Low recoil red deer and wild boar cartridge

[shark_za]

6.5x57 is the lower legal limit in Germany, get a set of 6.5x57R barrels for your O/U with a nice tight twist and shoot 156gr Oryx or 160gr Hornadys all day long.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Road trains, eh?

@Brian Rothhammer
Singles, B doubles, road trains.

 

[Major Bonkers]

Anyway it is very interesting list - of the "sub .30" calibers the 6.5s seem to be the right choice.
@Major Bonkers I found some Mannlicher-Schöenauers in 6.5x54 here in Czechia. But the prices of the nice pieces are not inexpensive ... might be cheaper to go with the Blaser as @Art Lambart II suggested

Have a look at the 6.5x54 SE rifle manufacturer/brand thread for details about where to find old Mannlichers and where to get them put back into good order.

It is entirely up to you, of course, but my advice would be to spend a bit of time looking for a good Mannlicher. Even at the time that they were made, a Mannlicher was three times the cost of an equivalent Mauser; they were always Rolls-Royce items. The R8, to my mind, is an excellent piece of engineering and completely without any soul whatsoever. It is functional and unattractive to look at. I have also only shot one lying down, and so don't know about the balance, but the Mannlicher can be shot standing, freehand, like a shotgun.

Incidentally, the 6.5x54 cartridge is excellent on red deer. In my younger days, we used to skin the carcasses by balling the right hand into a fist and gently separating the skin from the flesh (this creates an attractive marbling effect on the flesh rather than the 'flaying of Marsyas' effect of simply tearing off the skin). You had to be careful, in doing this, to avoid the bullet which had often mushroomed and lodged under the skin on the opposing side to the shot, and would skin your knuckles if you weren't careful. What this means, of course, is that the entirety of the bullet's kinetic energy had been released inside the target.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Even at the time that they were made, a Mannlicher was three times the cost of an equivalent Mauser; they were always Rolls-Royce items.

'Oberndorf' Mausers were also pricey:

Mannlicher Schoenauer stutzen

'Equivalent' Mauser

 

[Art Lambart II]

@Art Lambart II
What about an R8 in 35 Whelen.
Has dad made you up some of those 2,700fps 250gr loads yet
Ha ha ha ha
Bob

Bob,

They don't make a 35 Whelen barrel for the R8, for some reason the folks at Blaser think the 9.3x62 is a better round.

Like every other ammo manufacturer in the US Dads Reloading Service (DRS) has focused on loads for 6.5mm bullets, in dads case its been his beloved 6.5x55.

 

[colorado]

If a 243 meets the legal requirements it's a great deer cartridge. If not a 257 Roberts is a lovely round. in a 7 1/2 lb rifle (without scope) recoil would be basically non-existent. And then of course a 270 in the same weight rifle will kill anything in North America except it's a little light for grizzly.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Having hunted red stags and wild boar in Europe more than once, my recommendation will always be for the venerable 7x57mm Mauser and the 177Gr Brenekke TIG factory load. Very accurate, ample penetration and well... You can never really go wrong with it. That's what I use, most of the time.

My alternate choice would be a .30-06 Springfield and 220Gr Sako Hammerheads. Also a highly potent combination.

 

[colorado]

Having hunted red stags and wild boar in Europe more than once, my recommendation will always be for the venerable 7x57mm Mauser and the 177Gr Brenekke TIG factory load. Very accurate, ample penetration and well... You can never really go wrong with it. That's what I use, most of the time.

My alternate choice would be a .30-06 Springfield and 220Gr Sako Hammerheads. Also a highly potent combination.

Wondering, what part of low recoil would a 30-06 shooting 220g Hammerheads be?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Wondering, what part of low recoil would a 30-06 shooting 220g Hammerheads be?

Lower than a 9.3x74 mm R.

 

[colorado]

Lower than a 9.3x74 mm R.

Lower than my 500 Jeffery too lol

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Lower than my 500 Jeffery too lol

The OP didn't want something lighter than a .500 Jeffery. He wanted something lighter than a 9.3x74 mm R.

 

[Rocco490]

Stay away from any lightweight setups. I know you were asking mainly about cartridge choices but a heavy gun weight with a good fitting stock and a good recoil pad will have a significant effect on recoil they are important considerations in your rifle don't overlook them. As for cartridges 7x57 7mm08 or 308 win all with good bullets at less than max velocities should do a great job and be comfortable to shoot in a good fitting 9.5-10.5 pound gun. Best of luck.
(9.5 pound 7mm 08 160 partition or a frame bullet at 2600-2650fps should be around 13ft lbs recoil and hit hard)