270 win. have less kick then a 30-06, or how about a .308?

Question

I have looked at some Winchester rifles in 270., and they look like they will have quite a kick. Thank you :)

Answer 1

Yes the larger caliber rifles are going to have more recoil almost always. Recoil shouldn't be a factor in your process to buy a gun though. How heavy is the gun? The lighter the gun the more recoil its going to have. My little brother had a youth model Remington 20 gauge years ago(syntechic stock, so light) and thing would kick like a freakin elephant gun. Basically you gotta go with what you like.

Answer 2

Don't let recoil scare you.
These days, you can have a modern gel-type recoil pad installed which will reduce recoil to an outstanding degree. This can be used in conjunction with a shoulder pad or a shoulder pad shooting jacket for even greater felt recoil reduction.
If that isn't enough, there are piston-cylinder type devices that can be installed inside of the stock which use a technology similar to a shock absorber that reduce felt recoil.
Buy the caliber rifle best suited to your shooting needs,
And don't be too afraid of recoil. Think how many 17 and 18 year old soldiers successfully weilded 30-06 rifles with steel buttplates in the first and second World Wars. Recoil worries are much ado about nothing, with the technologies we have avalible today.

Answer 3

Totally agree with James.

The .270 is about the lightest recoil you'll get in a gun for big game animals anyway. Everything from there up is quite a bit more noticeable. I can shoot my .30-06 bolt-action Enfield nearly all day without an issue. If you're leaning towards a semi-auto, you'll lose a bit more of that recoil too.

Answer 4

All answers so far have real good advice. A+ guys!

I'm not going to answer your specific caliber question as all the calibers you have mentioned I own and I recommend on a regular basis...all good ones!

You didn't say what you want this gun for (game size...or target shooting?) and you didn't say where you'd be using it (heavy woods, brush, open desert, plains or tundra...or shooting bench)
All that matters in making a decision.........you need to address these questions.

What I will say is, please take a step back and reconsider your concern with 'kick'.

It's not a good position to be coming from if you are choosing a rifle based on how much it kicks. All these calibers have some kick...they are moderatly powerful rounds and well....the laws of physics do apply. (At least you didn't mention .300 WM! Now that ones got too much for most people!)

Are you smaller or inexperienced with shooting a rifle? You make the comment that the Winchester .270 you are considering "LOOK like they have quite a kick". Please don't consider it an insult, we're here to help, but you can't be making a rifle purchase decision on this.....

I have instructed a number of beginner shooters, men, women and children, and the conscious and subconscious fear of recoil is very real for a lot of people. For most, it's a combination of blast energy, powerful super-sonic sound and the actual violent movement of the rifle against your shoulder.

The Good news is, all of this can be overcome!

First off, get yourself some good safety goggles. The kind that look goofy and are so big they fit over your regular glasses or sunglasses. Cheap and can be found at your sporting good store for a few bucks.

Then get hearing protection. I'm a 45 year old guy that used to love going to rock concerts and standing in front of the sound columns and I've been shooting for sport for 4 decades......my wife will tell you what hearing loss means!
DO NOT EVER SHOOT WITHOUT YOUR HEARING PROTECTION!
If you find you are sensitive to this, use both the in-the-ear plugs PLUS the over the ear 'headphone' style protection or earmuffs. Again, these are necessary and cost should be under $20 to get yourself set up.

Next, get a slip on recoil pad. Believe it or not some nuts like me LOVE the teeth-jarring blast from a high power rifle. I've collected a number of old military rifles that make all these calibers look tame. A slip on recoil pad does wonders, as does a thick sweatshirt under a thick wool jacket.

Most importantly, PRACTICE. If you have ever played baseball or football or even soccer, you know having a ball thrown at you by a powerful player can be intimidating at first, but can be gotten over. After taking a few hits you learn how to NOT take the hits but more importantly you learn that it don't kill you and that you can take it. Fear of recoil is like this. With practice, this fear can be conquered.

Find a range with concrete shooting benches. If you can't, get a good solid table and chair and get a couple of sandbags and old blanket. Shoot on the bags..... work on your accuracy and focus on you sights and scope and hitting the target and loading and operation the gun. Try to do at least 50-100 rounds per trip, if you can afford it. (this is where the 30-06 and .308 get good.....cheap surplus practice ammo!)

You will find most guys at the range friendly to beginners and eager to share knowledge and experience. I have shot many, many calibers of firearm by just asking friendly people if they want to try my rifles. I suggest you hang out and make some friends......you can probably have them meet you at their regular times and shoot whatever they have, provided you bring the ammo! Again, practice matters and is only second to safety!

Also, don't laugh....do some pullups and push ups regularly. A little muscle mass on the shoulders works wonders! Even small women can handle really big guns with a little added strength. My five-foot-even wife shoots my Springfield 30-06 offhand quite well at 200 yards....and she used to be afraid of a .22 five years ago.

Good luck to you whatever you choose and good hunting!

Answer 5

All are about the same in terms of recoil. You can get reduced recoild rounds for them and a good recoil pad will help. The most noticible factor to me with all three is not recoil, but sound. They are hard on the ears and I always wear ear protection when shooting any of these three rounds.