Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers Guide Gun 45-70 Recoil Mgmt - Cast Vote Now!

I'm in the market for a guide gun in 45-70 and I've heard all the nasty stories about recoil and muzzle flip. From your experience, what is your preferred/suggested method of recoil management on these guns? This gun is being purchased for a future moose hunt in Alaska but will get most of its use on Michigan whitetails. I only tip the scales at a buck sixty and I'll spend 1 - 2 hours per session at the outdoor range...no lead sleds for me. If I need a lead sled to prevent being curled up into a ball after each shot, its too much gun...just my opinion. So cast your vote from the choices below.

1) Porting
2) After market recoil pad
3) Butt stock recoil reduction insert
4) Hand load to comfortable levels
5) Combination of above (please specify)
6) Present

Thanks in advance!

I've had a GG since 2003. Started out shooting factory loads, then went to handloading for my african safari last summer. My GG is a ported model. I never shoot it at the bench without hearing protection. The ports are LOUD, but don't bother me in a hunting situation. I have a decelerator recoil pad on it, and that helps a bunch. I don't think you need the butt stock insert. The best advice is load to comfortable levels! If the moose hunt is down the road, then load mild levels for those michigan deer. Any of the 300 gr. factory loads will do a J-O-B on them. My african load was only loaded to 1950 fps. but I used the 300 gr. nosler part. as my bullet. To date I have killed 6 hogs, 1 javelina, 1 black bear, and 7 african critters[plains game], with the GG, and all but 1 were shot with the nosler, either factory or my handloads. Hope this helps.

Mad Dog

after market recoil pad helps alot....mines ported and i dont notice it being that loud when hunting, i use hearing protection when dinking around....i tend to handload a bunch of rounds to 45 colt velocities but stick with a big heavy 400 grain plus bullets than hand it over to my wife who hates recoil and she spends the day trying to find a tree she cant push one of those bullets through big, heavy, flat nosed, hard cast bullets dont need alot of speed to pack a hell of a punch and penetrate into next week......if i was hunting dangerous game i woud run them at higher speeds but for dirt rats and typical big game at the ranges a guide gun is good for yah dont need speed....

option 2 , i installed a limbsaver now shes a pussycat.

I've got the ported guide gun and had Dave Clay install a Decellerator pad and it works fine. I've got Limbsaver's on my .375 and matching 06 and I like those too. The ports don't bother me at all, it's no louder than any other rifle I own when hunting and at the range I always use hearing protection.

Limbsaver pad and handload 2 different loads, one for trigger time and one for dropping the hammer on critters.

I load 300 gr HPs at a nice (mimics factory) light load and then step up to some Buffalo Bore type loads with 400 gr FP. I've got you by 60 pounds, so it ain't so bad for me, but you can definetly tell the difference in loads whn you trip the trigger.

Had the Guide Gun (ported) now have the 22" 1895 with the thin rubber piece Marlin calls a recoil pad. I just shoot it. It kicks, I shoot it some more. Fun stuff!

The only thing is - I respect the recoil of the little bruiser and make sure I can give with the recoil rather than just sitting there soaking it up with my shoulder. I could see that not being good after a few shots.

Give it a try and decide if you need any extra help, a good recoil pad would be my first step. That and sticking with the 300 grain loads.

Regards, Guy

CS, it would do to keep in mind that when most of us are sighting in, we are in relatively mild weather, shoot from a rest for groups...both tend to maximize felt recoil. Whe you are ready to drop the hammer on groceries, it is probably quite a bit cooler, you are wearing a hunting coat with some layers underneath and are doing either offhand or MPAJ shooting. Quite a bit more forgiving of even hard recoil. Also is you use a limbasaver, make certain you do a practice run of shouldering your rifle as the LOP changes a fair amount between warm weather shortsleeve shooting and hunting coat etc shooting. Just suggesting....

A good recoil pad, either Decelerator or Limbsaver, will go a long way to alleviate a lot of the felt recoil. The other single most important thing you can do is get off the bench. Stand, kneel, or sit, but shoot from field positions and recoil won't be nearly as noticeable.

Limbsaver or Decelerator - I took my GG to AK this past summer. Before going I loaded some hot bear medicine. They kick, but the Limbsaver takes the bit away.

I have a Limbsaver on my 444 and it works well. However, it is starting to deteriorate and is getting sticky/gummy. This is after 3 years. Has anyone else seen this happen?

Welcome to the 'Fire. Ya shoot a 41 Redhawk?? I gots one and love it. Nope. Don't use recoil pad 'cuz the hunting clothing serves well.

You can put a good after-factory recoil pad on the thing, but that really doesn't help with the muzzle jump which bothers me more, especially with a scope.

I would consider just loading down to the level at which you're comfortable with. For me, with 300 grn bullets, it's about 51 grns. of Re7. At 55 grains, DAMN!

And with that load, using a Speer Unicor, I did a bullet penetration test on a box of soaked magazines and it out-penetrated a 180 grn Partition fired from my 30-06.

Yup. That's a darned fine reason to have the scope mounted well forward...

Thanks to a lever action stock with a lot of drop ... yep, that sucker comes right up.


Fortunately for me, the best accuracy out of my guide gun comes about the top end of my recoil tolerance. Mine shoots (scoped) 3 shot, sub .75" groups at 100 yards with 52 grains of H4895 under a 400 grain speer. Don't have a chronograph but I'd guess that's just under 1600 fps. It's usefully flatter shooting than the factory loads, but not horribly abusive if I don't shoot too many shots in a hurry at the bench.

At one time I worked up some heavier loads trying to make it a reasonable 200 yard gun. It beat me up too much. That 400 grain speer load is good for 125 yards with no hold-off. If I want to shoot past that, I'll switch to the .375 H&H, it doesn't kick as bad as the "warmed up" .45-70 loads.

Tom

I put a decelerator on mine and I don't load it balls to the wall. I load the 405g Remington to about 1600 fps.

A slip on recoil pad is the biggest help. I load my 405grn lead bullets (w/ a big/wide/flat meplat BTW) at about 1600fps. That big chunk of lead doesn't need a lot of speed to completely penetrate any deer in the country. I did install a mercury recoil reducer in the stock & I can tell a difference although I don't know if it is the actual mercury or just the added weight (one pound).

My GG is sure enough one of the funnest guns I own.

Robert in the hills of Tennessee

a good recoil pad, and stand up when you shoot. Lean on something for a rest, but stand up.

It'll help...I promise.

Or at least sit bolt upright at the bench...

I found a new way to not notice marlin guide gun recoil on Saturday: put a deer in front of it. :-) I don't remember noise, recoil or anything like that, but I'm pretty sure it went off 'cause the deer died with a hole through him.

Tom