Recoil 308 vs 300 Win Mag?

[DL]

I'm looking at buying a new rifle for elk and have been looking seriously at 300WM, 300WSM, or 30-06.  I currently shoot a Rem 700 in .308 with a pretty short barrel and the recoil is very comfortable, but I know that I'm fairly recoil sensitive.  I also have a good slip on recoil pad on it because I'm tall and need the extra length.

My question is how much more punishing is the 300WM/300 WSM vs the 308.  I really want to go that direction, but I'm a little nervous about buying a rifle only to find out I can't handle the recoil.  I 62 and doubt I will be taking shots at 500 yards, but I would like to be able to reach out to 300+ yards if I need to.  Oh yeah, I would like a moderately light gun for comfortable carry.  So, it's pretty simple...I want a powerful, flat shooting rifle with no recoil that's not too heavy.  Any advice? 

[pcal]

Chuck Hawks recoil table list almost all calibers.Recoil for a 180 grn. in those calibres are close if the weights of the guns are the same.300 has only 2#'s.Look it up.

[pcal]

I MEANT 2#'S MORE.lol

[Tiger1358]

Initially it seems like it's kicking really hard, but once you shoot more, you get used to it and it becomes normal.
Some people complain about shoulder pain, but I can shoot 40 rounds and all good. I think the 308 can do the job just fine if the shot placement is right.

[Jellymon]

Chuck Hawks recoil table list almost all calibers.Recoil for a 180 grn. in those calibres are close if the weights of the guns are the same.300 has only 2#'s.Look it up.

On that chart the 300wm in a half pound heavier rifle has almost 9 more ft lbs of recoil than the 308. IMO there is quite a difference between the two.

[hoytxl2009]

Put a break on it and most all recoil is gone. My 300 rum bounces like a 223 and is a pleasure to shoot.

[Antlershed]

Stock design plays a big role too, but I can tell you my .300wsm kicks significantly less than my old .300 win mag in near identical rifle weights. I’ve never shot a .308 to compare it to. 

[bobcat]

300 Win. Mag. in a light rifle is going to have a lot of recoil. If you're only shooting to 300 yards your 308 will do just fine. But if you really want a new rifle, I would recommend the 30/06.

[Magnum_Willys]

Imo You do not want a 300wm without a brake if recoil sensitive.  300 wsm with a brake is a great choice.

That said with a composite stock and good pad you can learn to shoot 300wm or 338wm without a brake - just get a good grip and practice.  I’ve put hundreds of rounds through each unbraked. 

[Stein]

I shoot a 168 TSX in 30-06 and it will get out to 400 comfortably with enough energy for elk.  Since I never shoot beyond that there is no reason to jump up in gun.

[WSU]

300 Win. Mag. in a light rifle is going to have a lot of recoil. If you're only shooting to 300 yards your 308 will do just fine. But if you really want a new rifle, I would recommend the 30/06.

That’s what i was thinking. The 308 is plenty adequate at normal ranges.

[hunter399]

308 vs 30-06 really not much difference kinda of waste just stick with the 308.

Now recoil wise get a 300wm or7mm rem mag and go with a lighter bullet like 140,150 grain bullet and some kind of recoil pad and should not be that much recoil over your 308.

[SpurInSpokane]

My favorite video all time for recoil comparisons is this:

They shoot many calibers, and mark the relative recoil on a length scale (it'll make sense when you watch). They shoot a .308, 300WSM, and 300RUM, so ought to be helpful to compare.
They also have a great series on braked/unbraked recoil (cause they sell muzzle brakes). But it's fun to watch.

[Bob33]

My thoughts:

•   A .308 is an excellent elk caliber at reasonable distances. If you don’t plan to shoot much past 400 yards it will work well.
•   In general, any cartridge with more powder will have more recoil.
•   How much recoil you can sustain without flinching is impossible to estimate.
•   Muzzle brakes decrease recoil but also increase muzzle blast. I would never shoot a high powered rifle with a brake without hearing protection. One shot can do permanent damage to your hearing.

I too am recoil sensitive but can shoot a relatively light Browning X Bolt in 300 WSM without flinching. I use 165 grain bullets which decrease recoil a bit over heavier bullets.

My advice would be to find a friend with one of the calibers you’re considering and ask if he would accompany you somewhere to shoot it. Ask him to do a “ball and dummy” exercise with you. If you flinch with a heavier caliber, any ballistic advantage you may gain would be more than offset by the increased probability of poor shot placement.

[Mtnwalker]

My advice is to find somebody who will let you shoot theirs so you can see for yourself before you buy. It may not bother you as bad as you think. Felt recoil varies so much between individual setups it’s hard to tell until you shoot it. I have a 270 wsm that is fairly unpleasant to shoot and a 338 wm that doesn’t bother me much at all, even though they’re both fairly light rifles it’s just a different feeling recoil

[Woodchuck]

My advice is to find somebody who will let you shoot theirs so you can see for yourself before you buy. It may not bother you as bad as you think. Felt recoil varies so much between individual setups it’s hard to tell until you shoot it. I have a 270 wsm that is fairly unpleasant to shoot and a 338 wm that doesn’t bother me much at all, even though they’re both fairly light rifles it’s just a different feeling recoil

Great advice. 

[theleo]

My advice is drop down in bullet diameter if you want flatter shooting, more thump, and minimal recoil. The 270 win, 280 rem, 280ai, 270 WSM, 6.5-284, and the 6.5 PRC would be the direction I'd go. Personally, I've yet to see a situation where a magnum is any more effective inside of 300 yards than a non magnum option, so I opt to not put up with any more recoil or noise than necessary.

[Alchase]

Stock design plays a big role too, but I can tell you my .300wsm kicks significantly less than my old .300 win mag in near identical rifle weights. I’ve never shot a .308 to compare it to. 

 

A .308 in a crappy rifle with a crappy synthetic stock, will kick harder than a 300 WM in a good rifle.

Neither of My 300 WM Sako 75 Finlight, or my Ruger M77MkII 7MM,  kick as hard as my Rem 700 SPS Tactical in .308 with synthetic stock.

The total package is more influencing on felt recoil than caliber.
Unless you are comparing identical rifles in different calibers.

[BDildine]

following along, just the other day my wife started talking about maybe getting a elk rifle for herself, of course i'm onboard with the idea, i archery hunt elk, but was thinking of a .308 for her. she shoots my .270win (weatherby vangaurd) all day and doesnt bother her (she loves ringing the gong at the range)

(not trying to thread jack)

[C-Money]

I too, am not a fan of a lot of recoil. I usually carry a .270 win with 140 Accubonds or a 30-06 with 150 Hornaday interlocks for elk. I've bench shot the 300 wsm, 300 win mag, 7mm mag...they are just not fun to me, and I feel my accuracy can suffer from the recoil they dish out. I'd feel real confident for elk with a standard cartridge with a .257, .277, .284, .308 bullet. Its pretty amazing what a standard cartridge will do to an elk with a good bullet.

[Alchase]

following along, just the other day my wife started talking about maybe getting a elk rifle for herself, of course i'm onboard with the idea, i archery hunt elk, but was thinking of a .308 for her. she shoots my .270win (weatherby vangaurd) all day and doesnt bother her (she loves ringing the gong at the range)

(not trying to thread jack)

I would buy her a matching .270, LOL

[WSU]

following along, just the other day my wife started talking about maybe getting a elk rifle for herself, of course i'm onboard with the idea, i archery hunt elk, but was thinking of a .308 for her. she shoots my .270win (weatherby vangaurd) all day and doesnt bother her (she loves ringing the gong at the range)

(not trying to thread jack)

My wife elk hunts with a 270 and 130 grain ttsx bullets. It kills elk just fine.

[Cab]

advice from an expert on killing elk. He does a great job breaking it down. Hope this helps.

[C-Money]

Could have swapped "Caliber" For 'Cartridge" in the verbiage...But YES!!! This is an excellent video!!! I feel the same way...good for folks to see what an elk looks like getting smacked by a 300 win mag vs a 308 win... not any different. Great video.

[kirkl]

I have remington 300wm with a synthetic stock and i put a limbsaver recoil butt pad on it and I can sit there and shoot a box of bulletts through it. It kicks less than my remington 270 mountain rifle which hurts after a few shots.

[Igor]

I'm looking at buying a new rifle for elk and have been looking seriously at 300WM, 300WSM, or 30-06.  I currently shoot a Rem 700 in .308 with a pretty short barrel and the recoil is very comfortable, but I know that I'm fairly recoil sensitive.  I also have a good slip on recoil pad on it because I'm tall and need the extra length.

My question is how much more punishing is the 300WM/300 WSM vs the 308.  I really want to go that direction, but I'm a little nervous about buying a rifle only to find out I can't handle the recoil.  I 62 and doubt I will be taking shots at 500 yards, but I would like to be able to reach out to 300+ yards if I need to.  Oh yeah, I would like a moderately light gun for comfortable carry.  So, it's pretty simple...I want a powerful, flat shooting rifle with no recoil that's not too heavy.  Any advice?

Not sure where you are located, however if you are in my neck of the woods, I have a Winchester Model 70 in .300 WM that you can test drive.  It's no lightweight.......rifle, scope, sling and ammo put it at just over 9 lbs.  For me the recoil is manageable, but I realize that felt recoil is a bit subjective.

[meatwhack]

In two of the same rifles 300wm is going to have substantially more recoil than a .308. It’s simply physics.

[dvolmer]

In two of the same rifles 300wm is going to have substantially more recoil than a .308. It’s simply physics.

this is a true quote.  When sighting in rifles, 300 mag knocks your shoulder off compared to a 270 or 30-06. after a couple of shots you will be flinching like crazy in anticipation.   Get a good lead sled and you will be fine sighting it in.  for me, in a hunting scenario it is totally different.  Maybe its adrenaline or whatever but I dont notice recoil all that much when shooting an animal.  Seems to be the same with sound.  Shooting without hearing protection is painful when sighting in your rifle.  In the heat of the hunt the sound is hardly noticeable. 

[JakeLand]

When doing bench time with a .300 win mag ya the shoulder feels it plain and simple
For me . When pulling the trigger while hunting I can’t tell you what recoil or the percussion is

[j_h_nimrod]

One thing I did not see mentioned is practice. I am pretty insensitive to recoil, but after not shooting big guns for awhile (a couple months) I found myself anticipating and flinching after a few shots. Once I recognized this I found I could turn off the flinch and shoot well again. As long as I shot a couple times a month I was good to go.

[elkfins]

Put a break on it and most all recoil is gone. My 300 rum bounces like a 223 and is a pleasure to shoot.

My experience as well.  I have a Winchester model 70 338 win mag with a BOSS that kicks way less than my old Ruger M77 30-06 does.

[N7XW]

One thing I did not see mentioned is practice. I am pretty insensitive to recoil, but after not shooting big guns for awhile (a couple months) I found myself anticipating and flinching after a few shots. Once I recognized this I found I could turn off the flinch and shoot well again. As long as I shot a couple times a month I was good to go.

Heavy recoil can be managed with lots of practice.  If you shoot enough, it won't even be noticeable after awhile.  You just get used to it.

[MAVsled]

I have experience with both calibers. And taken many bulls in the past 51 years.

make no doubt about it, the 300win mag is going to thump you good....but I love my 300WMag on elk and long distance mule deer hunting.

[coachcw]

For sure a good composite stock will help . that being said I feel that the wsm has less felt recoil than the wm. I have gone to brakes on pretty much all of my guns even my 308. my go to gun is a 6.5x284 pushing a 140 vld at 3147.....the elk dont know the difference between dead and deader ! confidence and shot placement are the keys .

[Gentrys]

I own and shoot a 308, 30-06 and 300WM.  Not much difference between the 308 and 30-06 with recoil.  Big dfference with the 300WM.
No reason IMO to jump up to a 300WM if your shooting at 300 yards or less.
308 and 30-06 are great calibers for elk with a good placed shot.
If you do go up to a 300WM and you fear the recoil, then shot placement will suffer and you'd be better off with smaller caliber.
Muzzle breaks do greatly help with recoil if you don't mind it sounding like a cannon every time you shoot.  It does make them loud.