Whats the best deer caliber with the least recoil?

i have a bad shoulder and was wondering if anyone knew of a good rifle with the least recoil for hunting deer. im thinking .243 but wasnt sure if there was anything better thanksWhats the best deer caliber with the least recoil?
The .243 would be a good cartridge for recoil sensitivity with the sore shoulder. You should use a BONDED core or controlled expansion bullet, like a Barnes TSX in at least 90 grain. 243 isn't my first choice as a deer rifle because the bullet is so light,with 105 grains being about max in most rifles. If you can handle the 243 then a 6.5x55 Swede would be a better option, even if the ammo isn't as common, it is available. Another option would be a 270 with a reduced recoil loading from the factory offerings or a reloaded reduced cartridge with a 120 grain bullet. The Savage 250-3000 or 300 would also be very tolerable if you can find a rifle in those. .257 Roberts (7mm Mauser case) or the 7 Mauser itself would be good too.The .257Roberts is making a little resurgence lately, Kimber has a new rifle in it. As for rifles, I would try to get a wood or laminate stock instead of composite because the heavier rifle will absorb some of the recoil energy. I saw a very nice CZ in 6.5 Swede at Sportsman's Warehouse for $550 a while back.Whats the best deer caliber with the least recoil?
A 30-30 is pretty good and you can get an extra recoil pad to put on the butt if need be or you can do the same with a 308.


30-30 is a very good gun but if your wanting something with a little more kick for longer range the 308 is the better gun to go with.


I hunted with a 30-30 for many years for both deer and moose and was very happy with it, for moose the 308 would be the better one to go with though for it has a little more kick for longer range.





Good Luck and Safe Hunting.





I now do all my hunting with a camera.
There have been plenty of good suggestions in this topic...However, I find it odd that no one mentioned the 7mm-08. In my opinion, this is the best low recoil rifle for a new hunter or a recoil sensitive hunter. It will do anything that the .243 or .260 will but also offers a wider selection of ammo choices. The .260 is great, but there are only 2 factory ammo choices available for it. The 7mm Mauser is very similar, but again the 7mm-08 offers more factory ammo choices.





I started out with a .243, and it is a great deer round, but the 7mm-08 offers just a bit more. My .243 really likes the 85gr TSX but with as often as Barnes changes their bullet designs, I'll probably have to do some new load work in a few years.
I'd say something like a .243 would work for you. If any recoil is uncomfortable, you can have a muzzle break put on it and the recoil would be so reduced that you wouldn't know you were shooting a center fire rifle. For prices on muzzle breaks, check with your local gunsmith. He is going to have to thread your muzzle for the muzzle break anyway. Another choice is Magna Port. You send your rifle to them and they cut trapezoidal openings in the sides of the barrel just back of the muzzle. They are beautifully done and do not detract from the appearance of the rifle. While they have your rifle, you can have them also do a cryogenic accuracy treatment on your barrel. It is supposed to improve the inherent accuracy of your barrel. You can check them out at www.magnaport.com.
Years ago, I bought a Czech version of the K-98 Mauser, a VZ-24. As the barrel was rotted out by a former owner's use of corrosive ammo, and the $75 price, I intended to make a 270, and ordered a sexy hammerforged barrel for it. What came in the mail was a 243 barrel and a note that they were out of everything but that, and I might try it. Well, I wondered what the 6mm craze was all about, and discovered several things. The shelf ammo everywhere was Remington, who was miffed that their 6mm's weren't selling because of the popular 243's. So they loaded 80 grain bullets which worked fine on coyotes, but wouldn't penetrate deer, and 100 grain loads which wouldn't expand unless you hit bone going in. I switched to handloaded 100 grain Nosler Partition bullets, and all was well, and I have never lost another head of game since. Remington has since started loading the 95 grain Nosler Partition bullets in their 243 ammo, which work as well as the 100's as near as I can tell, and are super accurate! I never took off the steel buttplate, because the 243 simply has so little recoil, there simply wasn't any need for it! One gunwriter back in the 1980's took one dozen elk in an unbroken series with his 243 using 100 grain Nosler Partition bullets and perfect broadside lung hits. However, that doesn't make the 243 an elk rifle in my estimation, and I suspect some of those were 200 yard runs, not exactly totally humane kills if that is true, which I don't know. Anyway, his point is made that the 243 is not marginal on deer with good hits, and premium bullets. My ballistics tables show the 243 delivers the ';approved'; 1000 ft-lbs of energy at 400 yards using boattailed bullets like the Nosler Partition. Not that any sane person shoots at healthy live game at that range. Now shots at escaping wounded game? That 400 yards might come in handy! Regards, Larry.
There are better chamberings then the .243 Win for deer hunting. Some that are great while having very light recoil are the .257 Roberts, .25-06 Remington, .260 Rem. and the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser.





The 243 works but it is at its best on deer with 100-105 grain bullets unless you are using a very tough premium design like the Barnes X or Nosler Partition.





A good recoil pad will make a difference. Using a rifle weighing 8lbs or more rather then some of the super lightweight jobs on the market should help too.
check your state laws. to the best of my knowledge, no state allows deer hunting with semi automatic rifles but maybe i'm wrong. If you ARE allowed semi autos, definitely go that route. The moving action will let you shoot a larger caliber round but it will feel like its a much smaller gun. You seem to have plenty of advice on calibers so i wont even bother with that, i'll just give you some other tips. any decent gun smith will be able to hook you up with a muzzle break. This makes some rifles louder but dramatically helps the amount of recoil. my neighbor uses a .300 win mag (enormous rifle). he also recieved a shoulder injury and got a muzzle break and still uses that same monsterous rifle!
When I was a kid in W. Va., the neighbor's kid had an M1 .30 Carbine that he took several deer with. The M1 carbine has virtually no kick. The energy of the .30 carbine round is greater at 100 yards than a .357 magnum has at the muzzle.





You could also use a .44 magnum carbine (like the ruger Deerfield) - very similar to the M1 carbine and kicks about as much. This being said, these two guns are best suited for woods hunting at 100 yards or less. For longer ranges, the .243 would be the next best choice, although it does kick considerably more.
I started deer hunting as a puny 12 year old with a .30-30, and my son started with a .243. Either are good choices, with minimal recoil. The .30-30 for shorter ranges, brushy areas, and more knockdown power. The .243 is better for longer shots, and is also good for smaller animals.
30/30 is a decent choice...... Another low recoil choice is the 7.62X39MM in soft point.... The CZ 527 and the Remington 799 are chambered in this cartridge.. NO don't use FMJ -- Yes use quality soft point hunting ammo.... The recoil isn't objectionable at all.....





Or course keep shots under 125 yards with both of these cartridges......





http://www.remington.com/products/firear鈥?/a>
the 30-30 would be an excellent choice. rifles are very inexpensive in it, and are easy to find and accurate. a 30 carbine would be great too, but theyre expensive rifles, and some counties dont allow semi-auto's. theyre also a pain to scope. a 223, to me, dosent put down enough energy.
The 260 Rem. is better than the 243 Win. They're both necked down 308 cases and have similar recoil but the 260 Rem has better bullet weights for deer-sized game. The 243 Win is a superior varmint cartridge - think coyote and smaller..
* The 223 caliber using the 64 grain Power-Point bullet if your State allows you to Hunt with it.* Check and see, but most do not.*. The 243 is your next best choice after the 223 caliber.*
7.62x39mm


very low recoiling round, especially used in gas-operated semiautomatics like the SKS with a AK style muzzle brake. Unless the .223 is legal for deer there really isn't much else.
I think either the 30-30 if your shots will be less than 200yards or the .243 for up too 300 yards.
A 30-30, .270 or .257 are good low recoil deer rifles. .243 would be good or bad depending on where you live.
243 definatly. best at long range. i once shot a deer at 325 yds with my 243
A lower caliber gun generally, but you'll have less stopping power, so the deer might run off after being shot, never to be seen again.





You could use a recoilless rifle, but those are generally anti-tank guns and you'd blow the deer to little bits :(