30.06 loads

I don't mean to start a argument or anything here just a question. I have a Remington Model 700 ADL 30.06, I've shot 150 and 180 grain bullets through this rifle. I love this rifle, but it beats the shit out of me, if I reloaded some rounds with 110 grains bullets would I take as much abuse as what I do with the heavier weights? Or would there be much difference in the recoil?

Thank you

Lighter bullets = less recoil
It's an "equal and opposite reaction" thing.

As long as the 110gr bullets are heavy and accurate enough to do the job you want them to do, I don't see the harm in saving your shoulder the abuse it has been taking.

there are many factors for recoil, but yea should be a big difference. might not be that big a difference if you push em out too fast... but they'd be useless too fast unless you were blowin' up pdogs... my2cents anyway

I don't think I'll push them to fast that's my primary deer rifle, I got a buddy that is getting a 22-250 barrel for his Thompson for Christmas and he said something about selling me his "Frankenstein" a 22-250 bull barrel on a Mauser 98 action and it's a tack driver !!

22-250 is my go to range rifle for target shooting.

correct me if i'm wrong isnt the ADL a synthetic stock? i always buy laminate or wood stocks for the extra weight to reduce the recoil. synthetics just always seem to drive right into your shoulder.

Mine is wood stock isn't the adl you feed the bullets down from the chamber and the bdl has the "floor hing" ?

Yep, that is the only difference between adl and bdl. The BDL has the floor hinge to the mag well where the ADL is just plain. I have the Remington 700 ADL in .270

I have a remington 700 bdl in 3006 and before i had a recoil pad installed on it it kicked the living sht out of me too. but now with the recoil pad on it I can shoot it all day long I would look into that. and my favorite round in it is a hornady 180gr BTSP behind 57 grains of imr 4350 before i put the pad on it i couldnt shoot it more than2 or 3 times before i started flinching.

For whatever reason, Remington decided to sell their 700 action models with a hard butt plate rather than a nice padded recoil pad. I can't imagine that it would save that much money and they are over priced in my opinion anyway. Probabaly because Remington makes it's own brand of aftermarket recoil pads and they want you to buy theirs. Kinda like purchasing a bumper for a new truck you just paid big bucks for.

You can get a decent aftermarket recoil pad like a limbsaver brand and try that without taking out a loan, I hear they help a great deal on felt recoil. It may require a bit of modification on the butt stock to get the right fit though?
I've looked for a decent one for my .270 cause even though it is less recoil, it still makes my shoulder sore after a box or box and a half of my hunting rounds in one sitting. My problem is that the aftermarket pads are all flat and my BDL has a curve on the butt stock, so it would require that I cut it off flat then shape the recoil pad to fit. I just don't like the idea of carving on my walnut stock, but I may need to literally "Bite the bullet" someday and go ahead with it.

If I were you, I wouldn't sacrifice killing power in my hunting rounds by dropping the bullet weight down too much. It may end up costing you in the long run?
If you did decide to go to a lighter bullet, I would still stay within the 130-140 grain range for deer and then you could back off the powder charge just a bit and see how that goes. Then there is always the Barrel Porting option, but that requires gunsmithing and can get rather expensive. A buddy of mine had his 7 mag done and while it is nicer on the shoulder to shoot, he said that it's twice as loud because the muzzle blast is coming out and back toward the shooter.

I have a buddy that's been working on guns for years now. I think we will make this gun a project and glass bed the action make sure the barrel is a free floating and I will probably look into the recoil pads and then try sum factory ammo in it to check the recoil on it then, and then decide on the proper bullet size to start reloading.

My 700 kicked the crap out of me as well. I started out shooting 150 grain bullets before I found 2 things out. For deer, the 150 grain was over kill. Made a huge hole in a deer, but they dropped where they stood and number 2, dropping down to 130 grain (270), the recoil dropped. I used to shoot a few rounds and have my shoulder turn different colors. Now with the 130 grainers, while still after quite a few rounds, my shoulder feels it, but it does not change colors...

I know that for White Tail deer my 180 gr is way over kill. But if you hunted where I do you would want to drop them in their tracks and i do. If one runs sometimes even 40 yds i got to pull them up the side of a mountain. LOL I want them going down... but like I said the kick is really tame with a recoil pad. Also. what I did to sight it in before i had a recoil pad on it was I would roll up some foam rubber and put it between my shoulder and the stock (was a little uncomfortable but worked.) I know it still kicked the sht out of me but when i shot a deer i never felt it

Yea true, your area can also dictate what you need that is for sure lol. I am lucky that where I hunt, I don't have to worry about that too awfully much. But yes, without having to drag or call in a heicopter to recover your deer, you have to use what gets the job done.

There are some barnes managed recoil loads in a book iv got they produce the same amount of energy with the recoil of a 243 il look and post the load on here as soon as i can

If you reload, you can also load reduced power ammo, even with the 150 and 180 grain bullets. There no reason to load them to full power/velocity if all you're doing is killing paper targets at 100 yards, like many of us are. A bullet traveling at 1800-2,000 FPS will make a nice round hole, just like one traveling at 2,700 FPS or higher.

I frequently load my .303 British ammo with the recommended starting load for a given powder/bullet combo; it helps increase brass life, and it's easier on both my shoulder, and wallet.

Rule of thumb for me is I take the max charge and the min charge and split the difference and load right down the center.... especially on my larger calibers.... and my cases have lasted for years... I have some cases that I have shot over a dozen times....

there are 160+ loads for the 30-06 from 65grain squirrel killers to 200grain elephant killers....

I alway load for my intended prey.... there is nothing funner than shooting squirrels with my 30-06 light bullet reduced load and nice head shots.... lots of meat left....

same thing with prairie dogs but I use 90 to 110 grain bullets and push them out at around 2100fps....

these are the joys of loading.... the freedom of choice..... besides the journey of working up loads is just as fun as shooting the perfect load..... at least for me...

thats what i try to do load right in the center