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looking for a old man's rifle

Covering many of the suggestions already made and several not yet presented. Hopefully it pastes politely. And 7mm Rem Mag adds numbers 23.15 13.32 163 2937
I had a .25-06 back in the day and didn't like the recoil. I've arbitrarily set my upper limit at the .243 possibly and the .22-250 and below as definite suspects. But I don't hunt, only enjoy myself at the range. In the lesser recoilers are a few of the new hot properties, .350 Legend, .204 Ruger, 6.5 Grendel and .300 Blackout. Those should all receive medical approval I'd think. Again, good luck.

CartridgeFree Recoil Energy (Ft-lbs)Recoil Velocity (FPS)Avg Bullet Weight (Grains)Avg Muzzle Velocity (FPS)
7mm-08 Remington14.8810.681602,672
6.5-284 Norma Match14.4810.561432,782
7mm Mauser13.2410.071602,565
.25-06 Remington12.699.921112,988
.260 Remington12.569.831432,673
.240 Weatherby Magnum12.069.71013,063
6.5 Creedmoor11.879.561382,695
6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser10.99.161392,532
6mm Creedmoor10.899.221053,022
6mm Remington10.368.991032,919
.30-30 Winchester9.978.581632,320
.243 Winchester9.228.481032,922
.22 Creedmoor9.158.6653,500
.220 Swift8.548.3553,794
.22-2507.737.9603,515
7.62 x 39mm7.117.241372,303
.350 Legend7.086.611732,231
6mm BR6.927.35853,011
6.8 Remington SPC6.797.221102,579
.22 Nosler6.527.25653,342
.204 Ruger6.187.37383,963
6.5 Grendel6.186.891252,283
.224 Valkyrie5.516.67713,095
.223 / 5.565.486.65693,122
.300 Blackout4.025.451921,530
 
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?
Only you will know how much recoil is tolerable. You’re a stud for heading out deer hunting so soon! A cartridge I’d take a look at is the 25 Creed. Basically it’s a 250 Savage AI that’s designed with modern bullets in mind.
 
Covering many of the suggestions already made and several not yet presented. Hopefully it pastes politely. And 7mm Rem Mag adds numbers 23.15 13.32 163 2937
I had a .25-06 back in the day and didn't like the recoil. I've arbitrarily set my upper limit at the .243 possibly and the .22-250 and below as definite suspects. But I don't hunt, only enjoy myself at the range. In the lesser recoilers are a few of the new hot properties, .350 Legend, .204 Ruger, 6.5 Grendel and .300 Blackout. Those should all receive medical approval I'd think. Again, good luck.

CartridgeFree Recoil Energy (Ft-lbs)Recoil Velocity (FPS)Avg Bullet Weight (Grains)Avg Muzzle Velocity (FPS)
7mm-08 Remington14.8810.681602,672
6.5-284 Norma Match14.4810.561432,782
7mm Mauser13.2410.071602,565
.25-06 Remington12.699.921112,988
.260 Remington12.569.831432,673
.240 Weatherby Magnum12.069.71013,063
6.5 Creedmoor11.879.561382,695
6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser10.99.161392,532
6mm Creedmoor10.899.221053,022
6mm Remington10.368.991032,919
.30-30 Winchester9.978.581632,320
.243 Winchester9.228.481032,922
.22 Creedmoor9.158.6653,500
.220 Swift8.548.3553,794
.22-2507.737.9603,515
7.62 x 39mm7.117.241372,303
.350 Legend7.086.611732,231
6mm BR6.927.35853,011
6.8 Remington SPC6.797.221102,579
.22 Nosler6.527.25653,342
.204 Ruger6.187.37383,963
6.5 Grendel6.186.891252,283
.224 Valkyrie5.516.67713,095
.223 / 5.565.486.65693,122
.300 Blackout4.025.451921,530

So I'm assuming those figures all assume a rifle of the same weight for each cartridge?
Curious what that weight would be.

I recently ran the recoil calculator figures before I bought a 300WSM and was surprised at how much a minor increase in rifle weight (like a pound or two) reduced the recoil.
 
So I'm assuming those figures all assume a rifle of the same weight for each cartridge?
Curious what that weight would be.

I recently ran the recoil calculator figures before I bought a 300WSM and was surprised at how much a minor increase in rifle weight (like a pound or two) reduced the recoil.
I don't know the weight but I'd think they didn't use one weight across the board. Maybe it tells in the article. I didn't read all of it yet. And yes, I was using an online calculator and put in all the new data but forgot to change from the 1.63# of the prior handgun loading to the 7.7# of the rifle. For a minute it had MAJOR recoil.
 
I don't know the weight but I'd think they didn't use one weight across the board...
Hmmm...unless they keep the rifle weight constant (or at least tell you the weight of each rifle), the table is almost meaningless...I mean, we all know a 460 Wby kicks more than a 22 Hornet...but (just for one counterintuitive example) I was surprised to see that (IIRC) my 10# 300WSM supposedly kicks less than my 8.5# 270Win
 
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Covering many of the suggestions already made and several not yet presented. Hopefully it pastes politely. And 7mm Rem Mag adds numbers 23.15 13.32 163 2937
I had a .25-06 back in the day and didn't like the recoil. I've arbitrarily set my upper limit at the .243 possibly and the .22-250 and below as definite suspects. But I don't hunt, only enjoy myself at the range. In the lesser recoilers are a few of the new hot properties, .350 Legend, .204 Ruger, 6.5 Grendel and .300 Blackout. Those should all receive medical approval I'd think. Again, good luck.

CartridgeFree Recoil Energy (Ft-lbs)Recoil Velocity (FPS)Avg Bullet Weight (Grains)Avg Muzzle Velocity (FPS)
7mm-08 Remington14.8810.681602,672
6.5-284 Norma Match14.4810.561432,782
7mm Mauser13.2410.071602,565
.25-06 Remington12.699.921112,988
.260 Remington12.569.831432,673
.240 Weatherby Magnum12.069.71013,063
6.5 Creedmoor11.879.561382,695
6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser10.99.161392,532
6mm Creedmoor10.899.221053,022
6mm Remington10.368.991032,919
.30-30 Winchester9.978.581632,320
.243 Winchester9.228.481032,922
.22 Creedmoor9.158.6653,500
.220 Swift8.548.3553,794
.22-2507.737.9603,515
7.62 x 39mm7.117.241372,303
.350 Legend7.086.611732,231
6mm BR6.927.35853,011
6.8 Remington SPC6.797.221102,579
.22 Nosler6.527.25653,342
.204 Ruger6.187.37383,963
6.5 Grendel6.186.891252,283
.224 Valkyrie5.516.67713,095
.223 / 5.565.486.65693,122
.300 Blackout4.025.451921,530
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.
 
Link,
I'm going on 77. I needed something lighter.
I ordered an 8 twist Tikka Roughtech.243. Never looked back. Came with a muzzle brake and thread protector.
Nosler has Ballistic Tips in 90 and 95 grain made specifically for big game in the .243. Plus, they have the Partition in 100 grains. They are plain jane rifles that shoot right out of the box. You won't be sorry. Good Luck!!
As an afterthought I've also got an 8 twist Tikka Lite 22-250. I use the 243 at night with a Pulsar Thermal scope.
Semper Fidelis
Soup

"Down South 68-69"
 
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A little heavier rifle would mitigate some of the recoil. 20-22” heavy barrel is manageable coupled with a light projectile.

My late uncle was a one rifle kind of guy. He used a M70 in 243, and didn’t hesitate on 400-500 yard shots.
 

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