What is the lowest recoiling rifle to reliably harvest deer and bear? (Yes, I hate recoil)
I don’t like recoil either but I have shot a lot for over 65 yrs. My thoughts are these: Find a rifle that fits you well that is in the 7 - 7 1/2 lb range ( bare rifle) with the correct length of pull and stock measurements (drop). Lite rifles tend to produce more felt recoil. Make sure that it has, or that you can put on, a quality recoil pad like a Sims Limbsaver. It makes a ton of difference! Wear hearing protection since sensitivity to felt recoil is often a combination of reaction to both the recoil of the gun AND the loud crack. Buy that gun in .243, .260 REM, 6.5 Creedmoor or some other cartridge already mentioned that typically has lower recoil from rifles in that weight range. You can buy, and certainly reload, some cartridges in “reduced loads” if needed which should be fine at typical ranges in the NY state woods for deer and bear. As mentioned many times in this thread, shoot a load with not necessarily the heaviest bullet for caliber but the best constructed bullet like a partition or accubond if bear might be on the menu. I’d consider all of these factors together…not just the caliber and bullet. In fact, you asked the correct question by asking about “the rifle” !
