Caliber Recommendations For Handicapped

[pchri]

My dad is getting older and is paralyzed from the waist down and has shoulder issues. He's in a wheelchair and only shotguns hunts with a 20ga from a vehicle as of now. He now wants to get into rifle hunting just to try something new. He'll mainly stick with deer hunting but he's always talks about getting another black bear. He got one with a borrowed .270 when he was younger and still walking and helping him do it again would be great. So I'm looking for recommendations for low recoil calibers that would work for whitetail up to black bear. We'd be hunting mainly in South Dakota and Minnesota. It would also only need to be able to go out to 300yds tops as he's not used to long range yet. Also with hunting out of vehicle I'm not sure how well a muzzle break would work seeing we aren't trying to blow the windows out. But I'm not even sure if a muzzle break could do that I've never used one. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[Calvin45]

Well it's not fashionable anymore but the two that stand out to me are the old .243 Winchester and .30-30 Winchester cartridges. The .243 has long been the standard response for a cartridge that's friendly to people who won't do their best shooting if there's recoil involved but still has killing power for deer that the smaller .22 centerfires simply don't have. The .30-30…yeah it's trajectory is a joke on sites like this but it's still with us for a reason, and the guns it's chambered in are light, handy, plain fun to shoot, and don't kick much.

 

[22creedmoor]

I have a 6mm Arc in a AR great shooting rifle but that platform is not for every one, they are starting to build factory bolt rifles { savage so far} in that caliber the accuracy has amazed me as i have taken it to some crazy distance on steel, all that to say this with the round being factory supported i think it would be a great light weight bolt gun.

 

[codyadams]

A muzzle brake certainly wouldn't blast out the windows with the type of cartridge you would be looking at, but it certainly would be loud, so ear protection would be a strongly encouraged idea. I don't know the kind of black bear in that area, but if they aren't massive bears, then a big cartridge really isn't necessary, and more importantly would be shootability and maneuverability in and out of a vehicle.

I would look at something with a shorter barrel, 22" maximum, with 18-20" being more preferable. A 7mm-08, 6.5 PRC, 6.5x284, or .284 would be the type of cartridges I would look at, and if you want to keep recoil minimal, throw a brake on there and just make sure and wear ear protection, the short barrel will amplify the increased blast from a muzzle brake.

Are you going to reload for it, or is it a requirement to use factory ammunition? This could help narrow down options. Also, are you wanting to buy a factory rifle, or planning on building one?

 

[Bucklowery]

I would probably lean hard on a 243 win and if you reload it would be pushing a hammer bullet for all the right reasons

Thanks

Buck

 

[steel2]

My vote would go for a 6.5 grendel or the 7 08..ruger makes both in a carbine bolt that does a great job and won't break the bank

 

[AllenRay]

X 2 on the Grendel.

 

[cohunt]

He hunts with 20 gauge shotgun right now--- sounds like hes able to me ( other than the mobility issue) he's not a young kid or small adult so let him hunt with what he wants. If he has fond memories of a 270 then that's the way to go.
I think of him as mobility limited not "handicapped"
I had a good family friend that hunted with a 300wm for years, he hiked harder than any other man I know, climbed taller mountains, could withstand colder temps than others I know, and could out drink darn near anyone --- I never thought of him as handicapped yet he had his left arm and leg blown off in Vietnam.

 

[tdot]

7-08 would be a great choice. If you reload, then the 119g Hammer Hunter is an excellent performing low recoiling round to use.

The US rep for Spartan Bipods hunts from a wheel chair, he might be someone to touch base with if you want to go that route.

 

[jjmp]

How's about a TC/Encore, single shot rifle Or pistol, 243,708,308 ,Or if papa wants a 270 Winchester by all means get one, just trying to make it simple but is not lol, Congrats to you for helping keep Dad in the game ,Happy new year!!! Cheers

 

[orange1948]

I have sent you a message with my contact info if your dad would like to shoot some of the calibers before making a decision. I'm only a couple hours away. We could meet either there or here.
Duane

 

[Rack]

I agree with the above statements. You can download 270 / 7mm-08. I would leave 6.5 creedmore and 243 at full horsepower for deer and bear at 300 yds.

 

[pchri]

A muzzle brake certainly wouldn't blast out the windows with the type of cartridge you would be looking at, but it certainly would be loud, so ear protection would be a strongly encouraged idea. I don't know the kind of black bear in that area, but if they aren't massive bears, then a big cartridge really isn't necessary, and more importantly would be shootability and maneuverability in and out of a vehicle.

I would look at something with a shorter barrel, 22" maximum, with 18-20" being more preferable. A 7mm-08, 6.5 PRC, 6.5x284, or .284 would be the type of cartridges I would look at, and if you want to keep recoil minimal, throw a brake on there and just make sure and wear ear protection, the short barrel will amplify the increased blast from a muzzle brake.

Are you going to reload for it, or is it a requirement to use factory ammunition? This could help narrow down options. Also, are you wanting to buy a factory rifle, or planning on building one?

It would best to be factory for both. I don't have any rifle reloading equipment and neither of us have the time to build one right now.

 

[pchri]

He hunts with 20 gauge shotgun right now--- sounds like hes able to me ( other than the mobility issue) he's not a young kid or small adult so let him hunt with what he wants. If he has fond memories of a 270 then that's the way to go.
I think of him as mobility limited not "handicapped"
I had a good family friend that hunted with a 300wm for years, he hiked harder than any other man I know, climbed taller mountains, could withstand colder temps than others I know, and could out drink darn near anyone --- I never thought of him as handicapped yet he had his left arm and leg blown off in Vietnam.

Low recoil was his own request and he's 6'6" 300lbs so not smaller by any means. He's paralyzed from a infection in his shoulder and spine so that's his concern. He only ever shot 12ga before and now he decided that's a bit much for him. And he's only ever shot 2 shots ever with a rifle and they were both .270. So his definition of low recoil would be comparable to a 20ga seeing he has minimal knowledge of rifles that's why he asked me to help. The main factor is a shorter gun like Cody.