Low recoil store available deer round

[joshb]

Will the blast out of the 20 be noticeable over the 22? I have a tikka 223 varmint that shoots real well. I just plink with it. The older I get the more I just enjoy shooting something that is not obnoxious. I also have a ctr stock bottom metal and magazine I can put it in if need be. One of my friends has a Grendel for his grandson. He has had good luck from it. That sure is a nice looking set up you have.

I couldn’t tell if the blast is worse between the 2. I have an 18” 45/70 that’s part flame thrower but I don’t shoot it a lot. I too am older and I prefer less recoil with the smaller cartridges.
Thanks for kind words. Making stocks is a hobby of mine.

 

[DLT]

Will the blast out of the 20 be noticeable over the 22? I have a tikka 223 varmint that shoots real well. I just plink with it. The older I get the more I just enjoy shooting something that is not obnoxious. I also have a ctr stock bottom metal and magazine I can put it in if need be. One of my friends has a Grendel for his grandson. He has had good luck from it. That sure is a nice looking set up you have.

I’d bet good money a 243 out of a 20” barrel will have a good boom

 

[DRK]

I have a 22" barreled 6x47 L. It is obnoxiously loud. I would go 24" +. My 6 TCU has a 24" tube, it is much quieter, granted it is a smaller round.

As much as I don't understand hanging a can off everything, that 6x47 L is likely getting a new barrel with enough meat on it to thread for a can.

 

[Jeff Porter]

3 pages of suggestions Jeff ! I will throw in a vote for the .243 also.

 

[john 800]

One option that has not been suggested is a 7.62 x 39. With quality ammo it is absolutely appropriate for deer, ammd practice ammo doesn’t get much cheaper. After researching for my 12yo daughter the round I settled on is a 6.5 grendel, although a 6.8 spc would be about a ballistic twin. What pushed me to the grendel over a 7.62 or 3030 was a little more range and availabilty in an ar to extend the stock as she grows (and she doesn’t seem to be growing much, she is pretty short)
Edit: one more point, 6.5 grendel factory ammo does exist, but it simply is not as common as 243,3030 or 7.62. Not a deal breaker for me but it is something to take into consideration. I rarely see it at most bog box stores

 

[Randall D]

Plus one for the Tikka 260!

 

[iukamedic]

Plus one for the Tikka 260!

That 260 sounds nice. How is the recoil? The only one I have seen is a 20 inch. Does it have a lot of blast for that length? Thanks for you input.

 

[snert]

260 is more recoil than a 243. Simple physics. Heavier bullet, all other things the same.

I too say 243 for off the shelf ease.

I did see a little 14 YO girl shooting a Mini 6.5 Grendal last fall and she was tearing up the target at 100 yards. It is basically a PPC in 6.5.

 

[drover]

I’d bet good money a 243 out of a 20” barrel will have a good boom

I have owned 243's with both the 20" and 22" barrels and the 20" is noticable louder - to my senses it seems about 25% louder.

As far as recoil - I have used the 308, 260, and 243 for high-power silhouette, which involves shooting 40 rounds per match, so I have a lot of experience with all of them.

Using the 308 as the upper recoil level and establishing that recoil level as a base to work from - the 308 would be a 10 then the 260 would be an 8 and the 243 would be a 6. (in identically stocked and identical weight rifles)

For a deer round it is hard to beat the 243, it fills all of the boxes for your original question. Don't overthink it - just buy the rifle that feels best to you.

drover

 

[SquibLoad]

 

[MSS]

Another late vote for .243.

 

[searcher]

Either a 6.5 Grendel or a .243 Winchester. The Grendel will actually shoot as heavy a bullet as the factory twist .243. But for mild recoil, go with lighter Barnes or Federal lead free and put a brake on the rifle. A braked rifle shooting 85 grains is about like a .22 magnum rimfire

 

[gldprimr]

Hello. Thanks to all in advance. I’ve owned different caliber's and types of shooting and hunting platforms. Looking for opinions on store available and low recoil round for deer type game. I have my favorite rounds for plinking and defense ect. Just looking for that enjoyable to shoot round that is easily available For hunting type application. Thanks again.

You would be hard pressed to do better than the 6.5 Grendel. It is surprisingly effective with very modest recoil and muzzle blast. Mine is a CZ-527 which is no longer in production but the Howa Mini is still available in the 6.5 Grendel. I have taken a number of deer with my 6.5 Grendel and haven’t had any tracking jobs or difficulty in finding my deer.

Hello. Thanks to all in advance. I’ve owned different caliber's and types of shooting and hunting platforms. Looking for opinions on store available and low recoil round for deer type game. I have my favorite rounds for plinking and defense ect. Just looking for that enjoyable to shoot round that is easily available For hunting type application. Thanks again.

 

[pilot]

If you want to reduce recoil, you can reduce velocity or you can reduce bullet weight or both. Felt recoil is the weight of the rifle against the velocity and weight of the projectile. Remembering the equation energy = mass x velocity squared, reducing velocity will reduce the felt recoil more than reducing bullet weight. That would put the 300 Blackout at the top of your list. The 7.62x39 would follow closely. Next would be my favorite deer round, the 243.

 

[Doug Casner]

I was always a light bullet fast mv nut. swift ,22-250 , 257 wby. 300 mags. You dont have to figure range as close. A flat shooting rifle will eliminate alot of mistakes. Never could get excited about blackouts or 7.62x39. I guess it depends on where your hunting. Doug

 

[sw282]

l gave my son a Coyote Model 70 Win in 223Rem. He shoots prairie dogs AND deer with it. Factory deer ammo 63gr Win White Box big ammo. He kills 2-3 deer a year. This Coyote in 223 is his ONLY rifle.

 

[searcher]

l gave my son a Coyote Model 70 Win in 223Rem. He shoots prairie dogs AND deer with it. Factory deer ammo 63gr Win White Box big ammo. He kills 2-3 deer a year. This Coyote in 223 is his ONLY rifle.

You are a good dad

 

[DShortt]

None of this matters if the shooter can't hit the target in the correct place.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd say if the shooter can't place 10 shots within 1 1/2" at the target distance using a caliber with enough energy left for the range then they have no business going hunting. Do your range time.

Leaves out a substantial portion of the 'hunters' who show up in the woods every year, don't it?

 

[Knotwild]

Here's a .223 deer story. About 20 years ago I worked with a nice young man who hunted deer in mid state SC using a Savage .270. Many times during deer season he would come in on Monday and tell his story of either losing a nice buck or trailing him long distances if he found him. I got tired of it and I asked him if he wanted to start dropping deer in their tracks. We all know his answer. I brought him my CZ 527 .223 with a 2.5x10 Leupold and told him to use it instead of the Savage. I also gave him long talk about having to take the time to place a shot and maybe having to pass on a shot if it wasn't right. He stopped having to trail deer and bought my rifle topped with its Leupold.

It's not about the caliber all the time. But if I lived where some of you do, where deer are much bigger than here is SC, I would have to move up in caliber I think.

 

[sw282]

You are a good dad

Thanks searcher. Those New Haven Model 70 Coyotes are/were great Shooters. Wilson stainless barrels w/1-9'' twist in 223s. My Cooper 21 in 223Rem won't shoot the 63gr Winchesters.
Cooper barrel is a 1-12'' twist Wilson.
Son lives in Aiken County, South Carolina. Used to have longest deer season in the USA.
Aug 15 - Jan 1