Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Chambering for low recoil deer round

The 7.62x39 would be my choice for new rifle and ammo availability and still be a rifle you can use long after the kids have graduated to a larger rifle.

Saying that ... I have a 700 in 257Roberts that has both a youth stock and full size. It will be fine for the g-kids.

Barnes Bullets now has a new Reduced Recoill line of ammo.

243 Win 80 gr
6.5 Creedmoor 100 gr
308 Win 110 gr
270 Win 110 gr
7mm Rem Mag 120 gr
30-06 130 gr
300 Win Mag 130 gr

Designed to take big game out to 300 yds.

My family's battery of low recoil rifles include .223, 7.62x39, 350 Legend and various cartridges with reduced loads. Pictured below are examples of game taken in last two years.

.223 with 62gr. TBBC



7.62x39 with 123gr. Hornady SP



350 Legend with factory Win. 150gr. DS XP

Still shoot several deer every year with the old 223. It’s a good freezer filler for my family

My favorite whitetail cartridge. It puts a lot of meat in my freezer.

Of the ones you have listed I would lean toward one of the 6mm’s. I have taken plenty with a 223 and it works fine but a 6mm has an edge it seems and doesn’t recoil any more. I’d get a well built 6x45.

We can shoot ONE deer a year in Oregon...last three seasons, I've taken 2 with a Ruger Predator in 6.5 Grendel and last year a 6 x 45, that I loaded a 95 grain Ballistic Tip. All three deer have been Bang/ Flop scenarios. Two were heart shots and one was a neck shot....

The 6 x 45 is a big step up from the 223... Running 95 or 100 grain Bullets, at around 2500 or so, with like 25 grains of powder, they are pretty easy to place your shot in the right spot. The Grendal, I run 29 grains of powder ( W 748 ) with 129 or 140 grain bullets... for a little, either cartridge can do a lot...

Yeah that’s not correct.

All the calibers listed will work well. Personal pref.

Hardly ever shoot any of my big guns anymore unless I need a "walking around gun" and then the 1941 Mod 94 gets carried.

I Switched over to a Ruger Ranch 5.56 12 years ago. Lightened the trigger and set it in a Boyds stock now. Shoots 1/4" with just about everything.

I have killed hundreds and hundreds of hogs with it as well as 50+ deer. Some of the deer were over 200lbs and many of the hogs were.

55gr SP's work well.
60, 62 and 64gr SP's work well.
55gr FMJ's work well if shooting only head/neck shots.

I try not to stretch it out past about 350 on deer but will shoot hogs/yotes out to past 400 yards with authority.

Sav 99 250-3000 87g Speer

Yep

owning both...... it sure is a correct in my book....

a 95 grain ballistic tip, vs a 75 grain V Max.......I'll take the 6mm version....
or compare a 22 cal bullet to a 100 grain SP at 2600+ fps....

neither recoils more than the other, but a 100 gr SP hits with more authority than a 75 gr ELD/M

Pole axed plenty of deer with a 75gr eld-m from a 223and also a 108gr eld-m from 6br and 243.

Enough that my family of 6 doesn’t buy meat.


Again nobody is flinging 75gr eld-m on mule deer in the slats at 500 and saying it’s not enough.

But the 75gr eld-m will always start faster then said 100gr 6mm, deflect less in the wind, and have further increased terminal range while absolutely smoking deer sized critters.

There’s no arguing these facts.

If shots are close go bonded. If shots routinely exceed 300 yards, fling 77gr tmk or 75gr eld-m.


A 100gr spbt out of a 6x45 is at best a regs gun. Regs say you can’t run 22cal, so you utilize cheap bullets, 223 brass and go.. if that’s the case I’m going 6br and keeping my sd and vertical at distance to minimum.. load development is 20k off lands.. find pressure, back off,
.4 grains and mass produce.

223 isnt finicky, but 6br is beyond mild mannered.