Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 300 Mags and recoil

Recoil depends on a number of factors, including rifle weight. I have three Ruger MKII rifles in the same semi-skeletonized ":boat paddle: stock. They are chambered for .30-06 (22" bbl), .300WM (Heavier 24" bbl) and .338WM (fatter, fluted 22" bbl). All are factory barrels except the .338 was fluted (and, I think, cut back to 22") by the original owner.

My recoil calculator says the recoil for these is:
22.14 ft-lbs @ 13.19 fps = 30-06 (8.2 lb with scope),168g TTSX, 59.5g powder @ 2841 fps
26.06 ft-lbs @ 13.66 fps = 300WM (9.0 lb with scope), 175g LRX, 70g powder @ 3031 fps
32.05 ft-lbs @ 15.14 fps = 338WM (9.0 lb with scope), 225g AB, 70g powder @ 2778 fps

My shoulder agrees.

People complain that the 7mm RM is a big kicker. Mine is a Ruger M77 in a walnut stock with a 24" barrel. Here are the calculated recoil figures for it:
22.69 ft-lbs @ 12.81 fps = 7mm RM (8.9 lb with scope), 140g North Fork SS, 73.0g powder @ 3251 fps
23.74 ft-lbs @ 13.11 fps = 7mm RM (8.9 lb with scope), 155g Federal Terminal Ascent, 72.0g powder @ 3085 fps

I shoot the same bullets in my Ruger Hawkeye All Weather (synesthetic/stainless) .280 Remington with its 22" barrel:
18.69 ft-lbs @ 12.26 fps = 280 Remington (8.6 lb with scope), 140g North Fork SS, 58.5g powder @ 2942fps
19.38 ft-lbs @ 12.49 fps = 280 Remington (8.6 lb with scope), 155g Federal Terminal Ascent, 53.0g powder @ 2905fps


One of the interesting things to me is that the "hard kicking" 7mm RM has always calculated out to be so close to the 30-06.

The 7 rem mag feels more like a quick jab to me vs a push from a 30.06. Stock design and weight of gun are important as well. H4350 seemed snappier to me in reloads for the 30.06?

Those boat paddle stocks are ai.ply awesome for magnifying felt recoil.