Types of guns with minimal kick?
Deer Hunter Guide | January 30, 2009 | 5:44 pm
Kenzbabee asked:
I am going deer hunting to be specific and I want a gun thats effective and with minimal kick. I now use a 30-30. Any websites or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.
LEVERETT
I am going deer hunting to be specific and I want a gun thats effective and with minimal kick. I now use a 30-30. Any websites or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.
LEVERETT
JULIE
I would recommend a .25-06 rem. with a 117 gr+ bullet. Keep in mind that the lighter the gun the more felt recoil You are going to feel. In terms of recoil I don’t recommend synthetic stocks or short barrels. A heavy gun can be overcome with practice excessive recoil Can cause flinching forever.
CHAZ
Use lighter weight bullets and your .30-30 will kick less. I reload and use 125 grain bullets in my .30-30, but my favorite deer rifle is my .308 Ruger model 77. If you get one use 130 grain or lighter bullets and it won’t kick bad.
ALFIE
What type of terrain will you be hunting? Is there much vegetation or brush? Is the area heavily wooded or open plain(i e .corn fields, alfalfa fields, prairies, etc.)? Will it be hilly or flat?
ALAIN
I recommend a more specialized forum and, while I don’t know of any, feel positive that they are out there. You got one good answer. I recommend you or the other answer person report JohnnyP – I did, but it takes two.
EMMY
you could probably use anything up to a 30-06 semi auto with little problems. biggest thing is get something semi-auto. though your 30-30 should work. .270 is usually the next step, depends if you’re going to be only going for deer for the rest of your life or not. when you look at guns remember that weight sucks up recoil. AND that if you put a bolt, break down, pump, lever or a semi of the same caliber next to each other I can gaurontee the semi has the least kick every time.
with that said its usually the most expensive.
SO deer….open or thick country? long shots or short? mule deer or white tail?
.270 sweet rifle, good knockdown, distance; deflects through branches and wind but has pretty light kick
.308 accurate, easy to get ammo, light kick, better knock down
30-06 great knock down, kinda slow bullet more kick
7mm good knock down, better trajectory, bullet doesn’t get knocked around so much in flight
.300 win mag: helluva kick, but great trajectory, great knock down, doesn’t get pushed around by wind and small branches so much, goes through media and can kill anything in North America
ALVIS
Get some Remington Managed Recoil ammo for your .30-30. Be aware that your range will be shorter, but these will do the job to 100 yards or a little more.
Good luck this season!
FAY
Well, according to Field & Stream Magazine, the .30-30 is the lightest kicking rifle cartridge for a rifle that is 7.5 lbs.
CHILTON
You already have a 30-30 which has harvested more Deer than any other caliber Rifle, however if you want a more versatile caliber with a greater selection of bullet weights, and if you purchase it you will never have to buy another hunting Rifle, and the caliber is 30-06.* I recommend either a Savage or Remington.*
AFTON
I have taken many a deer under 100 yards with my Winchester lever rifle chambered in .357.
I would swear that it kicks much less than my 30-30. Also, when me get to the range my wife wont let me shoot it as she hogs it all the time.
Just my two cents. I wouldn’t use anything less than 158 grain for deer.
SERENITY
First of all, check with the department of Fish and Game to determine what the minimum legal caliber you can use on deer in your state. It’s the laws of physics. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So the heavier the bullet and the faster it is, the more felt recoil you will feel. Of course there are other things you can do to minimize the felt recoil. You can add weight to your rifle. You can add mercury tubes, or just get a good butt pad for the back of the rifle like the Pachmayr Decelerator rifle pad. If you want the least amount of recoil then use the smallest legal calliber with the smallest bullet for that gun. Smallest doesn’t mean that it will knock the animal down very well either. On a whitetail, they are thin skinned and it doesn’t take much to tip one over, as long as you have a good bullet and shot placement in the vitals, then it won’t be an issue no matter what you are shooting. As for doing your research. I would recomend looking at ballistic tables from the reloading manuals of most of the bullet manufactures or even cartridge manufactures. Good ones to look into would be: Hornady, Sierra, Barnes, Swift, Speer, Remington, Winchester, Federal.
ELLETTE
get a good but-pad for it .
KATY
Ruger Deerfield 44 Magnum Semi Auto. They don’t make them any more but there are a lot of them around. They don’t kick a lot but do a job on a deer at 100 yards. Like a real accurate slug gun. You can do a 2 inch group with them. They are short and light and are pre-drilled for scopes. When I see them at gun shows or auctions in Minnesota they go like hotcakes. Look for one here.
TRUDY
The .25-06 is a good choice as is the .243 which is considered the minimum caliber for deer. The .30-30 is okay, but does have a bit of a kick to it.
Best.
H
BOB
I have some suggestions
1. get a Limbsaver recoil pad and install it on your 30/30 there are 2 options here you can buy a slip on or a grind to fit the grind to fit looks better in my mind buy it will cost another about $50 to have it put on the slip on won’t and can be switched to a different gun if need be
I say the sims because I feel they reduce the felt recoil the best.
2. buy some managed recoil loads
3. think about a 243 as they kick less
The 30/30 is an alright deer cartridge has harvested many deer.
I what I am saying is you either need to reduce the felt recoil or buy a new rifle
here is a link to the slip on Limbsaver recoil pads at midway***688***9207***&CategoryID=19500&BrandID=&page=1&KeyWord=&TabID=4&company_select=1945&search_keywords2=&sort1=manufacturer_a&PageSelect=1&RecordsReturned=2000&PageSelect2=1&RecordsReturned2=2000
ETOILE
Try a .243…I have killed many deer and wild hogs with one at ranges out to 300 yards. Rifle?…Browning, Remington, Ruger, Savage – they are all about the same. The suggestion of a 25.06 is OK. Never forget that it is the person shooting the rifle, that matters. A magnum loudenboomer of whatever caliber shot poorly, will never replace good marksmanship
WADE
Well, a 30-30 is effective and doesnt kick much, plus you dont have to spend any money to get another gun. If you are dead set on getting another, a .243 is a good deer gun to 200 yards and it doenst kick very much. A 25-06 is good for deer and kicks more than a .243, but it still isnt a big kick. A .270 is also a good ddeer gun and can be used as a bigger game caliber, but its got more kick. than either of the other two, but is managable. Id say the kick on a 30-30 is less than a .270 and pretty close to a 25-06.
LEONTINE
use the 30-30 but if you are set on the new gun get a bolt .308 it will knock a deer down from where its standing with a shot to the hart lets see another rifle do that people drop them from where its standing with spineshots dont count
if a .308 is too much try a .243 its not as accurate but close enough
good luck hunting
LAVENDER
a 30-30 lever action feels like it kicks a lot harder than a 30-30 bolt action because of the stock design.
guns with more power but no more perceived recoil – .243win.- 260 rem.-7mm08 – 7×57mauser or.257 Roberts .if your on a tight budget you can usually pick up a 6.5 carcano for $50 or so if you look around at a gun show, but you will probably have to get soft point hunting ammo from a catalog.
KARENZA
I have a Remington 270. I found last year that using Remington’s 270 managed recoil bullets made it mor like shooting an SKS rather than a deer rifle. It still kicks, but it’s much less. I don’t have a 30-30, but check and see if Rem. makes a managed recoil in that caliber!
EMMY
check out compensator’s, i use a J&P compensator it is a divice that attaches to the end of the barrel, you should bring it to a gunsmith to have this done. i have a bushmaster m-4 it shoots .223 my 6yo daughter likes this rifle more than my ruger 10/22 .22cal. there is no kick!