Gunsmithing recoil management

[sako.308]

what is the best way to manage recoil? i enjoy shooting larger caliber rifles, but being a small frame guy dont enjoy getting beat up by my guns.

barrel porting, muzzle break, ?

if porting does it effect accuracy?

 

[hero's machine]

Re: recoil management

For the bench I use a sand bag on my shoulder for big nasties. Try an unbroke #6.5 ultra mag off the bench....it makes a #8 375h&h seem like a 22short. The sand bag slows the recoil a ton and does not blow the bedding to smithereens. In the field, I never really notice.

 

[Legion Research]

Re: recoil management

Ive been interested in this subject too. I'm not small framed, but my bush gun (Marlin 444)has a little bit of a kick, lol. At the deer camp this weekend, a friend let me shoot his 7mm and you could barely feel it. He said he had it sent off to be worked on (for the recoil) and when he got it back (and about $2000 later) it was great. I didn't believe him at first, but after shooting it, I could do it all day. I'll try to find out where he sent it and what they did to it.

 

[CaptLink]

Re: recoil management

A few things can be done a large muzzle break works and a mercury stick called a dead mule can be fitted to your butt stock will do wonders.

 

[LRI]

Re: recoil management

A brake combined with a 1" pachmeyer decel pad takes the snort out of all but the most brutal cartridges. We shoot 10lb 338LM's like this fairly often.

375HH, 416WBY, 416 Dakota, and 416Rigbys just suck no matter what you do.

Slush tubes can help also.

C.

 

[x ring accuracy]

Re: recoil management

Regardless of what you are told or what you read. Brakes DO work, and they work well. In the grand scheme of things, science does come into play. A body at rest tends to stay at rest, meaning a heavier gun will kick less. You shoot a 338 braked that weighs 10 lbs and shoot a 338 that weighs 16 lbs and un braked, you soon realize the difference. In my opinion, brake a 16lb gun. Hell, I brake a 22......I brake everything! But the point is, weight is on your side. Hunting rifle, well, brake it and get some benefit. Target rifle, weight AND a brake make it a pleasure to shoot.

 

[former naval person]

Re: recoil management

There are brakes and brakes. The most efficient are at about 65% reduction. Mag-Na-Port is about 25%. It is effective, however, since it reduces the muzzle jump significantly. Studies have shown that most of the flinch inducing recoil is due to the recoil lifting the rifle barrel and seemingly pushing the scope/sight closer to the eye. Mag-Na-Port almost eliminates the muzzle rise. So...even tho it is less efficient, the rifle is much more pleasant to shoot. My experience and my partners experience. On a .300 Weatherby, his first shot exclamation was. "It is a different gun"! So...you pays your money and takes your choice. The "tank type" brakes, such as the "Big Bastard" work best. The bigger the brake, the better the reduction in recoil is reported. The bigger the brake...also, the noise factor kicks in. If you are going to brake it...get some good electronic ear protection. I (briefly) owned a .300 Winny with the factory brake. It was so loud, that I'd rather let the deer walk than pull the trigger. JMHO

 

[former naval person]

Re: recoil management

And, as Chad mentioned, the higher the velocity/muzzle pressure, the better it works. The BIG bores he cited don't have the muzzle pressure to make the brakes work as well. They are going to hurt, no matter what the brake. Weight is your friend in that situation. That is why the REALLY big bores that the Brits used in Africa weighed 16 to 20 pounds. They still hurt. One of the ole African elephant hunters used a 2 bore. Each ball weighed 1/2 pound. He loaded a handful of black from one pocket and a ball from the other. He claimed that it had taken him from the saddle on two occasions, and ruined him from accurate shooting for the rest of his life. A brake wouldn't have helped him.

 

[Red Mule]

Re: recoil management

I have an 8 1/2 pound .375 H&H and 9 1/2 pound .416 Rigby. I'm not real sensitive to recoil but both hit pretty hard.

I had mercury filled recoil reducers installed, and put shotgun recoil pads on. The recoil reducers seem to slow down and spread the recoil impulse over a longer time. The recoil pads are similar to the ones trap shooters use and have more give than rifle pads.

I can shoot about 20 rounds of .375 and it feels like I've gone through a box of heavy 12 gauge goose loads. Even with the help, my limit on the .416 is ten or so.

I also make sure to have the butt in solid contact with my shoulder and a good cheek weld. You don't want either to get a running start. Shooting offhand or sitting is much more pleasant than off a bench.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: recoil management

Due to bone grafts in my sternum, it is inadvisable for me to subject it to excessive recoil.

After some trying and learning, my conclusion is that to manange recoil, you need to start at the beginning. The less recoil there is to begin with, the better things proceed from there.

I know there are folks who favor the big chamberings, but for me, that's simply not possible, and honestly, I don't really understand the fascination unless somebody's looking for going some rounds with deadly game, or seeking to ping something way out back of beyond.

The largest case capacity I shoot is the .30-'06 and .280 Rem, and by applying that case capacity to the smaller, lighter 7mm bullet in the .280, I find I can accomplish pretty much all I need to with that chambering. I don't seek out dangerous game, but otherwise it's all the gun I seem to need. Someday I may build a long action match-capable rifle. When I do, I plan to chamber it in .280 Rem. According to my calulations, it should be 1Kyd-capable with a 150gr bullet.

If I wasn't essentially wedded to my Garand. I might even have far less use for the .30-'06.

I believe the cycling of the heavy oprod and bolt actually tends to decreaase felt recoil. The more mass they represent, the more its mostly-free motion rearward contributes to apply a forward counterforce against the rest of the rifle.

My other two '06's are sporter weight hunting rifles, and I limit bullet weights in those to 150gr, and limit the shots I take with them to hunting season sight-ins and rounds fired at game.

I respect brakes, but I don't like them for myself, mainly because most of my shooting is done at a club range. I don't take exception to others using them, but I do notice the difference, and prefer not to subject my fellow shooters to their effects with my own guns. I just consider it a courtesy.

My chosen means of managing recoil, after reducing the initial chambering, is to increase the overall mass the recoil needs to overcome. For my range rifles, that means I fill stock voids with buckshot, and I have used the interposed sand/shot bag on occasion when shooting another's rifle.

Like others, I have found that shots fired when out hunting do not seem to be as noticeable; but I have hurt my sternum using a 12ga and have discontinued using it in favor of the 20ga, which appears to be capable of all I need from it.

Greg

 

[mcfred]

Re: recoil management

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sako.308</div><div class="ubbcode-body">what is the best way to manage recoil?</div></div>

Heavy gun, light bullets, large case capacity/muzzle pressure for effective brakes or just get used to it. Of course a proper fitting stock will make it all more comfortable. If you're flinching from anticipating a black eye from your scope then you should get one with more eye relief so you don't worry about it.