T/C fan!

I agree with the above posts. But as driftrider said, don't "out-gun" yourself. All you'll end up with, is a sore shoulder at the range and more meat damage in the field. I went from a 300 winmag to a 308 and my "groups" shrank dramatically. As long as the shot is where it should be, dead is dead, no matter what caliber you're shooting. Being a succesful hunter is all about "shot-placement".

mainehunt

I look at all of this very differently. I don't think of recoil when shooting, not even after a few hours of bench shooting. I think that if all a guy is concentrating on is the kick, then he should buy a smaller rifle.

I don't know how anyone can shoot well if they're worried about getting hurt by the recoil.

ELKampMaster

T/C.
Assuming you are true to your name sake, and you are talking 300WinMag versus 308 barrels on a T/C frame then I bet the 308 certainly is more fun to shoot than the 300WinMag, as the whole rifle isn't beefed up from top to bottom (heavier) to accomodate the stronger mission thus leading to a drastic jump in recoil. 308 is absolutely one of my favorite paper punching cartridges, a real joy for sharpening up at the range.

Those who are uncomfortable (regardless of reason) with the recoil of rifles chambered in larger cartridges are definitely better served by something less robust. As the vast majority of the readership tend "max out" at hunting deer then this shrinking back in cartridge strength works reasonably well as deer can be knocked over with a stick.

Moving up to larger game, got to be careful with the old and weary "dead is dead" mantra, otherwise we could all be argued down into shooting 22 Hornets. The key distinction is "dead where." Dead in your possession or out there in the field somewhere? That is where one of the greatest fallicies of Internet Forums comes to play. Someone succeeds in taking down a grand game animal with a marginal round and it's automatically posted as the gold standard of how to do it. Let the same hunter attempt the same thing and the critter gets away and suddenly it is his "dirty little secret" never to be told in either the bar or on the 'net. Both critters are dead; however, there is a significant difference between the two -- one is in the hunter's possession, the other is coyote fodder. Again, not talking deer sized game here.

EKM

eldeguello

AKbound said: I agree! If shooting a heavy kicker from the bench, I not only firmly press the butt into my shoulder, I also get a good hard left-hand grip on the forend, and rest my left hand on the sandbag. This gives me two hands on the situation! In addition, if shooting something like my No. 1 .45/70 which tends to jump up, I have to loop my left index finger over the barrel to keep it from leaving my left hand!

T/C fan!

Elkampmaster, I agree with your post. But, the 308 was not what I was suggesting to hunt everything with, it was just my personal experience between the 308 and the 300. I wasn't suggesting one or the other. My post was intended, like driftriders, was why shoot the "biggest and baddest" when its not nessessary. I'm not saying go "undergunned", but "overkill" only hurts your shoulder and your wallet. This post is not to offend you or anyone else, its just my .02.

James B

Good points made here. I must add one more point. Useing the biggest caliber out there in no way qauretees a quick clean kill on any animal big or small. Shot placement and adequate penetration is what it takes. Many guns are capable of doing just that if the shooter does his part. I have no problem with people who want to use a 340 Weatherby for whitetails. AS long as they are not doing it thinking that a cannon will make up for lack of skill. Believe me there are many out there who think just that. I quided quite a few of these mental midgets for deer hunting trips. I have yet to see one take their deer with a stick but many of them could have done just as well to use them. There were idiots useing small calibers as well.

ELKampMaster

My earlier quote, ".... knock deer over with a stick...", a clarification --- 223's, 22-250's, 243's, etc. Deer are a pretty weak "big" game animal. Thin skinned, small boned, easily penetrated, frequently volunteer for "shot placement" (sic) i.e. too curious for their own good, stand broadside and ponder the world when they should be running, and they give up life pretty easily versus some of the other ungulates out there.

BTW, even the trusty 30-06 (a favorite of mine) is really a small bore in the grand scheme of things. Similarly, most the American "favorites" fall into the category of actually being "pretty easy going" so there isn't toooo much to worry about. Barring the "old injuries" factor, the recoil thing is really kind of relative. I wonder if the hunters doing the serious stuff in Africa on a regulation basis are on some sort of exotic fortified diet banned by the FDA here in the States.

EKM