looking for a old man's rifle

[mic2377]

Less is more. 223, 6.5 Grendel, 6 ARC, etc are the way to go. You might just end up shooting one of these full time even after you heal up!

For a more full size cartridge the fast 22's and 6 mm are awesome. I have a 22 Creed shooting 80 ELDX's at 3250 fps and the recoil is quite mild, although this is out of a fairly heavy chassis rifle with a suppressor. The rifle is very easy to shoot well. One of the YouTube guys did a gel test on that combo and it apparently makes a similar wound profile to many 30-06 loads with a flatter trajectory and lower recoil.

Could also do reduced loads with any of these options using H4895. These work really well too, IE the 125 SST in 308.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

@Link,

If I were you, I would take this deer season off to recouperate.

Yes, you may find a rifle that you can handle.
But the real work starts when the deer hits the ground.

I'd see if a friend or family member is willing for you to pay for the extra tag and let them shoot the deer.
You can always help with the butchering.

This IS, the BEST Idea ^^^ IMO,.. THEN Get, the 6.5 Creedmoor put together for, .. NEXT, Year !
At 78 y/o, I wouldn't want to Be, without, One !
The 6.5 Creed is, So Accurate and so "Pleasant to, Shoot", BRAKED with, 120 grain to,.. 130's !
Get a Tikka T-3X Lite ( about, 8 Pounds, w/ Scope ) ADD, a Kydex Cheek riser, LimbSaver, Recoil Pad & adjust, the Trigger,.. DONE !
Link,.. Personally, I'd take, the TIME necessary to,.. "Get Well"/ stronger,.. FIRST !

 

[DShortt]

One thing about being older. You're not apt to be up to a long walk/hike. So, a heavier rifle isn't such a consideration.
Having said that, it does not take a heavy, fast bullet to take down a deer *if* the shot is placed correctly. A bad shot from a 300Win Mag will still result in a lost deer if the shot isn't good.

 

[Leo_B]

Missing a few options that I feel would be very good. 6mm ARC & 22 ARC are very good considerations. Not sure what your plan may be once the deer is on the ground. Hope you have someone to help at that point.

6mm ARC has been my favorite riffle for going on 5 years now. Then my longest shot on game was 254 yards. Perhaps I was lucky, though the 254 yard brachial plexus shot resulted in a bang flop on the nicest buck I have taken in a little over 40 years of hunting.

Yes, there are several more I wish were included in the chart. I find it very interesting and look back at it regularly.

 

[JohnHenry]

You aren't going to like my suggestion.
Take this season OFF and take the time to heal properly.

Speaking from experience, focus on your cardiac rehab and look forward to a healthy next season.

 

[painter]

Had open heart a few weeks ago. With deer season coming up in a couple of weeks I know I can't shoot my ol 7mm mag. [It reached out to 400 yds nicely] So I guess i'm looking for a rifle with less recoil. One that won't kill on both ends. Ideas?

Whit Machine

Had open heart a few weeks ago. With deer season coming up in a couple of weeks I know I can't shoot my ol 7mm mag. [It reached out to 400 yds nicely] So I guess i'm looking for a rifle with less recoil. One that won't kill on both ends. Ideas?

Witt Machine makes a clamp-on muzzle brake that works. You need to measure your barrel closely. I installed one on my 30-338 when I damaged my shoulder, and it works very well.

 

[wupterchook]

I'd recommend a 22 cal. like a .223, .224 Valkyrie 22 Arc etc. If you haven't used them before, you'll be surprised what they can do. They'll get the job done.

 

[choprzrul]

90gr bullet from a 257 Roberts in a 10lb rifle with a muzzle brake will have next to zero recoil IMHO

 

[Webster]

Had open heart a few weeks ago. With deer season coming up in a couple of weeks I know I can't shoot my ol 7mm mag. [It reached out to 400 yds nicely] So I guess i'm looking for a rifle with less recoil. One that won't kill on both ends. Ideas?

If you reload just use a milder load. Save a lot of money. 2600-2800 fps will work OK.

 

[Leo_B]

For the chart I included they offer this information.

How we perform calculations​

• Analyze over a dozen models of rifles chambered in each cartridge to determine the average rifle weight to put in the formula. If you’re shooting a particularly light or heavy firearm, you’ll need to do a separate calculation, but this will be a fair comparison of what the rifle weight normally is. Most recoil tables simply use a 9 lbs firearm for all calculations, but this leads to crazy results for the lightweight 22lr and the heavyweight 50BMG. Also, we include scope and other common accessories to get a realistic field rifle weight.
• Normalize powder charges within each caliber to make a fair comparison. You can load a 7 Rem Mag with Retumbo or H4350, but the amounts will be different. We keep powder charges consistent to reality within each caliber of firearm.
• Average over 6 common loads for each cartridge to determine realistic muzzle velocities to include in the formula. Most recoil tables take the muzzle velocity on the box at face value, but we all know that’s rarely accurate–especially if you shoot a shorter barrel length. If you see our recoil numbers are usually just a little less than what you see elsewhere on the web, it’s likely because we’re using more precise averages of muzzle velocities across a variety of common loads for each cartridge.
• Consider multiple loads for each cartridge to determine a fair average of bullet weights for that cartridge, and caliber.

 

[Hipshoot]

For the chart I included they offer this information.

How we perform calculations​

• Analyze over a dozen models of rifles chambered in each cartridge to determine the average rifle weight to put in the formula. If you’re shooting a particularly light or heavy firearm, you’ll need to do a separate calculation, but this will be a fair comparison of what the rifle weight normally is. Most recoil tables simply use a 9 lbs firearm for all calculations, but this leads to crazy results for the lightweight 22lr and the heavyweight 50BMG. Also, we include scope and other common accessories to get a realistic field rifle weight.
• Normalize powder charges within each caliber to make a fair comparison. You can load a 7 Rem Mag with Retumbo or H4350, but the amounts will be different. We keep powder charges consistent to reality within each caliber of firearm.
• Average over 6 common loads for each cartridge to determine realistic muzzle velocities to include in the formula. Most recoil tables take the muzzle velocity on the box at face value, but we all know that’s rarely accurate–especially if you shoot a shorter barrel length. If you see our recoil numbers are usually just a little less than what you see elsewhere on the web, it’s likely because we’re using more precise averages of muzzle velocities across a variety of common loads for each cartridge.
• Consider multiple loads for each cartridge to determine a fair average of bullet weights for that cartridge, and caliber.

 

[Hipshoot]

I am sure that the OP is dealing with pride also!

Pride some times Bests smart thinking!

Hip

 

[Rat44]

I'd recommend a 22 cal. like a .223, .224 Valkyrie 22 Arc etc. If you haven't used them before, you'll be surprised what they can do. They'll get the job done.

Have to keep in mind where the OP is located.
My state requires minimum 243 for big game.

 

[ISS]

Brake is THE answer.

 

[Kermit in Va.]

RUGER gen 2 6 arc...comes with a brake and works good

 

[dvraa]

25/06!

 

[pertnear]

.250-3000 in a bolt gun. That would be my druthers...

 

[GotRDid]

If you want to stick with your original rifle, perhaps this may be worth considering from Hodgdon’s Load Data Center…

 

[CharlieNC]

No comparison, a 243 with a brake is a pussycat that kills.

 

[timeout]

No comparison, a 243 with a brake is a pussycat that kills.

Even without a brake the .243 is a joy to shoot. I have shot several good bucks with one. Proper bullet and shot placement!