Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 270WSM vs 30-06 recoil?

First - buy a Caldwell "Lead Sled" - the majority of flinching problems arise from shooting at a range.

Next (seeing you are from Nebraska - deer as primary targets and wide-open spaces being the norm) don't even think about a 270 WSM - at least if 30-06 recoil bothers you. It will recoil noticeably harder - and faster.

Get a 25-06.

Fast, flat shooting, potent, and much much easier on the shoulder.

If for some reason that doesn't appeal to you - look into a 260 Remington cartridge or a 7mm-08.

Sounds like you shoot factory ammo. If so practice with the reduced recoil round and use the full force for hunting. Get a good recoil pad on your rifle and get a past recoil sheild to use when you practice.

Mark,
Some of the previous suggestions have been very good advice.

I'll tell what worked for me.

When I was a kid, thirty some years ago, my first centerfire rifle was a Win 670 30-06 with a hard plastic cap on the butt. I quickly developed a severe case of flinchitus. Heck I started flinching at the trigger pull on my 22LR

The cure was............a brand new 22-250, a couple hundred pieces of brass, ten pounds of IMR 3031, and a couple thousand 22 caliber bullets.

I shot at anything that would hold water, empty soup cans, pop cans, plastic oil jugs, gallon milk jugs, what ever I could find.

But mostly, I really concentrated on seeing that water filled target explode in the scope. It took about six months to cure the flinch and tendency to close my eyes at the trigger pull.

After six months of shooting the 22-250, I installed a decent recoil pad on the '06 and sighted it in for deer season. Since then I make sure to put the rifle away as soon as I start to think "This is going to hurt" as I pull the trigger.

That usually occurs after about forty rounds from a hunting weight rifle and high power loads in the '06 or 7mm STW.

You win the award for the most FUN way to learn not to flinch! I'm going to have to use it with my boys...............DJ

Get some low recoil loads like thse that are being marketed by Remington. They have low recoil .30-06 loads available. Do you have good sound control muffs? I noticed in the Army that a large component of flinching was noise from the .30-06 (this was pre Viet Nam). In fact the Army did a study and found that noise was about 40% of flinching relex.

If you are srictly a deer hunter, you have lots of caliber choices in the .243 to 6.5mm range including the .25 calibers. I shot the .250 Savage and .257 Roberts boltactions for years and thought both of them were great deer cartridges for whitetail. Little noise, not much recoil and very accurate. Being able to overcome nough to practice and master is the over arching goal. It never is easy for any of us.

Use a past pad or what ever (limbsaver ) to help tame recoil. Design and tailor to your neeeds do not worry about what others think. When you get to be a good shot, they won't remember what you went through to get there.

Agreed, I forgot to mention that. Another thing to do with heavy kickers from the bench is to hold the rifle firmly with both hands.

To rest your forearm against the front bag, grip the forearm firmly with that hand, elbow on the bench and sitting up straight and your other elbow off the bench and holding the pistol with a firm grip pull the rifle back against your shoulder.

I even use this position to check the actual impact and sighting of a rifle to prove that it will hit where aimed (stays sighted in or not) as the position is much closer to an actual field position for some hunting.

Go get that .308 that's calling your name and launch 165gr bullets with about the same felt recoil as 130s outta the 270 Win.

shooting your 30-06 "more" isn't likely to help your flinch. in fact, it will probably make it worse. and a 270wsm sure won't change things. why not get a 243? it has far less recoil and will kill any deer out there.

In factory winchester stocks, my shoulder says the 30-06, 7 RM, and 270 WSM kick about the same, the 7 WSM and 300 WSM a little more.

The 270 Winchester recoil is noticeably less, a 25-06 is very gentle.

I would think anyone with some practice could handle a 270 win with a Limbsaver recoil pad.

Keep your other gun, because after you get trained to shoot with recoil, you will also be able to handle your current rifle.

Practice concentrating on the shot placement and put recoil into a secondary category. You know it will recoil, but you have survived it before. So it won't hurt anymore if you relax your body and concentrate on the shot.

15 gr's less lead makes a world of difference in recoil.

I shoot a 30-06, and a 270, and a 308 win, among several other guns; I shoot my -06 the most, cause of it's cabability; I weigh in at around 165 lbs, and my -06 doesn't bother me at all; I think it's you, not the gun; I had the same problem when I started shooting my 7 REM. MAG; Just get down, and get a firm grip, and shoot! If you are scared of a 30-06, then you should get a 22-250, and shoot groundhogs, and forget about big game;

Another thought; My 7mm REM.MAG kicks like hell: I got a Browning BAR in 30-06, and it is so smooth, you would not believe it; I reload my own rounds (150 gr. up to 220 gr.);
my favorite is a 150 gr. Hornady BTSP, with 49 gr. of IMR4064, pushing 2850 fps; I shoot this load all day long, with no problem; It shoots lights out, and smooth as silk; My buddies 30-30 kicks harder; The gas operation takes up all the recoil, and you wont flinch; It's a real joy to shoot;

When I started shooting my first real rifle was an m77 30/06 and man did it pound me. I was 16 at the time now at 41 it is a tame cat. Reduced recoil ammo or lighter loads if you reload will help. The other posters are right move down to a 257roberts/25/06,260 or 7mm08 and shoot them lots.Their reduced recoil will help your shooting big time and then when the 30/06 starts to be a tame cat you can always get the 270wsm if you really want one.

270wsm doesn't have much recoil at all if you go with a 130gr bullet. With a 150gr bullet it has some kick. Hell, my 7-08 with a 150gr bullet kicks pretty well..

Anthony was about 90 pounds last spring when he used my (now his) 270wsm custom lwt rifle and 130gr TSX to take this bear at over a 100 yards. No recoil issue with him.

Problem solved, GET A PAST SHOULDER RECOIL PAD. You won't ever need to worry about recoil again. They are comfortable and you can use it with any of your guns. Much cheaper then buying another gun.