Felt Recoil - what has been your experience

[saswart]

In order to give the subject the respect it deserves, here is a thread on Recoil itself. Here is a link to probably 1 of a 1000 similar links on the recoil of various rifles. https://chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Off course there are so many variables that effect recoil, such as specific rifle build, weight, specific bullet load etc.

However, some have noted on the 458 WM vs Lott thread (p9 onwards), that they, and I am one of them, feel that certain rifles in certain cartridges which are normally smaller than others, have more recoil than the bigger ones. Case in point, my subjective opinion is that my 416 Rigby has more felt recoil, than my 458 Express. Yes it could actually be due all of the reasons above.

For me, I have long thought about why out of my 3 big game rifles, the other being a 375H&H, the 416Rigby has the most felt recoil, which I noted some other have experienced the same thing. The reason I believe, well for me personally is as follows: I am proficient with a 375H&H, shot it for years and comfortable with it. 458 is open sight. 416 Rigby is scoped. As can been seen in some table's, the 416Rigby is very close to recoil energy and velocity to that of say a 458 Lott. I have no issue with recoil, but here comes the "kicker", I believe, subconsciously (for me) the fact that the higher than one expects recoiling 416 Rigby has a scope, which may cause me to join the half moon club, does make it feel like a heavier kicking recoil firearm.

Look forward to hearing what the rest say - let's not make it about facts - the charts gives those, What were your experiences with recoil.

I remember one rifle specifically that had more recoil than I expected an liked, it was a friends pre64 Mod 70 Winchester in 30-06, it still had a steel recoil pad - that thing recoiled like a mule

 

[grand veneur]

It's hard to write anything specific about this topic because it is discussed so often. The feeling of recoil and how you deal with it depends very much on yourself the shooter, because a lot of it takes place in the psyche and not primarily in the physical one. Anyone who practices martial arts knows in advance that they will receive blows and feel pain and will therefore distance themselves from all of that and concentrate on the technique. The same is true when shooting as far the recoil of the rifles is concerned. A late well-known big game hunter is said to have said that one have to ignore the recoil.

There are certainly rifles that are unpleasant to shoot, regardless of their caliber. This is often due to the way they were built, which is not always compatible with their caliber. The scope and how it is mounted also can play a role. In this case you have to deal with it or leave it and use something else. I remain of the opinion that using a lot of recoil reducing devices is not the solution. It shows that you want to force something and that the psychological problem with the recoil is in the foreground.

In practice I also had more problems with my first rifle caliber 9,3x64 Brenneke, which was more similar in design to a rifle caliber 9,3x62. There was also a vari-scope with big magnification on it, a scope that was at the time relatively big and that had the normal eye relief. This scope landed in my eyebrow a few times, which has until now never happened to me with my rifles caliber 460 Weatherby Magnum and 500 Schüler, both of which also have scopes. Sure, you certainly don't shoot from the same positions with the last two rifles as with a rifle caliber 9,3x64 in the high mountains. The way the rifle is shot also plays a role in how the recoil feels. The recoil of the rifles is a topic that can be discussed almost endlessly.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Military surplus Mosin Nagant M44 carbine in 7.62x54. Marlin .45-70 with an 18” barrel and straight stock. Both had felt recoil way beyond their cartridge’s power to ME. Probably stock design in both cases.

 

[PrechtlM98]

As I'd put a Doctor Sight on my R93 375 H&H and tried to sight it in
was my pain in the ass. It is my favourite gun, always with a Swarovski scope, no
problem at all. To sight a Docter in, you need a screwdriver with a scala on it and that sucks a lot
if you are not used to that.
It became from shot to shot more worse and at one point I did not take enough care
and got a kick like from a horse. At the end of the session my shoulder was blue and black
like never before.
By the way, my Prechtl is a .500 Jefferey, that never hurt me. Maybe because I take more care
when shooting!?

 

[grand veneur]

As I'd put a Doctor Sight on my R93 375 H&H and tried to sight it in
was my pain in the ass. It is my favourite gun, always with a Swarovski scope, no
problem at all. To sight a Docter in, you need a screwdriver with a scala on it and that sucks a lot
if you are not used to that.
It became from shot to shot more worse and at one point I did not take enough care
and got a kick like from a horse. At the end of the session my shoulder was blue and black
like never before.
By the way, my Prechtl is a .500 Jefferey, that never hurt me. Maybe because I take more care
when shooting!?

It depends on how it is built. I had one built to my specifications by Mr. Ritterbusch about 25 years ago. The rifle look nice, at first glance no one suspects that it is a big bore rifle caliber 500 Schüler/Jeffery, but when you shoot it you are reminded of. So far only myself have fired more than one shot with it. Nevertheless, a good rifle with which I have shot some game in Africa.

 

[Russ16]

In order to give the subject the respect it deserves, here is a thread on Recoil itself. Here is a link to probably 1 of a 1000 similar links on the recoil of various rifles. https://chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Off course there are so many variables that effect recoil, such as specific rifle build, weight, specific bullet load etc.

However, some have noted on the 458 WM vs Lott thread (p9 onwards), that they, and I am one of them, feel that certain rifles in certain cartridges which are normally smaller than others, have more recoil than the bigger ones. Case in point, my subjective opinion is that my 416 Rigby has more felt recoil, than my 458 Express. Yes it could actually be due all of the reasons above.

For me, I have long thought about why out of my 3 big game rifles, the other being a 375H&H, the 416Rigby has the most felt recoil, which I noted some other have experienced the same thing. The reason I believe, well for me personally is as follows: I am proficient with a 375H&H, shot it for years and comfortable with it. 458 is open sight. 416 Rigby is scoped. As can been seen in some table's, the 416Rigby is very close to recoil energy and velocity to that of say a 458 Lott. I have no issue with recoil, but here comes the "kicker", I believe, subconsciously (for me) the fact that the higher than one expects recoiling 416 Rigby has a scope, which may cause me to join the half moon club, does make it feel like a heavier kicking recoil firearm.

Look forward to hearing what the rest say - let's not make it about facts - the charts gives those, What were your experiences with recoil.

I remember one rifle specifically that had more recoil than I expected an liked, it was a friends pre64 Mod 70 Winchester in 30-06, it still had a steel recoil pad - that thing recoiled like a mule

Exact same experience with a Mod 70 and steel buttplate in 30-06. Sighting it in over the hood of a truck having to lean way over and that buttplate got up on my collar bone. Not a good result. Every rifle has worn a recoil pad ever since.

Oddly I don’t have the same with shotguns. I have multiple with wood or skeleton butts. Shot over 1200 dove in a day with a beretta SxS with a wooden butt. Something about moving and mounting that lessens it for me. I used to shoot competitive clay’s so maybe my mount is just that much more consistent.

 

[Daniel Cary]

I would shoot the coach gun for fun, a beater. 3" was never much of a problem .. until these:

 

[BeeMaa]

I sold my 416RM because it was very close to my recoil tolerance level and chose to go with a lightweight 375H&H as my DG rifle for this reason.

That said, I truly believe that my 7 lb SBE3 shooting Federal TSS, 3.5", 2 1/4 oz, 7 shot loads hits faster and harder than the 416RM did. The advantage being that I only shoot the SBE3 once or twice a year. The recoil from the 416 felt slower and less violent.

 

[uplander01]

The jbm recoil calculator does not lie. IMO stock design and balance play a part but an object with the correct input variables tells the story. My limit is low 80’s in foot pound and honestly prefer low 70’s in a 458, have a 416 rigby that is a joy to shoot at the low 60’s. I don’t load anything super hot…..that 80’s recoil is from 500 jeffery , 535 gr going 2240, it kills stuff, don’t think a Buffalo knows a 100 or so ft per second difference.

Try the calculator and document where you feel the differences, it’s good to know

 

[Green Chile]

If we don't go into the numbers as you say but just talk about felt recoil...my 416 Rigby (Dakota rifle) is scoped and I've used it a lot in Africa. I never "feel" the recoil in the field but sometimes it pulls my hat off. I noticed that when watching a video of a recent buff hunt. After the 2nd shot, I reached up and adjusted my hat again. I also remember shooting an elephant last season and my hat came completely off. I didn't know it until the tracker handed me my hat. If checking the sights on the 416 Rigby, I prefer to use a lead sled to get the most precision.

When shooting my Blaser R8 steel receiver in 416 Remington, I don't have the same experience as the Rigby. It feels softer…powder capacity is the main difference. My Rigby load is about 20 gr more than my Remington load (different powders).

 

[BeeMaa]

I like this kind of calculator...

 

[Philip Glass]

I have not shot any .458 that I can remember. I did win a .416 REM that I shot twice and sold!

 

[uplander01]

That is quite the contraption, it would be cool if they did the same test with a bunch big bores

 

[MS 9x56]

I shoot a 9.3x62 in a CZ 550 FS rifle whose felt recoil is substantially less than my 30-06 shot from a ruger American rifle. And it doesn't matter the bullet weight or load. I also believe that proper form and a stiff grip on a rifle mitigates felt recoil to an extent. I have shot rifles up to 470 NE with less felt recoil than a pump shotgun shooting 3 1/2" magnum turkey loads. Just one hunters experiences.

 

[Green Chile]

Turkey loads are some of the worst. Also 3.5” 12 gauge, which aren’t great loads to begin with. Recoil isn’t a simple subject and we all feel it differently.

 

[Rare Breed]

In order to give the subject the respect it deserves, here is a thread on Recoil itself. Here is a link to probably 1 of a 1000 similar links on the recoil of various rifles. https://chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Off course there are so many variables that effect recoil, such as specific rifle build, weight, specific bullet load etc.

However, some have noted on the 458 WM vs Lott thread (p9 onwards), that they, and I am one of them, feel that certain rifles in certain cartridges which are normally smaller than others, have more recoil than the bigger ones. Case in point, my subjective opinion is that my 416 Rigby has more felt recoil, than my 458 Express. Yes it could actually be due all of the reasons above.

For me, I have long thought about why out of my 3 big game rifles, the other being a 375H&H, the 416Rigby has the most felt recoil, which I noted some other have experienced the same thing. The reason I believe, well for me personally is as follows: I am proficient with a 375H&H, shot it for years and comfortable with it. 458 is open sight. 416 Rigby is scoped. As can been seen in some table's, the 416Rigby is very close to recoil energy and velocity to that of say a 458 Lott. I have no issue with recoil, but here comes the "kicker", I believe, subconsciously (for me) the fact that the higher than one expects recoiling 416 Rigby has a scope, which may cause me to join the half moon club, does make it feel like a heavier kicking recoil firearm.

Look forward to hearing what the rest say - let's not make it about facts - the charts gives those, What were your experiences with recoil.

I remember one rifle specifically that had more recoil than I expected an liked, it was a friends pre64 Mod 70 Winchester in 30-06, it still had a steel recoil pad - that thing recoiled like a mule

To me it comes down to three primary reasons felt recoil might be higher in a lower caliber versus higher
1. gun fit is not good for the lighter caliber.
2. The total gun weight is too light for the lighter caliber versus higher.
3. The powder used to achieve a targeted FPS requires higher load weights. An example being my 470 achieving 2150 FPS with only 80 grains of IMR3031 versus 114 grains of H4831SC to achieve the same FPS with the latter kicking you hard versus much less with the former.

 

[PARA45]

I have a synthetic Ruger, MK-II with the old paddle style stock that kicks like an angry mule. It’s light weight, and the recoil pad is thin and it hurts to shoot from the bench. I’ve killed more deer with this rifle than with any other rifle. I guess I just like punishment.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

I’m also not one that felt recoil bothers me that much, with one exception. My hunting buddy has a pre64 Winchester Alaskan in 338 win mag that I will never shoot again. To me and many others that have fired a shot out of this rifle it recoils worse than any other rifle, they and myself, have ever shot. I don’t know if it is stock geometry or what but it is NOT fun to shoot. My favourite rifle is my 416 Taylor which is very light for size in the recoil department. I also find that shooting at game, I don’t hear the retort of the rifle or feel recoil.

 

[Russ16]

Turkey loads are some of the worst. Also 3.5” 12 gauge, which aren’t great loads to begin with. Recoil isn’t a simple subject and we all feel it differently.

The newer high velocity loads are terrible. Hevi-Shot used to make a great load it was 2-3/4 ounces of Hevi-Shot at 980 fps. Those spheres lose speed so fast that at the target it wasn’t that different and kept super tight patterns. I remember it feeling like it barely cycled the action in my SBE 2.

 

[AZDAVE]

Felt recoil is a very subjective topic. There are so many elements that come into the variables.
1. Proper gun fit is the #1 culprit.
2. The shooters recoil tolerance. (everyone has a limit some folks it is at the 30/06 level others at a 4 bore) It is both a mental and physical thing that is hard to explain but will put it in sports terms. (there are folks that play rugby, there are ones that play soccer, and there are ones that play pickelball, you decide where each group falls in the mental and physcial abilities of felt recoil)
3. Shooting technique goes a LONG way to mitigating felt recoil. (I have purchased a fair number of 338WM and bigger that have its original box of ammo that comes with it with 1 or 2 rounds shot.)
4. Rifle weight also will effect felt recoil greatly, it is always a curious balance between proper weight for recoil management vs ease of carry in the field. IMO the word lightweight should never be associated with a 9.3 and larger firearm.