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Felt recoil
- Thread starter Mtn lover
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Big7
The Oracle
First part: Not much (real life) but technically yes..
Not a real kicker. No problem.
Second part: Not enough to tell.
Technically yes.. Little less recoil.
jmoser
Senior Member
Are the stocks identical? Sometimes the shape of the stock / comb etc makes a big difference on a lever gun. If the weight of the guns are similar and the stock geometry is comparable you will probably not notice much of a difference.
My BLR .300 kicks for sure but its manageable; even a BAR will thump you with 64 ksi loads.
Only .308 that 'kicks' for me is my lightweight Model 600 carbine.
My BPR [pump] is just fine.
And the real answer - unless you plan on shooting 20+ rounds at a time you just wont notice recoil that much in a .308.
My BLR .300 kicks for sure but its manageable; even a BAR will thump you with 64 ksi loads.
Only .308 that 'kicks' for me is my lightweight Model 600 carbine.
My BPR [pump] is just fine.
And the real answer - unless you plan on shooting 20+ rounds at a time you just wont notice recoil that much in a .308.
Philbow
Senior Member
Different recoil pads will make a huge difference in felt recoil. A straight grip versus a pistol grip seems to recoil more to me. But a straight grip seems faster to aim/point to me.
Felt recoil:
It's qualitative, so it is individual.
My Win. M94 in .30-30 beats up my shoulder and I can only shoot about 20 shots before I am sore. Went to hospital once 'cause my shoulder was so sore.
My T/C Contender with 10" barrel in .30-30 is a joy to shoot all day long.
My Ruger M77 in .30-06 feels like a .243 in comparison to the M94 and I have easily fired more than 50 rounds in one session without issue.
Finally, I have never felt a semi-auto that did NOT have a significant drop in real recoil with the gas system/slide/etc. absorbing the recoil.
It's qualitative, so it is individual.
My Win. M94 in .30-30 beats up my shoulder and I can only shoot about 20 shots before I am sore. Went to hospital once 'cause my shoulder was so sore.
My T/C Contender with 10" barrel in .30-30 is a joy to shoot all day long.
My Ruger M77 in .30-06 feels like a .243 in comparison to the M94 and I have easily fired more than 50 rounds in one session without issue.
Finally, I have never felt a semi-auto that did NOT have a significant drop in real recoil with the gas system/slide/etc. absorbing the recoil.
GT-40 GUY
Gone But Not Forgotten
I have a Browing Safari BAR in 30-06 and it is very comfortable to shoot especially when shooting at a deer. If you can afford the BAR by all means buy it. The best thing about it is if you have 2 or more deer standing you can drop the first one then the other deer usually freeze and do not hear you reload like with a bolt action and then you can shoot the second or third deer. I have done it quite a few times. Also the BAR eats everything I feed it.
gt40
gt40
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Lilly001
Senior Member
I think the auto loader doesn't reduce the recoil as much as it slows it down because of the reloading cycle. And that makes the recoil seem to be less.
My dad had a BAR .308 when I was a teenager. I shot it a good bit. The recoil wasn't bad at all. It's a heavy gun.
lonewolf247
Senior Member
Both of these are in 30-06, and I could shoot an entire box, with no recoil issues. I think the recoil pads help a little too, with the Safari, and the lightweight stalker models, over the older Bars. Also, the Accuracy on these too, will rival many bolt actions. I would definitely recommend the Bar.
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model88_308
Banned
Which BAR are you talking about? There's the Safari and now they make a MKIII. With wood, it looks like the MKIII is about 3/4 pound lighter than the Safari model in .308. The BLR is lighter still at more than 1/2 pound lighter than the MKIII in both PG and straight stock.
I've owned both in .308 and prefer the BLR for it's lighter weight and shorter OAL. Of course YMMV.
My three present BLRs are in .450, .325 & .358
I've owned both in .308 and prefer the BLR for it's lighter weight and shorter OAL. Of course YMMV.
My three present BLRs are in .450, .325 & .358
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Personal opinion is that the semi autos in 308 mitigate recoil quite a bit.
I have shot 308 bolt guns much more than semi autos (1000s of rounds) and when I switch and shoot a BAR, AR10 pattern, or a M1 SOCOM (heavy gun for sure) I think the recoil is quite a bit less
308 is pretty light regardless of action
I have shot 308 bolt guns much more than semi autos (1000s of rounds) and when I switch and shoot a BAR, AR10 pattern, or a M1 SOCOM (heavy gun for sure) I think the recoil is quite a bit less
308 is pretty light regardless of action
Philbow
Senior Member
I suspect the weight difference between the semi-autos and the lever/bolt actions has more of an effect on felt recoil than the semi-auto eject/load cycle. Just glancing at the BAR & BLR specs the BAR is usually about a pound heavier which would be a significant reduction in felt recoil.
Thanks Guys,
For all of the replies.I love a lever action and my BLR, but boy does that trigger suck ! I wonder if the BAR is better or cheaper to fix. Maybe I'll be patient and wait for a used BAR or a real good deal and compare the two. More likely, I'd have to sell one to buy the other.
I suppose weight does make a difference and I walk a lot when I hunt. Once sighted in, a few shots here and there will be the most it's shot anyway. 20 rounds was definitely felt by my shoulder !!
Thanks again
For all of the replies.I love a lever action and my BLR, but boy does that trigger suck ! I wonder if the BAR is better or cheaper to fix. Maybe I'll be patient and wait for a used BAR or a real good deal and compare the two. More likely, I'd have to sell one to buy the other.
I suppose weight does make a difference and I walk a lot when I hunt. Once sighted in, a few shots here and there will be the most it's shot anyway. 20 rounds was definitely felt by my shoulder !!
Thanks again
Philbow
Senior Member
I cheat when sighting-in anything larger than 22 centerfires. For my deer rifles I use a 1 inch thick 3 x 8 inch closed cell piece of a sleeping pad between the butt plate and my shoulder. The extra padding and a wider area to dissipate the recoil energy helps a lot.
For sighting in my turkey shotguns I shoot standing using the base of an old treestand with plenty of padding under my hand and arm holding the forearm. If you don't use the padding the treestand will scrape hunks of skin. I also have canvas bag with 7 pounds of lead shot in one section and 4 ponds in another. The 7 pound section goes between me and the gun, with the 4 pound section hanging down my back to help balance the bag. While I still don't enjoy sighting-in the turkey guns at least now I don't dread it.
For sighting in my turkey shotguns I shoot standing using the base of an old treestand with plenty of padding under my hand and arm holding the forearm. If you don't use the padding the treestand will scrape hunks of skin. I also have canvas bag with 7 pounds of lead shot in one section and 4 ponds in another. The 7 pound section goes between me and the gun, with the 4 pound section hanging down my back to help balance the bag. While I still don't enjoy sighting-in the turkey guns at least now I don't dread it.
