Rifle for Older Guy with a Bad Neck....

[rickhirsch]

I too have a bad neck and am only 2 yrs behind him. 6.5 cm has almost no kick and with a good muzzle break it has almost no noticeable recoil. Shot 200 rounds this weekend and my neck and shoulder are still waiting for the recoil. It will easily down a whitetail at that distance. Check out Bergara HMR. Adjustable check rise and LOP with spacers.

this is a other way looking at problem most people say light recoil is the way to go
but that's the obvious. I a bad neck two surgeries and left arm that works at 40 0/0
recoil doesn't hurt me as much as weight any moderate weight and caliber
he will find . the cortisone shot for was brutal for me . good luck to you and your dad.

 

[CRaTxn]

.243 suppressed would be fun and could kill any whitetail at that distance.

Let him use your .243 with Barnes 95 gr X bullet, put a foam comb on it, a Kickeze recoil pad, a trap shotgun type mercury recoil tube in the buttstock, consider a suppressor addition on your part --- you can use it on other rifles later

 

[wildcat westerner]

My father is having some neck issues that he's currently working through with his doctors. C3 / 5&6 are being a real pain in the ---. Not unusual for a 69 year old guy. His pain at the moment would certainly prevent him from shooting heavy kick rifles. They're going the steroid shot route for now as they try to figure out a long term solution. As of right now the shooting pains from the nerves, etc. hit frequent enough that shooting wouldn't be much fun. So being that we are inherently stubborn creatures and don't want to miss a hunting season or practice we need to figure out what he'll shoot so long as he gets the ok from the Dr.

So, the question to the group is what would you choose in his situation to shoot for whitetail hunting this season. Elevated box blinds, 300 yards max distance in Virginia

He currently has the following options:
1) LMT .308 ar10 with suppressor - really heavy gun to tote around
2) 300 blackout ar with suppressor - lacks range for most blinds but is the perfect rifle for kick/weight
3) A Bolt 7WSM - could add a break to calm it down in consideration of the neck...it's not a bad kick now
4) Use his CZ 308 with reduced recoil loads
5) Seeing as how we love guns should he buy a 6.5cm or a 7-08 or the like and use the neck as an excuse to buy something new?
6) Put the 7wsm or 308 in a different stock with adjustable comb/lop so he can really dial in his head vs. a stock pad

Fire away.

 

[wildcat westerner]

I hope to positively add something here being a retired Certified Orthotist and a long range shooter. First of all the location of your father's injury, near the bottom of the cervical vertebra in the neck. 50% of the total rotation of the spine occurs in your cervical vertebrae, thus any little movement can set off a pain issue since these vertebrae, the smallest of the spinal column, feed enervation to a wide amount of your upper body, both muscular and sensory. That's why this issue is a lot more sensitive than can be dealt with here.
Realizing you need to precisely hit a deer at up to 300 yards. I would choose a 6.5 Creedmoor, add a Limbsaver recoil pad, and a muzzlebrake. You may consider reloading and using the 120 grain Hornady GMX, a solid bullet made of guilding metal. You gain three ways here: 1. reduced recoil 2. flatter trajectory 3. better penetration, and no bullet blowup. I am testing these in an old 6.5 Remington magnum mountain rifle of mine and am just amazed at how flat they shoot.
Another thing to consider: the heaviest 30 MM scope you have got. You will gain in early light and late evening vision and also if its big it will almost surely be heavier. Since you are stand hunting you won't be hauling this up and down mountains, so the extra weight will further reduce the recoil. If the visual center of the scope requires a higher comb, so be it, a further reduction in recoil. Thus when you add up all these recommendations this should be helpful to your Father.
Good Luck,
WW

 

[25WSM]

Just had my c-6 replaced in March. I was shooting compatition 2 weeks later. I shoot 6mm most. But have a big 300 I use too. I think I could practically hunt anything with a 243. No Kodiak brown bears or the big 5. I would load up the 308 with 130 ttsx bullets and call it good. You already own the gun. But it would be simple to put a 243 barrel in an upper and that would kick less. Shep

 

[Willys1948]

I love my Tikka 7mm-08. It doesn't have much kick at all and will crush deer in West Texas out to 400 yards with a 140 Hornaday ELD. I'm 62 and don't like sharp kicks either.

 

[Willys1948]

Wildcat westerner's idea is very good too. My son shot a 700# Kudu in Africa with an off the shelf Savage in 6.5 Creedmore 120 Gr Hornaday at 260 yards. Shoulder shot dropped him after 10 steps.

 

[jlroe]

270 Win or 6.5 Creedmoor should work.

 

[Oxobrianne 272]

My father is having some neck issues that he's currently working through with his doctors. C3 / 5&6 are being a real pain in the ---. Not unusual for a 69 year old guy. His pain at the moment would certainly prevent him from shooting heavy kick rifles. They're going the steroid shot route for now as they try to figure out a long term solution. As of right now the shooting pains from the nerves, etc. hit frequent enough that shooting wouldn't be much fun. So being that we are inherently stubborn creatures and don't want to miss a hunting season or practice we need to figure out what he'll shoot so long as he gets the ok from the Dr.

So, the question to the group is what would you choose in his situation to shoot for whitetail hunting this season. Elevated box blinds, 300 yards max distance in Virginia

He currently has the following options:
1) LMT .308 ar10 with suppressor - really heavy gun to tote around
2) 300 blackout ar with suppressor - lacks range for most blinds but is the perfect rifle for kick/weight
3) A Bolt 7WSM - could add a break to calm it down in consideration of the neck...it's not a bad kick now
4) Use his CZ 308 with reduced recoil loads
5) Seeing as how we love guns should he buy a 6.5cm or a 7-08 or the like and use the neck as an excuse to buy something new?
6) Put the 7wsm or 308 in a different stock with adjustable comb/lop so he can really dial in his head vs. a stock pad

Fire away.

 

[747fullscale]

My father is having some neck issues that he's currently working through with his doctors. C3 / 5&6 are being a real pain in the ---. Not unusual for a 69 year old guy. His pain at the moment would certainly prevent him from shooting heavy kick rifles. They're going the steroid shot route for now as they try to figure out a long term solution. As of right now the shooting pains from the nerves, etc. hit frequent enough that shooting wouldn't be much fun. So being that we are inherently stubborn creatures and don't want to miss a hunting season or practice we need to figure out what he'll shoot so long as he gets the ok from the Dr.

So, the question to the group is what would you choose in his situation to shoot for whitetail hunting this season. Elevated box blinds, 300 yards max distance in Virginia

He currently has the following options:
1) LMT .308 ar10 with suppressor - really heavy gun to tote around
2) 300 blackout ar with suppressor - lacks range for most blinds but is the perfect rifle for kick/weight
3) A Bolt 7WSM - could add a break to calm it down in consideration of the neck...it's not a bad kick now
4) Use his CZ 308 with reduced recoil loads
5) Seeing as how we love guns should he buy a 6.5cm or a 7-08 or the like and use the neck as an excuse to buy something new?
6) Put the 7wsm or 308 in a different stock with adjustable comb/lop so he can really dial in his head vs. a stock pad

Fire away.

Let me throw out how I handled pretty much the same situation, as I am 69 years old..... My rifles start at the Wby 300 Mag and go up the 338 LM. I had Limbsaver Recoil pads and American Precision Fat Bastard brakes installed on every single rifle. The recoil is barely noticeable. I have a 6 year old granddaughter that loves to shoot the 338 LM... If I were you I'd chose your favorite rifle and modify it.....

 

[Oxobrianne 272]

Try 6.5 x 55 (6.5 Swedish) a sweet shooting round - extremely accurate when bullet is matched to rifle twist rate - should shoot 1/2 minute and under with the right rifle - also very good in wind - doesn't drop to subsonic before 1100 -1200 yds (depending on load of course) Has been used in Scandinavia up to elk size game.
The option of a stock change also has merits.
Have fun!

 

[remgitano]

My vote for the whitetail would be a Ruger 77 in 7mm Mauser. Excellent ballistics for the proposed quest and range. Very comfortable to shoot especially for this gentleman. How do I know? I have two. Considering what this caliber has taken on the African continent, often times far larger than a typical whitetail, the 7mm Mauser will be very satisfactory.

 

[kiwi49]

tmwtrfwlr - I've got a similar problem in neck (crushed C3/4 - dirtbike accident), and L3/4/5 (dirtbike accident).
I shoot F/TR in 308, using 155gn target bullets over AR2208 (Varget to you guys).
Range 300-1000yds.
Initially was using an original New Zealand Palma rifle wooden stock - beat me up badly.
Bought a secondhand titanium alloy stock off the 1993 Ballinger Belt winner (look it up on Dr Google - you'd be surprised how old this comp is).
As he has an attached workshop to his retail store, the stock and action were mated, then bedded.
Had a Limbsaver fitted, and stock is adjustable for LOP, cheek weld, butt plate angle.
From 10lb weight to 16.5lb weight Imperial (kilograms wouldn't mean much to you?).
Made a hell of a difference to felt recoil.
Even with a seriously arthritic RH shoulder, I can put 30-40 downrange and still come home upright and relatively pain free.
As previously mentioned, stand shooting, so no need to hike to far to spot X.
I'm 70 yrs old, 5' 9" (used to be 5' 11") and weigh about 14 stone.
My $0.02 worth.

 

[sceeder]

My father is having some neck issues that he's currently working through with his doctors. C3 / 5&6 are being a real pain in the ---. Not unusual for a 69 year old guy. His pain at the moment would certainly prevent him from shooting heavy kick rifles. They're going the steroid shot route for now as they try to figure out a long term solution. As of right now the shooting pains from the nerves, etc. hit frequent enough that shooting wouldn't be much fun. So being that we are inherently stubborn creatures and don't want to miss a hunting season or practice we need to figure out what he'll shoot so long as he gets the ok from the Dr.

So, the question to the group is what would you choose in his situation to shoot for whitetail hunting this season. Elevated box blinds, 300 yards max distance in Virginia

He currently has the following options:
1) LMT .308 ar10 with suppressor - really heavy gun to tote around
2) 300 blackout ar with suppressor - lacks range for most blinds but is the perfect rifle for kick/weight
3) A Bolt 7WSM - could add a break to calm it down in consideration of the neck...it's not a bad kick now
4) Use his CZ 308 with reduced recoil loads
5) Seeing as how we love guns should he buy a 6.5cm or a 7-08 or the like and use the neck as an excuse to buy something new?
6) Put the 7wsm or 308 in a different stock with adjustable comb/lop so he can really dial in his head vs. a stock pad

Fire away.

7mm08
257 Roberts
two of my favorite rounds very little kick
My cousin in Montana has taken an elk with the Roberts for 35 years in a row now at 10 to 350 yards. he is unbelievable.
Good luck
I will pray for your father