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.300 RUM Recoil Level

14K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  rangerruck 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I was wondering how hard these rifles hit when you touch one off. I am looking into buying one not because I need it, but because I would like to have one. Does it compare to say a 12 gauge with high brass/slugs loaded? Any help would be great.

thanks,
vanbuzen9
 
#2 ·
Never fired a 300 Ultra but a friend has a 700 BDL in 375 Ultra Mag. Without a doubt the most uncomfortable rifle I've ever fired. Recoil was worse than my 416 Rem and 460 Wby. As a matter of fact the recoil was bad enough that after the 1st shooting session with it I wound up cutting an integral KDF brake in the barrel. Now it kicks about like my 35 Whelen.
 
#3 ·
I have a 300 ultra mag in a sako 75 hunter and it's a fairly heavy rifle with a 26" barrel. I don't think the recoil is that bad myself but I like big boomers,compared to your 12 gauge it is more. It's not as bad as my 450 marlin which is a mule from the bench but standing it's not bad. Pretty much depends on you and how much recoil your ok with and how heavy the rifle is ,bullet weight and load muzzel brake or no brake. You really need to shoot one to see if you like it or not before you look at buying one.

Hoeram :D
 
#4 ·
I ran a quick recoil calculation for the Ultra and a couple of other mag rounds - I did all the calculations for 9 pound rifles. I chose the 338 and 375 simply because I have shot them a bit and know how they recoil.

300 RUM - 49 ft.lbs @19fps
338 Win Mag - 35 ft.lbs @16fps
375 H&H - 36 ft.lbs @16fps

Yeah, it kicks... I have no need to shoot one! :eek:
 
#5 ·
My buddy next door has a 700 Remington BDL in 300 RUM. We sighted it in last week along with my 700 BDL 8mm Rem mag. To be honest I can't tell the difference.

He was shooting factory Remington premium 180 Sericcos and I was shooting Seirra 220 grain boat tails at 2980 over my chono. His factory 180's were averaging 3380 or so.

I've never been bothered by recoil, so I don't know what to tell you. I do know I can tell a bunch of difference between my buddies 375 Weatherby (the old one, not the 378 Weatherby) and my 8mm mag.
 
#6 ·
'Fess up, Bob; you guys were using your "lead sled"!:)

Truthfully, the biggest differnces in felt recoil (among similar cartridges) is in the physical characteristics of the rifle - stock shape, weight, recoil pad material, and barrel length (muzzle blast). After that, individual tolerance comes into play, which is why you don't mind the big boomers, and I only shoot them when necessary! (Plus, I don't have a lead sled...)
 
#7 ·
My 7 mag in 700 classic kicks harder than my 300RUM. Mostly due to recoil pad material. Both are fun to shoot tho. The 35 Whelen packs a pretty good punch too.
 
#9 ·
Hey, now you're catchin' on!!! :D

The father-in-law took some videos of me shooting the 300 RUM the other day. It was kind of interesting to see just how recoil affects you. Looked pretty cool in slowmo.
 
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#10 ·
You know, recoil never bothered my shoulder at all; I never got sore, nor so much as a mark, while my hunting buddy would get a big purple bruise.
What DID hurt was my neck and head. I alsmost always had a headache and a stiff neck after shooting a bunch of .338s.

You're right Recoil Junky, it is interesting how recoil affects different individuals. I think I didn't get a bruise because I weighed about 145 lbs and the rifle just pushed me out of the way (also causing my stiff neck), while my hunting buddy was rather stout.
 
#11 ·
I'm 6'3" and weigh in at 250 and I also bruise a little when shooting the big magnums. Maybe fat bruises easier than muscle :D A friend at work, Lil' Chucky, is all of 5'6", MIGHT weigh 130 and shoots an 8 mag.. he says the recoil doesn't bother him either. There must be advantages to being verticly challenged :D
 
#12 ·
The last time I say a 300 RUM at the range two guys were taking turns sighting it in. They were sharing the pain, not the fun. They were even using a sandbag between the buttplate and their shoulder.

The felt recoil can be severe when shooting off the bench. Too many shooters have the rifle too low, causing them to scrunch downward in order to see thru the scope. This is a sure way to have a stiff and sore neck and back the next day.

Use a good adjustable rifle rest like the Caldwell "Rock" and rabbit ear sandbags for the butt stock. Crank it up high enough so you can keep your back and neck straight. You will also need to have a pad on your shooting elbow. A good shooting jacket and a Pass recoil pad are good investments. You can't expect to throw a big boomer like this over a rolled up blanket and get good results.

Limit the number of shots. Take breaks and alternate with a milder recoiling rifle. I find that after 20 rounds in my 300 H&H my groups tend to suffer. Pressing on will only create flintching problems that are hard of overcome.
 
#13 ·
The recoil velocity that IDShooter included in his calculations is a figure often left out in recoil tables. This is an important number. As a custom gunsmith I had the opportunity to fire many large bore rifles. All the way up to 577 Nitro, 500 a-Square, 505 Gibbs, 505 Barnes, etc. I only remember 2 rifles that stuck in my mind as painful. One was the above mentioned 375 Ultra Mag in a Remington 700BDL and the other was a 375-338 wildcat on a custom M70 Winchester. Oh wait, also a 338-8mm on a custom Remington 700. What all these rifles had in common was a high recoil velocity. That's the difference between a big push and a sharp jab. My own 460 Wby has almost twice the recoil energy of a 375 Ultra yet it's not as bad in felt recoil. And the 18 pound 577 Nitro express I fired would definitely make you take a step backwards but left no bruises and was not painful. Anyone who has fired a BAR in 300 Win Mag will tell you that it kicks less than a bolt gun of the same weight. That's because the action of the BAR spreads the recoil over a few milliseconds. We built a BAR in 416 taylor that had about the same felt recoil as a 7.5 pound 30-06 bolt action rifle.
 
#14 ·
I think how you position yourself behind the rifle makes a huge difference. My 700 BDL in .30-06 had no recoil pad, and was too short for me (had been my father's rifle). It weighs just 7# with the scope, and used to beat the snot out of me, especially from a bench. I put a grind-to-fit Limbsaver recoil pad on it, which also added about 1" to the length of pull. Now the rifle sits closer in, and not out on the bony part of my upper arm, and I can shoot it all afternoon. My buddy also had a 700 ADL in 7 Mag, and it wasn't all that punishing with a custom stock. I'm sure a .300 RUM has a lot more bite, but if it fits you, it'll help a bunch.
 
#15 ·
IDShooter said:
'Fess up, Bob; you guys were using your "lead sled"!:)

Truthfully, the biggest differnces in felt recoil (among similar cartridges) is in the physical characteristics of the rifle - stock shape, weight, recoil pad material, and barrel length (muzzle blast). After that, individual tolerance comes into play, which is why you don't mind the big boomers, and I only shoot them when necessary! (Plus, I don't have a lead sled...)
Your right IDShooter, you cought me. I use it when ever I sight in a rifle, but I did shoot it without just to have some comparison. Dustin whom owns the RUM was starting to flinch even with the lead sled, though he has no problems offhand.

I built my portable bench so you sit up straighter to avoid the hunching down problems.

Again it goes back to what you were saying about how folks percieve recoil so differently. I always wondered why guys would bring me their big boomers to sight in. When as always they ask how their 458, 338, 375 Weatherby felt and I said OK, I almost always got a nagative reaction after they shot their gun.

I don't know what the problem is except I do see folks tighten up when shooting the big guns. They will relax with say a 243, then when behind a big boomer get a death grip on the gun and not relax. That seems to inhance the recoil a bunch. It also leads to poor groups because they forget to concentrate on sight picture and trigger control. I'm sometimes surprised they don't bite the end of their tounge off.
 
#17 ·
One manufacturer of Sharps rifles, Axtell, www.riflesmith.com, installs mercury recoil reducers in the buttstock of their Creedmoor rifles. Creedmoor shooters go through dozens of rounds of heavy recoiling cartridges in a prone position.

This recoil reducer is a BreaKOsystem. It weighs 14 oz and is 7/8" dia x 4" long. Cost is about $50, and can be self installed . In my opinion, this type of recoil reducer is superior to an "ear splitting" muzzle brake.
 
#18 ·
Agreed, 8iowa -

Had a Rem 870 mag slug gun with the typical 18" barrel. Kicked the snot out of me on the rest and sometimes when shooting offhand. Installed not one, but two (one on top and one on bottom of the stock bolt) of the mercury cylinders in the stock.

Sure made it a heavy rascal to lug around in the thick woods all day, but Man - the recoil got down to that of lo-wall shot loads! :D
 
#19 ·
Mine is a cutom 300rum with a thumbhole stock and weighs in in 9.75 lbs . So it is heavier than an off the shelf Rem. I find the recoil is no worse than my other 30 mags. But my brother in law and three nephews have the rem synthetics and all they do is complain about them. One I fixed by putting it into a HS Precision thumbhole stock. Added more weight and better stock design.
 
#20 ·
hoghunter said:
Never fired a 300 Ultra but a friend has a 700 BDL in 375 Ultra Mag. Without a doubt the most uncomfortable rifle I've ever fired. Recoil was worse than my 416 Rem and 460 Wby. As a matter of fact the recoil was bad enough that after the 1st shooting session with it I wound up cutting an integral KDF brake in the barrel. Now it kicks about like my 35 Whelen.
I know the 300 RUM has serious recoil...but no way it comes close to the 460 Weatherby Mag.

Your talking 4 tons of pressure per sq inch on impact.

You couldn't PAY me to touch one of those babies off:)
 
#22 ·
ahhh, recoil :D

isn't it beautiful?

shaking the cobwebs out now...

I don't really like the 300 RUM. It comes back too fast. I love my .416 Rigby. It's like getting shoved around. My .375 H&H is nice too but a little faster to smack me because it is 3 pounds lighter than the Rigby. I'm not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination at 6'1" and 225 pounds and so I figure by rolling with it I don't get bruised like my brother in law does every once in a while. He's like those guys who get nick-named "Tiny".

If I were you, I would really look into a good laminate stock to go with the 300 RUM. Thumbhole even like suggested above as that weight will make it a lot more comfortable.

A long time ago I looked at the same rifle. Went 30-06 instead and never looked back. Never had to as my shoulder stayed where it was intended to be. :)
 
#23 ·
vanbuzen9 said:
Hey guys,

I was wondering how hard these rifles hit when you touch one off. I am looking into buying one not because I need it, but because I would like to have one. Does it compare to say a 12 gauge with high brass/slugs loaded? Any help would be great.

thanks,
vanbuzen9
hits like a sledgehammer, get a good recdoil pad, liquid type preferrably, get the heaviest model you can deal with, get the longest bbl you can deal with, you should be cool. you will also be able to shoot godzilla from across the canyon.
 
#24 ·
vanbuzen9 said:
Hey guys,

I was wondering how hard these rifles hit when you touch one off. I am looking into buying one not because I need it, but because I would like to have one. Does it compare to say a 12 gauge with high brass/slugs loaded? Any help would be great.

thanks,
vanbuzen9
one more thing, we are talking about arifle with a very fast , very truncated diameter, of recoil energy , pushing back at you , i would say in the neighborhood of 45- 50 pounds. remember, it was first mr Davinci then mister weatherby tha taught us that very small at very fast speeds, makes big heap explosion and downrange energy.
 
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