I would like to go deer hunting this year after a multi-year layoff. Some years ago I was in a car accident involving a drunk driver. One of the injuries was to my shooting shoulder that has left me with considerable pain when shooting high recoiling guns. I am thinking about using my CZ 527 in 7.62x39 and was looking for opinions about the advisability of this plan. I have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 but I cannot use Leverevolution ammo for hunting in California because of the ban on lead bullets in this state. Your thoughts are appreciated. Thank you

Same boat here, but I finally had to get a reverse shoulder implant. I still use my 30-06 ,but with a muzzle brake and Past recoil pad .Going to use my .243 for a late antelope hunt

I think Hornady makes a variant of the LeverEvolution ammo that is lead free

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/30-30-win-140-gr-monoflex-leverevolution#!/

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/monoflex#!/

Remington also offers the 150 gr Barnes TSX HP in the 30-30, I think in the Hog Hammer line.

7.62X39 is a wonderful deer cartridge for woods ranges!

Is using your other shoulder an option?

That's how I'd roll.

If the other shoulder is not an option I'd get a 7-08 and add a muzzlebrake if needed and maybe shoot the barnes 120s out of it, or possibly go to a 243.

ruger walnut stock 7.62x39, excellent condition, very accurate. I took two does at 200 yards with it, kicks like a bb gun.

$650 plus postage to your ffl from me.

Can you use a “handgun” like Nosler’s new bolt thing?

The off shoulder is the best option if you practice. Also a 243 is a great deer caliber but, and this is just my opinion, not with 100 gr bullets. Go with a lighter bullet that holds together & you will do just fine. My bullet of choice when I used rifles was the Sierra 85 gr flat base, not the boat tail! And yes it handles deer easily, trust me.
Your second choice & my first choice would be a revolver, one that you can handle, don't over gun yourself because your "buddy" can shoot a big bore, shoot what you are comfortable with & you'll eat backstraps for supper, just like I am tonight. These were taken on depredation tags last week, the deer with a 41 magnum at 42 yds & the antelope with a 327 magnum at 73 yds.




Dick

Shoulder issues here as well.... I have gone to fast twist .22-250's, .220 Swift and 6mm Creedmoor. Recoil problem solved!

A muzzle brake is another option for some as others have said. Softer recoil pad or loaded down ammo will also help.

That fast twist 22-250 is a devastating deer dumper! 62 grain Barnes TTSX at 3500+ .........WOW!

What's the minimum legal cartridge requirements where you intend to hunt?

Yes, with this caveat: With Good Bullets. Not M I.


Jerry

The minimum caliber for deer and hogs in Cal. is 6mm/243.

I'm a big fan of the CZ Carbine.





Recovered slug, 125gr Lapua SP

Are you sure about that? Has it changed? I believe that in 2017 any centerfire cartridge with expanding lead free bullets was legal.

I've taken deer with a 204 Ruger at a bit over 250 yards, with a 222 Remington and a couple with a 22-250 Remington. One with the 22-250 was at around 360 yards; the furthest shot I've used to bag a deer. Those are all very light recoiling cartridges and of them the 22-250 would be my pick.

I wouldn't hesitate to use a 7.62x39 or a 243 Winchester but I'd still prefer the 22-250 over them.

243 with 80 gr TTSX

Well, under these rules,

Soft recoiling would be a .223 with a 55gr E-tip.

Rug,

The fast twist .220 Swift is even more of a good thing....

Barnes makes a bullet in .310 specifically for the 7.62x39. If you don't load your own, Doubletap Ammo loads them. There may be other ammo brands that carry that bullet and cal as well. Or you could use the lead-free ammo or bullets from Barnes, Nosler, or Hornady in 30-30, and there are others as well.

My choice would be a 223 loaded stiffly and shooting a Barnes TTSX or E-Tip. 223's are hell on deer. If you haven't seen it, you wouldn't believe it.

The 7.62 is similar to the 30-30 in performance, either would work. The recoil would not be much lower than a 243 but if building a rifle the 6mm BR would be about ideal with 80-85 grain mono bullets, the same for a 6x45 or 6x47mm. Nothing wrong with the fast and faster 22s either if legal.

A sorbathane recoil shoulder pad and a good butt pad might be enough. Try these first before going to a muzzle brake. Off a good rest I can use either shoulder but the left eye dominance causes issues for me sometimes, I have seen both off set scope mounts and off set gun stocks made to overcome this. I am probably looking at shoulder surgery some point in the future. Meanwhile glucosamine and hemp oil seem to help and when really bad I have resorted to a cortisone injection before hunting season.

Hornady makes a .30-30 Winchester LEVERevolution load with their 140gr MonoFlex bullet that's lead free.
http://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/30-30-winchester/

If you reload, try GS Custom bullets and reduce whatever recoil by probably 20%. CNC'd copper, so good in CA.

Wasn’t a believer until I saw it in action, but a 223 with a good bullet will be a fantastic option.

Then that's what I'd get. Trade into a 243 of some sort and run 80 gr. bullets in it.

223 with a 60 grain Nosler Partition works well for me......

Another vote for 80 grainers out of a 243 or 6 Creed.

Another vote here for the 60 gr. Partition in either a .223 or 22-250. I have taken many deer with both.

The OP is in California. He needs lead-free recommendations.

Like this:




A 50 grain TTSX at 3200 FPS through both shoulders is a dead deer.




P

Kevin,

I have a similar shoulder situation to your own and have limited use of my right arm. I now use a PAST Field recoil pad to distribute the punishment over a larger surface area and have downsized to a .260 Remington utilizing 120 and 130 grain bullets at speeds around 2700 (no muzzle break, normal recoil pad, 7 1/2 lbs rifle). I have been able to shoot 40-75 shots in a session over the course of a couple hours without any pain or shoulder impingement whereas a couple rounds out of a 30-06 pretty much puts me out of commission. You may be interested in going a similar route in 24, 25, or 26 caliber based on what you know about your recoil tolerances as the killing ability of these calibers is better than the 22's. A 6mm Creedmoor shooting 90 gr with a recoil pad and vest is a mighty light kicker, especially if you roll your own. Good luck!

If you have a "LimbSaver" brand recoil pad installed, they are amazing absorbers, odds would be good you may not need a muzzle brake.

Get a suppressor....I'll never hunt without one from here out. Cuts recoil, and saves your hearing.

Suppressors are not legal in Kalifornia, unfortunately. BTW, you can get .30-30 ammo loaded with the Barnes TSX flat point. I hear they work really well. The .30-30 realistically lacks only in sex appeal. I've hunted all over Kalifornia for deer since 1956. And every sub species of deer except the Southern Mule Deer found in San Diego County. I've only killed two past 300 yds. All the rest of them, included the four year olds were killed under 200 yds.
The .223 is legal as well as the .22-250. I know several who use the .223 every year to kill their bucks. I've seen the .220 Swift work on a crease hit at 300 yds. And there is nothing wrong with the .243. I've seen it kill at over 300 yds. E

What's next, how many rounds of ammunition you can have on your person? Or in your vehicle, or house.....sad

I really didn't know suppressors cut recoil, do they have any effect on velocity?

In my experience, velocity gain/loss is minimal. They help with recoil a lot.

The new Omega I just got has made two different rifles shoot tighter groups. It must have something to do with harmonics.

I'm sold on them. It's a shame it's such a hassle to obtain one.

Wrong.

I'd roll a .223 with 50 gr barnes in an AR.

I’d roll with my .257 Roberts with an 80 or 100 gr TTSX if I were in your shoulder situation. Almost no felt recoil in a Ruger 77 with a hard butt pad. I can imagine with a Limbsaver pad that felt recoil would be negligible. Lots of other good options already posted. Happy Trails

I’ve never seen a rifle shoot worse with a suppressor attached, than it does naked. I don’t think it’s necessarily “”harmonics”, I think it has more to do with a clean release of the bullet from the bore. When you fire a rifle without a suppressor, the bullet has to fly through all the gasses being released out of the bore. Granted, the bullet is the first thing out of the bore, but the gasses are under extreme pressure, so they envelop and pass the bullet and can induce all kinds of dirrectional forces on the bullet. With a suppressor, the vast majority of those gasses are peeled off as the bullet passes through the baffles... allowing for a clean release.... so the bullet doesn’t have to fly through its own prop-wash.