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I was in physical therapy for my right shoulder replacement. They say they are hesitant to recommend I shoot or hunt with a large caliber rifle, at least this fall. I go on an elk hunt in September and usually alternate between my Marlin 45-70 and a Tikka 30-06. Both have Limbsaver recoil pads. I would think that plus a slip on over the shoulder pad would greatly reduce any risk. I was planning on just using my Winchester 30-30 since most of the elk I've shot were between 30-100 yards. My other thought is to buy another rifle . I was looking at trying to find a Marlin .308MX, (hard to find). I think its plenty for a bull elk and looks to me like a perfect elk rifle. Do any of you have one or experiance with this round? How's recoil compared to a 30-30 or .308 Winchester?
Jim
save your $ use your 30-30 Iam guessing the 308 marlin is like a 308 win. one thing you could also do to your 30-30 is put a dead mule recoil reducer in the but stock check with brownells they have different kinds shapes and sizes. danny
A Marlin 336 factory chambered for the 375 WIN using hand loaded Rancg Dog 379-235GC bullets would be easy on the shoulder and hard on an elk inside 100 yards !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
As far as the 375 WIN is concerned I've messed with a pair of them in Marlin's (of course) .
The nicer of the pair was designated a jacketed bullet rifle and I pole axed a fat whitetail doe at about 125 yards with a handloaded Hornady 220 grain FN bullet . A year or two later I used the not as nice rifle with the no longer made Ranch Dog 379-210GC mold and a bullet I cast from wheelweights and pushed moderately with XMP5744 . This deer traveled maybe 30 yards after the shot . I suspect with a little more velocity ie more terminal shock he wouldn't have made it that far . If I were still casting and loading for the 375 WIN I suspect I would have moved to a more shall we say fast load using H322 , IMR8208 or something along those lines .
Incidently Ranch Dog brought out a second mold specifically for the 375 WIN the 379-235GC . That one shot very well in my cast bullet 375 , but I'm sorry to say I never tried it on a deer before I sold the two rifles .
All my 375 WIN bullets were aircooled wheelweights which worked perfectly for deer . For an elk with the same bullet I expect I would either water quench or perhaps go to Lyman #2 alloy for a somewhat harder bullet and perhaps slightly better penetration .
Here's a pic of a medium size 7 point buck I killed with the Marlin in 375 WIN shooting the Ranch Dog 370-210GC bullet !
Parkers , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s , 6.5mm's and my family in the Philippines !
With factory rounds I've found the .44 to kick more than a .30-30 in a levergun. I'm no recoil wimp, i've shot up to .416's without issue.
If recoil becomes an issue, a semiauto rifle with a muzzle brake may be worth looking into. Browning BAR if you're into the traditional look, or an AR-10 in .308.
I love my 444 but it does kick a bit. Push a 265 grainer hard and it will push back.
Up close the 30-30 will do the job but elk are sturdy beasts. I've never used them but the Nosler 30-30 Partitions have always interested me. In the future it sure would be a bragging hunt though. "I shot this elk with my gimpy shoulder and my 30-30. " PRICELESS.
Being a lefty shooting left isn't that hard. I learned to shoot right thinking I could get a nice bolt action. Then it dawned on me that there are no nice bolt actions (poking fun guys because I'm a lever fanatic!). Working my offside made me a better shooter I think. I had to refocus on marksmanship skills and spotted some bad habits on my strong side that I probably still have!
harry wrote:How about just getting some reduced recoil ammo for your 30-06.
Ding, Ding, Ding (Although, I don't feel like my old-style Ruger Bolt '06 kicks much with Green Box 180s)
My Marlin 1894 .44mag kicks like a SumBeach with full house loads. To me, way more than either of the 2 30wcfs I have....With my shoulder going T.U. over the last year, I may never shoot my 45-70s or .444 again The 12lb Sharps is an exception My 1894 .44 mag will be like a lamb with my 300 grain handloads, just not much range past 100 yards or so....I have not shot the HandiRifle 25-06, but, I suspect that is a very pleasant rifle to shoot, and, people out here use them for elk....
Good Luck.....Getting Old Isn't For Sissys....
The Rotten Fruit Always Hits The Ground First
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DAV
I would just hunt with the 06.I wouldn't think one shot could do to much since you are hunting and not shooting.Possibly go
with a muzzlebreak or a shoulder brace or combo of the two.
Thanks for all the advice. Before I buy another rifle I think I'll try one of those shoulder strap recoil pads coupled with the limbsaver already on my 45-70 and 30-06 and see how that feels. I'm just 8 weeks out of surgery so don't want to push it for a few months. My hunt isn't until late September
I will definately take JReeds advice and practice left handed until then. I'm actually left eye dominant but have always shot right. I did find a used 336 in 30-30 with a half mag. It looks old and had some honest wear but no big dings or scratches. It had some large diamond checkering on the wood I wasn't crazy about. They wanted $389 but I'll try to make a deal or trade a .22 rifle or two for it just because.
Last edited by jkbrea on Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
If you need an excuse to buy another gun, and you can afford it why not?
What's your budget? I think BLR in 7mm-08 would be just the ticket. A stainless take-down version even better!
Illegitimus Non Carborundum Akā, ʻo ka poʻe hilinaʻi aku iā Iēhova, e ulu hou nō ko lākou ikaika;
E piʻi ʻēheu aku nō lākou i luna, e like me nā ʻaito;
E holo nō lākou, ʻaʻole hoʻi e māloʻeloʻe,
E hele mua nō lākou, ʻaʻole hoʻi e maʻule.
`Isaia 40:31
From a leftie that's right eye dominant, the SMARTEST thing you can do is get used to shooting left handed, with which ever gun you plan to hunt.
First off it gives you the option of shooting game from any angle, and it will actually be a clearer shot since your left eye is dominant. You'll be surprised how fast you adapt.
A couple years back, I was sitting on a hillside watching a couple areas the mulies were known to cross. They are almost 180deg from each other. But i have shot both ways since childhood so am perfectly comfortable either way. Sure enough the buck popped up on my left side. In fact the rifle I was hunting with was my RH Savage 308. I switched the rifle to my right shoulder, lined up the cross hairs and bang, a 180yd shot and 50yds later dead deer.
Make the rifle fit YOU, not the other way around. I have adjusted mine so that when I place my cheek on the rest, my eye is perfectly aligned with the scope. I use a PADDED cheek rest for this, and well as my super soft recoil pad (this is on my Savage '06) and I swear the felt recoil is no more than my stock factory padded 243. just make sure there is good eye relief on the scope.
If you have to switch back to RH due to shot angle, a GOOD recoil pad will go a long way, and the one shot most likely won't be noticed.
Oh one more thing, practice chambering a round when shooting left handed. When I shoot a RH gun, but shoot LH, I tightly grip the pistol grip area, and work the bolt with my RH. i am almost as fast as when shooting a LH gun left handed. You will come off target a bit, but I cannot stay on target no matter which configuration I use. Plus recoil pops it up and off target as well. I do have to lift my head a little more than normal, but practice will mitigate that somewhat.
Otherwise, reload, and load down to about 80% of factory.
An acquaintance has a '95 Winchester re-chambered/barrel for 6.5 X 55...sweetest shooting rifle I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. With 140gr bullets, almost no recoil and still slings them out the barrel at +2800 fps.
Old Time Hunter wrote:An acquaintance has a '95 Winchester re-chambered/barrel for 6.5 X 55...sweetest shooting rifle I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. With 140gr bullets, almost no recoil and still slings them out the barrel at +2800 fps.
+1
I have a 6.5x55 in a Mauser 98 conversion and it has very little perceived recoil. But a pad on it and it
will be even less. Plenty of satisfied Scandinavians have shot that caliber for over 100 years and it works well for elk and moose over there.
I also have a few in 9.3x62, again in 98 and 96 Mauser bolts. You can also find 9.3x57 out there also, but I would rather have the longer action 9.3x62 and download when reloading for less power.
The 9.3x62 is up there in power without the heavy kick, it keeps pressure down to around 48,000(56,500 psi max) psi and that translates to a 270 grain at around 2500fps, and a pleasure to shoot.
. I was looking at trying to find a Marlin .308MX, (hard to find). I think its plenty for a bull elk and looks to me like a perfect elk rifle. Do any of you have one or experiance with this round? How's recoil compared to a 30-30 or .308 Winchester? 
The 12lb Sharps is an exception 
