Shills for their advertisers, on whom they now entirely depend for their Magazine sales and subscriptions, has degenerated into being nothing more than Almost all of the print media, in the face of declining Ignores in their attempt to sell new rifles, scopes, rangefinders, etc. This is a fact that most of the outdoor media conveniently That distance the incidence of wounded deer increases dramatically. Shown that most hunters should keep their shots within about 160 yards beyond On the Tables, Charts and Lists index page for details.) Actually, studies have (See the "Expanded Rife Trajectory Table" That would be about 300 yards or a little more (337 yards maximum), for even the flattest Goats and similar size critters) beyond the maximum point blank range (+/-ģ") of the rifle/cartridge combination they are shooting in the field. Reliably hit the vital heart/lung area of a Class 2 (deer, antelope, sheep, Hunters astray by emphasizing long range shooting with magnum cartridges inįirst of all, not one shooter/hunter in a thousand can Media bears most of the responsibility for leading impressional It is cartridges in this caliber range that get most shooters in This article is primarily about hard kicking small boreĬartridges, by which we mean big game cartridges from. They are not included in the lists below. Powerful medium and big bores are not the subject of this article, sinceĮveryone already knows they kick like hell. Unless absolutely necessary and even then attempted only by the mostĮxperienced and recoil tolerant shooters for special purposes and in small doses. 458 Magnums and all of the Nitro Express elephantĬartridges can be punishing in the extreme. Practically everyone realizes that the powerful medium andīig bore rifles designed for the largest game are hard These are the cartridges that are the subject of this article. Recoil in rifles of typical weight should be avoided and Rifles or the 7mm Remington Magnum in an 8.5 pound rifle are at or close to theĢ0 ft. or less in medium weight rifles with typical loads. The "short list" of all-around (Class 2 and Class 3 game)Ĭartridges are around 20 ft. These figures remain very practical maximums for the modern hunter. 303 Lee-Enfield infantry rifle was below that figure, as are most service rifles to this day.) The 1929 edition of the same textbook stated that recoil velocity should not exceed 15 fps above that velocity a gun-headache was very likely to occur.
#Chuck hawk rifle recoil table free
of free recoil energy was the maximum allowable for a military service rifle. In 1909, the British Textbook of Small Arms stated that 15 ft. is much more desirable and sustainable.Īccuracy, not raw power, is critical to humane, one shot kills, so this is very important to understand. of recoilĮnergy are as punishing as normal people can tolerate, even for just a few shots, without developing an accuracy destroying flinch. Rifle/cartridge combinations that deliver about 20 ft. Veteran shooters develop different levels of personal recoil tolerance, but experience has shown that, on average,
This is a fact and you can take it to the bank. Weatherby probably knows more about magnum rifles and cartridges than anyone, so take their experience to heart.Įveryone, no matter how tough or experienced, can shoot better with cartridges that kick Pounds with a scope, mount and ammunition in Weatherby calibers from. Generally weighs about eight pounds bare (empty, no sights) and over nine A Weatherby Mark V Deluxe, the prototypical magnum rifle, 300's, should weigh no less than 8.5 pounds and nine RiflesĬhambered for standard (non-magnum) cartridges should weigh no less than eight That weighs 25% less kicks 25% harder), avoid lightweight rifles. Since recoil is directly proportional to rifle weight (a gun Those luckyĮnough to be able to hunt in both close cover and open country should consider theĦ.5x55, 7x57 and similar cartridges in medium weight rifles. 30-30 and plains or open country deerĪnd pronghorn hunters should do equally well with a. Woodsĭeer hunters will do very well with a. It until they have several years and thousands of rounds of experience. Hunting rifle/cartridge combinations that kick below this level and stick with
Their best shooting with rifle/cartridge combinations that deliver less than 15įt. Most shooters, experienced or not, can do The subject of this article is hard kicking cartridges to avoid, so let's Hunter who has been suckered into thinking long range shooting is the way to hunt by media hype designed to sell specialized riflesĪnd high magnification scopes with "ballistic" reticles for big game hunting, you might want to pay attention. If you are a fool for recoil or need to prove your manhood (womanhood?), you can skip this article. By Chuck Hawks and the Guns and Shooting Online Staff