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270 Win Varget Load - Reduced Recoil

USAFRet

So, dealing with some medical issues causing me problems at the range with recoil. Has to do with head and neck pain. I was looking at reduced loads for my Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in 270 Win. I know going with a heavier rifle would help, but this rifle is a gem I caught on an estate sale and it looked like it has never been shot. Before my issues started, it was driving tacks with Norma Whitetail.

Hodgdon says you can really reduce loads to 60% of max with H4895, of which I have none at the moment and is not in stock anywhere.

Doing some cross-referencing, I am trying to find the least powder load I can use. I also want to use the same powder to compare the Hornady Interlock and Sierra TGK 140 grains.

The Hodgdon website lists Varget at a starting load of 41 grains for 140gr Swift soft points. Sierra lists starting load at 45.7 for Varget. Hornady does not even list Varget as an option.

I would like to start at 41 grains of Varget for both bullets and work up in small increments to test velocity, accuracy and recoil. With Hodgdon's listing, is that an accurate assessment to go that route with different bullets of the same weight that are both soft points?

Thanks!

Varget.JPG
 
TBH you are attacking this the wrong way when instead you should be addressing the recoil with a lighter projectile.
Careful selection with a focus on terminal performance and maintaining some reasonable velocity for your intended game will provide better performance than a heavier projectile travelling at slow velocity that could be below its design characteristics.
I faced the same dilemma with a 308 sporter that knocked me around at the bench which can be cruel unless steps are taken to dramatically reduce recoil.
Now I sissy pad up for any sporter weight rifle larger than a 223 to exclude recoil as having any influence on a group.
 
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Thank you for your service. Put the mountain rifle aside for some time and look for a smaller caliber and heavier rifle. 223 or 6mmbr with light bullets will give you more options. Not sure you will be happy with the recoil or groups as you try to reduce the velocity.
 
Thanks everyone. I looked for TrailBoss powder. None to be found.

I will definitely look for the Barnes TTSX. I have the 129 grain LRX, I think it is, in my stockpile.

I ordered some IMR-4895 as an article in Handloader Magazine quoted someone at Hodgdon saying that it could be used for the reduced loads that are listed for H-4895. I sent a message to Hodgdon to confirm.

I have smaller calibers, but I love my 270 Rem 700. It is an accurate shooter and a beautiful rifle. Just want a little enjoyment in shooting it.
 
Well, called up Hodgdon. Let me say first, they are awesome!

1) The article in Handloader Magazine that stated IMR-4895 can also be used at the 60% load of H-4895 is false. They need to do a redaction.
2) Found what I needed in A-5744 and that powder is in stock.
3) The 41 grain Varget load I was asking about can be used with any 130 grain SP.
4) All load data provided is for copper jacketed lead bullets.

Thanks for all the inputs!
 
DGP4 said:
Homerange makes a good point. You can use the Barnes 110 grain TTX and reduce felt recoil a bunch!
Click to expand...
Not only the Barnes.

Whenever venturing from the accepted path for any caliber I spend some time here where Nathan documents real terminal performance from a vast selection of calibers and projectiles and accumulates it all into his Knowledgebase:
 
DGP4 said:
I have used the 60% formula with H4895 for light loads in .308 WIN, .303 British and 7.62X54R and it works great! Here is the Hodgdon confirmation:

Click to expand...
Homerange said:
Not only the Barnes.

Whenever venturing from the accepted path for any caliber I spend some time here where Nathan documents real terminal performance from a vast selection of calibers and projectiles and accumulates it all into his Knowledgebase:
Click to expand...
Excellent. Thank you!
 
DGP4 said:
Homerange makes a good point. You can use the Barnes 110 grain TTX and reduce felt recoil a bunch!
Click to expand...
It's not just going to a lighter weight projectile but more important is to better manage recoil at the bench.
This is where we develop the skills and confidence to become reasonable shots and I say reasonable as that's all that's necessary when you are sufficiently gunned on game.
Recoil is our greatest enemy at the bench as it robs us of the confidence in our rifle and in ourselves.

I've known shooters that would not shoot at the bench so to escape the pummeling one can get and have someone else tune their rifle and loads where in the field they shot as well as anyone else and brought home the bacon.
Unless we have a shoulder injury, recoil is far less in the field especially when taking any standing shot as the whole height of your body absorbs recoil rather than just the upper torso like at the bench.

I struggled with recoil and seen many of my guests struggle too and their shooting suffers as a result too so I developed strategies to help others mitigate recoil.

Briefly for the bench they are:
Use some shooting rest, the lowest cost effective solutions are shooting bags of some sort that also permit holding of the fore end to better control recoil and muzzle flip.
Use a selection of packers to have shooting bags at optimal height so the shooter is not hunched forward and receive more recoil than being upright.
Use several folded thicknesses of toweling to soften the recoil and help spread it over a larger shoulder area.

Just a few days back a friend that had been through all the above asked me to sight in his Rem Model 7 in 308 .....a known little bruiser. I own 2 Model 7's in lesser calibers, 6mm Rem and 223.
Never had I shot this 308 before but properly bagged/padded and holding the fore end it really was a bit of a pussy but certainly did shove but never did it hurt.

Confidence to squeeze the trigger is vitally important when the crosshairs are on the animal of your dreams so recoil must be eliminated from our bench shooting......who has ever felt the recoil when taking down a deer ?
Not I ever, but at the bench is a different world with a sporter weight rifle.
 
I too struggle with recoil so I take a mathematical approach to managing it. What am I going to shoot at and how far can I confidently shoot the group that i will need. What energy am I looking for at that distance and what combination of bullet and velocity will deliver that energy and perform as expected. Knowing all that allows for determining the muzzle velocity which leads to the charge weight. I then double check that it is a safe load. I then begin my load validation 1\2 grain less and work up until I find an accurate load. If I can't get there with that bullet weight then I need to go with a lighter bullet and work the process again.

Lots of positive attributes to this approach, less recoil from the start, less powder used saving money, less wear on the barrel from reduced loads, and pride that the process was driven by design vs random luck.
 
i know a guy that built a bench to shoot his big bores from, that was high enough for him to stand behind with the rifle on a rest ,that put the butt of the rifle on his shoulder like he would be shooting in the field,,he claimed felt recoil was greatly reduced
 
Eric Leonard said:
i know a guy that built a bench to shoot his big bores from, that was high enough for him to stand behind with the rifle on a rest ,that put the butt of the rifle on his shoulder like he would be shooting in the field,,he claimed felt recoil was greatly reduced
Click to expand...
I am stuck shooting at the range on post. I do always feel like like I am in an awkward position when I shoot.
 
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