Lately I have seen quite a few threads about recoil and people asking and comparing recoil between calibers.
Seems to me there is a definite view on felt recoil and limits to what people feel comfortable to hunt and shoot with.
First of all I have this opinion and theory I compare big bores to cars.
A 2 liter engine car will get you from point A to B with no issues
A good old V8 will also get you from point A to B with no issues but it will be more fun and more thrill.
Can anyone learn to drive a 2 liter car as fast as possible to get from A to B thats fairly easy?
Can anyone learn how to handle the V8 beast to get from A to B as fast as possible thats a different beast?
We are all created different no two humans are 100% the same even twins we all experience life different.
That is the beauty of our existence and why there are so many opinions out there and why we are allowed to choose for ourselves.
To get back to recoil learn and make the best of what you can handle. A precise shot out of a 375 on an animal is much better than a marginal shot with a 500.
It took me a long time but I finally own a big bore in my CZ 550 Lott before I finally had my hands on it I was thinking recoil reducers and better recoil pads etc.
But shooting my 375 Musgrave over 26 years learned me to push the 375 Limits and shoot precisly as I didnt have another choice.
I have shot now about 180 rounds through my Lott in less than a year and am still learning it but its not going to bad. (Mid May would be 1 year)
I never got to change anything factory spec on the CZ 550 its still stock standard and pushing 480gr bullets at 2300fps is easily managed much better than expected.
However after shooting 23 shots out of it at our last BASA competition I definitely felt that I fired something big that day.
Shooting a 505 Gibss on that same day it was nice and good fun but realizing afterwards I think I found my comfortable limit to enjoy big bores while still keeping good accuracy which in te end is much more important than what you shoot with. I would not have ebjoyed shooting 23 shots with the 505 on that comp.
We owe it to the animals that we hunt for a quick kill nobody is perfect and hunting has too many scenarios involved that it would turn out perfect evertime with every shot. Hunt long enough and you will wound and loose animals even if you are the best shot in the world.
I would rather hunt with someone who knows and enjoys his rifle than have a look of despair when asking to go to the range and check zero.
Learn your limit and its not impossible to go over it and have a new limit but don't lie to yourself.
Yep. Most people are overgunned. Heck, most soldiers were overgunned and that's why the US Army and the Brits and the Germans all spent untold sums studying this topic. They all came up with about the same conclusion, the maximum recoil an average man can handle for repeated firing with precision is around 15-20lbs of felt recoil. Hence, heavy battle rifles in 8x57, 303 Brit, and 30-06 were the results.
On safaris, we can break those rules a bit, but we must do so rationally. #1 is gun fit. Gun fit having the luxury of a gun to your dimensions allows you to increase your tolerance over a GI one size fits most battle rifle from a rack. #2 is shooting form, we're hunting animals, not conducting warfare. Thus, we can shoot off shooting sticks and greatly diminish recoil versus a prone shooter or kneeling shooter in repetitive fire combat conditions. #3 is we can tame recoil with weight, recoil reducers, and muzzlebrakes.
Regarding recoil reducers specifically, I need to point out that there is pretty darned good evidence that they are a placebo. Expert physicists even debate whether they are working under the stated means / reason for efficacy. Mercury recoil reducers aren't allowed on airplanes as mercury eats aluminum aircraft so they are banned, albeit people still travel with them and hope they don't get caught. Nonetheless, it can be argued the reduction in recoil is from their increased mass rather than from any clever travel of a fluid liquid medium inside of them prolonging the duration of a recoil impulse.
Of all the recoil reduction technologies that exist, the one that has the most merit is largely out of reach for most Americans: Suppressors reduce recoil and noise. Absolutely the best technology for this goal.
If you're a client, a heavier gun fitted to you or a lighter caliber is usually the best choice. Can't handle a 416 or 458? Get a milder 404. Can't handle a 7mm Rem Mag? Get a 7x57 or 7x64. Can't handle a 470? Get a 450/400.
There is no shame in knowing one's limitations and making a plan. I spend an absurd amount of my life dealing with this problem because I have kids. I've found every trick in the book to get small people hunting ethically with reasonable effort. One kid shoots a custom 243, another a custom 7x64, another hunts with a 36lb draw weight bow that we're setting up now to handle kudu. (yes, it can be done)
