Recoil Charts

[El Chivo]

This guy is ranking cartridges by recoil instead of by caliber. It's kind of interesting to see how some cartridges compare to ones we already know, like 30-30.

For instance, .243 is very close to 30-30, .260 Rem is similar to 35 Remington, etc.

One thing I noticed, there seems to be a big jump at about the .270 range.

Might be worth a look:

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=56996

[Gobblerforge]

I didn't see anything for the 38WCF, Colt 45, 44WCF.......................sheesh...


Gobbler

[COSteve]

I didn't see anything for the 38WCF, Colt 45, 44WCF.......................sheesh...
Gobbler

Chuck Hawks has both a rifle and pistol recoil table with many of our favorite calibers.

Rifle Recoil Table
Handgun Recoil Table

[C. Cash]

Yeah I pulled the trigger on a short, light Mossberg in the 3.5" 12 gauge mag. once. Once!

[gak]

What the charts don't tell you is "felt" recoil. They've always put .44 Mag ahead of .30-30 by a pound or so, which I've found odd from my experience. The .30-30 is not bad at all to me (out of a typical 20"), but while the .44's is a "different" kind of recoil--sharper cycle if you will--I can.shoot it all afternoon by comparison. Shorten the barrels and the felt difference is even more.

Also, my .270s have always felt about the same as the .30-06 out of basically the same gun, or at least not enough difference to matter. Also, while the chart does show the 7mm Rem Mag as being "ahead" of the 30-06, it's not by as much as I'd think it would be.

The charts are good, but felt recoil (observation from the field) is pretty subjective.

[COSteve]

I agree completely with gak's observation. I'm betting that no one would accept that a 150grn M2 Ball round fired from a Winchester Model 70 has the same felt recoil as that same round shot from a M1 Garand or that 147grn M80 ball shot out of a M1A feels the same as when shot from a Winchester Model 88. I have all four rifles and can say with absolute certainty that the lighter hunting rifles with a lower comb produce significantly higher felt recoil than their military counterparts.

[El Chivo]

that particular chart assumes an 8 lb rifle whereas many hard kicking guns weigh more and pistol calibers less, so your felt recoil might even out. Also they can't tell if you're going to hold it offhand or put it on the bench. True there are more variables, such as how many layers of clothing you put on that day.

[Blaine]

I don't need a chart to tell me that I shall never shoot a Magnum Buckshot shell in a 12ga H&R Topper EVER again

[gak]

I'm not arguing with the chart as I have no experience with the .458 (.416 Rigby, etc, what have you) - types, but was surprised the 12 gauge topped those African big game thumpers. My 12, while a very "healthy" kick, doesn't seem so earthshaking. I've shot my friend's .375 H&H a fair amount and it was all I wanted.

[eric65]

I'm not arguing with the chart as I have no experience with the .458 (.416 Rigby, etc, what have you) - types, but was surprised the 12 gauge topped those African big game thumpers. My 12, while a very "healthy" kick, doesn't seem so earthshaking. I've shot my friend's .375 H&H a fair amount and it was all I wanted.

I shot a .458 win mag twice, the second shot was to make sure the first shot hurt as much as I thought it did.

[C. Cash]

The 3.5" Turkey load, in the light Mossberg 835, feels like you've touched off both barrels of a double. Your moving close to a 1000 grain slug with all that shot. I know the next post will be someone saying it's not so, but that was my impression. Recoil is somewhat subjective.

[retmech]

Go here, plug in the numbers and compare.http://handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

[7.62 Precision]

What the charts don't tell you is "felt" recoil.
The charts are good, but felt recoil (observation from the field) is pretty subjective.

Dead on. Some of the most unpleasant recoil I have ever experienced is from a Winchester Model 70 featherweight youth-action carbine that I got when I was 10. It is the most beautiful, light, balanced, little rifle, and comfortable until you touch the trigger. I took that thing to the range, fired it, and my shoulder hut, my cheek hurt, my nose was running, and my head ached. I shot a few more of those little .243s through it and then put it down and shot my dad's .308. For years after I loved that rifle a lot and shot it not at all. When I was 24, I took it out again and thought, how bad could a .243 actually be? After all, I was 11 or 12 when I shot it last. I took it out and loaded it up, and squeezed the trigger. My shoulder hut, my cheek hurt, my nose was running, and my head ached. It was just like I remembered it. Switched stocks, and it is a different rifle. I still keep the old stock, just for nostalgia, and because it is so pretty with that little trim stock. Plus, it was my first centerfire rifle.

[t.r.]

Chart shows that 25-06 recoils LESS than .308. I've been telling my friends this for years but no one ever believed me.

25-06 is a great cartridge that has been largely ignored by most hunters. That being said, 25-06 is not a levergun cartrdige which is why I don't own one anymore.

TR

[FLINT]

yes, I also agree.

I've shot my marlin 30-30 back to back with a marlin 44mag, and I thougth that the .44 recoil was more unpleasant than the 30-30

and YES!!!

Just a couple weeks ago, I shot my single barrel 10 ga at the range with the magnum 3.5" (the only way 10ga ammo comes) #4 turkey shot. My cheek hurt for several days after that. That gun came with a weight in the stock, but someone had taken it out before I got it. Need to get something back in there!

oh and finally the chuck hawk sites are cool - i've seen his recoil tables - he actually lists the gun weights. He also has a page where he argues that the 30-30, 32special, 300 savage, and 308 marlin are the most perfect deer calibers ever - and sings the praises of leverguns.

[awp101]

I've shot my marlin 30-30 back to back with a marlin 44mag, and I thougth that the .44 recoil was more unpleasant than the 30-30

It's good to see I'm not the only one who sees things that way. There's just something different about that .44 recoil that bothers me. Kind of like 9mm AR15s. It should be a sweetheart, but the two different ones I tried just didn't do it for me.

I shot a .458 win mag twice, the second shot was to make sure the first shot hurt as much as I thought it did.

My buddy has a crazy Uncle who loads everything hot and the hotter the better. He fired his Uncle's .44 Mag (don't recall which make/model) with his Uncle's reloads. After the first shot my buddy put it down and just looked at his Uncle. His Uncle asked if he was going to shoot the rest of the cylinder and my buddy said "Nope, I fired it twice and that's enough for me!"

"Twice? You only fired it once!"

"Nope, twice. The first and LAST time!"

[Bill in Oregon]

I don't need a chart to tell me that I shall never shoot a Magnum Buckshot shell in a 12ga H&R Topper EVER again

Boy, howdy! I bought one of those H&R turkey guns and knew it would be brutal. So I added lead to the butt and the forend, slipped on a recoil pad and taped an old mouse pad over the comb to reduce the pounding on my cheek bone. Then I lit off one of the 3 1/2-inch turkey loads. The headache lasted for two days.
To get even, I called my last turkey with an "itty bitty" 16 gauge.

[awp101]

I can report with absolute certainty that you do not, I repeat, do NOT want to fire Field Loads out of a H&R 20ga Youth! I thought The Boy was just being a sissy until I tried it. And yes, an apology was issued forthwith...

[gak]

I've shot my marlin 30-30 back to back with a marlin 44mag, and I thougth that the .44 recoil was more unpleasant than the 30-30

It's good to see I'm not the only one who sees things that way. There's just something different about that .44 recoil that bothers me. Kind of like 9mm AR15s. It should be a sweetheart, but the two different ones I tried just didn't do it for me.

And my experience is just the opposite - 20" Rossi 92 vs 20" Win 94 .30-30, two similar formats/sizes - but the recoil charts have consistently backed you two up, by about a pound. Goes to show you just how subjective/personal recoil can be!

[Canuck Bob]

What a dandy thread. The whole issue with felt recoil versus calculated recoil is quite real in my experience. My 444 with stout 265 grain loads does kick some. It is manageable and the best description I can give is that old tired one about a sturdy push rather than a heavyweight punch. I'm 6'2", was once a fair to middling linebacker, and just recently dropped to less than an eighth of a ton since high school and I'm a bonafide 58 year old recoil whimp.

However, I once had a Rem 700 lefty in 7MM Mag and it slapped me silly with 175 gr. partitions. I mounted a receiver sight and it had the Monte Carlo stock from the 70's. It fit terrible set up that way. My Ruger No.1 Tropical in 375 H&H loaded stout with 300 grainers was a kicker to. However the receiver sight and stock fit much better being straighter and less drop and the recoil in my younger days was actually fun offhand. My Mossberg break open 12 gauge with slugs is just plain unfriendly. I'm gifting that thing to a young man at work who is convinced he can handle it. I think a BPS Upland Special in 20 gauge will be my only scattergun gun some day.

My favourite centrefire was my issue FN FAL C1. It kicked enough to register real authority but it sure did lay down a quick manageable field of fire. The move to straight stocks and low positioned barrels with very tall sights seems to really work with modern battle rifles. Of course the gas system helps a ton. I've often wondered about the M1A as I've never shot one. I secretly drool over the Springfield National Match in walnut.

[COSteve]

So far we've been discussing felt recoil in terms of caliber and firearm, however, something I learned long ago was that powder type had a huge impact on perceived recoil as some powders produce a push which doesn't 'feel' as violent as those that produce a snap. Case in point, I have loaded up some 165grn 10mm rounds with a full charge of TiteGroup and a full charge of Power Pistol and compared their performance in my custom Glock G20L.

The TiteGroup loads produced 1,160fps while the Power Pistol 'nuclear' loads produced 1,589fps; a 37% increase in velocity. The thing is that most people who've shot both loads say that they prefer the recoil of the Power Pistol load because while it produced a strong push, it was much more comfortable to shoot than the strong snap that the TiteGroup load produced even though the TiteGroup was pushing the same bullet at a considerably slower velocity.

[Canuck Bob]

Steve is this simply a function of burn rate?

[COSteve]

Steve is this simply a function of burn rate?

Good question. I don't know the answer, however, I suspect that it's not as simple as that because I've shot similar loads with different powders that are listed as having similar burn rates but they feel different. Maybe someone here knows cause I don't.