Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

[Phil3]

How would the recoil of a 223 without muzzle brake compare to that of a 308 with muzzle brake (Ben Cooley "large profile).

http://www.jprifles.com/1.4.3_tre.php

Both rifles would be bolt action. Would like a 308, but wife may shoot and so need to be conscious of recoil.

- Phil

 

[roggom]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

The choice should be based more on the type of shooting rather than recoil, but here is a recoil chart http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm.

You see that the 223 is about 4 ftlbs and the 308 about 18. A brake may reduce perceived recoil by about 20-50% so you are still at about 9-15 ftlbs of recoil. Then again you can always reload some reduced load rounds as well.

I take my 12 year old daughter out to the range and she shoots a Rem700 SPS varmint in 223 with no issue.

 

[neeley205]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

Maybe check out a .260 or 6.5? My 6.5CM with a regular badger thruster is surprisingly mild. Even w/o a brake they are pretty mild.

 

[XTR]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

There is nothing wrong with running a brake as long as the range where you shoot is OK with is and you can do it w/o annoying the hell out of the shooters next to you. That said, recoil on a 308 is pretty mild, a better option for the wife is probably to work up to it from a 223 or a 243.

Bigger magnum size rounds a re a different story but get her enough trigger time and recoil on a 308 will become a non-issue.

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

7-08 With brake or 260 with break give you better ballistics and less recoil than 308 with break.

Just my suggestion.

Good luck,
Merritt

 

[billyburl2]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

Ear plugs, and muffs...And I bet your wife does fine with the 308's recoil.

 

[steve123]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

Personally I'd take a 223 with a fast twist barrel for heavy bullets over a 308 any day.Ideally I think cartridges between 6mm and 7mm are better for long range.If I didn't reload I'd get a 6.5 Creedmoor with a brake and be done with the dilemma.

 

[Jason280]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

A heavy barreled .308 with a brake is going to be fairly pleasant to shoot from the bench, but noise will be a factor. I've seen female (and younger shooters as well) develop flinches from the noise alone, so recoil may not be the only factor in play. That being said, a good set of ear muffs over ear plugs should mitigate the noise.

However, as mentioned above, there are better options than the .308 that offer better ballistics and less recoil. Reading your post, it doesn't appear that you have purchased a rifle yet, so you have options. A fast twist .223 bolt gun (1/8 or 1/7) with 75gr-77gr BTHPs gives up very little to a .308 within 600 yards, has no recoil, and is considerably cheaper to shoot and load.

 

[skinnypitt]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

I shoot a heavy barreled 260 (Kreiger MTU 26") pushing a 140VLD at 2830fps and the felt recoil is basically imperceptable with no break. Also the balistics beat the 308 hands down. I shot a friends 300WM with a good break on it that reduced the recoil to nothing but the blast from the break started causing me to flinch and I could not shake the habit on that rifle.
OH, I am 5'11" 140# so I really feel recoil......

 

[deergrizzly]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

My girl friend used to shoot a ruger 243 with the 16.5" barrel
She now shoots a browning eclipse 308 with the boss system.
She enjoys shooting the browning much better because the recoil of the ruger.

 

[Phil3]

Re: Recoil: 223 (no brake) vs 308 (w/brake)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The choice should be based more on the type of shooting rather than recoil</div></div>

You touched a real issue here. The type of shooting around here (San Francisco bay area) is severely limited. 200 yards max on a range at paper targets is pretty much it. Given that, a 223 makes perfect sense, even if I would like to have the bigger caliber in a sniper type rifle. Rather like wanting and having a 190 mph sports car with 65 mph speed limits.

- Phil