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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 10,262
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 10,262 |
I am not a writer, but I have had some injuries due to recoil. Black eye on right side from a 3 1/2 in mag 12 ga hitting my cheek bone. then the worst was a broken cheekbone same side of course. so I sold the shotgun. may have some 3 1/2 mags left. but I will never shoot them.
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,744
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,744 |
I will be 70 this year and recoil has become a definite limiting factor for me. Too much recoil gives me a headache, so I limit the number a rounds I fire with anything harder kicking than the good old 30.06. I avoid the really big stuff. I also hate muzzle brakes and will not be in a hunting situation with someone who is likely to fire a large rifle with one of the damn things without prior warning so I can flee to the next county. The biggest animal on my list this year is a bull elk and I'll use a 280AI. My rifle is a little heavier than most on the fire would want to carry(right at 9lbs loaded and ready to go), but its weight helps to dampen felt recoil. The deer hunting I'll do will get done with a 257R from the now defunct Serengeti outfit. So no problem.
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,669
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,669 |
I've known several people that have been affected by recoil.
First was Bob Brister, who shot tens of thousands of shotshells each year while competing. He had a detached retina that his physician attributed to so much shooting. (As Dirtfarmer has pointed out, there's a lot of disagreement about the effect of recoil on the human body, and a lot of it depends on the interpretation of data.)
Second was a gunsmith friend who passed out in his shop one day. His doctor asked if he was a professional boxer, because his brain showed similar symptoms to a boxer's. My friend has never boxed, but did personally test all the rifles he built, including some real hard kickers. His doctor advised him not to shoot the big rifles anymore, so my buddy found a friend who's real macho to do it. That as several years ago and he hasn't had any problems since. Dunno about his friend.
Eileen started getting reocil headaches a few years ago, from rifles and shotguns that hadn't caused any problem before. There's some disagreement about what causes recoil headaches, but they're definitely related to getting kicked. The most recoil she can take anymore beyond a few shots is from rifles like the .243 and .257 Roberts, and shotshells the equivalent of the 28-gauge. MD, I know this isnt a rifle, but if I remember right wasnt it John Taffin who had to give up shooting large handguns,or handguns altogether, due to the recoil over the years of them big hand cannons did severe damage to his hands. Swifty
Swifty
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2 |
I haven't experienced any adverse effects from heavy recoiling rifles to date. Started in about 1985 at age 22 with a 378 WBY, and have progressed through the years with. 375 H&H 375 AI 416 Taylor 416 Rigby 458 Win 460 WBY 500 Nitro 505 Gibbs 577 Nitro 8 Bore Rifle Although it may be impossible for me to give a correct diagnosis, always being kinda thick-headed and all. Gunner
Trump Won!
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,166 Likes: 13
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,166 Likes: 13 |
Swifty,
A number of folks who've regularly shot hard-kicking handguns have ended up with various sorts of damage, ranging from carpal tunnel to torn ligaments.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,157 Likes: 3
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,157 Likes: 3 |
I haven't experienced any adverse effects from heavy recoiling rifles to date...always being kinda thick-headed and all. Gunner Gunner, That "thick headed" trait may be your ticket to a trouble free life with big boomers... Just a thought... DF
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2 |
LOL DF Gunner
Trump Won!
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,055
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,055 |
Skip Talbot was among those who ended up with various sorts of damage.
Purely anecdotal though it be I've long considered Block That Kick by Donald Hamilton to accord with my own experience and observation - and to some extent before I had some of the personal experiences and so to predict them.
It's quite certain that my own performance degrades in proportion to power - see e.g. power factor and major caliber issues in competition and in rifle design and cartridge choices especially rested - it's also my observation that as I age my recovery slows - I have no reason to believe that a notch at 4kHz is the only long lasting damage.
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 942
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 942 |
I had always considered myself recoil proof. I've enjoyed big bores for years. But a few years ago, I put two boxes of 400 grain loads through my 416T, two boxes of 286 grainers through my Chapuis and a little over two boxes of 300 grain loads through my 375. I shot a couple boxes of lighter stuff while the barrels cooled between groups. I was chronographing a bunch of loads and having a great day. That evening, I went to help my son move. I complained about the flashing lights in the truck cab. He claimed there weren't any lights flashing anywhere. I had a retina repair done the next day. The eye guy, a shooter, told me no rifles for six weeks. I can't say the shooting was the cause, but it certainly is suspect. I should note that I've been sewn back together a couple times from things that caused others to shake their heads when I did them. 'Hey guys watch this stuff.' It's bad when they know you on a first name basis at the emergency room. I've since developed arthritis in both my hands and shoulders. They might be more related to stupidity, farming, and falling accidents than shooting, but it has had a serious impact on my shooting. So much so that I'm now pondering whether I should be selling my big bore rifles and handguns. The old saying, if I'd have known I was going to live this long, I've had taken better care of myself seems to apply. But why waste wisdom on the young. By the way, there are also hearing aids in my ears. Just think about what you're doing to your body. You only get one. Bfly
Be nice and work hard, you never have enough time or friends.
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 904
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 904 |
A scope cut can cause damage to the Optic nerve ???? That would be one heck of a scope cut as the optic nerve inserts in the back of the eyeball.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,157 Likes: 3
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,157 Likes: 3 |
A scope cut can cause damage to the Optic nerve ???? That would be one heck of a scope cut as the optic nerve inserts in the back of the eyeball. I had that same thought, but held my tongue. Your observation, of course, is absolutely correct. DF
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,757 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,757 Likes: 1 |
for me, i get headaches if i shoot anything bigger than a .243 or so, for very long. it's not a pain thing exactly. it just feels like someone has been slapping me in the back of the head and it sucks.
that said, i bought an ADL 700 in .270 last year and the new supercell recoil pad just about eliminated that feeling even with the .270 being more recoil than my .243.
maybe it's how long it takes for the recoil impulse to hit you? i shoot a 20 gauge shotgun and it doesn't seem to bother me as much as a rifle of same weight and recoil slapping he hard as opposed to a shotgun's more gradual recoil impulse.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,757 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 15,757 Likes: 1 |
also, if i am standing it's much lessened than if i am at the bench letting it jar me.
i am 31 and a big guy (6 feet tall and 280), so it's not like i am older or smaller and thus have a problem.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,157 Likes: 3
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,157 Likes: 3 |
I've seen pictures of the old timers shooting their big boomers over a standing rest. Standing allows more movement of the upper torso than seated and leaning forward over a bench.
Greater movement allows the motion of the gun to be arrested over a greater distance, thus less perceived recoil.
Or put another way, the velocity of the gun in recoil is diminished at a slower rate.
Like the old saying, the fall wasn't so bad, just the landing. It's that sudden deceleration that does the damage.
DF
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2 |
Thanks Blackfly 1, I am very aware of my old bag of bones, and I do pay attention, I just try to squeeze all the performance I can out of myself. But at 50 years, I'm gonna have to start cuttin' her back a bit. Gunner
Trump Won!
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 14,275
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 14,275 |
I like shooting big bore handguns.You do not have to shoot every round at full max to enjoy them.For big bore enthusiasts who enjoy shooting more than pain "Trail Boss" is your friend!!!
Its all right to be white!! Stupidity left unattended will run rampant Don't argue with stupid people, They will drag you down to their level and then win by experience
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 13,000
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 13,000 |
I like shooting big bore handguns.You do not have to shoot every round at full max to enjoy them.For big bore enthusiasts who enjoy shooting more than pain "Trail Boss" is your friend!!! +1 One of my favorite lines in Elmer Keith's writings is his report that he fired about 600 full power rounds in the 44 magnum the first year he owned it. Keith wasn't known for recoil sensitivity but it seems he did know how to pace himself with full power ammo, and that might be the key to avoiding long-term damage.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,022
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,022 |
I shoot a muzzle-braked 30-378AI. The recoil is negligible, but I start getting a headache after 15 rounds or so, and I take my time, never letting the barrel get hot. I also clear the line of other shooters.
They hate to see me coming.
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,946 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 13,946 Likes: 1 |
I'm suffering from recoil injury right now. My shoulder is black & blue from shooting one of my .30-06's too many times the other day. I knew I was done when after my final shot I shrieked "ouch" out loud.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,253 Likes: 2 |
I shoot a muzzle-braked 30-378AI. The recoil is negligible, but I start getting a headache after 15 rounds or so, and I take my time, never letting the barrel get hot. I also clear the line of other shooters.
They hate to see me coming. Funny you mention the 30-378 MD, I had one of those back in the early 1990's, it was a rechambered '06 Ruger #1, that sombuck was one of the most unruly rifles I ever fired. With 200 gn Partitions and IIRC 120 someodd grains of H-5010 that flame throwin' bench buckin' SOB was pure hell to hang on to. I was by far not the hardest kicking rifle I have ever fired, just the rudest. Gunner
Trump Won!
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