I was pondering specs for 3 rifle projects and was thinking of recoil pads. I have always liked the Pachmayr Decelerator, and I have a Triple Magnum mounted on my .358 Norma Mag.

With the new wave of super soft pads, what is your experience on big bore guns that carry a thump? I have heard that a firm pad is better, the reasoning being the same as to why they have that very firm rubber on loading docks. Foam rubber just won't absorb the shock.

Having fired a few heavy hitting rifles and shotguns over time, I always thought a softer pad (within reason) would absorb the shock better, but I believe it would take some experimentation on the same gun to make a determination.

Your thoughts? Experiences?

Depends on the recoil. Depends on the sighting system.

I like the softest pad I can shoot without the stock and recoil pad compressing so much the scope hits me in the head.

Example: I had 2 different 700 XCRs, one in .375 H&H, one in .338 RUM. I had 2 scopes ... not merely identical, but the same scopes got mounted on both rifles at different times, one a Leupold 2.5-8X, the other their 3-9X. The .375 would occasionally brush me with either scope but never gave me a hard hit. At least 2 of 10 shots with the .338 RUM would smash the scope into my skull hard enough to ring my bell. (I even eventually tried a scope with over 5 inches of eye relief and still got hit.)

Both had a lot of recoil but both were manageable so far as my shoulder was concerned, it was the hits to the head I didn't like. I got rid of the .338 RUM after a while. In hindsight, I suspect I could have made it work if I'd gone with a little stiffer stock and a firmer recoil pad. Yeah, it would have hit my shoulder more, but I was not to my tolerance level there. It might have saved my noggin.

What I picture happening is that under very heavy recoil with a soft pad, you've basically got an inch less eye relief with the scope than you'd have with a hard plate. If the stock is flexible under extreme recoil, as I believe the XCR stock was, eye relief is compromised even further .. regardless of what the scope starts out with.

Tom

I can only relate my experience with factory fitted pads.

Both my CZ550s (375 and 458) have deep, soft pads. They appear to work well, but the rifles are heavy anyway. The top tip of the pads are becoming damaged from placing the rifles in rifle rack (standing up) - too soft maybe?

The standard pad on my Merkel 500NE is very thin and relatively hard but works very well. My shoulder does not suffer at all from bruising or otherwise that might be related to a bad pad. The top of this pad has a hard plastic tip that prevents damage to the rubber pad when the rifle is racked. This tip sits above my shoulder and doesn't contact me during recoil - could likely cause bruising if it did.

Thank you, Gents. In my opinion, something in the middle is best. I saw an ultra soft pad come out of the safe looking like it was made of that old black electrical tape. Nasty!

Here's the original pad on my Brno 602 in 375H&Hmag that I had many years ago (one of those rifles that I wish I hadn't sold). It's a hard, ventilated style. It worked well on the 375 but not my friends 300WM (also a Brno 602 - almost identical rifle to mine). So it worked on the big push recoil but not the fast sharp recoil.

I like the Pachmayer Decelerator pads. But since I have extremely long arms for my height (knuckle dragger) I typically add a limbsaver slip on recoil as well to adjust for my LOP of 14.5" for my 500 Jeffery. Really takes the sting out of it.

The solid pads begin to get hard around 50*. Once you hit 40* they are very hard and in freezing temps they are like blocks of plastic. The Pachmayer is excellent until you get to the point under hard recoil the pad is fully compressed and the stock smashes the large nerve running through your shoulder down into your arm.
I have a rubber Silvers on my .375W that I like very much.

Like this?



Kinda why I added the slip on Limbsaver to my 500 Jeffery

Dang boy! That brings back the memory of firing my .500 A-Square for the first time.

I bought the rifle in 1996 from the original owner out of California. He had never made it to Africa so wanted to get rid of it. Once it was here I put it on a baby scale and with four cartridges weighed exactly 11 pounds 4 ounces. I telephoned Art Alphin at his old facility in Kentucky to ask him what this thing would do to me. He told me it recoiled like a .375 H&H due to the large area of the butt. Okay, I have a .375 H&H. Art lied. It was something I cannot even describe. Kind of like your photo; it is better than words. Dang!

I put 15 rounds through my 458 Lott off the bench a couple of weeks ago. It has the factory Winchester pad- solid not too soft, not too hard. I was worried that it would damage me- Not a mark and it has considerable recoil-especially sitting down behind it!

Every time I hear someone say the 500s are more of a "push" and their 300 Mags recoil is more unpleasant I start to laugh. I have a friend who has a 6 lb 338 Mag and he was thinking of putting a muzzle brake on it. I let him shoot my 11 lb 500 Jeffery and he said "you're right, my rifle doesn't kick much, I don't need a brake"

That perception comes from old English 12lb to 13lb doubles shooting 500gr or slightly less at Vo of about 2100fps. That includes .475, .470, 450/500, .465/500 which from performance standpoint are same thing. People cite what they read because last Dominion Grade back action side-lock .465/500 sold for well over 30,000USD. That is something few people get to shoot or own. It was probably hedge against inflation to the guy that bought it.

Soft pads are great, until they bottom out. Ouchhhhhh... Have found a couple rifles that went from grins to ouch with a bit more powder.

Yeah, I think the comparison between a 300mag and a 500Jeffery is too much of a stretch - there's just too much recoil energy from the Jeffery.

I have fired a 300WinMag and a 375H&H mag in the same rifle (Brno 602s, both the same vintage) and the 300WM's recoil was less pleasant that the 375H&H. I could bench shoot the 375H&H all day but gave the 300WM back to my mate after a couple of bench shots. They did have the old ventilated rubber style recoil pads though. I suspect the outcome using the modern CZ550 magnums with their soft pads would be a different story though.

A friend of mine put a mushy pad on his .470 NE. It was so soft that it came with a little stubby golf tee peg like thing that could be inserted into the pad so the rifle could be placed on the floor butt down without the pad squirting out from under the rifle.

After shooting it like that a few times he went a different route with a firmer pad.

I think I remember him!

Yes you do.

And after going to all the trouble to find the original and retrieve it for him, I've now lost it. It'll turn up - I hope.

I've shot a 50BMG on a mauser magnum action and I didn't ask the gentleman to please let me do try it one more time.

My 350 Rem Mag on a super light Remington 600 with a kevlar stock has hurt me with the scope coming back 'fast and furious'. I've got a much longer eye relief on that rifle now.

But I've never shot most of the heavy kickers you guys are talking about.

I like the Pachmayer Decelerator pads on the rifles I own, including that light 600 and a kevlar stocked 338 I used to own.

Another option is the Pachmeyr SC100 sporting clay decelerator pad.

It has a harder heel insert to keep it from hanging up as you mount it. Works well in a vertical gun rack too.

I'm a recoil wimp and if I bench anything with much recoil or even shoot a lot of magnum rounds I like to have a sorbathane type recoil patch on my shirt or jacket in addition to the decelerator pad.

The 602 .300WinMag I had years ago had heavy barrel and stock shape designed to emulate those found on old english porting rifles ie nice looking but useless. When average fellow mounted the gun they were looking at back of the bolt shroud. As expected despite 9lb+ weight the gun was hard kicker. I hated the set trigger and backward working safety latch as well. The only good things about the gun were the express sight blades were well regulated and magazine held five or perhaps even six? cartridges.
I do like my old Winchester 70 super .30. The gun handles well and due to sufficient weight (7lb14oz) I do not need recoil pad which is the way I like it.

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.