Low recoil 243 win loads (child)

[OFFGRID]

guys i got a kid thats recoil sensitive. he weighs 75 lbs and is scared of a 243. hes comfortable with an ar in 556 but the 243 break over is too much.

i need to get recoil down safely for target practice and to help him get comfortable with the rifle.

im sure trailboss would do the trick but ya know...

i need something more realistic
i was thinking of maybe trying the reduced loads hodgdon mentioned with h4895 where you load 60% of starting load. mayne with a 55 or 60 grain?


i also heard someone mention using cream of wheat as a filler for reduced loads. anyone heard of that?


any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[.308 Norma]

i also heard someone mention using cream of wheat as a filler for reduced loads. anyone heard of that?

Yeah, I've heard of it. I've also heard of (and actually tried) using Dacron pillow stuffing in reduced loads for several different cartridges.
In your applications though (low-recoil "target practice" loads) I don't think using a filler is worth the effort. Then again, I wouldn't be using H4895 powder either. My Speer Manual lists quite a few reduced 243 loads using AA 5744 powder instead.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I have never tried reduced H4895 loads in 243 but have had really good success in several other cartridges.

H322 loads have worked for me in 308, and may work well in 243.

If the muzzle is threaded, a muzzle brake can work wonders.

 

[barnfrog]

H4895 worked well for me in a reduced load I worked up. 80-grain FMJ bullets with 25.0 grains of powder shot pretty well as a target load out to 100 yards.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Look into cast bullets and Unique.

 

[OFFGRID]

Yeah, I've heard of it. I've also heard of (and actually tried) using Dacron pillow stuffing in reduced loads for several different cartridges.
In your applications though (low-recoil "target practice" loads) I don't think using a filler is worth the effort. Then again, I wouldn't be using H4895 powder either. My Speer Manual lists quite a few reduced 243 loads using AA 5744 powder instead.

thanks. i dug out my old speer and it lists reduced loads with imr 4198. not sure but i think i seen that at a local shop. ill check it out after the holiday

 

[ms6852]

Using AA5744 with a 90 grain bullet with 21 grains to 23 grains will keep velocities between 2100 to 2300 fps and very light recoil.

 

[41 Mag]

If you look at the directions for Reduced Recoil Loads you'll see you can use any caliber and bullet weight that there is data for. Yes it is a reduction of 60% of the max load listed for a specific weight bullet per caliber. They dobwork well and I have used them in both 243 and 308 for my daughter and then for my 3 grandsons.

Also the 4198 and AA5744 powders have similar abilities but I have not used either of those.

My oldest grandson used a H4895 load with a 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip to get his first hog, two weeks shy of his 4th birthday...

What I liked about these loads is that you can simply gradually increase the charge back up to the listed max load for the particular combination. I found that while the point of impact changed, it took very little adjustment as we moved up the power scale. Accuracy was good, to steller depending upon what bullet we used. As the kiddos grew, I bumped both charges and bullet weights up as they got accustomed to them. In reality, I don't think their precieved recoil mattered much, as we moved up. They just seemed to want to keep burning up ammo more and more.

 

[Howa 9700]

I'm going to be the odd man out and have to ask........at what age is it appropriate to allow a kid to even fire a lethal weapon? (a rhetorical question). I ask......as I grew up on a farm where guns were tools and a way of life. Not only was I allowed to shoot guns on my own, it was expected that I leaned. Even at that, I didn't even get a low powered BB gun until I was 8. Didn't even fire a 22 with my dad watching and helping until I was 9 or 10. Prior to that it was cheap slingshots from the dime store I bought myself..........and a kid can get himself into a remarkable amount of trouble even with one of those.

I have 3 grandsons and one has a little nerf pistol and try as I may, I can't get him to understand how to point and aim it at a pop can sized target only 5 feet away. He is not even able to load it himself and he is now 6. Granted, small and both physically and mentally underdeveloped for his age, but I would not even trust him with a BB gun at this stage. They have no ability to appreciate the danger of the thing in their hands. At least none of the kids I know do.

So back to the OP's question...........it could be he is not yet ready for anything past a 22? And may be doing great harm (instilling a flinch) by pushing it. Having said that, if the light is still green for a .243.........then one could put a 75 grain bullet in there at a starting load.......that would not kick much beyond a 22 lr. The noise is still going to be there, however. If that remains too much, then he is not yet ready. Square pegs in round holes.......and all that.

 

[snowman357]

If the goal is hunting he will have a thick coat on to help with the recoil for everyday practice get one of those recoil shoulder pads caldwell makes. My wife uses a recoil pad when shooting 303 and 3006.

 

[OFFGRID]

If the goal is hunting he will have a thick coat on to help with the recoil for everyday practice get one of those recoil shoulder pads caldwell makes. My wife uses a recoil pad when shooting 303 and 3006.

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the kid has fired 6 rounds from the rifle. he said it didnt hurt him but it scares him.
i know exactly what hes talking about. first time i fired a 3006 i thought it was pretty violent. it took a couple boxes of shells to get comfortable with it.

 

[snowman357]

the kid has fired 6 rounds from the rifle. he said it didnt hurt him but it scares him.
i know exactly what hes talking about. first time i fired a 3006 i thought it was pretty violent. it took a couple boxes of shells to get comfortable with it.

ok if its not recoil but more of a noise/flash thing find a reactive target for him to focus on, water filled bottles, ballons with chalk dust, shooting clays cans of shaving cream, focusing more on the target reaction will distract him from the noise and flash. After a few times of this go back to paper for measured results.