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308 recoil and chest problems

D

dean1197

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Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 10, 2010
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Hi

When I was 18 (4 years ago) I was diagnosed w/ a soft tissue cancer in my right chest wall (this is where the right pectoral muscle is). When they removed the tumor, they also removed about 2/3's of my right chest muscle with it. I was wondering if anyone thinks the recoil from .308 would hurt to much for me to shoot. Again just to be clear i'm missing 2/3's of my right chest muscle. I weight 160-165. Any opinions as to whether I can handle the recoil from the .308 or might have problems? again i'm worried about hou much it will hurt.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Muzzle brake / Suppressors with a longer barrel will help.

Or buy a leftie rifle.

Or a 6.5 Creedmoor instead of .308, I hear they have less recoil.

...or a .223 you wont feel much, wear a thick jacket?
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

First, let me be the first to say congrats on beating Cancer. Thats awesome.

May i make a suggestion? if what you have picked out dictates a .308 as the best choice of the calibers it comes in, then i would immediately look at a limbsaver recoil pad. they slip right on with no mods to the rifle, arent overly expensive and add padding and will help with recoil. also, look at a rifle (if youre doing a factory rig) with barrel prethreaded and brake that baby. thatll help too.

Short of that, and if you have some other choices in caliber, id say yeah look at the 6mm and 6.5mm's like the creedmore. great reach, soft kick.

Hope this helps, and let us know how things work out. and as always, any questions just ask.

-Paulus
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

+1 on beating cancer, get a good recoil pad and someone to teach you recoil management. Learn good technique then start adding brakes or suppressors.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Recoil isn't bad at all. Theres all kinds of things you can pad your chest with and they don't have to be made specifically for guns . My wife pissed and moaned about it, not saying you are, so I put a little neck pillow between her and the butt stock and she's fine now. 300 WM and up then I'd say recoil is a bit more painful but with a .308 you're fine. The 6.5 creedmore is an awesome round that has less kick and outshines a .308 so maybe take a look at that?
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

All good suggestions...add into the equation the rifle weight. Depends upon your sport, but a 16 pound rifle and scope are WAY more comfortable than a 10 pounder. Velocity is also a contender...the muzzle jet effect increases recoil mor than you would think. The .260 or 6.5 Creedmore are good choices.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Congrads on your win with cancer, that's really is awesome. Anyway as for your question, go with a good suppressor with any of the calibers mentioned and never look back you'll love it.

Good luck,
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

i have a 260 with a brake on it and it feels like you are shooting a 223. I love shooting it because of this reason. The 260 is a great round, very accurate out past 1000yds
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

I have a .308 with a 20 inch barrel and I have to tell you a suppressor will tame that right out.

Cancer is a nasty Bitch !!! good job and God bless.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

I bought the 20 inch threaded barrel and put AAC BRAKE on it and it hardly kicks. If you don't put a brake on it, it will wear you down. It bothers me if I shoot without a brake and a lot of volume.

Just get a brake and your cool. Beat the C, good for you.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

If your tuff enough to beat cancer I'm sure your tuff enough to beat anything congrats my friend!!!!! I would do a little looking around maybe go to a few ranges if there's any around you available and tell people your intentions and y and I'm sure they will let you get behind some glass I know I would!!!!!! Once again congrats and I hope you find what your looking for.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

If Tra Telligman can fight in UFC and Pride with one peck muscle i'm sure you'll be fine shooting a 308 or larger calipers for that matter.

+1 on the muzzle break and +1 on beating cancer!
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

get behind the rifle before you buy if you can. when shooting from a bench, my 308 sits in my shoulder socket. prone is closer to my collarbone and higher. not much muscle meat sees recoil. regardless of where it sits, a recoil pad like pachmeyer (all my sticks have them) and a brake/suppressor will make it much nicer recoil wise. the brake will be noisier to you and will piss off anyone next to you but who gives a shit? you survived cancer dammit!
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

I also say to start with a smaller caliber. 6.5 Creedmoor has about 70% of the recoil of a .308, from what I hear. 243 Win or 6mm XC should have about half. All of those are much better ballistically (is that a word?) than .308 Win. And there's always .223 Rem if you want something cheaper. Either way, congrats and enjoy the sport!
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

May I suggest going to a range, explain your situation and intentions. I'm sure most people would allow you to get behind their rifles for a test drive. I know I would.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hdbiker1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">May I suggest going to a range, explain your situation and intentions. I'm sure most people would allow you to get behind their rifles for a test drive. I know I would. </div></div>

+1 on your win & on the test drive.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Glad to hear that you not only beat cancer but are living life on your terms.

I am sure you know this but I'll beat the horse one more time just in case: Recoil is a combination of bullet mass accelerating, and the muzzle blast. A muzzle brake will take the blast but the heavier the bullet the more opposing force will be felt in the form of recoil. A 155gr bullet will be fairly light where the 208AMAX will let you know it's there.

This said, 308 WIN recoil is not too bad. You can load to see what you are comfortable with.

I have a co-worker just getting into shooting and I let him shoot my 260REM with a muzzle brake shooting 140 gr Bergers and a stout load. He was a little aprehensive, but after shooting, he said it was like shooting a pellet gun.

My point is if you are recoil sensitive I am confident you can load a 308 to your needs, or shoot a 260 REM with a muzzle brake and know you can take full advantage of the caliber.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

I agree with the test drive. The .308 isn't all that bad, recoil-wise, but it's no rimfire either. Try a shot or two and see what you think.

Also, a big congrats on beating cancer!

HRF
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Congratulations!

I would go for a semi-auto (.308 AR) with a rifle-length gas system and long barrel. Put an adjustable gas block on it, a good brake (I like the JP and Surefire, but there are lots of other good ones out there) and a good recoil pad. You could also hand-load some lighter pressure stuff to start out with and move up from there.

Whatever you chose to do, test driving is always a good idea. If you are in the SC area soon, you are welcome to shoot mine. Good luck, man. My hat is off to you
smile.gif
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

it can also depend on how heavy your rifle is. id go with a heavier barrel with a muzzle brake and a limbsaver rcoil pad, if you handload, you could make some rounds with less powder and a lighter bullet.
and congrats on beating the cancer.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

i'd have to see your chest radiograph or ct to say for sure. If they removed anterior ribs in that region that could be an issue. Do you have a pectoralis tendon on the right? Typically one rests the rifle at the muscuoltendinous junction of the pectoralis muscle in the junction of the arm and chest wall.
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

I have some medical history related issues with recoil tolerance too.

Keeping it as simple as possible, the Limbsaver Slip-On (or Pachmyr Decellerator Slip-On) recoil pad is my starting point. I'm also tall, so an extra 1" of LOP is welcome.

Then, I'd go with lighter weight bullets in the .308.

Using a longer barrel adds mass to the rifle, which can mitigate recoil, and can also stretch out the recoil pulse, taking some of the sharper rap out of the recoil cycle. 155gr Palma projectiles and longer barrels are very compatible as a long distance ensemble, and their recoil is very fbvorable vs the 175gr and heavier bullets that are more conventionally employed for LR shooting.

More mass in the rifle is also one of my strategies. For bench or positional shooting, a heavier rifle can be an asset. I will add buckshot ballast to a hollow stock that is not going to get dragged around in the field.

A trick is to fill a plastic bag with buckshot and add some slower Epoxy, mix shot and epoxy really well, then remove air and seal the bag, stuffing it into the stock cavity before it starts to cure. The epoxy cures rattles, and may make the ballast removeable as long as it doesn't get locked in by the cavity's shape.

For hunting, a muzzle brake can make a lighter rifle's recoil pulse more tolerable; but I also find that the heat of the moment plus the usually more upright body position can make the recoil pulse less noticeable. Brakes vary in effectiveness, so do your research on that.

I try to use lighter weight bullets (I think the 150gr Remington Core-Lokt is every bit as effective as I'd need as long as I keep the shooting distances within reason), and Remington also makes a 125gr Managed Recoil load that is quite adequate for deer out to 125-150yd.

If repetitive LR shooting is in your plans, the .260 Rem can get the job done very admirably with a 139-142gr bullet, and that's a big plus where recoil is concerned.

Greg
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Several things will allow you do shoot a .308 with little to no issues...

A heavy rifle...a heavy barreled, tactical/F-Class/F T/R style stock weighing it in the 12+ lb range will go a long way towards mitigating felt recoil...add to this a muzzle brake or flash suppressor will vent some of the recoil energy away as will wearing an old style Marine Corp shooting jacket...it has a large pad in the shoulder specifically to absorb and distribute the recoil forces...

102_0070.jpg


or a more modern version

camosuperv.jpg


And congrats on beating the cancer...I did too...

Capt Beach
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

I don't know where you live, but I would get with a local club and find out when they are having a small comp or range day and explain what you have going on. I know I have no problem letting people who are serious and trying to learn drive my sticks, and I have never seen anyone else who shoots with me say no either. There are usually a plethora of different calibers and configurations out there to try. I would try out a 308 or two, but keep your mind open to some smaller options as well. You are probably trying to stay in commercially available and affordable options and the 243 might be exactly what you want with legs for long distance to boot. If your in AZ give me a shout and I can set something up..
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

A lot of good intel here for you, but in the end you are going to need to do what you should have in the first place.... go fire some rounds. If it hurts then make adjustments. If not then keep rolling with it. No one here can determine your pain tolerance or assess your injuries better than you.

The knowing is in the doing

I understand where you are coming from. I have my own set of injuries. My suggestion is if 308 recoil is a concern then get a 243 and throw some 115 DTACs, you will have little to no recoil, far better ballistics, and more energy out to and past 1000m than the 308 - unless you are shooting the heavier 308 bullets, but heavier = more recoil (190-210gr)
 
Re: 308 recoil and chest problems

Basics; pulling the rifle into your shoulder when shooting will allow you to ride the recoil cycle, rather then being an object in the path of a runaway train.

Yeah, ya gotta try it out to find out; but me, I'd start with the slip-on recoil pad; and then decide whether or not I'd really like to try and ride that mare bareback.

Greg
 
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