Which magnum rifle

[Dfou]

My 15 YO son is wanting a bigger rifle. He has a 7-08 and shoots my 257 wthby. Hes decided on a Bergara HMR and wants a 300 win mag. I think the recoil might be too much and won’t be enjoyable for him to shoot. Would a 7prc be a better option? Is the recoil significantly less?

 

[voltage]

 

[RockAndSage]

He's equating manliness with "bigger gun".

Teach him to equate manliness with excellence and competence.

Set out some tough, field-realistic standards, and require him to meet those, on-demand, anytime, before consideration of a larger cartridge is something up for discussion.

 

[greyghostnw]

With a side baffle brake or a suppressor with brake recoil isn’t much of a thing with magnums. My 2 cents.

 

[Bubblehide]

I 100% agre with RockAndSage. His 7-08 will take animal on the North American continent, given appropriate shot placement. But if you're set I buying a rifle, Seekins is the off the shelf way to go.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

6 UM, tell him the UM stands for Ultra Mag.

 

[Dfou]

He's equating manliness with "bigger gun".

Teach him to equate manliness with excellence and competence.

Set out some tough, field-realistic standards, and require him to meet those, on-demand, anytime, before consideration of a larger cartridge is something up for discussion.

Thanks for the parenting advice, I think.

 

[Speaks]

6 UM, tell him the UM stands for Ultra Mag.

This seems like a more sensible solution than a 300WM or 7PRC. Though I think you are pretty much shooting $5-$10 bills depending on which shoulder you pick and if you reload.

 

[TaperPin]

A 7 mag is a nice step up, but in the 30-06 recoil range. A 300 WSM or 300 SAUM would also be good.

If you reload I’d just get the 300 wm and start out with reduced loads.

At his age I equated a 300 mag with fun, not that there’s anything wrong with a little gun that sounds like a wet dog fart.

 

[hiker270]

If he wants a 300 mag or a 7 PRC the 7 PRC will have slightly less recoil. If you go with a threaded barrel and muzzle brake the recoil would probably be equivilent to the 7mm-08. The Rockslide manbun crowd wants everybody to shoot a 223.

 

[Dfou]

I 100% agre with RockAndSage. His 7-08 will take animal on the North American continent, given appropriate shot placement. But if you're set I buying a rifle, Seekins is the off the shelf way to go.

He’s killed quite a few deer and hogs with his 7-08 but like most young men and alotta older ones, he’s got the itch for a new rifle. I really like the Seekins and will be ordering one for myself next week. He’s set on a HMR and I think the extra weight may be a good thing

 

[Dfou]

With a side baffle brake or a suppressor with brake recoil isn’t much of a thing with magnums. My 2 cents.

Thanks for the info. I haven’t shot many rifles with brakes but will definitely put one on this rifle for him

 

[SouthernCharm]

7prc all day if you don’t reload. If you reload, id look hard at the 7SAUM, secondly 280AI. I have the 300wm, prefer to carry the 280ai. Lighter, points better, more accurate and kills them grave yard dead with 143 Hammers.

 

[6mm Remington]

A nice rifle in 280AI sure would serve him well. My load with 140 gr. Partitions in my custom built Winchester Model 70 with a 24" barrel chronographs at 3230 fps and shoots extremely well. Same with the 140 gr. Accubond same load and chronographs at 3186 fps. Recoil is not much more than what his 7mm-08 has and is just a fantastic cartridge.

 

[SouthernCharm]

A nice rifle in 280AI sure would serve him well. My load with 140 gr. Partitions in my custom built Winchester Model 70 with a 24" barrel chronographs at 3230 fps and shoots extremely well. Same with the 140 gr. Accubond same load and chronographs at 3186 fps. Recoil is not much more than what his 7mm-08 has and is just a fantastic cartridge.

Exactly and almost exactly the same speed as 7 mag factory loads without the powder or kick.

 

[Dfou]

With a side baffle brake or a suppressor with brake recoil isn’t much of a thing with magnums. My 2 cents.

Got a recommendation on a good brake?

 

[TaperPin]

I also started using a shoulder recoil shield in high school and it makes shooting it more enjoyable. It’s a stiff memory foam and spreads out pressure quite well. They are 1/2” thick and I eventually cut down all my stocks 1/2”, and still do to this day, so using it felt quite natural.

 

[SouthernCharm]

Cortina EC Tuner, then Ace precision followed by Fat Bastard Gen 4. Can’t go wrong with any of them.

 

[Dfou]

A 7 mag is a nice step up, but in the 30-06 recoil range. A 300 WSM or 300 SAUM would also be good.

If you reload I’d just get the 300 wm and start out with reduced loads.

At his age I equated a 300 mag with fun, not that there’s anything wrong with a little gun that sounds like a wet dog fart.

So did I. I think I was 15 when I went from a 30-06 to a 300 WM. Now I much prefer to shoot a 7-08

 

[Dfou]

A nice rifle in 280AI sure would serve him well. My load with 140 gr. Partitions in my custom built Winchester Model 70 with a 24" barrel chronographs at 3230 fps and shoots extremely well. Same with the 140 gr. Accubond same load and chronographs at 3186 fps. Recoil is not much more than what his 7mm-08 has and is just a fantastic cartridge.

Not familiar with a 280AI and I haven’t gotten into reloading yet