Lowest recoil magnum calibre for target shooting

[jays]

Hi guys,

I know there are are a lot of variables to this question - bullet weight, powder charge, all the rest - If I can just get some general information though to get in the right direction it would still be helpful.

Like the title says, what cartridges should I be looking at for balancing low recoil with long range accuracy.

This is with a view to working my way out further and further on targets. Not for hunting so effective range and all that isn't important, just accuracy.

Any pointers in the right direction appreciated.

[Chronos]

first you must understand you don't need a magnum caliber for long range accuracy, in fact throwing more powder and heavier bullets is a great way to cause other problems that will reduce accuracy like flinch, magnum cartridges and low recoil don't belong in the same sentence IMHO

second what do you call long range? 400m, 800m?

a target cartridge like 6BR or its improved derivatives the 6BRX and Dasher hold most of the world records at 600m, shooting just a 105gr bullet they develop not much more recoil than a .223, or for that matter a .243 shooting 105gr VLD will slaughter a .308 for balistics

as far as my rifles go i have avoided the magnums, my largest cartridge, a .284winchester shoots a 7mm 180gr bullet at 2760fps, a bit slower than a 7mm rem mag but using almost half the powder (50gr) and twice the barrel life

developing the skill to shoot accurately at longer ranges is another thing, take your .22lr rifle out to 200m and try shooting some groups, if it shoots 25mm groups at 50m you want to get it shooting 4"-5" at 200m

Chronos

[padaro]

7mm is usual the recoil-friendly favourite isn't it.

So, 7mm Remington Magnum?

[Aster]

Distance is going to be key to this.

You're talking seriously long range shooting to "need" a magnum cartridge.

[jays]

Hi guys,

I'm shooting no further than 500m at the moment.

But over time as I improve I'd like to get out to 1,200m.

I know that's not going to happen overnight, I'm just getting my facts on the right equipment to do the job as my shooting improves.

[Blackened]

Not putting the idea down, bear with me, but 1,200m is some serious high-skill shooting. And gear to match.

As you say, it's not going to happen over night. With that in mind, have you given any thought to getting a 'trainer' rifle now and upgrading if/when you come to the extreme range shooting.

On the subject of recoil, a magnum is going to kicked harder than any non-magnum cartridge. So there is that.

The old common as dirt .308 Winchester will take you out to 1,000 metres. Once you're shooting well enough at that distance then you could go up to a 300 Win Mag or 7mm Rem Mag to add 500m to your shooting.

Just some thoughts on not getting ahead of yourself.

[loaded]

If you want to shoot to 1000 mtrs and beyond low recoil buy a gun with a muzzle break.
Steyr’s and Barrett’s are great to shoot and no issued with recoil, you can shoot all day your shoulder will be fine. Now you wallet, that’s a different matter

[Kipper]

A muzzle brake really does do wonders on these things.

A braked 300 win mag has a bit more kick than a .243 with a decent brake.

[Goshawk]

A muzzle brake really does do wonders on these things.

A braked 300 win mag has a bit more kick than a .243 with a decent brake.

What brand brake would you recommend?

[Kipper]

Check out this series of vids mate.

Best comparison of different brakes I've seen.

Muzzlebrake testing 1
Muzzlebrake testing 2
There is no 3 for some reason...
Muzzlebrake testing 4
Muzzlebrake testing 5

Skip the the last one for results only if you CBF with the rest of them, but interested to watch the tests for the different brakes too I though.

They test 10 different brakes in the series.

[Kipper]

The place doing it is a NZ crew too.

So no US export hassles.

[Chronos]

If you want to shoot to 1000 mtrs and beyond low recoil buy a gun with a muzzle break.
Steyr’s and Barrett’s are great to shoot and no issued with recoil, you can shoot all day your shoulder will be fine. Now you wallet, that’s a different matter

A question, what target rifle competitions allow the use of muzzle brakes? As far as I know neither benchrest nor NRA F class allow them. Are we talking about a target caliber of just a "tacticool" gun for shooting water bottles at 1000y?

Chronos

[Oldboy 7mm Dakota]

I run a tresamax on my 7mm Dakota and it is great.

Not a bulky heavy brake and it works great.

Terminator brakes are also great but for a hunting rifle you would need the terminator 2 light weight.

Old boy 7mm Dakota

[Goshawk]

Check out this series of vids mate...

I found number 3, maybe not same series but same bloke/ company, has a vari-max brake on a 7mm Rem Mag, very impressive, rifle hardly moves!

Are we allowed to order in muzzle brakes from NZ? Any forms to sign?

[Kipper]

Yep, amazing the difference the right brake will make.

As you saw in the video with their sliding bench rig, the 'worst' brake sends the rifle 4x further backwards then the 'best' one.

[Wes]

I've often wondered how much research/testing some places put into their brakes, or if they just drill a bunch of ports and call it a day.

A lot doing the later it seems. Good to see some proper testing and the results from a well designed muzzle brake.

[Elek]

To be fair the some of the better performing brakes are double the size.

[Wes]

True, but even a larger muzzle brakes are pretty light. And not that big.

If I'm buying a brake it's to reduce recoil, not as a pretty muzzle accessory.

If it doesn't do it's primary job as well as another one does, then that's the answer for me.

[Elek]

Yeah fair enough, just a point worth mentioning I thought.

[Oldboy 7mm Dakota]

I agree with what you say Wes but you need a good balanced off hand hunting rifle.

I have 4 brakes and they are different weights and sizes.The best performing brake is 2 heavy for my walk around free hand rifle.

But on a lr heavy rifle who cares how heavy and big it is as free hand shooting is not going to happen.

Old boy 7mm Dakota

[Wes]

Yeah that's a fair point.

I suppose it comes down to how much recoil you want to take off really.

[Mark TAC]

If you don't 'need' a magnum how about .260rem? Same trajectory as a .300winmag

Agree with Chronos' take on it

[jays]

If you don't 'need' a magnum how about .260 rem? Same trajectory as a .300 win mag.

At the moment definitely don't need it, I realise that.

Like I said, getting my facts together for the right long term rifle.

Even though it will be overkill now, I'd like to get the right thing off that bat that will take me all the way out as I improve.

Maybe that turns out not to be a magnum after all. Still learning

[twoforty]

my largest cartridge, a .284winchester shoots a 7mm 180gr bullet at 2760fps

What bullets are you using there Chronos?

[jays]

developing the skill to shoot accurately at longer ranges is another thing

I realise that too.

I don't expect to just buy a fancy rifle and instantly be a great shooter.

[Norton]

That's good.

I always have to laugh when someone posts "Hi guys, I want to start shooting, which rifle do I buy for 1,500m shooting"

Anything would do as they'd be shooting 2m groups at that stage anyway