TC encore with 150grs worth of pellets a 300 gr bullet and one of those heavy aluminum ram rods is a heavy recoiler. No idea how many grains one of those rods weighs but can testify that the recoil is substantial when the rod is fired along with the 300 gr bullet. I know of 5 other guys who fired their ramrods down range I was the only one that got by without stitches.