What is .308 Win recoil like?

[mainmech48]

Personally, I find the recoil of even low brass "target" loads in almost any fixed breech 12 ga. to be much more punishing (from a bench) than any of my .308/7.62x51 rifles, even the Savage 99F at a bit over 7.5 lbs with scope & mounts. If you can handle 2 3/4" slug or buckshot loads in an 870, most standard .308 hunting loads shouldn't faze you much.

There are drop-on recoil pads like the Pachmayr "Decelerator" and Limb Saver made for many popular rifles and shotguns which help take a lot of the punishment out of shooting a lightweight weapon. Inexpensive and effective, as I found when I put one on my Marlin 1895G. Another went on my 870 in short order.

Another option besides the excellent .243 with lighter recoil in a short action BA than the .308 would be the under appreciated 7mm-08. Accurate, flat-shooting and extremely versatile.

 

[Average Joe]

When I shoot my Remington 700 bolt rifle, in .308, it feels like I'm getting kicked in the shoulder by a mule. I hope this puts it in perspective for you.

 

[Fumbler]

USSR, are you new to shooting? New shooters often don't really understand accuracy.

What Father Knows Best is trying to say is if I take my Tikka T3 Light and shoot a 3 round group with 30 minutes in between shots and get 0.5MOA accuracy, that's just as accurate as a heavy barreled Savage 110 that shot a 0.5MOA group with only one minute between shots.

If I have a rifle that shoots to within 0.25MOA to POA every single time I pull the trigger (be it an entire year between the opening days of deer season or 30 seconds at the range) then I'd say I had an accurate rifle. How many guns can truely shoot to POA? Its no small feat.

P Plainsman, to me a 308 in an 8 lbs rifle (7 lbs rifle + 1lbs scope) feels about like standard buckshot in my short barreled Mossberg 500. A 308 in a 7 lbs (6lbs + 1lb scope) feels about like "magnum" 2.75in buckshot or about like a 30-06.
The 150 gr kick a tiny bit less but there's really not a lot of difference in recoil between the different bullet weights...BUT military surplus stuff does recoil less (to me at least).

 

[Legionnaire]

Depends. I hunt with a .308 Remington Model 7 in a lightweight HS Precision stock, usually with 150gr factory ammo. Nevery worried about recoil much, and in the field, shooting at game, no problem.

However ... recoil from my .308 Remington 700 VSSF shooting 175gr match ammo is pretty sharp when shooting from a bench, and prone can be downright painful after several rounds, especially if all you're wearing above the waist is a t-shirt.

I took Long Range Rifle I and II at Storm Mountain a couple of years ago. Very first day, I was still getting settled in the prone position we did most of our shooting from. I didn't have the gun in tight and when it went off, I felt the heel of the stock really bite in. Ouch! Five days and five hundred rounds later, I had the bruise to end all bruises. My entire right pectoral was a mass of purple and yellow. The picture is too ugly to post here! I was very sore, but I'd paid my fee and I wasn't going to wimp out on one of the best classes I have ever taken.

So a lot depends on your shooting position, etc. And get that butt in tight!

 

[1911 guy]

Don't be alarmed

There is substantial recoil from a .308, I'm not going to blow smoke. But, if you can handle a 12 ga. on a regular basis, no worries. The effect of shooting a .308 from the bench is no worse than the shotgun would be, but how many of us bench our shotguns? If you shoot more than 100 rounds from the bench you will likely have a bruise, but shooting from offhand will lessen the likelyhood. Unless you're planning on a strictly benchrest rifle, shoot offhand often. More useful position. The .308 is my favorite rifle caliber and I'm not a glutton for punishment, I assume you're not either. Good choice in caliber.

 

[Bwana John]

I am not "recoil" shy, but I dont like rifles with breaks or that are "overbore" and have a large muzzle blast.

I think most folks with a little practice should be able to handle a .308 Win. The US military does not think that anymore.

New shooters often don't really understand accuracy

Fumbler, do you understand the differance between accuracy and precision? What you are describing is precision.

 

[Bullet]

I believe Murphster had a good link. You might also try this –

http://www.travellercentral.com/rules/ke.html

There is a difference between actual recoil and felt recoil. I have a 50 Beowulf. When I first shot it with a regular AR stock the kick would bruise me but I put a good recoil pad (like mainmech48 recommended) on my AR. Now it still kicks but doesn’t bruise me. Same actual recoil but less perceived (felt) recoil.

 

[Rob96]

The recoil of .308 wasn't bad at all in the M60 machine gun.

 

[Browns Fan]

Yeah, I could shoot the gas operated, 26 lb m60 all day, no problem. Road marches with it, however, are another story!

Thanks, Daniel, I'll try the methods described in your link on the next range trip.

 

[USSR]

USSR, are you new to shooting? New shooters often don't really understand accuracy.

Fumbler,

Been shooting for over 40 years, so I don't think so. How 'bout you? I have been shooting 1,000 yard F Class competition for 3 years now, so I am reminded everytime I check my score, what accuracy is and isn't. While you may believe that shooting a 3 round group with 30 minutes in between shots and getting a 0.5MOA group is accuracy, what you are essentially doing is dumbing down the meaning of accuracy so that nearly any rifle made will qualify. An accurate rifle will not require 30 minutes between shots due to a piss poor barrel that is not free floated, thereby causing a wandering zero whenever the barrel gets warm. My personal .308 is an FN SPR, and with my handload will shoot 5 shot groups into 3/8" at 100 yards without waiting for the barrel to cool. There is a big difference between a rifle that can be made to work with strict limitations, and a truly accurate rifle. Just MHO.

Don

 

[MDHunter]

Back to Your Recoil Question.....

If you can handle the 2 3/4" 12 gauge loads, the .308 should not be any problem at all in my opinion. I think the recoil SHOULD be quite a bit less than you feel with the 12 gauge, as long as you position yourself correctly on the bench.

A lot of times when people complain about the recoil in bench sessions, they are positioned too much directly behind the rifle, rather than in a more forgiving position (I'm not describing it well, but some of the links posted here may show you what's a good bench position).

I can shoot 40-50 Federal Premium High Energy rounds of .30-06 in 180 grain loads during a range session, and I'm fairly average in size. Of course, only about 10 of those shots are in bench position and the rest are hunting positions, but the .308 really should feel like less than the 12 gauge. As long as you buy a rifle with a recoil pad on it or add one to the rifle afterwards, you should have no problem at all.

Of course, when my new Ruger Model 77 in .338 WinMag arrives later this week, we'll SEE how well I can adapt to recoil! PAST Recoil pad here I come....

Good luck with whatever you choose, and you're asking questions of the right group of people!

Michael

 

[Onslaught]

I must admit that I'm a big-ole' recoil sissy, but here's my experience.

I have owned a Springfield M1A and an FN FAL. Both had solid but manageable recoil. I have also shot skeet several times and trap once, all with a 12 gauge Winchester pump, and the recoil was not an issue.

But then, I purchased a Savage 11FL (Im a leftie) which shows on the savage website as weighing 6.5#. I was unpleasantly surprised by how much recoil it had compared to my previous experiences. I didn't give it a chance, and sold it after firing less than one box of ammo. I then purchased a Savage 10-FLP weighing in at 8.5#. The recoil was still significant (to me) but of course it was less than the 6.5# rifle. Keep in mind that the FLP was fired off the bench, and I intended to SHOOT it, not just hunt with it, so I wanted something I could fire 50 or 100 rounds through in a day... The FLP still wasn't "it" for that application (again, for me).

I really want another bolt action, but I personally will be looking at alternate calibers... 7mm-08 or even .243.

The only way you will know for sure is to be able to fire a few rounds through one before laying down your money.

 

[Soap]

Browns Fan- Let me know how it works out for you.

 

[Byron Quick]

When I shoot my Remington 700 bolt rifle, in .308, it feels like I'm getting kicked in the shoulder by a mule. I hope this puts it in perspective for you.

I think you need to get the fit of your stock checked. If it fits then you need to look at your hold.

I've got a .458 Winchester Magnum. The recoil is about the same as standard 12 gauge slugs. Not plinking recoil by any means but I can shoot it 10 times in a row and not have a bruise or describe the kick as a mule's either.

I've also got the 700 PSS in .308 and .300 Winchester Magnum. The .300 WinMag's recoil is stout but I can shoot a box or two of ammunition from the bench and I'm not especially insensitive to recoil.

 

[sigstroker]

If you can handle a 12 gauge I wouldn't worry about a .308. You might get a little bruising at first, but practice will eventually stop that. If you plan to hunt with it you'll only be taking a couple shots at most. If it bothers you during sight-in or load development just roll up a t-shirt and put it between the buttstock and your shoulder.

 

[rs3604]

I use a single shot Mossberg SSi in .308 and there is no where for recoil to go but back and it's not bad at all. I could shoot it all day. .308 is a good all around caliber with a few different weights to chose from, from 150gr to 180gr. 180 is the biggest I've found. It will take down ELK and MOOSE with a well place shot to the vitals.

 

[Texfire]

I hope no one minds, but I'm going to tag in on the original question. I'm a fairly new shooter and I'm thinking of picking up a CETME/G3 or a FAL/L1A1 for my next rifle. The only real centerfire military rifles I have shot any appreciable amount of, up to this point, are my M1 Garand and my SKS.

I find the M1's recoil a little more stout than I can shoot for more than 5 clips without getting sore, though the last 2-3 clips were from a rest which I didn't know increased percieved recoil. I love the history behind my Garand, but I don't shoot as much as my other guns. I also recently bought an SKS and put 100 rounds through it in the same session and had absolutely no problem with it. It was relaxing after the M1, and very controllable for follow-up shots.

So where is a MBR in .308 going to fall between these two?

 

[Father Knows Best]

So where is a MBR in .308 going to fall between these two?

The .308 cartridge (7.62x51) is ballistically almost identical to the .30-'06 cartridge that your Garand fires. It fires essentially the same bullets at about the exact same velocity. The .308 is really nothing more than a .30-'06 that was shortened a bit because advances in gunpowders in the 40-50 years after the .30-'06 was adopted allowed the same performance with less powder in the case.

As you know, the SKS fires the 7.62x39 cartridge. Note that it is 12 millimeters shorter, which means less case capacity and less powder. Common loadings also tend to use a slightly lighter bullet than the .308 (the Russkie is usually 122-154 grains, while the .308 is most commonly 150-180 grains, though there are certainly exceptions). The 7.62x39 used in the SKS is an "intermediate" cartridge, i.e., it is less powerful than full power cartridges like the .30-'06 and .308.

Accordingly, a gas-operated MBR in .308 will tend to produce a recoil impulse that is much more like your Garand than your SKS. The exact amount depends a lot on the gun's weight and specific operating system, and the load you choose.

I have several .308 MBR's. My FAL feels softer to shoot than my Garands, whereas my PTR-91 feels a little harder (thanks largely to the blowback operating system vs. the gas systems on the FAL and Garand). Still, the differences are slight.

 

[.45Guy]

Well, the only rifle that has ever caused me to ask *** is going on here is the FR-8. That little SOB was a shoulder beater IMHO.

 

[Marshall]

In like guns, it feels like a 30-06, only less.

 

[Texfire]

Doh! :banghead: I knew that the .308 was designed as a replacement for the .30-06 but totally blanked on it. But I didn't know that the PT-91/G3 was a delayed blowback system. Am I correct in assuming that the same holds true for the CETME? Also is it the case that the gas recoil system lengthens the recoil period and that is the main reason that the FAL system has less perceived recoil?