Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Recoil Pad Preferences- firm or mushy?

Firm, decellarator soft is the least I'll go, the mushy girly pads will leak black rubberized glue out on your Wifey's leather sofa, don't ask how I know this.

I have several big bores from 375 Weatherby to 505 Gibbs, the 2 mentioned don't have Pachmyer Decellerators, they're both "supposed to" as supplied, but don't. The 375 is on a HS Precision stock and the 505 is a custom CZ USA 550 with whatever pad they've used , it's nice, but the HS Precision is as hard as a cats head.
I like softer pads like Pachmyer Decelerators, rock hard ones absorb nothing and are useless for me.

Cheers.

Not a recoil pad, per se, but a recoil reduction system: Ken Rucker's "Bump Buster." It is a hydraulic recoil reduction system. You can adjust the amount of recoil reduction desired and the LOP. In addition you can add your favorite pad, although Ken recommends a KICK EEZ pad with his system. They come in standard and magnum flavors. I have ordered a standard for my .30-06 and magnums for my 9.3 x 62 and .375 H&H. Since some grinding/fitting is required, it is best to have it installed directly by Ken or your smith.

When any of the sorbothane wonder pads get down to +40*F they begin to stiffen up. Once you are at +20*F they are simply a block of plastic. You want something that can actually move like the standard Pachmyer ventilated jobs. Another alternative are the Silvers pads. They are made of rubber and won't stiffen in the cold, but still, the ventilated work best since they actually allow for squishing by about 1/2".

My Decelerators seem to work fine at anything above zero degrees F, haven't hunted in subzero weather since my 30s (not as dedicated I guess). Then again, the colder it is the more clothes I have on so that probably helps with the recoil too.