light recoiling cartige for the old man!

[midnightmalloy]

well here it goes. my dad has knee and shoulder problems so the same old question applies. he turns 60 this year so i want to build him a new rifle. here is the chriteria and what i was thinking.
1. sufficient caliber/cartrige combo to kill mulies and smaller to 500yards
2. as light of recoil as possible (but theres more)
3. no more than 8lb total rifle (all up scope and all)
4. LEFT HANDED (please dont be one of those guys that tells me and the old man for the millionth time to shoot a right handed gun cause you do it)
5. i want it to be fun for him and something thats only his (he's a father of 6 so he never gets what he wants as much as what he can settle for)

i have a tikka 595 left hand 22-250 that i want to use as a donor rifle. I was thinking either 6.5 creedmoor w/ 130gr berger vld's or 7mm-08 w/ 140gr berger vld's. mcmillian sako 75 stock (they actually inlet for the LH tikka 595) benchmark 24" #4 lilja contour with a 3 port muscle break I already have a leupold vx-3 4.5-14x40 LR so i could just keep that.

any input would be greatly appreciated. Im the last of the 6 so i feel like i owe him. I guess him and mom kept trying to get it right then ended up with me!

 

[bigngreen]

We do fine with the 22-250's out to 500yrds with 60gr Berger bullets, the other two that come to mind is a 243 and one of my personal favorites the 250AI, all good to 500yrds on mulies! Taken elk with all of them also.
Take care of the old man!!!

 

[silvertip-co]

no doubt about it... LH Savage 111 in 260 rem or 7mm-08 will meet all your needs and wt limits

 

[bigngreen]

The muscle brake is a good choice, I have a mini and two four ports sitting here to go on winter projects. It would turn down nicely and look nice a sleek, I'm sticking the mini on a 270 WSM.

 

[cowboy]

Put an 1-8" twist barrel on a 243 to shoot the heavier bullets and never look back.
I have no experience with tikka - so just make sure that your magazine will accompany any new caliber you choose. I was going to use an older M77 ruger 22-250 as donor to build a 243 but the mag. conversion was more than it was worth so I bought a Savage for half the price of a build and still have the 22-250. Nothing wrong with a savage by the way and nothing wrong with your listed calibers either.

 

[midnightmalloy]

We do fine with the 22-250's out to 500yrds with 60gr Berger bullets, the other two that come to mind is a 243 and one of my personal favorites the 250AI, all good to 500yrds on mulies! Taken elk with all of them also.
Take care of the old man!!!

22 cal isnt legal in washington state for deer. its 243 or larger and the bullets have to be 100gr or more. that leaves long bullets for the 243 that will be seated back into the case and reduce velocity. The only thing i would say about the 250AI is why not just shoot a 257 roberts? for some reason i like to have the headstamp match the chamber. i just rebarreled my 25-06 and im kinda over the 25cals. not enough high bc quality bullets like the 243, 6.5 and 7mm's

 

[jeff 300]

Re: light recoiling cartage for the old man!

7mm-08, 308, 6.5-284, 30-06 any of them would work great with a good brake. I would do the 06 but thats just me. Maybe start talking about hunting tell him your going to buy a new rifle and kind of ask him what rifle is his favorite you may get your answer your looking for good luck

 

[midnightmalloy]

Re: light recoiling cartage for the old man!

7mm-08, 308, 6.5-284, 30-06 any of them would work great with a good brake. I would do the 06 but thats just me. Maybe start talking about hunting tell him your going to buy a new rifle and kind of ask him what rifle is his favorite you may get your answer your looking for good luck

i have talked with my dad and he owns a browning abolt stainless stalker in 30-06 and it kicks like hell. when i say light kicking i mean real light. i like the 7mm-08 with a good break and that i think would be perfect. im just seeing if anyone had any other ideas. recoil is relevant. Recoil didnt bother me till i was shooting my 12ga o/u at 500 targets a week for sporting clays/5-stand and skeet. I want to get my dad out again but it has to be right for him. (like i have to carry all the gear, water, guns, ammo, set up the hunt, buy the tags, ......you get the idea. but i want so bad to do this for him that i want to make it right the first time. thanks for any help

 

[bigngreen]

22 cal isnt legal in washington state for deer. its 243 or larger and the bullets have to be 100gr or more. that leaves long bullets for the 243 that will be seated back into the case and reduce velocity. The only thing i would say about the 250AI is why not just shoot a 257 roberts? for some reason i like to have the headstamp match the chamber. i just rebarreled my 25-06 and im kinda over the 25cals. not enough high bc quality bullets like the 243, 6.5 and 7mm's

I must have missed that your from Wa, I lived in Ritzville for a few years wouldn't have mentioned the 22cal if I'd caught that.
I've never had an issue with loading high BC bullets like the 105 Berger in a short action 243, always had plenty of room but I've always shot them in Savages or Howa's, you'll have the same issue with any thing that size with high BC bullets, if you want the best bullet with the least recoil you want the lightest high BC bullet, in other words a 140gr bullet out of a 7mm will have less BC and more recoil than a 105 gr high BC 243 bullet and a 140gr 7mm bullet is longer than a 100+gr 243 so you'd be back to over all length again.
I can see having the head stamp match, we fire form 243 brass and you have to watch it when we load for it, I prefer the 250AI to the 257 and the 25-06 because it is a little tamer and works nice in a short action, it is a very nice shooting chambering and very mild but very capable.
If you look at bullet length as an issue the 6.5's are longer than the 243's and longer than a bunch of the bullets a guy would load in a light recoiling 7mm.

 

[J E Custom]

I would recomend ether a 260 or a 7/08 .

If you set them up for 120 grain bullets or less recoil will not be an issue.

If he does not object to a break and will wear hearing protection try one of the Vias
breaks>(They are not as loud as some and almost as effective). The big ported breaks like
the Holland are more effective but louder, and with the 260 or 7/08 you realy don't need a
break except to tame it down some more.

I have used the 7/08 and 120 grain ballistic tips with 100% success at beyond 500 yards.

Build it on a #4 or 5 Lilja contour or equial with a 22 or 23" barrel and you/he will love it.

J E CUSTOM

 

[300R]

If you want something fun and plan to reload, the 6br will put a smile on the old man's face,recoil is very minimal they are cheap and easy to load for and super accurate and the barrel will last for thousands of rounds,i shoot the 95 berger's @2980 and 105 amax's@2888.

 

[trueblue]

I would go with the 7-08 and shoot the 120's. Light barrel contour like a #4 in 24" length.
You can buy a Model 7 Rem or Savage in this exact setup and not have alot of cost into it. No need for a custom build if 500 yards is your range. This setup will however be slightly over your weight limit. Also, put a break on it, and you will have no recoil. Factory ammo is easily found for the 7-08 if you don't reload.
The 260 that JE recommended is another great choice, but I don't know if it is offered in a factory rifle.

 

[goose]

.284 win or 6mm Remington, don't think they have been mentioned, if you are looking for a little more zip than the 308 family. Then agian, the 7-08 sounds like a winner to me, just throwing out some more ideas.

 

[royinidaho]

As I'm ahead of you dad in age but not quite there yet with the shoulders and knees I'll chime in. 60 is a quite young age to me missing out on the hunt. Especially when the son is considered. Those are great times out there!

All advice given has been good. J E Custom's is pretty much spot on.

The secret is the recoil pad! Plus I'd put a brake on any rifle you settle on. Even a 260 or 7-08.

As for the recoil pad. Seeing as your going to put this rig together yourself I highly recommend the Limbsaver grind to fit. It will be way oversize for you stock. That is a good thing.

When sanding to get the fit and finish, do no reduce the size of the butt end. Except maybe the top, depending on how you mount it. Taper the sides to the stock.

I use this on a braked 338 RUM @ just under 10#s and its a pleasure to shoot, prone.

The brake will necessitate hearing protection which I don't think has a down side. I use a set of the ones with sound and batteries for walk and stalk. Once you get used to the increased hearing ability its pretty good. Plus yur ears are always warm.