Low Recoil Load

timyarb · July 30, 2007, 07:03 PM

Hello All,
I have to load down some .308 ammo to about the same level of recoil as a .243. Long story short a friend of mine wanted to get his 9 year old a hunting rifle due to the new Mentored Youth hunting here in PA. So in his infinite wisdom he decided that a .308 was the best choice. Now dont get me wrong in a few years I think the .308 will be fantastic for him, but right now the only thing he got from it was a sharp case or scope eye.
I told him it would be to much gun for him but noone ever seems to listen to me so he then asked about some lower recoil loads for the .308 and I told him yeah they were called .243 bolt actions. Alas it seemed my sarcasm was lost on him. But either way I would like to load him some ammo that mimics the Remmy or Federal Managed recoil. I know that both of them approach it in different ways. Remmy uses a lighter bullet at normal velocity it seems and Federal uses the heavy bullet at lower velocity.
I am not opposed to trying either of them as I also have a nephew who would like to hnt this year and is a little recoil shy but we have an extra .308 pump that he can use if I can get the recoil to a manageable level for them.

So any one out there have any recipes for some light load .308?

Tim

Dave R · July 30, 2007, 08:34 PM

Here's one I have used. It shoots a 100gr. bullet about 2,000fps. Right about the power level of an M-1 Carbine.

Speer 100gr. "Plinker" bullet.
25gr. (I THINK! I CANNOT VERIFY) of H4198
CCI 200 primer

Speer No 13 has a light load with the same bullet. 16-20gr. of SR479 powder.

joneb · July 30, 2007, 09:01 PM

Hi Tim, what will be the purpose of these loads, for hunting or to acclimate the youth to the gun ? You mentioned two variety of managed recoil loads, I would get a box of each and see which shoots better in his/her rifle. This may help deciding on a bullet weight ? which may help with a powder.
I've loaded 125gr Nosler ballistic tips using 47gr of BL-c2 with good accuracy but dropping the charge to 44.5 didn't shoot as well in my rifle.

Tim, I was assuming you were assuming I was referring to my .308 Win.

Trapper L · July 30, 2007, 10:31 PM

Tim, I use this loading data for Boy Scouts that I train to hunt. I also have them reload their own ammo so it's a real kick when the guys' score. This will kill deer at 100 yds and I won't let them shoot any farther than 150 yds using this load.
21.0 grs SR4759 under a 125 Speer HP.
This load is so light on recoil a 10 year old can shoot these all day and not complain and I would equate it to a 223. Speed is something around 2200-2300'ps but I haven't run any across my screens to know that. I use a HP because at these velocities a normal spire point isn't going to mushroom much if at all. The HPs usually looks like a spire point on those that we have found the bullets. The SR4759 might be a hard find but look for it. It is a very bulky powder so it fills the case quick and has a burn rate around H4227. A 21.0 gr load will be around 80% loading density. FWIW max load data for that combo is 29.5 grs.

Scorch · July 31, 2007, 01:07 AM

From Speer #10
130 gr HP
23.0-27.0 gr IMR 4227
1931-2260 fps

steve4102 · July 31, 2007, 07:12 AM

http://www.hodgdon.com/data/youth/index.php

You can slip on over here and look up "Seafire". He is Mr Blue Dot and has a host of youth reduced recoils loads for many calibers.

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/.../frm/f/2511043

steelrat · July 31, 2007, 10:00 AM

In addition to lighter loads, I would look at getting a limb saver pad for the end of it. I took my nephews out over the weekend, one is 14 and the other is 11, and both shot my 300 win mag with no problem. I use the same load for targets as I do for elk. With that pad on mine, even my wife shoots it no problem.

timyarb · July 31, 2007, 11:03 AM

Guys... Thanks for all the info. Sorry for the delay in response he is planning to use this for deer hunting.

I would imagine that the lower velocity but heavier bullet would be a better bet for him. But I think the biggest thing will be to load a lot of anything and get him out there shooting to make sure he can place a good shot.

I just want to make sure we didnt loase him after that first shot. His Dad is one of those guys that is of the midset that he "will be fine" with the .308 as soon as he learns to shoot it. It doesnt matter that he scared the hell out of the kid from the first shot.

I think with the info here I can load down some rounds for him that should make him all warm and fuzzy shooting the rifle again.

Tim

joneb · August 3, 2007, 08:41 PM

I came across this in a Alliant reloader guide 2004 edition,
Sierra 150gr Spitz
Fed 210 primer
Bbl 24"
charge 25.0 of 2400
velocity 2,215 fps
psi 36,700

timyarb · August 4, 2007, 09:07 PM

Guys,
Thanks for the responses. With all that I have seen so far in this thread I think I may apply it to my nephew as well. He just turned 12 and is starting to hunt this season. He is a little recoil shy and we were going to get him a rifle in a bit of a lesser caliber but I think with the abilty to load down some ammo we may grab him something that he will be able to grow into as he gets a little older.

Steve,
That Hodgdon data was awesome and exactly what I needed. It looks like they are saying that with the H4895 powder you can pretty much load down any round that will use it to about 60% of the max load. That should be a tremendous help for us.

This was a great response for me guys thanks tons for all the help.

Tim

July 30, 2007, 08:34 PM	#2
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2000 Location: Idaho Posts: 6,073	Here's one I have used. It shoots a 100gr. bullet about 2,000fps. Right about the power level of an M-1 Carbine. Speer 100gr. "Plinker" bullet. 25gr. (I THINK! I CANNOT VERIFY) of H4198 CCI 200 primer Speer No 13 has a light load with the same bullet. 16-20gr. of SR479 powder. __________________ I am Pro-Rights (on gun issues).

July 30, 2007, 09:01 PM	#3
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	Hi Tim, what will be the purpose of these loads, for hunting or to acclimate the youth to the gun ? You mentioned two variety of managed recoil loads, I would get a box of each and see which shoots better in his/her rifle. This may help deciding on a bullet weight ? which may help with a powder. I've loaded 125gr Nosler ballistic tips using 47gr of BL-c2 with good accuracy but dropping the charge to 44.5 didn't shoot as well in my rifle. Tim, I was assuming you were assuming I was referring to my .308 Win. Last edited by joneb; July 31, 2007 at 12:10 AM. Reason: clarity

July 31, 2007, 01:07 AM	#5
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	From Speer #10 130 gr HP 23.0-27.0 gr IMR 4227 1931-2260 fps __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

July 31, 2007, 11:03 AM	#8
timyarb Member Join Date: November 23, 2004 Location: Derry, PA Posts: 72	A wealth of info Guys... Thanks for all the info. Sorry for the delay in response he is planning to use this for deer hunting. I would imagine that the lower velocity but heavier bullet would be a better bet for him. But I think the biggest thing will be to load a lot of anything and get him out there shooting to make sure he can place a good shot. I just want to make sure we didnt loase him after that first shot. His Dad is one of those guys that is of the midset that he "will be fine" with the .308 as soon as he learns to shoot it. It doesnt matter that he scared the hell out of the kid from the first shot. I think with the info here I can load down some rounds for him that should make him all warm and fuzzy shooting the rifle again. Tim

July 30, 2007, 07:03 PM	#1
timyarb Member Join Date: November 23, 2004 Location: Derry, PA Posts: 72	Low Recoil Load Hello All, I have to load down some .308 ammo to about the same level of recoil as a .243. Long story short a friend of mine wanted to get his 9 year old a hunting rifle due to the new Mentored Youth hunting here in PA. So in his infinite wisdom he decided that a .308 was the best choice. Now dont get me wrong in a few years I think the .308 will be fantastic for him, but right now the only thing he got from it was a sharp case or scope eye. I told him it would be to much gun for him but noone ever seems to listen to me so he then asked about some lower recoil loads for the .308 and I told him yeah they were called .243 bolt actions. Alas it seemed my sarcasm was lost on him. But either way I would like to load him some ammo that mimics the Remmy or Federal Managed recoil. I know that both of them approach it in different ways. Remmy uses a lighter bullet at normal velocity it seems and Federal uses the heavy bullet at lower velocity. I am not opposed to trying either of them as I also have a nephew who would like to hnt this year and is a little recoil shy but we have an extra .308 pump that he can use if I can get the recoil to a manageable level for them. So any one out there have any recipes for some light load .308? Tim

July 30, 2007, 10:31 PM	#4
Trapper L Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 804	Tim, I use this loading data for Boy Scouts that I train to hunt. I also have them reload their own ammo so it's a real kick when the guys' score. This will kill deer at 100 yds and I won't let them shoot any farther than 150 yds using this load. 21.0 grs SR4759 under a 125 Speer HP. This load is so light on recoil a 10 year old can shoot these all day and not complain and I would equate it to a 223. Speed is something around 2200-2300'ps but I haven't run any across my screens to know that. I use a HP because at these velocities a normal spire point isn't going to mushroom much if at all. The HPs usually looks like a spire point on those that we have found the bullets. The SR4759 might be a hard find but look for it. It is a very bulky powder so it fills the case quick and has a burn rate around H4227. A 21.0 gr load will be around 80% loading density. FWIW max load data for that combo is 29.5 grs.

July 31, 2007, 07:12 AM	#6
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,955	http://www.hodgdon.com/data/youth/index.php You can slip on over here and look up "Seafire". He is Mr Blue Dot and has a host of youth reduced recoils loads for many calibers. http://forums.accuratereloading.com/.../frm/f/2511043

July 31, 2007, 10:00 AM	#7
steelrat Member Join Date: February 8, 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 66	In addition to lighter loads, I would look at getting a limb saver pad for the end of it. I took my nephews out over the weekend, one is 14 and the other is 11, and both shot my 300 win mag with no problem. I use the same load for targets as I do for elk. With that pad on mine, even my wife shoots it no problem.

August 3, 2007, 08:41 PM	#9
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	I came across this in a Alliant reloader guide 2004 edition, Sierra 150gr Spitz Fed 210 primer Bbl 24" charge 25.0 of 2400 velocity 2,215 fps psi 36,700

August 4, 2007, 09:07 PM	#10
timyarb Member Join Date: November 23, 2004 Location: Derry, PA Posts: 72	This was super Helpful Guys, Thanks for the responses. With all that I have seen so far in this thread I think I may apply it to my nephew as well. He just turned 12 and is starting to hunt this season. He is a little recoil shy and we were going to get him a rifle in a bit of a lesser caliber but I think with the abilty to load down some ammo we may grab him something that he will be able to grow into as he gets a little older. Steve, That Hodgdon data was awesome and exactly what I needed. It looks like they are saying that with the H4895 powder you can pretty much load down any round that will use it to about 60% of the max load. That should be a tremendous help for us. This was a great response for me guys thanks tons for all the help. Tim