Tell me I'm not nuts but my 30-06 seems to kicks less then a .308 M1A. Maybe I'm just been shooting my Garand so long that anything else doesn't feel right but when I shot a friends M1A it seemed to be more noticeable.  I was thinking perhaps it was due to the longer gas piston giving the Garand a softer felt recoil even though it clearly has more muzzle flip? Now I know the 30-06 Garand bucks more. There was a firearms related show recently on the outdoor Channel, "maybe American Rifleman" It featured both rifles and the Garand cleanly jumped around more.. Perhaps it's rather like the 40 S@W Compared to the .45 ACP. The 45 is a slow push backwards where the .40 is a sharp snap. So am I crazy or does the Garand have less felt recoil then the m1A

I've noticed that same phenomenon. IMO, it is because the M1 has better balance than the M14/M1A.

Any chance you guys have synthetic stocks on your M1A's?

Garands are heavier.

Heavier = Less felt recoil.

tk

The M1A I fired is heavier than my Garand. It was a Super Match with heavy match bbl. Yes, it did have a synthetic McMillan stock, but it still weighed about 12 pounds empty. That is a good couple pounds heavier than my M1, but my M1 still felt like it had less kick. The only way I can explain it is that the M1 Garand has a better balance and feel for me.

i agree w/TK.  i had a scout m1a and swapped for m1.   never been happier w/a decision.

Quoted: I've noticed that same phenomenon. IMO, it is because the M1 has better balance than the M14/M1A.

Ditto on that.........  I've never really enjoyed shooting the M1A/M14.  However, I absolutely love the Garand.  The Garand for me is the perfect iron sighted battle rifle.

I notice the opposite:  I own both and I think the M1 kicks slightly more.

M1A was a bit more noticable and had about 70 fps over the 30.06.  (XM80 vs PS Korean)

I get beat up pretty bad in the face when I shoot the M1 (I normally shoot a 14lb M1A).

I think the M1A is the softest shooting 7.62 rifle I can think of. Rather ingenious gas piston design.

Yer all weenies raised on the AR. For Shame!!!!

Thats said I do not notice much of a difference between the two. All of mine are wood stocked.

Quoted: The M1A vents excess gas, while ALL the gas is used in operating the M1. Given milspec .30-06 and 7.62 NATO ball, which fire roughly the same weight projectile at the same MV, it's a toss-up.   The cartridges' energy is almost exactly the same. The M1 has a more violent action, but then the M1A is (usually) a bit lighter.

You've touched on what I was going to add here, raf.

The projectile weight is the same. The muzzle velocity is the same, ~2700fps. But the .30-06 has a larger case/chamber, and can be safely loaded to ~2900fps velocities (but not in a Garand). Therefore the 2700fps load has less chamber pressure in the bigger .30-06 cartridge than the smaller 7.62 Nato cartridge, correct? So a lower pressure round would "kick" less than a higher pressure round, all other things equal. Right? Somehow it makes sense to me.

FWIW, I've only shot two .308 rifles, but own about 5 or 6 .30-06's. One was an M40-clone (w/Remy reciever) that shot the 168gr match loads. Felt about like my 03a3 Springfield. The other was an M40a1 clone with a Model 40 receiver that shot the heavier (180-190 gr load?) bullet. For a 13 lb gun it kicked like a flippn' mule! But both were lazer beam accurate.

M1's in 30 and 7.62 cal do shoot softer than a 7.62 cal M14/M1a.

It's all in the design of the two different gas systems.  A standard issue loaded M1 and a loaded M14 are pretty much the same weight at Approx 10-11 lbs.

Quoted: M1's in 30 and 7.62 cal do shoot softer than a 7.62 cal M14/M1a. It's all in the design of the two different gas systems.  A standard issue loaded M1 and a loaded M14 are pretty much the same weight at Approx 10-11 lbs.

I guess it's subjective. I have a 308 M1 and a Loaded M1A.  Same weight.  Shooting Hirt ammo thru each, I think the recoil force is the same, but the M1 is much more violent than the M1A.  Like the difference between driving a Camaro and a Cadillac.