Low recoil hunting recommendations

[Zeroed in]

Like the several others said, .243 will take em down easy 200-300yds. I love mine, but put it aside when I started hunting with a single shot rifle in 7mm-08. And the 7mm-08 doesn't kick much more than the .243
If either one is a bit rough on your neck, add a LimbSaver recoil pad to it, that ought to tame it,

 

[noleveyor]

Like the several others said, .243 will take em down easy 200-300yds. I love mine, but put it aside when I started hunting with a single shot rifle in 7mm-08. And the 7mm-08 doesn't kick much more than the .243
If either one is a bit rough on your neck, add a LimbSaver recoil pad to it, that ought to tame it,

I have a Ruger 7mm-08 that my daughter's used when they were young. Low recoil with plenty of knockdown power.

 

[Gonzolee10]

243 is as small as I'd go for shooting deer

 

[tros6t]

.243 is about as light as I personally would go. Hornady makes a reduced recoil load for it as well. Maybe 300 BO?

Yeah was thinking 243 which is a necked down 308 with a 6mm projectile and the lighter the projectile the lighter the recoil. And as mentioned, low recoil ammo! I’ve seen 243’s shoot through metal plates that bigger cals would not!

 

[woodman]

I'm a 70 year old man and switched from my Tikka.308 to a Winchester XPR in .243, shooting a 97 grain ballistic tip bullet. Since I bought it have taken 4 deer, 2 hogs and a coyote / one deer out to 175 yards. It's the best rifle I've ever owned. To me the recoil is minimal and I have two bad shoulders.
Happy hunting and shooting...

 

[ccc]

.243

 

[Bamaboy19]

One grandson is 12 (my absolute mini-me) and wanting to start hunting. I love me some 308! But I just finished building 2 ARs, yet to shoot them; one 6.5 grendel & 6ARC. My train of thought is .243 performance in a small frame platform. These will be used by him, and if/when the 8yo gets to where he wants to shoot/hunt.

 

[joraca]

My daughter (grown) shoots a 30-06 with 125 gr core-lokts. My grandson shoots a 243 with 95 gr hornady super-performance rounds. Those two are DRT rounds to beyond 200 yds. My low-visibility brush gun is an SKS with soft points.

 

[J pace]

If you have the opportunity To shoot something like a 308 or a 243 with a suppressor on it you would be amazed at how little Recoil they have, And I am not talking about sub sonic ammunition.

 

[Fathertime]

If you have the opportunity To shoot something like a 308 or a 243 with a suppressor on it you would be amazed at how little recall they have, And I am not talking about sub sonic ammunition.

I have to second J pace I shoot suppressed 308 and 6.5 Creedmoor . The 308 is subsonic ammo but the 6.5 isn’t. Both are no more recoil than shooting 22magnum. At my age it’s a double advantage both less recoil and not bad on my hearing.

 

[Jevaughn]

Ever consider taking up handgun hunting? A 44 revolver will easily take deer out to 75-100 yards with a med-level load that isn't a wrist-buster.

Given where you hunt it might be an option?

I've taken a few pigs and one deer with a 6" .357 mag when I was younger, which is why I was considering the .357 in a rifle. All were clean kills, but at shorter ranges (less than 40 yards).
My biggest problem is holding a heavy handgun steady these days. Basically, lifting my arms over my the height of my nips with any substantial weight in them (and no shoulder support) can trigger muscle spasms in my neck. Work comp injury, 3 discs collapsed onto the primary nerve going down my left arm and my spinal canal was compressed to around 6.8mm. Took 6 months for them to authorize the surgery, another 2 months to get it scheduled, so I'm left with long-term/permanent nerve damage. I can shoulder a rifle and hold it steady for long enough to get off a shot or two, but I'm recoil sensitive as hell in my neck, and any sudden jarring (even hitting a speedbump or pothole too fast) triggers spikes of pain and muscle spasms. I even switched to a lightweight polymer 9mm as opposed to the compact steel frames I've always carried for ccw because the lightweight makes getting on target easier in an emergency situation. After 20-30 shots at the range though, I'm cooked for the day.

 

[Jevaughn]

I appreciate the suggestions, and I'll look into them. Maybe I can ask around some of my friends and try to set up a range trip to try a few different calibers. I haven't shot a .243 since I was a kid, and while I've fired a lot of rounds through M-16s, M4's, and AR-15's, my only real experience is with 5.56, and I personally feel it's an amazing varmint round but not one I'd prefer for anything as big as deer. Killed a lot of prairie dogs, rabbits, raccoons and other small critters with it back in my youth with a mini-14, but those are much smaller and more fragile than a deer.

 

[boatbum101]

With H4895 reduced loads it's possible to get a 06 or 308 recoil down to 30-30 level . That 125 Sierra Sptz. will shoot quite accurately out a 1 in 10 also .

 

[rossi]

.223 Remington with a 64 grain Bonded Soft Point Bullet is a show stopper on Whitetails at 150 yards.

 

[FLT]

I loaded some 190 grain hornady Sub X bullets to about 1250 fps for a friend’s daughter, she is 9 years old and weighs about 50/60 pounds soaking wet. She shoots them in a Ruger ranch rifle and doesn’t seem bother by the recoil. She has taken 3 deer with the rifle using these bullets. 2 were taken at about 60 yards but one was on the far side of the food plot which is 115 yards . The one taken at the longest distance was a very large deer , a little over 225 pounds , it ran about 15 yards and folded up ,it was dead when we got to it . The recoil seems to me to be less than the recoil from 357 magnum bolt action Ruger that I have.

 

[brasshog]

My suggestion would be a 6.5x55 chambered rifle. It's accurate, low recoil, easy to reload, has lots of factory ammo, etc. If it is still too much just put a compensator on it. It will kill anything from varmint to moose with the correct bullet.

 

[BluesBrother]

5.56 ruger bolt action might fill your desire sir

Hunting with .223/.556 is not a legal hunting option in many states. Before you make the investment familiarize yourself with the laws in the state(s) you plan on hunting.

 

[BluesBrother]

I've taken a few pigs and one deer with a 6" .357 mag when I was younger, which is why I was considering the .357 in a rifle. All were clean kills, but at shorter ranges (less than 40 yards).
My biggest problem is holding a heavy handgun steady these days. Basically, lifting my arms over my the height of my nips with any substantial weight in them (and no shoulder support) can trigger muscle spasms in my neck. Work comp injury, 3 discs collapsed onto the primary nerve going down my left arm and my spinal canal was compressed to around 6.8mm. Took 6 months for them to authorize the surgery, another 2 months to get it scheduled, so I'm left with long-term/permanent nerve damage. I can shoulder a rifle and hold it steady for long enough to get off a shot or two, but I'm recoil sensitive as hell in my neck, and any sudden jarring (even hitting a speedbump or pothole too fast) triggers spikes of pain and muscle spasms. I even switched to a lightweight polymer 9mm as opposed to the compact steel frames I've always carried for ccw because the lightweight makes getting on target easier in an emergency situation. After 20-30 shots at the range though, I'm cooked for the day.

Wow! I feel for ya. I have damage to the C-6 vertebra. so I know how that can affect daily life. I wonder if one of those support collars would help to take the tension off your neck would help. Maybe not for hunting just daily living and driving experiences.

 

[Painhandle HawkI]

I think a rifle in .357 Magnum would do well for you. I've shot a hog with one using 185gr lead but most people probably use 158gr which would have less recoil. One hundred yards should not be a problem at all for you, and as you indicated, it sure is an easy cartridge to reload.

 

[Jevaughn]

Wow! I feel for ya. I have damage to the C-6 vertebra. so I know how that can affect daily life. I wonder if one of those support collars would help to take the tension off your neck would help. Maybe not for hunting just daily living and driving experiences.

I was in one for 12 weeks 24/7, even attempting sleep in the damned thing. I do alright in day to day activities as long as I keep my head in a more neutral position. I had to learn and practice a different stance for pistol shooting, no more modified weaver to deal with cross eye dominance, now I have to shoot isosceles.