'Managed Recoil' cartridges

Chili

Target practice with my 30-06 was beating me up and making me flinch, so I tried Remington's Recoil Management 30-06 cartridges.

As promised, the impact point at 200 yards was virtually identical to regular ammo. Remington says it delivers plenty of impact for hunting deer at 200 yards, but a number of people I have spoken with disagree, and it very very hard to find it on store shelves. Perhaps the market has spoken, but has anyone out there tried it (it comes in a number of calibers) and have an experience-based opinion either way?

Tailgunner1954

Get a stock that fits you
Keep your back straight
And stop laying over the rifle when shooting off a bench
Wear ear plugs and muffs.

You'll be amazed at how much felt recoil reduction you'll get from just those simple steps.
For even more reduction, get the rifle weight up into the 8-9lb range, where it should be.

Mobuck

The ammo makers put in a lot of effort to get this ammo to work well. I've been doing this for years by reloading. Keeping similar point of impact is tricky. Actual performance of the 30/06 & 308 is slightly less than the 300 Savage. I don't usually hunt with the underloaded stuff but use it in practice loads to save$$ and shoot more comfortably. My load for the 308 uses the Hornady 130 grain for single shot pistols which is designed to work at lower velocity. It has killed a couple of deer at 100 yards or so and did ok. I've been told that the Noslerd Ballisdtic Tip 125 will work, too.

Chili

Tailgunner: I am using a bench and I probably do tend to "lay over" it. Also, I am using a Browning 035012226 A-Bolt Composite which weighs just 6lbs 11oz. So...thanks for the insightful comments.

Mobuck: Glad to see that someone else is willing to admit to the benefit of practicing with lighter loads. I have been called a "Wuss" for this on the 'General' message board. [:0] [:)]

Another question: Since the Managed Recoil is a 125 grain bullet and regular ones are, say, 180 to 200 grain, what is the technical reason that it could have (according to Remington anyway) the same killing impact? Velocity from more gunpowder? Bullet shape or fragmentation maybe?

Mobuck

It does not have as much energy as full power loads. It does have adquate energy to kill a deer at 200 yards. It will not have the penetration capability of a full power load at longer ranges. There is no magic bullet. Energy on target demands recoil energy at the buttplate. Lower input results in lower output. What they're telling you is it's "good enough" to do the job w/o excess. In terms of actual energy the 308 and 3006 are way over the power level required to kill a deer. By lowering this power level to a comfortable minimum, the factory provides ammo which will work for many hunters whose ranges are under 200 yards.

Mobuck

PS. I don't consider using reduced loads as being wussy. If I can cut the powder by 10% and bullet weight by 20%, I can shoot that much more for the same $$. I've sent a lot of bullets downrange and my body says I need to stop pounding it so hard. I've got 300 win mags and 7mm rem mags but I don't shoot them anymore except for the occasional elk.

jonk

I shoot a lot of cast bullets with 11 gr of Red Dot or 18 gr of 4759.... VERY light loads. Nothing wussy about it- but then I do shoot full power as well.

flyingtorpedo

Nothing wrong with being a "wuss," it takes a real man to admit that you would like a lighter load. No need to beat the crap out of your shoulder for plinking. Lighter loads mean you can shoot more before your body tells you its time to quit. I prefer a light load because I'm nothing but skin and bone. And as Mobuck said, less powder and lead means more shooting for the same amount, if you reload. Enjoy the reduced recoil!