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Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

One more comment about recoil and I will stop being grouchy about it.
I wish I could dig up I think a LYman book I have lying around somewhere, because it had a table listing gauge, oz, velocity, gun weight and recoil in ft-lbs.

But just banging around on calculator, 16ga 1 oz at nominal 1200fps gun weight around 7#'s has a recoil in the 20+ ft-lbs. That is 2 less than a 270 Wby mag.

A run of the mill 12 ga 1 1/4 load can easily produce 30+ ft-lbs.

Even a 20ga 10z load is near the 20 ft-lb mark. Maybe a smidge under, cant remember if I used 1 oz or 7/8's but even at that it is equal to 270Wby mag.

By the by, how do you like the 270 Wby for elk ?? What bullet do you use?

Member Joined: 16 Nov 2006 Posts: 1338

this thread seemed to jump from the new load thread.

Hootch, I'm the guy who uses a 270 Wby. You asked about using it on Elk.

I use Weatherby factory 130gr Hornadys for everything. Seems I've tried a zillion other loads and nothing groups as well. I don't bother shooting unless I have controlled as many variables as possible. This fall I was lucky enough to connect w/a cow at 63 yds.

In thinking about recoil; it is an ultralight, which would make it bite harder, (it sure does bark!).

best,
keith

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

Interesting, I was reading some article that commented on the increase of New Mexico hunters using 257 wby mags on everything from antelope, deer and elk. Might be okay on lopers and some deer, but seems a bit small for elk.

270wby, well, interesting. Probably not enough to bump me off using the .308 or '06 for that size game, but interesting.

Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 1460 Location: Eagle, Nebraska

Lymans Reloading Handbook lists 1oz at 1220 in 7lb 16ga at 21.5
7/8oz @ 16.1

Another little problem, physics, what one should be calculating is the Force, which is what people were quoting, Newtons second law, which is Force which is F=ma. Acceleration is left completly out of most Recoil calculations instead, using velocity squared. Not the same thing.

Once and for all and I will shut up, take your shotgun out with your gun bag, place it on the bag, and shoot it 10x just like your rifle, aiming and everything. I think you will find the shotgun has greater recoil.

"preceived" recoil can include a whole bunch of things that confuses our minds. Muzzle blast, barrel movement, noise, holding and sighting a rifle differently than a shotgun, (cheek placement, hand placement) and preconceived notions.

My original point was this, if using a shotgun to shoot birds, forget recoil. If recoil bothers you that much you need to use a Heavy .410 or stop using shotguns. Recoil doesn't even enter into my thoughts at all when loading up ammuntion for hunting. There, my last words on the subject.