How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by J35 »

olyinaz wrote:
J35nut wrote:Muzzle breaks should be called recoil tamers.

I have shot friends 338 300mags and 300RUM with muzzle breaks off the bench and they were ***** cats actually pleasant to shoot recoil wise, I was amazed .

I imagine they would work on a 0-6 as well. :) -- J
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by sore shoulder »

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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by rimrock »

had a Ruger 77 in '06 in college that kicked the snot out me. got rid of it. 30 years later, I have a .444 that is not so bad after replacing the stock butt pad with a limbsaver. you can find a solution if '06 is your chosen caliber.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by t.r. »

I owned a customized Springfield 30-06 for a time in the '80's but sold it due to harsh recoil. Then about 10 years ago, I owned a custom Browning in 9.3mm which was also a hard kicker. It too was traded away. Now my biggest rifle is a custom Winchester 670 in 35 Whelen with 25 inch barrel that has been MagnaPorted. Recoil is tolerable and not much more than my .308 carbine.

Realistically, I can perform ALL my big game hunting with these three rifles:
- .308
- 30-30
- .243

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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by ndcowboy »

I hate, hate, HATE recoil. Yet I've got a couple Ruger #1 30-06 rifles that I shoot gophers with. All it takes is a reloading bench. I can load cast bullets over a charge of Unique powder and it shoots about like a .223.
One of those rifles I got for dirt cheap because it is the short little International model, and the guy who had it got beat up by it so badly he wanted it gone.
I'd rather tame a rifle at the reloading bench than try to modify the rifle with muzzle brakes and so on.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by piller »

PillHer's .243 is going to get a limbsaver before the next range session. Part of the reason it hurts me is that it is the youth model and the stock is too short. As 86er pointed out, a poorly fitted stock is uncomfortable to shoot.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Streetstar »

sore shoulder wrote:Wanna see "inhumane"? Shoot an animal with an arrow then watch them walk off and bleed out for a half hour.
This is the reason i don't bow hunt anymore , i feel bad for the confused, hurt animal who just lies down and waits for the world to fade to black --- but its strictly a personal choice and i don't condemn anyone else who loves bowhunting - it can be addicting to be that close to the action
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Mescalero »

I still shoot my bows,
have not hunted in over 30 years.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Grizz »

first, it is well to keep in mind how herd animals commonly die at the teeth of a predator.

second, it is probably LESS traumatic than having the heart blown apart and ejected with some lung matter thru a ragged hole in the side...

and c. ..... I forgot

:lol:

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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by samb »

J35nut wrote:
olyinaz wrote:
J35nut wrote:Muzzle breaks should be called recoil tamers.

I have shot friends 338 300mags and 300RUM with muzzle breaks off the bench and they were ***** cats actually pleasant to shoot recoil wise, I was amazed .

I imagine they would work on a 0-6 as well. :) -- J
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by samb »

I currently shoot a 30-06, had a 7 mm Mag that kicked the living day lights out of me, at 15 years old. Put several thousand rounds of 303 British down range as a guy in my early 20's, but 30-06 is a good caliber for me. Think of a Magnum from time to time but don't wish to deal with the recoil.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Streetstar »

Grizz wrote:first, it is well to keep in mind how herd animals commonly die at the teeth of a predator.

Grizz

Just worried about how they die at the hands of this particular predator, not others
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Grizz »

Streetstar wrote:
Grizz wrote:first, it is well to keep in mind how herd animals commonly die at the teeth of a predator.

Grizz

Just worried about how they die at the hands of this particular predator, not others
granted. that's why I favor head shots and take them every opportunity. the typical "boiler room" shot is not less traumatic than a clean cut and hemmoraging, which after all is what kills everything that doesn't die by a cns wound.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by geobru »

I cut my teeth with a 30-06, Remington 721. At the time, I could buy surplus ammo for 10 cents a round, so I'd save up my pennies from my paper route, buy 30 or 40 rounds and go shooting. More than once I'd take it out and shoot it with nothing but a T-shirt on. At the end of the day, by shoulder was plenty bruised, but I never gave it much thought.

One time, when I was in college, a friend let me shoot his 7mm mag. I was shooting the 06 out the side window of my 56 chev and did the same with the 7mm. I think the gun was a Husqvarna, but that thing jumped up and almost hit the top of the window frame! I never shot another 7mm after that experience!

The only gun that I have fired that actually was on the verge of being painful was with a cut down 86 in 45-90 caliber. I had several loads worked up and all were fine except for this one. Needless to say, I dumped that load!

I guess the biggest rifle that I have fired was a Ballard 50-110 with a six hundred something weight bullet. The gun weighed in at ~15 pounds or so and the recoil was a strong push rather than the back and up of the 7mm mag. I could have shot that gun all day without a problem.

As has already been said, the felt recoil depends on the gun's configuration. I never needed anything bigger than an 06 to kill anything I ever hunted, and I switched over to a 308 when I bought my BLR in the late 70's.

I really didn't like having to clean up the bloodshot mess when my hunting partners destroyed the meat in a shoulder with a big magnum rifle! When I was really serious about hunting, I was in it for the meat, and excessive waste was an unwelcome byproduct of the magnum calibers.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by billykkutter »

sore shoulder wrote:Well as a matter of fact I just confirmed zero on my .50 BMG not an hour ago. :lol:

Also, I have my name for a reason. I've hunted elk with a .300winmag for over 15 years, and I spend a lot of time shooting it in between seasons, I also spend a lot of time shooting the 45-70 guide gun with pretty stiff rounds.

You won't have to worry about a grizzly bear in Alabama.
However, if you have ever seen one in the wilds like I have here in Montana, believe me your 30/30 will be used to
shoot yourself.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by billykkutter »

Bridger wrote:I always hear guys talking about their 30-06, 7 mags, etc. and I can't help but wonder if they can really shoot it? I have a 30-06, but if you were gonna put me in front of a charging grizzly bear, I'll take my Winchester 30-30 any day of the week. The recoil from it doesn't bother me at all, but I ain't ashamed to admit the 30-06 is at my upper limit of tolerance. I'd rather put a 30-30 bullet where it belongs than a whizzbang magnum bullet where it don't because I can't control it. How many of yall think your average hunter can really handle a 30-06 and up? I guess the reason I am asking is I got called a sissy earlier today because I don't care for recoil. What say you?

By the time you shoot your 2nd or 3rd shot with a 30/30, the big bruin will be on top of you stomping your ribs.
This is of course not a hunting scenario, but a surprised event for you and the big bear.

Sorry, your way better off with a 30/06
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by sore shoulder »

billykkutter wrote:
sore shoulder wrote:Well as a matter of fact I just confirmed zero on my .50 BMG not an hour ago. :lol:

Also, I have my name for a reason. I've hunted elk with a .300winmag for over 15 years, and I spend a lot of time shooting it in between seasons, I also spend a lot of time shooting the 45-70 guide gun with pretty stiff rounds.

You won't have to worry about a grizzly bear in Alabama.
However, if you have ever seen one in the wilds like I have here in Montana, believe me your 30/30 will be used to
shoot yourself.
I'm not in Alabama, and I wouldn't choose a 30-30 for Grizz, but I'm pretty sure I could handle a bear with one.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Old Savage »

:D I enjoy your posts so please don't try! :D

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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Malamute »

billykkutter wrote:
sore shoulder wrote:Well as a matter of fact I just confirmed zero on my .50 BMG not an hour ago. :lol:

Also, I have my name for a reason. I've hunted elk with a .300winmag for over 15 years, and I spend a lot of time shooting it in between seasons, I also spend a lot of time shooting the 45-70 guide gun with pretty stiff rounds.

You won't have to worry about a grizzly bear in Alabama.
However, if you have ever seen one in the wilds like I have here in Montana, believe me your 30/30 will be used to
shoot yourself.

Alabama?

I didnt know Frank had a 30-30.

I dont think he has a 30-06 either
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Old Savage »

If you can't handle a 30-06 easily, you shouldn't be trying a 30-30 which will apparently deck anything on the North American Continent :D
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by sore shoulder »

Malamute wrote:
billykkutter wrote:
sore shoulder wrote:Well as a matter of fact I just confirmed zero on my .50 BMG not an hour ago. :lol:

Also, I have my name for a reason. I've hunted elk with a .300winmag for over 15 years, and I spend a lot of time shooting it in between seasons, I also spend a lot of time shooting the 45-70 guide gun with pretty stiff rounds.

You won't have to worry about a grizzly bear in Alabama.
However, if you have ever seen one in the wilds like I have here in Montana, believe me your 30/30 will be used to
shoot yourself.

Alabama?

I didnt know Frank had a 30-30.

I dont think he has a 30-06 either
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by handirifle »

Recoil is a very subjective thing. FELT RECOIL is different. I can shoot my '06 all day, with the factory padding, but at the end of the day my cheek hurts, but not my shoulder. It does not cause me to flinch and my groups show it, BUT, that said I CHOOSE not to shoot it that way. Why? Because while I can shoot my '06 with stout 168gr loads, I'd prefer to shoot a 22LR.

So I changed the recoil pad and added a padded cheek rest. The cheek rest was for 2 reasons. One I was getting cheek slap mainly cause my cheek weld was not proper. The 1/4" pad cured the slap and eye alignment issue.The shoulder pad was to just plain make it softer to shoot from the bench.

I have shot much heavier recoiling rifles and do not like to do it a lot, but by the same token if i shoot my 243 from the bench without a shoulder pad, even it will eventually cause issues.

To me it is a matter of distraction. If I am hunting I don't even feel the recoil, pad or not, but if I were going to shoot hundreds of rounds a day from the bench, it would be a 223 or similar recoil. Target shooting and hunting, as far as recoil goes, are two different worlds.

My point being, that even before I changed out the pads, I have never had a problem putting the bullet where it needs to be on game, with the '06.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Grizz »

I've never had a problem killing deer with a 338 WM with 200 to 275 gr bullets. Sometimes 4 down on one beach. I don't notice recoil when I am collecting meat.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by wm »

I have a Colt/Sako 30-06 with a fixed 4X scope that I can shoot clover leaf size groups with out to 300 yards and the recoil has never been noticeable to me......recoil in the Mosin Nagant M44s bother me a bit but the same ammo out of the longer 91/30 not at all......my nephews 300 Win mag, 300 Weatherby Mag, and 7mm mag are not enjoyable to me either but my nephew can shoot them quite well and practices often with them (one probably leads to the other).


I have buddy who can shoot hundreds of rounds of 12 gauge out of a O/U in night after night on the skeet or trap range but 6 rounds out of his 243 has him wimpering and flinching on the bench.

My point is I don't think the 30-06 is a lot of recoil, but I do think the magnums are abusive and my nephew does not. We are all different & IMO a lot of our perception of recoil is based on what we expect(imagine) & what we are accustomed to. I spent a lot my younger days shooting CMP/DCM matches with '03 Springfields and M-1 Garands so the 30-06 feels like an old friend.

I would not worry about someone elses opinion of your choices........if they are seriously questioning your character over the choice of a 30 WCF opposed to a 30-06 they are just revealing their own insecurity and ignorance making such a comment

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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by Bridger »

Just realized this thread was brought back up....I have enjoyed reading all the replies for sure.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by buckeyeshooter »

billykkutter wrote:
Bridger wrote:I always hear guys talking about their 30-06, 7 mags, etc. and I can't help but wonder if they can really shoot it? I have a 30-06, but if you were gonna put me in front of a charging grizzly bear, I'll take my Winchester 30-30 any day of the week. The recoil from it doesn't bother me at all, but I ain't ashamed to admit the 30-06 is at my upper limit of tolerance. I'd rather put a 30-30 bullet where it belongs than a whizzbang magnum bullet where it don't because I can't control it. How many of yall think your average hunter can really handle a 30-06 and up? I guess the reason I am asking is I got called a sissy earlier today because I don't care for recoil. What say you?

By the time you shoot your 2nd or 3rd shot with a 30/30, the big bruin will be on top of you stomping your ribs.
This is of course not a hunting scenario, but a surprised event for you and the big bear.

Sorry, your way better off with a 30/06
I say in this situation I want something that will have a very high chance of being a 1 shot stop. It is doubtful that you will get a second shot without being chewed on. That means, you need the biggest hammer that you can precisely place the shot with. If for you its a 30-30--- well then ok. But as the other poster said, you may need some sewing up! For me--- its gonna start with at least a 4 and probably a 5! I do not like needles! :shock:
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by jh45gun »

I agree with Blaine if you shoot a shotgun a lot there is nothing bothersome about a 3006 but then my 3006 is one of my designated cast bullet shooters and is an old 742 that the receiver was getting battered by the bolt so I shut off the gas port to make it a straight pull repeater and it works great that way.The cast loads are not punishing at all so that I guess makes a difference on what I am shooting. Still a 3006 is nothing compared to a 3 inch heavy Turkey Load.
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Re: How many guys can truly handle a rifle 30-06 or bigger?

Post by billykkutter »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGRosoB4 ... detailpage


You be the judge. Does the kick look that bad?
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