Thread: Good caliber to start hunting with?

Originally Posted by MattyP

I'd always thought the 308 had relatively mild recoil from all the recoil tables I looked at when deciding what my first centerfire was going to be. I had a 22lr and had shot maybe 2-3 rounds of 223 before I got my 308. It's a lot more than a 223 of course...but my wife (all of 55kg's) can shoot it. She was shit scared at first just from watching it being shot, but after shooting it was like..."oh." Same went for my sister.

Everyone's different obviously. I guess the best thing is just to try a calibre before you buy it if you're worried you might flinch or develop one.

The flinch you talk of maybe developed from hearing or seeing "dads big 308" for years from a young age? You may have just built it up mentally to be more than it is. Logically you know all you will feel is a firm tap to the shoulder.

Yep my 52 kg girlfriend can shoot an unsupressed t3 lite in 308 well enough, so most should manage. That being said she did shoot my 6.5x55 better than she did the lighter, heavier recoiling gun.

Not a big difference between 7-08 and 308 although having shot both back to back in a tikka there is a little more oomph to the shove in the 308. Its no sharper though. 270 shoots similar bullet weights but has a much 'sharper' recoil.

Was sighting in the new bushpig at the range this weekend and a newbie managed to give himself a scope eye with a 243. So goes to show proper technique is still nessesary even with lighter calibres