Recoil question

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alfon99

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Hi, I'm looking for a rifle caliber with recoil comparable to that of 12 gauge 2 3/4 inch loads. My dad never tried my 12 gauge shotgun. He says it's because he doesn't like shotguns, he likes rifles. I think he's just scared of the recoil :rolleyes: . So I want to see if he will shoot a rifle with recoil similar to that of 12 gauge. Any suggestions?
 
There is a huge range of 12 ga loads, and recoil will vary considerably debending on the gun. Some of the lighter field loads recoil less than 20 ga loads and will be comparable to something like 308. Some of the 3 1/2" magnum turkey loads exceed what you'd get from a 458 magnum rifle. Mostly due to the fact that most shotguns are typically a lot lighter then dangerous game rifles.

From standard weight guns, shooting typical loads the 308 is probably most typical. Get into some buckshot loads and you're talking 300 WM recoil.

For someone recoil sensitive a heavy 8+lb gas operated semi is going to feel lighter than anything else, especially with lighter loads.
 
As noted, the recoil of a 12 ga. depends greatly on the load.

But if you are looking for a relatively light recoil rife, check the .243 Win. or .223 Rem.
 
The .30-06 and .308 are comparable to trap loads or maybe a slightly stronger hunting load in the case of the .30-06. Of course a lot depends on the weight of the firearms too but I would say that these comparisons are at least in the same ballpark.
 
30-06 out of a lighter rifle is very comparable to 12-gauge loads. I will say this though, if he shoots 30-06 regularly, recoil doesn't frighten him much.

He might just not like shotguns much. Other than skeet shooting, I don't have much use for them either. Some folks just like to hit exactly what they are aiming for. :)
 
Recoil is all about the weight of the rifle, the design of the stock and the recoil pad or lack of recoil pad. These factors are far more important than the cartridge. A 30-06 that weighs over 8 pounds, with a well designed stock like a Model 70 Winchester, with a Pachmayr decelerator recoil pad is very pleasing to shoot. A rifle with a steel buttplate or hard plastic buttplate will transmit more shock. It also depends on the weight of the bullet and the powder charge. For example, a 150 grain bullet with 57 grains of IMR 4350 will let you know you just fired a rifle, the same bullet with 48 grains of IMR 4064 feels mild. Didn't notice this thread was started in February.
 
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