get some Trailboss powder and load your own cartridges. With Trailboss, you can take a traditional high-recoil cartridge and totally tame it. It likely won't be good for hunting, but will get a new or recoil-sensitive shooter up to snuff on whatever rifle in any chambering. Increase your handloads with the powder/bullet combo that meets your minimum requirements for deer and you're there. All the traditional cartridges like .270, .30-06, .35 Remington, etc. can be tamed by handloading. So pick a rifle/cartridge combination on other criteria.
For some neat deer cartridges that are on the lighter-recoil end, look at a number of the built-for-AR15 cartridges that also go into bolt-actions etc. Like .300 Blackout, .450 Bushmaster, and my favorite, 6.5mm Grendel. These are all lighter-recoiling than the more traditional .243 and yet still effective on deer.
Also check out 6.0mm Creedmoor as an alternative to .243. And, because it's popular and there's tons of rifles at your LGS's in 6.5 Creedmoor, consider you can handload it down to whatever level you want (with the right powder) to be effective at your purpose.
First, get some Trailboss powder and load your own cartridges. With Trailboss, you can take a traditional high-recoil cartridge and totally tame it. It likely won't be good for hunting, but will get a new or recoil-sensitive shooter up to snuff on whatever rifle in any chambering. Increase your handloads with the powder/bullet combo that meets your minimum requirements for deer and you're there. All the traditional cartridges like .270, .30-06, .35 Remington, etc. can be tamed by handloading. So pick a rifle/cartridge combination on other criteria.
For some neat deer cartridges that are on the lighter-recoil end, look at a number of the built-for-AR15 cartridges that also go into bolt-actions etc. Like .300 Blackout, .450 Bushmaster, and my favorite, 6.5mm Grendel. These are all lighter-recoiling than the more traditional .243 and yet still effective on deer.
Also check out 6.0mm Creedmoor as an alternative to .243. And, because it's popular and there's tons of rifles at your LGS's in 6.5 Creedmoor, consider you can handload it down to whatever level you want (with the right powder) to be effective at your purpose.
JeffG
Member
Another vote for the 243 here.
As said also, 257 Roberts, 250 Savage, 25-06, 7-08 all fit the bill too...
As said also, 257 Roberts, 250 Savage, 25-06, 7-08 all fit the bill too...
entropy
Member
.223, if legal in your state, .243, .257 Roberts, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm-08, and 6.5 Creedmoor would all be good rifles for your parameters.
300Whspr
Member
30-30 I would say fits the bill for recoil, and has probably taken as many deer as all the others combined... and it can be had in almost any type of action... bolt, lever, single shot.
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