Axis .243 Youth Model Recoil Issues

Hey all,
This is my first time posting on here and I am glad I found this forum. Seems like a lot of knowledgeable people on here and good information.

I recently traded my Marlin .30-.30 on a Youth Model Axis .243 for my 8 year old boy. I’m trying to get him into hunting and the Marlin was too big for him. Anyways, I sighted it in this past weekend and I was in totally disappointed and shocked at the amount of recoil this gun has. I am not recoil sensitive or anything of that nature. I have shot a lot of different guns in different calibers. I normally hunt with my Savage 110 .270. The .243 actually has ALOT more recoil than my .270. I ended up shooting the gun 10-12 times on my outing and my shoulder is barely tender, but I notice it still there. I would compare the outing to going dove hunting with a 12 gauge and the feeling you get afterwards. Something tells me this isn’t normal, especially for a .243. Are there issues with recoil on the axis? I was shooting Hornady American Whitetail 100gr.

I called Savage and they offered me to send the gun back to them with shipping there at my expense. I wanted to do that as my last resort. The guy also told me they recommend shooting 100gr ammo through it.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum.

Classic problem of using a lighter rifle. A pound or two makes a lot of difference in recoil and the .243 is no slouch when it comes to velocity, which is a key number for recoil. I'd bet the recoil feels 'sharper' than your .270 as well. No, I don't think anything is wrong with the rifle. You can get less recoil by going to a lighter bullet, but, then it might not have enough energy for deer hunting. If you reloaded then the heavier bullets at a bit lower velocity might work better.

You can do some comparisons here.

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmrecoil-5.1.cgi

I agree there is nothing "wrong" with the rifle. You could likely add some weight to the inside of the stock....although for an 8 year old I can see wanting it to stay light. Maybe try a slip on recoil pad.

Dont they make reduced recoil loads for the 243. Its a great caliber by the way. I shot one for years, still do. I have used 80 grain to 100 grain bullets for deer, good sized mule deer, and antelope and they will knock em down. Dont worry about that.

You might try a top tier recoil pad, that will soften things up alot. Muzzle break is another option, they will take the kick out but add in some Bang.

remember to, shooting at the bench you feel the recoil, shooting at a deer is ..What recoil?

For him to practice, maybe a lead sled at the range..

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/r...custom-lite#!/

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going to a lighter bullet, but, then it might not have enough energy for deer hunting. If you reloaded then the heavier bullets at a bit lower velocity might work better.

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​This is totally wrong, sorry.

An 80 to 95 grain bullet carries MORE energy than a typical 100 gr bullet, at hunting ranges up to around 250 yards.
Reason is speed, We have been using 80 gr Barnes ttsx and speer 85,s for years in our 6mm/243 rifles.
A 243 in not just a "KID's" gun. Nothing beets proper bullet placement as on all guns, but we have killed clean, MANY deer with them, as well as a few elk and black bear, never had near as good results with a 100 gr anything.

Back to the post felt recoil is very relative thing. Weight of the gun, bullet, and powder charge.
I Have a 11 year old girl this is MAYBE 80 pounds and just over 4' tall, She has been shooting a 243 for two years now.
It is a CZ but similar enough for comparison. We found FIT is VERY important to felt recoil as well as shooting form. It has a youth wooden stock we hacked off an additional 1 1/2.
I bored a larger hole in the stock and added a straight "Dead mule" and capped it off with a grind to fit limb saver.
Her 80 gr Barnes bullets are going 2900 fps, she shoots on cut down shooting sticks, sitting on a 2" pad on the ground.
She can shoot a 2" group on a life-sized mule deer target at 150 yards.
The Barnes will pernitrate a dead center shoulder hit and lodge in the off side shoulder or go clear through depending on the angle . With that set up she seams to handle the recoil fine and the only bruise she has ever gotten is a misplaced ( on the arm) butt placement, and never scoped.

JUST my opinion.

Do you have any pressure signs on the brass?

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The .243 actually has A LOT more recoil than my .270.

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Whoa! That is a lot for sure.

Savage says the 243 youth model weighs 7.335lbs so recoil should not be 270 territory at all.

Returning it will most likely do nothing but fail to get it returned by hunting season. Maybe you can find a smith and have a muzzle brake installed before hunting season.
Also agreeing with others the 80-95 grain hunting bullets available will also help with recoil. Most youngsters can handle some recoil but too much, too early in their shooting career can leave them with a long lasting flinch.
I've built 4 243s for grand kids and 2 are in use still today.
But these kids started out with 221 fireball, 222 & 223.
Also never start even one shot with anything without the best ear protection.
IMHO a muzzle brake with good ear protection is the only way to start out a new shooter with a 243.

One downside to the Axis with a factory stock is the difficulty to attach an after market good recoil pad. I like the factory full size stock, fits my smallish hands real well. I have added rockite to the foreend and butt stock on my 270 and 223 to stiffen and add a bit of weight. Check the stickys on how to add weight and stiffen the stock and how to add a better recoil pad. Bad part is you have to cutoff the back of the stock and glue in a piece of hard wood. But may be well worth it for an 8 year old starting hunter. Have fun.

PS, you should have kept the Marlin. With reduced 30\30 loads it is a great young hunter rifle. You can change out the butt stock with a used one that is easy to shorten and add a good pad to. Justmu grampa thoughts.

Just run reduced loads for a few years and call it good. I bought my 18 year old a Rossi break action 243 ten years ago and it’s set in the safe ever since. The damn thing kicks like a mule. Way worse than my 3006 maybe on par with my 270 or Moison M44 with a metal but plate. I’m going to load up some light grain reduce loads and try it in the 11 year old he’s getting reliable with a scope and I may let him take a deer this year.


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