Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Recoil survey

I use to help guys sight in their rifles during our gun club’s sight in days and it was a real test in diplomacy holding my tongue when the guy was shooting patterns. If they did luck a shot into somewhere near the center of the target, “good enough” was usually heard. A .30-06 is still the north woods standard in these parts and it is too much gun for the average deer hunter.

You can do a lot of things wrong and still get results that say otherwise.

.35 Whelen is my limit these days.

Rebarreled a .338 Win to .264 Win as the .338 was no fun anymore.

20 years ago it was an 11 lb 470 NE, standing off hand.

Now, a 308 from the bench wears me out.

I do pretty good up to approximately 60 ft/lbs recoil ( 9 lb. .375AI), my wife seems to handle 40 ft/lbs. (9 lb. .338 WM) pretty darn good! Nether of us enjoy extended bench shooting with those recoil numbers! I’m good to 20 + at one sitting, the wife doesn’t like going beyond 5 or six at a sitting! memtb

My visits to the range, particularly at this time of year, reinforce my belief that many (if not most) people are over gunned, over scoped and under practiced. Our facility has shooting positions aligned with backstops for 50, 100, 200 and 300 yards. Most of the time I don't have company down at the 300 yard end.

Growing up in Ohio i got a lot of experience sighting in slug guns. So the shoulder pounding is not the problem. I can handle that part.

The problem for the last 10 years or so is the headache I get after shooting.

I am down to a 25-06 level now trying to avoid the painful concussion feeling. It actually feels like a force hits me in the head.

John barsness says his wife has the same issue and has gone to a 257 Roberts to help avoid it. That's my main rifle now and my 6.5x55 with a 129 at 2800 is still ok for now.

Adding to say that it does not seem to matter how much or what kind of recoil pad I use. Shape of the stock makes the most difference but past a certain point nothing helps

I've noticed that some days I can't shoot for schitt even with small cartridges, and that some days I have little-to-no recoil tolerance. Other days, I don't ever find a level of recoil that truly bothers me. I've also noticed that when I double up hearing protection, it's easier to shoot better on days where I seem to struggle to shoot well.

I agree that stock fit makes a huge difference, along with noise reduction. I've shot some hot stuff in a short, very light 300 SAUM that doesn't bother me at all, even though I notice how hard it "kicks". +P Whelen stuff doesn't bother me either, but that's really a function of gun weight, as that rifle weighs close to 11 pounds all up with full mag. Still, it's a function of "some days are better than others", at least for me.

As I've aged I've more frequently run into the some days are better than others phenomenon.

So true.

An 8.25lb all up 400 H&H with skeleton butt firing 400gr A Frames at 2400 fps will get me a little soupy after about 30 rounds from the bench, after effects last a couple three days.

A dozen rounds from a 577 or 500 Nitro double and same number of rounds in a 505 Gibbs is plenty anymore.

FIRST off and not related to quote BELOW.

I noticed the Target Meister showed up as usual !!






barm, A> I'm not being critical just relating MY approach or preparation for recoil. Years ago I found myself TENSING up all over and that is WRONG for me.

Regardless of rifle/cartridge/recoil I find I do my best to RELAX and keep rifle snug to shoulder. It allows ME to flex and
roll with recoil INSTEAD of trying to stop it.

<If y'all haven't tried that I suggest you do >



.B> 1. I'm not afraid of losing my 'man card'... I don't have one. lol

2. 3" 12 ga shells NEVER to a youngster. NEVER
OTOH... I loaded my Win 1300 FTWT 12 ga 3" shotgun for a FRIEND. First UP the mag was a 3", 2 oz Turkey load.
2 and 3 up the mag were "target" or clay loads.

My friend shucked the shells up himself .....first & second were Clay loads. NOT BAD he said.

3rd shot ( **first loaded into mag**) was the Turkey Load. He shot it and it literally turned him 90* to the R.
When he turned around with a GRIN he said...."I'll NEVER trust you again."

We still laugh about that today.

Now TO THE POINT. I begin to notice recoil with my 8mm RM, 200 grs NP, 80 grs powder, 3100 fps...you notice.

**as others have said, stock fit and recoil pad make a HUGH diff.**

I have played with a 700 BDL in 375 HH and it was NOT bad. REALLY more push than PUNCH...to me.

Jerry

ps: I wonder how many times I'll have to edit to print what I intended to say?
only once. grin

I’m a scary good shot with my .223s

I’m a damn fine shot with my 7mm-08s

I’m a good shot with my 7mm Rem Mags

And that’s as far as I’ll go




P

When set up right recoil up through 375's really doesn't bother me much. I notice it but I'm not sure it effects my shooting much....at least for the limited number of bigger rounds I shoot.

I do have a little TC Cherokee 45 caliber muzzleloader that pops my right cheeckbone like a stiff jab. It's an attention getter..... I killed my first deer with that rifle many years ago so I'll probably never sell it...but I also may never shoot it again.....

Yep. I had a 243 stevens 200 that was not comfortable to shoot and a 270 howa that was a pussycat.

My brother's omega muzzleloader is just plain punishment to shoot but my muzzleloader with the same load is easy.

As I have gotten older and smarter, my recoil tolerance has gotten lower, whether pain induced or mind induced. The maximum for me is now 308 Winchester and I don’t have need to shoot it much anymore. 7mm-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor do all that I need to do with a Big Game rifle, but if I feel like I need more, I’ll use the 308. I deer hunted for many years with 30-06’s and 270’s, but learned that they weren’t necessary to cleanly take whitetail deer or mule deer or even elk for that matter.

I found big game rifles I handled better, generally as you are concentrating more on the hold, good grip on the foregip with downward pressure. Smaller guns with a more casual hold I would find the recoil would 'get through to me' more, particularly the faster magnums. From the bench anything can kick though, you need a good position.

I never gave much thought to recoil. I loved the challenge of mastering harder kicking rifle. Play with the likes of the .375 H&H, .404 jeffery and .416 Rigby in Ruger #1s was for me fun and games. Well, as one grows older, one in theory gets hopefully wiser. Those big boomers reside at the back of the safe and the only one that might see daylight once in a while would be the .375 H&H.

I still enjoy my .35 Whelen, 30-06 and other like cartridges but lately I've been doing work almost exclusively with the old 7x57. I'm running loads in that one that equal or slightly surpass the 7-08 using RL17 with very interesting results. I'm even thinking about using it for my next cow elk hunt if I'm still above ground. After all, one should act one's age and I am 82 years old. Problem is my mind say you can do it and the body says, "Go to hell!"
Paul B.

For me it's like a zen thing on the sight-relax-inhale-hold-squeeze-exhale cycle. The bullet is on its way to the X-ring (hopefully) before I can react. Pain has taught me to value longer eye relief scopes on heavier recoiling pieces as well as teaching me when to say when for the day.

Stock/rifle configuration is a part of the equation. I once had a 700 ADL in 308. This was the cheapo '80s model & it was very uncomfortable to shoot even with 150s or 165s. At the same sitting I was shooting a steel buttplate Model 54 Winchester in 30-06 with 180s or 200s very comfortably. Around the same time I picked up a used, thinking it was a Voere, 300 WinMag with a big MonteCarlo & it was brutal with factory 180s, but a 300 H&H loaded up warm with a straight stock wasn't bad at all even with 200s. The absolute worst ever was a light 375 H&H with a real thin barrel that torqued upwards leaving a bloody 1/2 circle mark of the beast over my left eye (I'm right handed) more than once from the bench. I wrapped a sling around the cast iron front rest with a 25# bag of shot & it broke the damned sling swivel & bit me again. It was possessed by a demon. It was uncontrollable at the bench, but was actually kind of fun to shoot off-hand or sitting.

A whole lot of life has happened since then. Most of what's left is .473 base stuff, but there are still a few belted cases just because. The newest meds thin my blood, so after 20 rounds from a low bench with a high seat shooting full house loads in a 7 1/2 lb 358 Winchester or a 35 Whelen my shoulder turns weird shades of yellowish purple & gets tenderized for a few days. This cant be a good thing so I bought a pad & am now unmarked after a day at the range. I have to crawl the stock to see thru the scope, but that's OK.

Bench technique matters too. I usually shoot free recoil or minimal touch with lighter calibers from the bench, a little firmer hold with the middle weights, & with definite firm shoulder contact (now with a pad) 338 & above. Still checking 2nd hand shops for a low drummer's stool.

Pistol is a whole 'nuther thing. Same thing only different. Anticipation is fun to watch when the chamber comes up empty. "Dont push" the old jarhead used to say... "Take yer time, son" the old police chief used to tell me until conscious action became habit... most of the time.