Re: Recoil question
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bloody_Tailgate</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Tomcat, this is exactly the info I was looking for. Obviously nobody will be able to tell me what I can handle, that was not my question. Basically what I am looking for is that point of diminishing returns. I Typically shoot no further than 800yds unless at the occasional rock at 800+. The flip side to that is that I live in South Dakota where the wind never dies. I think it's a steady 30mph today with higher gusts, so the thought of a 210 VLD sounds enticing but it's hard for me to justify the added recoil (if it's significant). I shoot for fun and food, not competition. </div></div>
Some others will chime in, and may have different experiences. I'll give you my opinion on what you might give a shot. I live in West Texas, and fight the wind all the time as well. We get the same kind of stuff you're talking about, lol, but I never go try to shoot in it.
I've been really pleased with the 185 Hybrids from Berger. I was one of the guys that got some of the free ones to evaluate before they were released. I had previously been shooting the 190 VLD's, and really liked them, but they were definitely seating depth sensitive, and mine always liked to basically be jammed in the lands 1-2 thousandths. I found the 185's to be MUCH more forgiving relative to seating depth, and in my particular rifle, they had a much wider accuracy node as well. The nice thing about the 185's is also that they have the same BC as the 190's, but are 5 grains lighter.
On some of the numbers that I ran with the 190's vs. the 210's out to 1,000 yards, there wasn't much of a reason to take the 210's for me out of a .300 WSM. You have to keep in mind that I can't push the 210's as fast as you could in a .300 winmag, so that makes a little difference. But basically, even pushing the 210's hard, I could push the 190's fast enough to have the same wind drift at 1,000 yards, but with less drop, and less felt recoil. I'm sure with the 185's having the BC, it's the same sort of situation, and even a little less recoil (though not really enough to tell a difference). You could probably push the 210's or even the 200 Hybrids, out of the .300 wingmag fast enough to buck the wind even a little better than the 185-190 Hybrids, but it'll be at the cost of recoil. The faster you push that heavier bullet, the harder it's going to recoil. IF you wanted to consider something heavier of the Berger design, I'd look at the 200 Hybrid over the 210 VLD. It basically has the same BC as the 210, and it wasn't as seating depth sensitive, and also had a slightly wider accuracy node in my rifle than the 210 VLD. So you'd save the 10 grains, which might make a difference in recoil, and would probably have a little difference in drop at the longer ranges.
You've already been linked to a recoil calculator, so that will come in handy. I'd just go to like JBM and run some numbers for what you reasonably can push and would like to push the 185's and like the 200's. Make sure you use the right BC's from Berger, or whoever you're getting the bullets. Then look at what your wind drift and drop will be at some of the extreme distances, and see what you think. Some of the lighter bullets may have a couple more inches of wind drift at 1,000, but they will have significantly less drop, and the difference in recoil may make the difference. After you get some idea on the numbers of how you'd be pushing the bullet, put those numbers in the recoil calculator and see what you think. My guess is you'll probably tend to favor something around the 185-190 grain range.