Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your worst recoil experience?

378 Bee #3 barrel contour Jap made no brake

.45-70 steel crescent butt plate marlin lever; cheek slap was brutal; that slick, curved plate helped the forend rise if rifle wasn't held securely. non-rifle: H&R single shot 10 gauge turkey gun, even with the butt loaded with shot ...

Savage 99F in 308 with a scope mounted on it Felt like Mike Tyson was punching Me in the cheek every time I fired it.

Shooting ounce and a half "baby magnum" duck loads out of my father's 12 ga. Ithaca Featherlight M37 pump. As a 12 year old. ( back in the lead shot days) That was painful and actually a little scary. I sure as heck didn't kill ducks any deader with those shells than standard duck loads with 1-1/4 oz of shot, which also kicked bad but were "manageable". Loved that old Ithaca but it was not a good fit for me or the purpose I used it for.

My TC Encore with a 12ga slug barrel shooting 3" Beneke Magnum Crushes. I've been scope bit many times.

2 years ago they changed our laws so that now you can use a straight wall rifle cartridge. I've had enough of that and bought a 350 Legend barrel for it. I'll probably never shoot that 12ga ever again.

My first rifle was a Rem 700 BDL in 308, purchased in 1978. That rifle kicked like a Mule. I have since learned it was that particular run of stocks for that era.

A 338 Win Mag Ruger Tanger a “friend” brought over for me to check zero before deer season. That rifle kicked like a mule. I told my friend to never bring that rifle to me again. He sold it soon after……..

A light Mossberg 500 shooting a slug. I stupidly had my thumb across the stock grip. At the shot, my thumb nailed me right across the nose. Killing both my nose and thumb.

I once owned an 8 pound all up 375H&H and it was not bad to shoot at all, even with 300 grainers. I normally used 235 or 270s though.

My most recent was a Tikka in 30-06 with the hard wedge shaped recoil pad they put on. I shoot steel butt-plated 300 H&H and 45-70s that didn't hurt as bad. The 45-70 came close though.

Not my worse recoil experiece but one I observed. Back when the Marlin Guide Gun was introduced in 45/70 I happened to be at the range when a guy showed up with one. He was shooting from a sitting benchrest position trying to sight it in He proceded to put two boxes of factory ammo through it fairly quickly and when he got through he was literally "punch drunk", he had trouble standing and steadying himself and his eyes looked glassed over. I have never seen anyone look so stupified as he did, that ended any idea that I may want one someday.

drover

Hey, now! Maybe the original thread was started by an absolute baller, & deserves to persevere.



My Dad had a similar experience... in his late 80s... The purple & yellow bruising lasted for weeks.

There have been so many turkey-centric responses here, I'm beginning to wonder whether those sunsabytches are tougher than elk.


I can identify on this one, though maybe not quite to the Mike Tyson level. FWIW, the .308 went down the road, whereas the .300 SAV will never leave the safe.

FC

Guess I’ll add another. I don’t know if it is my worst, but I got my son a cheap little auto 20 last spring and decided to turkey hunt with it. It’s fine with dove loads, but with that kiddie sized stock I’ve yet to manage to fire a turkey load without my thumb knuckle making firm contact with my cheek bone. Was a real nice surprise when a 3” TSS shell managed to end up in my sporting clays bag while I was breaking the gun in. That was a pricy and jarring miss…

Mossberg 835 with 3 1/2 inch magnum turkey loads. 2 oz of shot launched at 1300 plus fps. No rifle I have ever fired is even in the same ballpark of recoil. I have shot a Ruger 1 in 375 H&H and it was like a BB gun in comparison.

I have shot quite a few heavy recoiling rifles and revolvers.

.470 Nitros, .458 Win, 416s both Rigby and Rems,.378 Weatherby, .460 Weatherby, .500 Nitro, .475 Linebaugh, .500 Linebaugh, .454 Casull, ect.

The most recoil was Ross' .585 Nyeti but it had a well designed stock. 750 grs @ 2300 fps in an 11lb rifle is a handful.

The worst thing I ever shot was a simple Ruger Red Label 12 G with normal 1 1/4 hunting loads.

Hit me in the face from the drop at comb/heel and was just impossible for me to hit anything.

My worst recoil experience happened about a month ago, when a red-faced, fat, balding pic of Burns appeared here on the fire. Dislocated an eyebrow.

Hunting geese. They took off up-valley from me and came over. headed for the Inlet. I shifted my feet to shoot. Or tried. Feet stuck in mud- I went flat on my back, but shot anyway, twice with a 12 Ga. DB. Missed twice.

Not a good move....

The worst recoiling rifle I ever shot was a New Mossberg 7 Mag. given to me. 10 shots, and I sold that sumbich and remaining 1/2 box shells. Never much cared for the 7 Mag since.

My first shotgun when I was probably 14 was a h&r single, 22 inch or so Barrel with changeable chokes, and chambered in 3-1/2 inch. It weighs less than your average 1000 fps pellet gun, and will let you know you pulled the trigger. The 3-1/2 #4 are no joke with that full choke, makes the 835 ive got feel pleasant, with its thumbhole stock

Browning BAR .30-06, short barrel and concussion from the muzzle blast bad combo. Created tunnel vision.

An M700/8mm Rem Mag.

Screw dat.




GR

340 Webby in an 8 lb rifle owned by some guy on 24HR 😊