The lighter the slug, the less recoil felt.

Eddy, With all your sore spots. Maybe also time to change your hunting habits, along with a lighter rifle. I can't walk far any more. I know our hunting grounds , like the back of my hand, just can't walk to them. If you have an atv , start watching runways. Let the younger , lads do the roaming. Times change sad to say. I carry a winchester model 100 in 308, fast light gun. Good Luck old243

AR pistol could be a good option.

Go to your nearest used gun store ,or pawn shop,get your self a 30/30 and you'll be good to go

Had the same gun about 20 years ago. I never liked the 270 just because...It had less recoil than any 270
I had ever shot so i bought it from my father in law. He always liked the 270 and after a couple years, he came to
the house with his little grin and asked if I would trade it. Told him no but he said you might...He had a 243 in the same
gun and knowed I was a 243 nut so...I traded. The 243 don't shoot hardly as good but it shoots good for such a
small gun. He kelp the 270 for about a month and traded it. I'd have got it back but didn't know he was trading. He tried
to trade for it back and the guy said that that was 1 gun he'd never trade and I know why, It shot way above what it
should have. Still have the 243...Love it...

If price is not a big concern then this might be something you could look into. This is a Weatherby ultra lightweight sporter in .280 Remington caliber that I have. I got it because I used to walk long distances and being the lazy person I am wanted to carry something light and efficient. It worked out well for me. I'm not sure if they are even made today but there are many manufacturers that offer lightweight versions. A couple pounds can make a big difference. I think the rifle alone is advertised at 5 3/4 pounds.

Yes Had one of those also . My son started with that rifle. When I gave him my BDL he sold it . That was the most accurate rifle BAR NON I ever laid my eyes on. Bench rest at 100 yards all 3 shots were in the same hole !!! The entire group looked like a 30 caliber hole . No triangle pattern. Depending on where you hunt and what terrain the 243 would be perfect. I got the 270 since I already own a 700 bdl in a 6mm

Savage axis and don't look back.. BUT the ruger American is a copy cat so it would be a good fit. I just don't have any knowledge of shooting ability.

Problem with all these off the wall (don't beat me up) calibers is finding ammo. If you are just now switching to a caliber you must consider the availability.

a run down by weight of many of the rifles mentioned here

if it isn't current;y in production I didn't list it

4.9 pounds Kimber Mountain accent 6.5creed

5 pounds 7 ounces Kimber m84 308

5.5 pounds Savage 11 lightweight 308

5.7 pounds Ruger Hawkeye compact 308

5.9 pounds Ruger american Ranch 7.62x39

5.9 pounds T3x Tikka super light 308

5.94 (I) CZ 527 7.62x39 marking this one with (I) because it has iron sights and would not need any added weight from an optic

6 pounds Hawkeye compact 7mm-08

6.1 pounds Ruger American ranch 6.5 grendel smaller bore same outside dimensions is 0.2 pounds heavier

6.1 pounds Ruger american standard 308

6.16 pounds (I) Zastava M85 7.62x39 iron sights

6.2 pounds Ruger american standard 7mm-08 rifles with smaller bores and the same outside dimensions weight more than their larger bore counter parts

6.2 pounds Ruger American predator 308 the barrel is shortened and threaded but a touch thicker with a rail for optics making it a shorter package and able to take a muzzle break that can greatly reduce recoil

6.2 pounds Ruger Hawkey compact Laminate the laminate stock 308 adds a 0.5 pounds

6.3 Savage Axis 1 and 2 it doesn't make much of a difference in long or short action as Savage axis are all long the magazine length is short or long

6.5 pounds Browning Xbolt

6.5 pounds Mossberg Patriot synthetic

6.5 pounds Mossberg Patriot Predator

7 pounds Mossberg Patriot walnut

7 pounds (I) Marlin 336 30-30 or 35 rem Marlin only gives the approximate weight of 7 pounds

6.94 to 7.18 pounds (I) Henry Single shot the 308 is 6.94 the others vary by caliber but the 223 is heavier at 7.18

you can see the market is fairly crouded in the 6-7 pound range and you pay a fair bit more to go lighter

optics add weight big optics can add weight fast

some of the lightest traditional rifle optics are 14-15 oucnces

14.3 Vortex 2-7x32 crossfire I run several of these 2x is a really handy power setting I have shot running deer as close as 15 yards and also shot deer running at 125 yards I have shot steel to 200 yards you can see well to pick up the deer as you pull up

the Vortex 1-4 cross fire is 14.8 ounces pair either of these with some weaver quad-lock rings is very close to 1 pound


A sling is another consideration , if you can sling a rifle over your shoulder it takes the weight off your arms if you are not running a sling you should think about it.

Accessories and what you put on a rifle are huge I run a Mossberg patriot predator that started 6.5 pounds with a Vortex 2-7x32 a lighte wight scope , muzzle brake , sling , cheek riser bag I am at 8 pounds 2 ounces so you can see how it adds up , the cheek riser bag has storage for ammo and with 2 mags and 15 rounds of 180gr 308 it is 9 pound 7 ounces but it is alwasy ready to walk out the door and shoot 10-400 yards with 15 rounds of ammo in 2 mags and 5 on the stock loops

with the muzzle brake cutting around 50% of recoil not that it is a hard recoiling round it makes it very pleasant to shoot

I won't lie it was getting old carrying all that and busting through a swamp last week

it really depends what kind of hunting you do and if you want or need optics

length is also a consideration it may not make a lot of weight change to be shorter but it makes it easier to carry in tight places

Weatherby offers a few lighter weight rifles as well.

I'll throw the mini action Howa into the mix in 6.5 Grendlel .... way enough to tip over a deer

Get you an e-bike too. Makes it a lot easier getting to the stand . Don't sweat walking in or out LOL

My AR pistol with optic weights 6.5 pounds , but I don't think they can have those in NY

crazy Eddie, I have health issues also. At this time I'm using a Remington 742 in .308. The recoil is mild. It is a little on the heavy side, but with blood thinners, recoil doesn't bruise me up.
Here is what my H&R 10ga. did to me during a Turkey season... my arm ballooned up, black and blue and very painful for nearly two weeks. I use an Remington 11-87 12ga. now.

Just shoot em out yer back window.

That's not where your supposed to rest the butt of the gun.

You got that from a 10 ga???
I shot a 10 ga for a few years,never seen anything like that.
I think you got some kind of a medical problem causing you to bruise up like that
OK,Just read back and seen where you mentioned that you are on blood thinners.

Are you on a blood thinner, Rendezvous?

Never mind if I'm prying.

I used to be on two blood thinners, now one, and my shoulder and arm would bruise up like that when I shot a rifle. Haven't been able to shoot for a while, so I'm not sure how badly I'd bruise now.

Jim

Whoa! That's a lot of information.
Wolf dog91 if I walked out the back door with that gun in N.Y. state Our governor would have a heart attack.
(Maybe I should get one).
I was digging around through my artillery collection and found a 20ga. Franchi. I put it on the scale at 3 1/2 lbs loaded. Its level out to 50 yards, so I'm going hunt'in in the morning.
Thanks for all this info. I learned alot from it. I have got more information from trapperman than any other source, including school.Thanks.

I was gonna suggest a shotgun with slugs,but you indicated rifle in your original post.