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

Tight choked Italian O/U with OO Buck. It was brutal!
A close second was an Ithaca Deerslayer with a 20-inch rifled barrel with sabot slugs. It shot just under 2 inches (center to center) at 100 yards though.

There was a guy in my CCW class who showed up with one of those, & the instructors started teasing him immediately - as in, the day before we had to qualify. He didn't finish his first round of shooting before he begged them to let him trade-out for his 9mm. They were most gracious, and allowed it.

I have a buddy who had a small-frame S&W .357 with small wooden grips. Quite pretty, they were, but the edges were squared-off enough that they cut the crap out of my hands after only 3 rounds.

Even a properly weighted handgun can't overcome tons of powder. I fired 2 rounds from a guy's Desert Eagle, & handed it back to him. I hit exactly where I was aiming, but my hands, wrists, elbows, arms, and shoulders were shaking, and I think I may have had a small "kiss" from the hammer... in my forehead...


FC

I shot a 454 Casull revolver just once and it gave me a headache from the shock wave.

Sherwood

Ruger No. 3 in .45-70 open sights w/stiff loads. Not far behind was a Winchester high wall Legacy, same caliber, with that dumb crescent butt and the Lyman tang sight. It was accurate but the pain was not worth the effort. Ithica Deerslayers with heavy buckshot loads were not fun either. jack

Marlin Model 917 in 17HMR... Three shots off the bench is all I could do. The shear recoil from that gun would shake the ground under your feet. After that the gun club band the 17HMR from ever being shot there again.....

This 7 3/4 # 458 Win mag shooting 510 gr. soft points. Not much fun.

Shooting prone, downhill and the heel of the pad slipped off my shoulder and under my armpit. The scope came back and bit my forehead and nose. The damage wasn't too severe because it was spread out over a wide area!

Did exactly the same thing as 280fan, only shooting uphill, and the rifle was a .25-06. Sharp edge on the scope cap drew enough blood for such a little rifle though!

I concur! I have the same gun and the same results. Must be a goofy stock design or something because you feel like you have been punched in the cheek after a few rounds.

Bosses Ruger #1 Tropical in .458 Lott. No muzzle break. He sent it to the range to have them sight it in and they sent it back after a few shots. Macho me shot it a couple of times from the bench and it kicked me right square in the bewtocks. Cut my eye on the third shot and I gave up. Might be ok if a Cape Buffalo were charging and I was standing up. I would have to be a semi-automatic in that case.

Ever tried the original 3" Brenneke full sized 12 gauge load. 1 1/4 oz. of pure love there!!

My ALMOST worse experience:
I was doing range officer duty at the local club. A member showed up with a new .458 Lott which he was very proud of. He offered to let me shoot it after he had it "dialed in." I watched him shoot it at the bench - at each shot his shoulder looked as if it was trying to jump backward right out of it's socket and he'd practically fall out of the stool. You could just about hear his teeth rattle inside his head. He'd compose himself and get settled back into place after each shot. To his credit, he touched off about 8 or 9 rounds. After that he turned to me to give me a chance to shoot it. I said, "No, thanks." My IQ is low enough to risk having my brains scrambled any more than they already are.

Add another victim to the Harrington & Richard 12 gauge. My 300 win was easier to shoot, my 338 was easier to shoot, my 375 was easier to shoot. my marlin 45-70 was easier to shoot. my 416 rigby was easier to shoot. my 458 lott was easier to shoot. The only way I could shoot that shotgun was to fold up a hand towel and rubber band it around the butt stock giving 3 inches of padding.

.577NE was pretty bad. I only shot it once and it darn near put me on my butt.
Freedom Arms .475 Linebaugh cut the crud out of my trigger finger. My uncle saw it and said "weird, it's never done that to me" Then he shot it for the first time without gloves and it did the same to him. I'm pretty sure he had some edges rounded out after that.

if you're shooting it, your a Masochist, just saying.

Shot heavy handloads in an 80's vintage Winne Featerweight 270 that would make you wince a bit too

'Nother H&R victim! Mine was into the test bbl @ the gun shop where I worked. A 3.5" model with a pretty laminated english stock. 2 1/4oz turkey loads. My right hand went numb for about 30min.

On the rifle side I shot a Wby Euromark in 416Wby and no brake off-hand. That's too much for me to do with any regularity and I'd hate to be the SOB that would actually have to sight that thing in. The same rifle in 378Wby (again no brake) was just about the same amount of "suck" to shoot.

Factory loaded 340Wby in a sporter weight MK V is about my recoil limit, and I don't enjoy it at all.

I have had two experiences that I will never forget:

First was a Ruger M77 in 458 Win Mag no muzzle brake, not sure what the ammo was, but I shot 2 shots from a bench. My shoulder was black and blue for about a week and a half.

Second was a 460 Weatherby in a Mark V rifle no brake, one shot off the bed of a truck and that was enough for me.

I shot a 375 H&H and yes it hurt but not as much as the two listed above. I shoot a 300 Win, 338 Win, and a 270 Weatherby consistently with no complaints.

I have an H&R 10 ga. with 2 1/4 oz. of shot from a 3 1/2" shell. That gun will HURT YOU.

Herein lies proof of a ruffed grouse nut. I was walking up to a clup of alder when two grouse flushed. The front bead ligned up before he gun engaged my shoulder and I squeezed the trigger. It is the only time I have been butt stroked on my chin by a twelve ga full brass. I do not recommend it. I did retrieve the grouse and it was a head neck shot. Unfortunately it was witnessed and the event was used as an object lesson the next days church service.

Mine goes along with getting "scoped" for the first time. Went to sight in a scoped 12 guage with 3" slugs. Gun was new to me and I put on a 4 power scope with not much eye relef. I had no place to rest the gun so I layed down, facing forward, on the knoll of a small hill and shot at a target on the other side of the hill. Laying prone with a 12 guage, short eye relief scope is not a good idea. I did not have the gun securely locked into my shoulder and when I fired, the scope smacked the heck out of my forehead. It broke my glasses and sliced a nice 1/4 circle right between my eyes. Before I realized what happened, I had blood dripping down my nose. One of many lessons learned as a young hunter. One I won't soon forget.