My wife has a very slight build and is sensitive to recoil. Right now she is running a 700 in 243 win which is running around 9 lbs. for her the recoil is manageable but it's a little heavy for her when hunting. I'm looking to build her a rifle with enough energy for out to 250 yards for small whitetail in central Texas, wanting to get to around 7lbs. Would the 6BR with 105 grain have comparable recoil to the heavier 243?
6BR for sensitive shooter?
- Thread starter jpmimproved
- Start date
If magazine feeding is important, a 6BR is not the best choice. It can be made to work if needed, though. Use a Barnes 80gr TTSX bullet for even lower recoil.
Personally, for a small, recoil-sensitive shooter hunting Texas whitetails inside 250yd I would recommend a .223 with 62-69gr bullets, which has about 1/3 the recoil energy of a .243 shooting 100gr bullets.
Personally, for a small, recoil-sensitive shooter hunting Texas whitetails inside 250yd I would recommend a .223 with 62-69gr bullets, which has about 1/3 the recoil energy of a .243 shooting 100gr bullets.
Last edited:
I typically hunt with 77 grain out of a 223, but I'm not overly comfortable going out past 150 yards with it, even though I can accurately place shots beyond that. For closer ranges, she also has a .22-250, but it's a factory barrel with I believe a 1:12, and it can only stabilize a 60 or 64 Gr bullet, so it's fairly limited. From time to time we also see free range axis deer come through, so I think the extra energy from a 90-105 Gr would be beneficial.
HTSmith
Silver $$ Contributor
Recoil calculator shows about 5% less recoil for the 7 lb 6mmbr--not very much. You could do the same thing by loading down the 243 by just a smidge and not have to deal with the potential feeding problems of the BR.
And by the way I love the 6BR and they certainly will do the number on smallish whitetail, so if you just want a new rifle have at it.
And by the way I love the 6BR and they certainly will do the number on smallish whitetail, so if you just want a new rifle have at it.
Keith Glasscock
Gold $$ Contributor
Yes, the 243 will perform admirably with lighter bullets (around 80 grains) and slower speeds. We run 75s at 3000 fps with Varget.
Compared to the typical 100gr 2960 fps load, it has 76% of the recoil energy.
Is the recoil the bigger problem, or hauling a 9 lb rifle around?
Reducing the rifle weight by 2lbs makes the recoil energy go back up to the original value, but significantly increases the recoil velocity making it feel much sharper.
Compared to the typical 100gr 2960 fps load, it has 76% of the recoil energy.
Is the recoil the bigger problem, or hauling a 9 lb rifle around?
Reducing the rifle weight by 2lbs makes the recoil energy go back up to the original value, but significantly increases the recoil velocity making it feel much sharper.
The weight is the bigger problem, but I know that if the weight was dropped two pounds it would knock her around a bit much. I've got a model 7 sitting around in 7mm-08 that I want to rebarrel, it hasn't seen much use recently so I figured a little facelift would get it back into service. The 243 only has a couple hundred rounds down the barrel and shoots well so I would rather keep it as is. If 6BR is too much hassle Ill just build another 243 and load it down, but I have heard that the 6BR is close in performance with a fair amount less recoil(and better barrel life).
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
If you really want low recoil look at the 6x45. 223 straight neck up to 6mm. Mine shoots 95 gr Partitions at 2650 fps. It's on an L461 Sako and weighs about 7 lbs even. It's a pleasure to shoot. I wouldn't hesitate to let my 70 lb 11 y/o daughter could shoot it. A solid 250+ deer rifle.
6.5 + 45 looks good also . Larry
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
The 6x45 with a 95 Partition is VERY deadly on deer and just a joy to shoot!
All are very good suggestions, and I think you said that the weight of the rifle was the real issue and not so much recoil. But, you can use the H4895 60% rule. Sometimes it works well, sometimes not. Hodgdon has it on their website, but basically, take the max H4895 load for any listed bullet load and multiply that by .6 as the minimum starting point and then you can work up from there to get the accuracy desired and minimum velocity you think necessary.
Like I said, sometimes you can get some good results, but you have to test to see. Just a thought but it will reduced the recoil. Personally, when I was still hunting a lot in west Texas, i found a 243 load with 80-85 gr bullets, especially the TSX to be a great load and with very minimum recoil.
Dave
Like I said, sometimes you can get some good results, but you have to test to see. Just a thought but it will reduced the recoil. Personally, when I was still hunting a lot in west Texas, i found a 243 load with 80-85 gr bullets, especially the TSX to be a great load and with very minimum recoil.
Dave
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.