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I am at the point that my light weight 7 mag is about my limit for multiple rounds from a bench. I still confirm zero on my 416 rem mag and 338 win mag, but it’s not something I want to shoot a lot from a bench. I am on the verge of getting a shoulder recoil shield for extended range sessions. Saw a guy using one at the range and he really sold on the idea.

I am a magnum fan. I have heard it all over the years, so the comments no longer bother me. In my honest opinion, I believe the stock must fit you to help with the recoil, a good pad is a must, also lighten your triggers. For me 3 pound triggers are a max. Mostly I try to get my triggers to under 3 pounds. Percieved recoil is a killer. If you think it is going to thump you, then the rifle is going to thump you. Some people are just sensitive to it, some aren't. I know guys that just flinch, some don't. I have watched guys try to anticipate recoil, it is a mental thing. Not saying it is bad, it just is what it is.

I have my days that I can shoot 40 magnum rounds, then I have my d days that after 10 rounds, things are getting uncomfortable.

It doesn’t matter what others think, “a man has to know his limitations “.... kinda like takin a punch, some fuuckers caint handle it, others of us love it and thrive on it...

Does get the blood pumping at a new level!!!!

agree, but i might add that sometimes you know its gonna thump you.

also nobody ever talks about number of rounds fired in a sitting. plenty of dudes and gals can stand up to a .308, but im interested to see how they do after they have 100 rnds downrange in the same afternoon

God damn rights it does... #someshootanddontkill #somekill

Actually I feel sorry for the poor dummies here that shoot, and shoot and shoot that only kill a couple critters a year. It’s pretty comical really.. today technology everyone yaps about, is it that hard to put crosshairs on something?? 😛🤣

At the risk of boring those readers who have read this before, I killed most of my thick skinned African game, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo, with a rifle shooting a cartridge of my own design, which propels a 570 grain .505" bullet at 2159 fps., duplicating the performance of the .500 NE. My rifle weighs 8.75 pounds, making it no problem to carry all day. Despite the fact that the rifle generates around 100 foot pounds of free recoil, I never noticed it shooting at game. Sighting it in from the bench I use a device called a Caldwell Lead Sled, which has the effect of reducing the recoil to a manageable level for the few shots required to confirm my zero. For practice, I shoot cast bullets with greatly reduced powder charges and find the rifle pleasant to shoot standing unsupported, the way I have shot all my dangerous thick skinned game. I am 5'8" tall and weigh around 160 pounds and have shot an even heavier rifle, which weighs 12 pounds and fires a 750 grain ,577 bullet at 2050fps. The only problem I had with that rifle was that each shot forced me to step backwards two paces to avoid losing my balance. I considered this characteristic as making the rifle impractical for the hunting field, and I have never used it on game.

In the course of collecting the various thick skinned animals I encountered in Africa, I was never aware of punishing recoil. The reason for this, in my opinion, is that in such situations the shooter is concentrating on the shot and making it count and is not bracing himself against the anticipated recoil. One two occasions I shot my rifle from positions where I was rather precariously balanced on an elevated site. Despite the fact that I fired repeatedly, I did not lose my balance. Once, years ago, before my first African experience, I was shooting my newly acquired .458 WM double rifle and it "doubled" on me. Since the two holes in the target were less than an inch apart, it was clear that both barrels had fired simultaneously and I had not accidentally "strummed" the rear trigger with my trigger finger in response to the recoil from the first barrel. In such a case, the recoil is not doubled, it is quadrupled, since doubling the bullet weight doubles the recoil velocity and recoil energy varies with the square of recoil velocity. In that case I was pushed backwards two steps, causing my feet to tangle with each other and ending up with me on the ground, unharmed. There was no damage to my shoulder.

At age 82 and disabled with neuropathy in both feet, perhaps the result of exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, my African hunting days are over, but I still do a good deal of shooting heavy recoiling rifles off the bench and in the hunting field. I don't hesitate to recommend my method of developing a load for a heavy recoiling rifle and then practicing with it.

My 30-06 is fine for 50 shots or so before my shoulder becomes uncomfortable. It's a 700 Remington in a Hogue overmoulded stock that really takes the sting away. That said my trouble is sound. Sound works on me. I shoot the boom of the 45-70 in my side hammer gun nicely. A 500 grain at 1100-1200 is easy for me but the crack of 22-250 is a problem. And yes I use ear protection. Go figure.

The older I get, the weaker I get, the less recoil I can handle. I have shot a lot of 30-06 warm loads in my life and some 338 WM and for a time a #1 in 405 Win. A 300 grain Barnes X at 2450 ft per sec is more than I care to endure, so I gave it to my son in law who is built like a gorilla. He loves it. My favourite rifle now is a T3 Tikka in 6.5X55.

No they won't.
If you go to any range and walk down the line, the sprayed targets do not come from disciplined and self challenging people.

No kidding! Blasting away at the gravel pit is a waste of time and ammo. Hundreds of rounds past load development and checking zero certainty doesn’t produce the steely nerves required to quickly compute a firing solution and get on target before the game takes 3 steps and disappears. LOL! 🤣🤣

Without flinching?

378 weatherby 270 gr at 3155 fps NO BRAKE form the bench no lead sled but a rest.

Describes me . Including age , 6 0 late July if I make it

Enjoying my 250 & 300 Savage more and more and a nice old 6.5X55.