Recoil........AR vs. Bolt gun

Nibbler

Nibbler

New member
OK guys, I'm new to the "Black Rifle" club, and actually have never fired an AR. I have been doing research on all the top brands, calibers, and configurations. (must be 1000's!)

Question......I am DEFINITELY going to purchase an AR style rifle very soon. I am leaning towards a 308 instead of a 223. Does the AR, being gas operated, really cut recoil an appreciable amount? I mean, will a 308 AR recoil about the same as a 223 bolt rifle?

HELP !! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
The AR-10 in .308 kicks much less than a bolt action with the same round. Without a break it will still kick more than a .223. With a good muzzle break the recoil is reduced a huge amout but they are LOUD!
 
Thanks for the info Mike! Nothing like feedback from someone who knows. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
When I started building the .25 WSSM on the AR-15 frame I was a little worried about the recoil with the heavier bullets. The first shooting that I did was with factory 120 grain loads. I was sending them out of a 22" barrel at just under 3000 fps and the recoil was quite lite. Nothing at all what I had expected. That heavy bolt and carrier moving back durring recoil makes a lot of difference.
 
Nibbler if this is your first AR I would suggest the AR15 instead of the AR10. There are more calibers available in the AR15 platform and it's quite a bit lighter also. The AR10 platform guns are not nearly as easy to sell if you decide down the road it's not for you.

I have both models and prefer to shoot the AR15's in any one of the three calibers I have over the AR10. I do enjoy the AR10 but it does not get anywhere the use the 15's get.

Nothing wrong with the AR10 except cost and weight but if you wish to add another caliber, again the cost is significant over the smaller AR15.

Oly Arms is working on a .30 caliber WSSM cased round that has as good or better ballistics than the standard 308 and best of all it still fits an AR15 receiver.

Just something to consider.
 
I don't know if there is more recoil but a diffrent recoil on my AR15& AR10 It's more of the action moving i feel them recoil.

my AR10is a dust colletor , i though it was cool at first but i love my AR15 and the other onei just shoot some hogs with it
 
All the gas operated self-loaders have a lot less felt recoil than a bolt action. When I was working my way up through the ranks in across-the-course competition, I got my master card with an M1A in 308. When going for my high master card I switched to a 243 bolt rifle. The 243 bolt rifle had noticeably more felt recoil than the 308 gas gun.

Jack
 
Thanks for all the replies. My biggest concern/problem is that we are limited to .24 caliber & above for deer season. I hate to buy two rifles, when one will go both ways. The bottom line is that I need a predator rifle that is not too hard on fur, and will do duty as a deer cartridge also. That was the main reason I was looking at the AR10.

Stupid law makers here in TN have got to change these laws! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angry-smiley-055.gif
 
There are plenty of big-game legal choices for the AR-15. The .243 WSSM on the AR-15 platform is probably one of the sweetest dual-purpose cartridges I can think of. I have been loading 87 grain HPBT for varmint and the Nosler 85 grain partition for whitetail. Going with the AR-15 you will save several hundred dollars and about 3 pounds as well.
 
AR10 is very heavy and the if you use a muzzlebrake, the muzzle blast is quite impressive/horrendous. I was standing about 4-5 feet behind one being fired with a brake and you could feel the concussion.
 
Nibbler,
Your TN laws are just like here in Wa. State, we are required to use .24 caliber and larger for deer. This is exactly why I have chosen the 243WSSM upper for my AR15, well, that and the fact that I purchased it at such a great price.

I am not much of a big game hunter, but I do purchase a deer tag so I can hunt coyotes with a larger caliber than 223 during deer season. That way if I see a nice buck that I would like to take I can legally do it using the 243WSSM.

The 25WSSM is another great round and DTech (Mike Milli) can set you up with either of those caliber uppers.

Keep in mind you can purchase complete uppers or have uppers built in most any caliber from 17 Mach II all the way into the 50 caliber stuff using an AR15 platform.

My AR10 may eventually get rebarreled to 270WSM or 7WSM at a later time.
 
I have an AR in 458 SOCOM, for all intesive purposes its a hot 45/70 ballistic twin (300 gr. hp @ 2200 fps) it kicks less than a 30-30. My 25 WSSM (built by our very own AR "gurue" dtech kicks like a lightweight 223 bolt gun. recoil is not an issue with an AR, would like to shoot one of those custom jobs in 338 lapua mag.
RR
 
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