James B

I am sure you can handle the recoil of the 300 WM. However keep in mind that even the 308 winchester will retain about 1700 lb of ME at 400 yard and about 1500 lbs at 500 yards. Thats plenty of ME for deer and elk. These critter seldom need to be shot at at anywhere near those ranges. You have many choices of rifles that will do the job with a lot less recoil as well. Your option.

craneman

I shoot 30 or so rounds a week(in one stting) through my 700 sendero in 300 win and that's it for me!I'm about 200 lbs. and it hurts!Knock the zero out a couple of clicks and let him sight it back in, that should make his mind up.If he can or should I say when he can, he'll be on top of anything in north america

stubblejumper

If 30 rounds of 300win mag out of a rifle as heavy as a sendero hurts,you are recoil sensitive.With such a heavy rifle,most people find the 300win mag quite tolerable.With light weight rifles however, the recoil from the 300win mag can be too much for many people.

NVMIKE

Go for it, if he doesn't like it dont ruin him by makeing him stick w/ it, a muzzlebreak would probably gaurantee that he would be ok w/ it. It's a great caliber.

Howler

I have had my 300 win. mag for several years, bought it because I had hopes of a trip to AK. someday. I never liked shooting it at the range because of the kick that it produces. My rifle is the win. model 70 in the synthetic stock.
Well, I am going to AK. in less than a week now. I have shot this gun more this summer than I have in the last several years, about 80 rds., but just couldn't get used to the recoil. BUT, finally I bought a Simms recoil pad for it last week, installed it, went out this last Sat. and shot 15 rds. through it, and it fills like a new gun. I absolutely can't believe how much of a difference this Simms pad has made. After 15 rounds, I had no recoil pan in my shoulder, and now have more confidence with the rifle than I have ever had.
So for anyone that has rifle that you just don't like to shoot because of the recoil, I highly recommend the Simms recoil pad. From me, it gets two thumbs up!!

RON G.

My nephew will be 14 in several weeks, and he has shot my 300 Win Mag without problems. BUT, he is a big kid! He's already about 6'2"! I believe most kid's that age can learn to shoot it well. The biggest thing is to not be afraid of the rifle. Recoil WILL NOT break your arm, or seperate your shoulder! Like someone else already stated, while hunting, recoil is irrelevant, I simply cannot recall the recoil from any shot's on big game. Must be the adrenaline.

mnbohunter

Don't forget the ear plugs. I think the blast of a rifle is harder on a shooter than the recoil. This may be elementary but I really think it is important on the range. On a mule deer hunt last year, opening morning I was laying prone next to my buddy when he shot his buck. He knocked it down with a well placed first shot but it got up and he shot three more times. Four shots with a 300 Wby. mag. about 3 ft from my head, that hurt. The same thing happened the second day with a different friend also shooting a 300 Wby. I wouldn't trade either of those experiences for anything. It was awesome to be there when they took their deer but my ears were not happy with me.

TerryM

That "strong" 14 year old kid likely also hunts with a 12 gauge shotgun with no problems. The reality is a 12 gauge kicks more than a .300 mag. Recoil is a perceived problem for most people. Some small people can handle recoil better than larger ones. Rifle fit has alot to do with it also. Let him try the .300 it might just be no problem for him.

jdeerhunter270

or should i think about a 7mm rem mag ?