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

Benelli Super Black Eagle (Series 1) with 3 1/2” #5s. It was tolerable and expected recoil when shooting properly BUT….I got caught slipping up on a Tom and quickly dropped prone inside of a two track lane. Both my elbows were about head height and my shoulder down in the dirt. I called the bird up to 30 yards and when I pulled the trigger, I saw stars. I thought I broke my clavicle (probably cracked it) it hurt so bad.

Very similar to above... BPS Upland Special with a 22" barrel

I STILL remember it and where I was 30 years later.

Me too. BDL LSS 300 RUM, I toughed it out for a couple years as my deer rifle until while checking zero one year the knurling on the bolt somehow took the skin off my trigger finger. Never shot it again.

Winchester 370, 12 gauge, 36" bbl., full choke.

Dad bought it, believing it would be the perfect "turkey shoot" gun for the weekend competition at his VFW hall.

It wasn't. Only tight patterns it made were the black and blue ones on my shoulder.

I have a 370 .410 that I got for Christmas back in '68 or '69, I don't even know how many squirrels that thing has killed. Pleasant little gun to hunt with.

Most brutal was a 3" 12 ga. single barrel I bought about '73 or so.

My Guide Gun with original Marlin stocks and 425 grain bullets at 1800+ fps is first runner up.

Mine was a friend's Ruger boat paddle chambered in .270, as well. It wasn't particularly brutal, but that gun definitely punched above its weight.

A Savage model 10FP .30-06 with the cheesy plastic stock, I've never shot an '06 that was even close to it in recoil.

Easily the most painful gun of any caliber I've tried.

Having a Stoeger coach gun 12 gaugle double fire with slugs

Buddy of mine shot a turkey with his Mossberg 835 using a 3-1/2" shell with a 2-1/4oz payload. Bird came in from behind and slightly above him. He turned, and twisted, to make the shot not realizing the butt pad was now on his bicep instead of his shoulder. He got the bird, he also got just about the prettiest bruise, from his shoulder to his wrist, that I've ever seen! Blues and purples and yellows...

Yup! Late 60s, 68-69 M77RS 338 WM. I'm a Ruger guy, but that sombitch hurt!

Synthetic stocked, lightweight 458 Lott. 510 grain bullet at 2300+fps.

Thing weighed less than 8 pounds.

Oddly, it never bothered my shoulder much, but after about 3 shots I'd have to have the chiropractor twist my head back into position!

I re-barreled it to something else.

Current toy is a nine pound-ish 375 RUM. 3002800fps is a pussycat in comparison.

Savage 210 bolt action slug gun
Winchester 3” partition gold slugs

BPS 10 seems to get quite a few mentions. LOL

I will never forget the sound that sucker makes when racking one to the chamber though. Like no other.
One time my dad was in deer camp alone and late at night there was a bunch of hollering and messing around going around in the woods, probably teens or something. Stepped outside and racked that old 10 gauge twice and it became silent night.

Interarms bolt action 30/06 with 180 ammunition. Buddy of mine had it and was commenting on how hard it kicked and I told him I had shot several 30/06’s and didn’t think they were bad. Well when I shot his it was all you could do to keep ahold of it. The only thing I could think of was the shape of the stock. Shot the 870 and 835’s in 3.5 inch shells and they will make your eyes water too.

This is also my worst. Wasn’t my gun or idea, but I tried it…..once.

Easily a 835 with 3 1/2 inch #4’s . My back was against a Live oak. No roll. No movement. Just cold blooded recoil. Thankfully the first shot killed the gobbler. For a second I wondered who got the worst end of the deal.

GreggH

I had the H&R 10 gauge. That was pretty fierce

Without a doubt its my BPS 10 with Nitro Hevi Shots 2 5/8 oz loads @1200 fps. I normally only take one target shot per year but damn its rough. I always hype myself up and thnk that i am ready but there just no way to prepare yourself for that.

35 Whelen, prone, 2 5 shot groups with a Rem 700 classic in the summer wearing a t shirt.. The rifle was very accurate.

My worst was a H&R handi rifle in 45-70 with hot handloads. Thing weighed maybe 6 lbs and 405 gr. at 1700 fps was a headache machine