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This question has been asked and answered 10,000,000 times. Suffer it one more time, please....
My brother is joining me hunting this fall, his last outing was ~40 years ago.
He wants to buy his own rifle rather than use mine, one that will work for both deer and elk.
Difficult factor: he is handicapped and has a type of arthritis that is exacerbated by abuse - i.e. a hard kicking round will cost him dearly in pain.
He suggested 30-06. I think it will kick too hard, as well as 270 too. Light mountain rifles will also kick too hard.
I think he might do well with an AR10, but he might prefer a bolt gun.
Please suggest rifle brand and caliber.
One that interests me because of its history and versatility is 6.5x55 Swede. Any comments on that?
Thanks for your answers.
 
AR-10 will be heavier then a bolt gun.

Honestly, if you were only going deer I'd say a 30-30.

If you have to have something for elk also then I would get an old wooden 30-06 and put a limb saver on it. If that's not enough then thread it and add a muzzle brake.

Hunting west or east side elk?
 
Just for deer, I would say .257 Roberts, as that round is a pleasure to shoot, more of a push then kick.
Tough call on an elk gun.
 
So, we are looking for the mythical lightweight big game rifle capable of putting down an elk at reasonable range with minimal recoil. (Probably ideally under $500 cost, too.)
Seriously, given your parameters, I would lean towards a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creedmore or, if the budget allows, maybe a Tikka T3 Lite in 7mm-08. Although both might be considered light for elk, either should be recoil tolerable as well as easy to pack around elk country. Loaded with a quality premium bullet, either should be sufficient at reasonable range with decent shot placement. If he can't handle the recoil of one of these, perhaps consider scaling back to deer and checking out similar models in .243 Winchester.
 
It's a hard question to answer, but if the budget was there, I would order a Tikka T-3 Light in 6.5X55 Swede, or a 7X57 Mauser! Both are enough for both species, and recoil is manageable, especially when you add a break to the rifle!
The hard part comes from a light rifle is going to kick harder, and he will need enough power to cleanly harvest elk. Speaking only for my self, and in no way endorsing this for others, but I personally would go .243 win in an older Winchester Mod 70, a Ruger M77, or Remington Mod 7!!! JMHO
 
Are you guys reloaders? If not, I would stay away from anything uncommon. You might want to ask what appeals to your brother and choose a lighter kicking chambering. Lighter calibers will require tougher bullets on elk, but will work fine with good shot placement. 25-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, and 270 are all good choices with lighter recoil.

Increasing rifle weight and a good recoil pad can help mitigate recoil. Rifle fit can also play a big role in perceived recoil. I'm not a big fan of muzzle brakes due to noise, but if it means your brother can use a suitable elk cartridge, then so be it.
 
One that interests me because of it s history and versatility is 6.5x55 Swede. Any comments on that?

You provided a very good answer in the line above.
It may be a bit on the light side for Elk, but should do ok as long as there is good shot placement. 7mm08 would be a good choice and for me personally last on the list would be a .243. Not sure I'd try and take an elk with that one.
 
The Grand Old Swede has taken animals much larger and heavier boned then Elk, and continues to do so all over Northern Europe! A good 130 to 140 Gr bullet will do very well with good shot placement, and for deer, a 80 to 100 gr works very well!
 
This question has been asked and answered 10,000,000 times. Suffer it one more time, please....
My brother is joining me hunting this fall, his last outing was ~40 years ago.
He wants to buy his own rifle rather than use mine, one that will work for both deer and elk.
Difficult factor: he is handicapped and has a type of arthritis that is exacerbated by abuse - i.e. a hard kicking round will cost him dearly in pain.
He suggested 30-06. I think it will kick too hard, as well as 270 too. Light mountain rifles will also kick too hard.
I think he might do well with an AR10, but he might prefer a bolt gun.
Please suggest rifle brand and caliber.
One that interests me because of its history and versatility is 6.5x55 Swede. Any comments on that?
Thanks for your answers.

How about a Browning BAR in 30.06? It is a gas operated semi auto, and
I think this is about the least amount of felt recoil to be had in an elk appropriate rifle.
Best,
Gary
 
Thanks all for your suggestions. He and I are meeting up tomorrow.
Yes, I reload, so I'm not too concerned about 6.5x55.
260 Rem sounds good too.
I have a 7mm-08 and love it.
To me, 30-06 doesn't have much of a kick, about as much as my 7mm-08 mtn rifle. He's different -- we can each shoot 5 mags out of my 45 and his hands will swell up.
Having a well fitted rifle will make a difference in felt recoil.
 
I would suggest a AR10 in .308, low recoil and even though people cry that's it's not powerful enough, tons of elk have been taken with them.
If he's sensitive to recoil I would rule out any magnum and that includes 30-06.
Even though the BAR was an excellent suggestion it is one smooth shooting rifle.

Go with short action, but either way he has to be able to effectively shoot his rifle and practice with it.
If he can't do that he's better off being an observer and enjoying the experience.

With any game shot placement is more important than having a huge magnum.
So if he can't shoot effectively then it won't matter what caliber he chooses
 
With any game shot placement is more important than having a huge magnum.
So if he can't shoot effectively then it won't matter what caliber he chooses

I think that's a universal truth among all hunters who know shooting.
For the life of me, I cannot understand how hunters will go out with a rifle that they haven't sighted-in.
 
The CZ 557 carbine I owned shot very well and recoil did not seem too stout.
It also comes in .308 and I think... 6.5 Swede ... Not sure of that however.
7x57mm works nicely without recoil... Just kinda hard to find a rifle in it nowadays.

Not to play my same old song ... but have you considered a muzzle loader?
A .54 round ball rifle will cleanly take a deer or elk at 100 yards or less easy... Folks have been doing it for hundreds of years.
Also a Muzzle loading rifle even in large calibers .54 , .58 , .62 etc ... do not kick hard.
( Its more of a " shove" rather than a harsh "pop" on the shoulder )
Andy
 
Last Edited:
260, 7mm-08, or .308. All of them will do the job and none kick that bad. If you reload look for youth loads with H4895 on the Hodgden site. H4895 can be loaded light and further reduce the recoil.
 

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