.308 AR vs 7mm-08 Bolt Recoil

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Doc7

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Hello all,

Trying to decide between a couple of platforms.

I plan on reloading for either.

I have hardly any centerfire experience but I do enjoy introducing new shooters and my wife to the sport as often as I can so I prefer to keep recoil manageable.

I will probably "punch paper" in the 100-200 yard range 12-15 times a year with the rifle and hunt about as many times, whitetail deer in the east coast with shots from 40-100 yards in the woods or 300 yards on a field. I want to elk hunt someday but that will be a rare occasion in my life and I think that either caliber will suffice for this infrequent possibility. I may shoot longer ranges if the occasion arises but if that possibility occurs (land availability) I will be able to build a new rifle for that specific purpose.

Between the Browning 7mm-08 X Bolt (6.5 LB without scope/unloaded) and the DPMS GII Hunter which is a 308 AR (7.75 LBs, without scope/unloaded) what do you think will have less recoil with that weight and action difference?

Think one or the other is a better choice? I am extremely aesthetically attracted to the X-Bolt Hunter model (i don't know why but I do not like the M70 and Rem 700 choices, or the Savage American 14 classic, and prefer wood in a bolt action). An AR is about the only synthetic rifle I am attracted to for this "First" rifle - I will pick up an "entry level" synthetic bolt 8 years from now when my kid is ready to start hunting but right now I want a high quality piece that I find attractive (a subjective trait!)
 
I just bought a DPMS LR-308B. should be here Tuesday. its 9 1/2 lbs unloaded or sumthing like that. so loaded with a scope i do not think it will recoil at all.
 
I personally have never been able to finitely observe the difference in the recoil of rifles. In my mind 7.62x39mm and .243 Win are roughly the same and all other cartridges from the .308 case feel the same regardless if it is fired from an HK91, FAL, AR-10, or a Howa. The only difference I ever feel is strictly in the padding. A bolt gun with leather or rubber on the end is gonna feel better than a G1 FAL with the old German steel butt plate. If you think the gun is light enough to be a little extra sprite add a limbsaver to the end. The only pressure difference between the aforementioned actions is the auto-loader will have a gas tube to bleed pressure just briefly before the bullet exits the muzzle, then it will through the bolt back for you. A subtle double recoil if you ever get to the point of noticing it the way I do.

If you are worried about keeping glass on target to observe the bullet's impact on target I would recommend a butt pad on the end and a brake/comp on the muzzle. Marvelous for a gun with far seeing glass on it.
 
I went 7mm-08 in a TC Venture this year,with a Leupold VX-R 3-9 40mm ,firdot 4 reticle. The 06 was my mainstay since 92,its now in mothballs ,for deer anyway. I own many of the other popular calibers including .308,25-06,7x57,7mm mag,7-30 Waters,257 Roberts etc etc etc. I am sold on the 7mm-08 first shot with it this year and a dead deer ,ran 10 yrds.At the range it is a tackdriver with Hornady 139 SST ,my reload recipe. Soft recoil as well.
 
If you want to introduce people to shooting with this rifle, the semi auto will be more fun; however, it may not be the best platform to use as an introductory weapon. I've got a Browning lever action in 7mm-08 and love the gun. Recoil is very mild and it produces a very respectable group at 100 yds. I would think the cost of the DPMS in .308might be considerably more than the Browning X-bolt. That might be a factor to consider.
I think it's going to be a matter of personal preference and only you know which one floats your boat the most. Both are excellent calibers and both will accomplish what you want to do; although, I think the Browning bolt gun might be a little better platform for those +- 300 yd shots.
 
How many shots do you think we could shoot per hour at the range with a rifle like the Browning "pencil barrel" contour and maintain good group size? If introducing a new shooter are we waiting 5 minutes between shots?
 
Purely in terms of recoil, between a 7mm-08 and a .308, with equal weight loads, out of the same type action, you'd be hard pressed to tell a difference in recoil, so you could say for comparison sake, they are the same.

Now, the .308 from a semiauto AR action, with a buffer and cycling BCG should have significantly less FELT recoil than the 7mm-08 in a bolt action, because you have a reciprocating mass to absorb the energy.
I base this on my experiences shooting an M1A (7.62x51, = .308) as well as a .308 bolt gun, both weighing within a quarter pound of each other (M1A being the heavier rifle). The felt recoil of the bolt gun is significantly higher. I have a Limbsaver recoil pad on it, and I get tired of shooting it more quickly than I do shooting the Springfield, which has a steel butt plate.

As far as which style would be better for your purposes, I think it boils down to which gun fits you better, and which gun you can shoot more accurately.
 
I recently bought a 7-08 Tikka. As far as recoil the chart show the 308 having about 20% more recoil. However the gas action of the AR will absorb and soften the .308 recoil enough so that it will feel a little less than the bolt action. In my opinion the bolt action would be a little handier for hunting but the AR will be more fun on the range.
 
I have both a tikka t3 stainless in 7mm -08, and an fnar. My fnar stays in the safe and my tikka goes with me. If you are looking at hunting? Me personally? I don't care for all the stuff that hands of of semi's, i run that bolt or a leveraction.
I'd say if your really feeling the bolt action? Follow what you want.
 
I can say for sure that recoil has been for sure lighter in my AR10s than my 7-08 rem 700 classic bolt. That 7-08 really jabbed my shoulder and was cussed and sold.
 
The recoil will be lighter in the AR in .308 vs the 7-08 xbolt. Out of identical rifles, the difference in recoil between the two calibers is minimal. The Xbolts are very light rifles which don't dampen recoil too well. I had one in .308 that I had to put a muzzle brake on because it was kicking me so bad I was starting to develop a flinch
 
Something that can make a considerable difference in the same caliber is the stock. Next time you're at the store, have a look at add-on recoil pads and note the size differences. The smaller the pad, the more the rifle resembles a stilletto jabbing your shoulder. While the Browning's aesthetics may appeal to you I can promise a comfortable rifle has an appeal all its own.

One more factor, and an important one, is the shooter. I shoot my 30-06s year round but in the summer there's a t-shirt between us. 25-30 rounds just doesn't bother me much, it will bruise lightly but that's it. Other shooters won't put 3 rounds down range with those rifles before handing them back.

If you know someone with a 12 ga shotgun, I'd suggest taking it for a spin and gauge your personal tolerance. If you can run a box of #4 shot or bigger, you should be fine. Trying to accommodate a breadth of other shooters with your rifle just isn't practical. Introduce them to shooting with a rimfire.

Whatever you choose, find what works for you and practice with it. Use all the padding you need for comfort and don't wear yourself out when it comes to recoil, there's no prize and nothing gained in punishing yourself.
 
Don't forget the factor of which type of ammo you might use. A 178 grain Hornady Amax out of the .308 can have more recoil than a 120 grain loaded lightly out of the 7mm-08, regardless of action type.

Since you'll be able to tailor your load, go with the rifle that pleases you more and forget about recoil since you'll be able to control that quite a bit with your loads.

Bolt actions are easier to load for than a gas operated semi-auto. The semi-auto can be finicky for cycling when handloading.
 
In the same rifle, shooting similar bullet weights and loads the recoil is pretty close with a slight decrease in the 7-08. Only in ultra-light rifles or very recoil sensitive shooters would it ever be noticed.

There are 4 factors that effect "real" recoil,

firearm weight
projectile weight
powder weight
projectile speed

Since most semi's are considerably heavier than bolt rifles the semi will have considerably less "real" recoil.

One thing that is very hard to accurately measure is "felt" recoil. But anytime you can spread out the recoil over a longer time it feels more comfortable. If you were to have 2 guns of equal weight, a semi and a bolt rifle, shooting the same exact ammo the "real" recoil will be exactly the same. But the semi will "feel" more comfortable and have less "felt" recoil because the recoil is spread out over a longer time frame. Granted we are only talking about a fraction of a second, but it is enough to matter.
 
jogar80 said:
The recoil will be lighter in the AR in .308 vs the 7-08 xbolt. Out of identical rifles, the difference in recoil between the two calibers is minimal. The Xbolts are very light rifles which don't dampen recoil too well. I had one in .308 that I had to put a muzzle brake on because it was kicking me so bad I was starting to develop a flinch
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Thanks for this information. I admit I am surprised as one of the draws to the X-Bolt for me was what appears to be an excellent factory recoil pad - it is basically an aftermarket pad that comes pre installed rather than a hard rubber buttplate or what some other rifle mfrs pass off as a "pad", thus saving me 15-80 dollars and time of modifications to the rifle. I suppose the lightness of the rifle cancels out the pad's effectiveness.

Maybe the AR is truly a better rifle for me at this time as my "one gun" as it meets my requirements of being a caliber capable for hunting and being a good "range gun", aka being a multi-purpose tool that I can take in a variety of directions. Not as many directions as a 223 AR perhaps but that wouldn't meet my caliber requirements so I would need a second "deer rifle" anyway.

I don't foresee a lot of hiking up and down mountains in the flatlands of VA I currently live in and any elk hunting is realistically several years away so the ~9 LB G2 scoped should not be a bother...
 
The recoil in either of those isn't going to be enough for it to matter very much. Get the rifle you like best and drop recoil as the deciding factor.
 
Kinetic Energy goes up by the square of velocity, whereas recoil related to momentum only goes up by the first power of velocity.

Based on that, and the fact I don't like recoil, I chose to go with 7 mm 08 using 120 grain spire points from Sierra. Loaded with 42 grains of Varget , I put two bucks down easily and have hit a target as far as 800 yards. Bolt action savage homegrown, I like shooting it better than my 308 semi auto

Your money may vary

If I were really going to focus on long-distance, I would've done better with something boat tailed. My original focus was deer hunting to 300 yards. Commercial Anmo for 7 mm 08 seems awfully expensive! So I think you must be a reloader to enjoy this caliber... I take 308 cases lube em good and size them down to 7 mm, gives me a little tighter neck fit, better accuracy.
 
Well I made a decision tonight.

After a months-long exhaustive effort of looking at rifle model after rifle model and continuously coming back to the X-Bolt which met my "requirement" of a bolt action to be wood stocked and blue..

I handled a Model 70 Extreme Weather Stainless tonight and fell immediately in love with it.

I can't believe it, but it in 7mm-08 will be my next rifle when LGS can get it in for me. I already bought a scope a Vortex Viper 3-9x40 for it. (Not the $1k one, the less expensive model).

Can't wait to use that. I don't know why - I always imagined I wanted an heirloom blue and wood rifle but after hunting with some people this weekend - behind dogs so we were jumping in and out of the truck and running around continuously - and wanting to not lose out on a range day for concern of wet weather conditions - I really think stainless and fiberglass will suit me better right now.

I saw some Rem CDLs and just didn't like the fit and finish - the border between the wood and the black forend cap was messed up cosmetically on on 5!

The model 70 is a few ounces heavier than the x-bolt and comes with a decent recoil pad. As I figure - there are very few heavier "hunting rifle" even available out there (Weatherby and the Walnut Rem 700s) and I am going with one of the mildest common chambers that there is besides the 243, so it can't be a drastic mistake to upgrade to 7mm08 from practicing with a 22.
 
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