Hunting bullet ?

[chuckslayer]

Is the Nosler 125gr .308 cal B tip a hunting or varmint bullet?
If it is a hunting bullet, I would like to try it in my 30-06 as a whitetail loading, to somewhat reduce felt recoil off the bench.
I have always used 165gr b tips since they came on the market, with great success.
I just can't take the pounding anymore with the 165's, after just 12 shots, especially with IMR 4350.

 

[FOTIS]

Feel free to do so on deer and antelope. One in the boiler room will do just fine.

Believe me. :wink:

 

[1Shot]

I use it in a 308 Win and a 30X47 HBR which is a 300 savage case with the shoulder pushed back ten thousands inch. It is a tack driver and a drop deer in their tracks killer. As long as you keep your muzzle velocity under 3100 fps it will work great. Try 53 grs Varget with the 125 gr BT in the 30-06.

 

[FOTIS]

There you go.

It does work well.

 

[JD338]

chuckslayer

Hunting bullet. Just keep impact velocities below 3000 fps and you will be fine.
If recoil is a problem, take a look at a good recoil pad like the Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad. It will really help.

JD338

 

[RiverRider]

Chuckslayer, please tell us about your rifle. JD's suggestion may be helpful. I've had numerous calibers that pounded the daylights out of me in one rifle and acted like mild-mannered pussycats in another rifle of similar weight. Maybe a simple stock replacement would give your rifle better manners...

 

[rick smith]

I always use a PAST strap on recoil pad at the range. My hunting rifles have decelerator pads.Rick.

 

[DrMike]

My comments will drift somewhat from your original query, but they are nevertheless germane to the issue at hand, which is felt recoil. LimbSaver and Pachmayr Decelerator pads help immensely in reducing felt recoil. RiverRider is correct in pointing out that stock design plays a major part in felt recoil. The most vicious rifle I ever shot off the bench was a custom built 270 WSM. Each time I fired a round it twisted and bucked. In the course of break-in, I broke two sets of ear muffs. A stock replacement may be in order.

 

[3006savage]

You may also want to try a faster burning powder like IMR3031 or 4895 to reduce recoil. You can get powder charges down to around 44-47 Grains with the the 165s. That powder charge is about typical of the 308 and would recoil the same as a typical 308 round does.

 

[JD338]

chuckslayer

Re reading this post has got me thinking......

What rifle are you shooting and where is the scope mounted?

You may be able to add some weight to the rifle which will reduce recoil. If the scope id mounted too high, this will also affect felt recoil.

Another idea would be having the barrel Magna Ported, should reduce recoil by 15%. Going to a break would reduce recoil up to 50% but the down side is added noise. You would need hearing protection while hunting to preserve your hearing.
As I mentioned earlier, a good recoil pad like the Pachmayr Decelerator Magnum pad is excellent and will help a lot.
Of course, going to a lighter bullet like the 150 gr or 125 gr BT with reduced loads will help you as well.

Let us know more about your rifle set up and we will help you get to where you want to be.

JD338

 

[OldMan]

I have a 30-06 in the model 70 featherweight and shoot the 150 BT at 3000 fps and it's a real pussycat on recoil. The secret is the soft recoil pad! With the stock pad and a 180 load it would make you wonder if it was even worth keeping around because of the kick!

 

[chuckslayer]

My 30-06 is a M700 LH BDL, with a sporter barrel, cira 75-76.
My dad installed years ago a 1/2 " red pacmayer recoil pad to prevent the slipping the the black plastic butt plate created.
The scope is mounted as low as it can go, with leupold one piece base and rings, scope is also a leupold, 3x9 vx II.
I really like the caliber,(not so the deer), I do not want a brake, and am also thinking of rebarreling to a 25-06.
As long as I don't have to trim down the stock, I will try a limbsaver or a Rem r3 or pacmayer pad.
Which pad would be the better of the 3?

 

[DrMike]

chuckslayer,

I have each of the pads you name on representative rifles in my safe. The newer materials make modern recoil pads far superior to anything that was available thirty years ago. You really won't go wrong with any of those three pads.

 

[RiverRider]

I've used a PAST Recoil Shield with good results, but I wouldn't wear one while hunting. If your concern is just shooting off the bench, you might find one of these things to be an effective and economical solution. If you're not liking the recoil when actually shooting game, then this is probably not the way to go...just another idea to kick around.

 

[JD338]

Replace the current recoil pad with a pachmayr.
http://www.pachmayr.com/

Work up some starting loads with a 150 gr BT and you should be set to go.

JD338

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Rebarrel to the 25-06 and shoot 115g nbt's. No kick and great performance on deer out there aways...

That was an option right??

 

[Divernhunter]

I have 2 friends with the same rifle as you have. Both were not pleasant to shoot with the factory pad or a old style pad. They put on the pach decell pad and made a huge difference. One of them mag-n-ported his rifle after shooting mine and it tamed it even more. I mag-n-port most all my hunting rifles and large bore pistols and would not want to shoot them non-ported. I also but decell pads on all my rifles unless they have a newer pad such as the R3 etc on them already. It(mag-n-porting) reduces muzzle flip as well as recoil and does not hurt your ears when shooting as the brakes do. For hunting the reduction in muzzle flip is as important to me as reduced recoil.
I have also shot many deer and pronghorns with .308 dia 125-130gr bullets in 308win/30-06 and even 300win mag with one shot kills.

You REALLY need to replace the recoil pad and cut the stock to correct LOP.

Mag-n-porting would help. So would going to 125-130gr bullets or reduced recoil factory ammo. Another option would be to use 150gr 30-30 bullets at reduced speeds so you get less recoil and still have expansion.

 

[1Shot]

Stocks do make a big difference. I had a 30-06 Remington Sportsman 78. It was the poor man's 700 they made back in the 1980's. With the wood stock that came on the rifle it would pound you with recoil. I have shot 300 mag's that did not kick as hard as this rifle. A gunsmith friend had a used Bell & Carlson stock that would fit so I got it and the first time I shot the rife in this stock I thought I had squib loaded the round. There was not much felt recoil at all. I later took the action from this rifle and had a Shilen SS #6 26" barrel chambered in 25-06 put on it and over the years replaced the stock with a H S Precision and got bottom metal to make it a BDL. This is my main go to rifle for deer and it has accounted for over 100 deer in the past 15 or so years.