looking for a old man's rifle

[DumpHollow]

I had a Remington Model 7 KS out of the custom shop that was a factory 7BR. It was 6.5# with a VX 2.5x8 on top. It was a joy to carry but didn’t shoot all that well. Deer precision but disappointing for the price. I often think about a light 6BR 8-twist hunting rifle in a similar format.

I had a pre-64 M-70 270 as nice as that 250 sav but found it too heavy to carry and too valuable to beat through the woods. Made money on that one when I sold it.

 

[Doug Casner]

My dad went to colo. deer hunting in the 50s. Back when everbody that hunted had gun racks in the back window of the pickup. He said there was a 99 savage hanging in most of them. I guess the first ranch rifle. Doug

 

[timeout]

My dad went to colo. deer hunting in the 50s. Back when everbody that hunted had gun racks in the back window of the pickup. He said there was a 99 savage hanging in most of them. I guess the first ranch rifle. Doug

I'm thinking that a lever action Winchester may have been popular on the ranch before that 99 Savage. Admittedly, that's only a guess since I wasn't there.

 

[Doug Casner]

Youre right. It wasnt the first one but it was popular in Gunnison in the 50s. Doug

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

As being, an "Old Man", myself @ 78 y/o, Personally,.. I'd Skip this Deer season ( Hunt Squirrel's w/ a .22 LR ),..
get WELL and put together, an Accurate, 6.5 Creed, Tikka for, NEXT year and shoot, the 120 to 130 grain,
LOW Recoiling Bullets, for, a while !

 

[Rjsmith]

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?

I had open heart surgery September 17 at the Cleveland Clinic. They said no shooting until May, I have a friend who had the same surgery and is very successful skeet competitor, he said don’t rush it or you’ll not heal the sternum…

 

[jlshaw]

.260 or 7mm/08 are sublime.
Otherwise, a 6BR works wonders.

Good luck!

 

[Rat44]

I have had to change my main hunting rifle due to a shoulder issue .
Started using a Browning BAR in 30/06.
Found a Hornaday reduced recoil load that it shoots well.
Its a 125 grain bullet that is supposed to work well on deer sized game .
A whole lot less recoil than my Remington 700 30/06 with 180 grain Partitions.

 

[Eric Leonard]

The 6 ARC with 103s should be nice on this end and kill well on the other end

 

[Oldbloke]

308, load a 130gr bullet with perhaps 45gr of varget. Easy on the shoulder, hard on deer at sensible ranges.

I use a similar load in 30.06 and kills fallow.

On second thoughts,,,rest.

 

[waterdog]

Ruger American Generation ll. Comes with a muzzle break and 20 inch barrel.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

"Old Men",.. shoot 6.5 Creedmoors, Because,.. NOBODY Else, has, the Balls to admit, it !
We old guys, don't much care, what,.. everybody else,,, "Thinks" !
We KNOW,.. What,.. "Works" !

 

[TC260]

"Old Men",.. shoot 6.5 Creedmoors, Because,.. NOBODY Else, has, the Balls to admit, it !
We old guys, don't much care, what,.. everybody else,,, "Thinks" !
We KNOW,.. What,.. "Works" !

I look at the throat dimensions in particular on a lot of these new cartridges coming out and it's not hard to imagine why they tend to consistently shoot so well off the shelf. People can laugh but the proof is in the pudding.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

I look at the throat dimensions in particular on a lot of these new cartridges coming out and it's not hard to imagine why they tend to consistently shoot so well off the shelf. People can laugh but the proof is in the pudding.

Yup,.. THAT Plus, Case design with, a fairly Long Neck, allowing for, Bullets to be seated longer and Out of, the "Doughnut area" along with, an Adequate Powder capacity for, the Bullet weight, it's using.
Only my 6 XC, is more Accurate than, my 6.5 Creed ! But at,.. 3X, the Cost of, the Rifle !
My Braked 6.5 Tikka with, 130's is, "Sweet to Shoot" as practically, NO Felt Recoil ALLOWS, this Ole' Boy to concentrate on, Ringing Steel,.. way, Out there !

 

[ELR LVR]

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?

A 260 with a brake will do you fine and reach out to 600 yds easily with the right bullets
1/8 Twist of course
I believe my "Light" recoil plinking load is 40.0 of 4831 with 140's
Feels like a 22-250 - and that was worked up in a very light Steyr 1900 - maybe a 6-7lb rifle
I would only use this type of load for 100-200 yds as it likely has too little
energy for a good kill beyond that
--------
A standard Load with 147-153's would be like 41.0 of 4350
And feel like a light recoiling .308 maybe? (308's have noticeable more kick by at least twice)
-------
A 6.5 Creed will do about the same thing, but everything is more exspensive for a Creed

 

[Lefty2506]

With today’s advancements in bullet technology, smaller cartridges throwing lighter projectiles are punching well above their weight with the added benefit of less recoil. Pragmatically speaking, do you think the average deer notices the difference in the velocity of a 6.5 Creedmoor vs 6.5 Grendel or a .308 vs 300HAM’R when hit anywhere close to the vitals???

From experience, I can tell you NO, the deer can't tell the difference. 3 of the guys I hunt with use 6.5 CM. 2 of them think that 100 yds is a pretty long shot. The 3rd guy and I are both extremely proficient with what ever firearm we happen to have in our hands. From a 24" upper, my Grendel is pushing a 105gr monolithic HP within 150 fps of what he's able to get with his 6.5 CM pushing 140gr projectiles. As mentioned, I've taken several dear with mine. Multiple times I've chosen shots between 200 and 300 yds with the sole purpose of challenging the the bullets ability to penetrate, and I've gotten complete pass throughs with good expansion (based on the wound cavity and meat/organ damage) every time. On whitetail deer, there's no reason to run a bullet heavier than 125 gr in a 6.5/260 cal cartridge.

As far as cartridge selection goes, it really depends on how far you plan on shooting. Under 200 yds, there's almost no limit to the number of options that will work well on a whitetail and have very mild recoil. Stretching out to 300 requires a little more consideration, but there are still good options available that won't beat the snot out of you at the bench. Stretching out to 400 or more is going to require more skill and more velocity (ie recoil).

Either way, the OP should listen to his surgeon.

Let this be a lesson to all of us. If we don't want things like open heart surgery to impact our ability to enjoy things in life, we need to put some effort and discipline into taking better care of ourselves ahead of time. I know I fall into this category. I think I'm officially sitting at the crest of the hill, but my body is already on the downhill decline. I'm seeing a HUGE difference in how much physical work I can get done in a day compared to what I could do just 2 years ago. I'm taking steps to address that, but the truth is that I'll never again be able to do what I could when I was 40, or even 45 for that matter. The best I can do is slow the decent to a more gradual pace. Wish I had started 5 years ago, but better now than waiting until I'm in a free fall.

 

[long40shot]

I whole heartedly endorse the 257 Roberts. I hunt deer with the Ackley Improved version. Having said that, when this barrel goes south I might consider doing a 25 Creedmoor.

 

[Link]

Thanks, you guys are the best. I think I'm looking for a used [new are pricey]
243 semi if I can find one as I will only use it for 1 season then go back to my first love my 7 mag. I think a 243 would have less kick as my 7 mag with a min load w 150s. I'm not going to shoot unless I see a shooter buck. I will use my camera. Yes your health is everything. I retired at 79 years old. I'm in good shape for my age. That's why they overrode my DNR. Glad they did.