Should I add a mercury recoil reducer to less than 9 lbs 458 win mag

[Doug Hamilton]

Porting is a very personal decision but one that I don't use. I've owned a few but never liked them. As a consideration, the trackers and PHs don't tend to like them as it blasts their ears.

Funny thing about breaking scopes...the worst offenders are some of the springer air rifles. They have a funny double recoil pulse that requires a different kind of scope design.

I don't use muzzle brakes for that reason. It's hard on the ears of everyone around. Mag-na- porting is different. It vents some gas up and down, but not to the sides. No one has ever noticed that the rifle is any louder, including me. You also have to show people where the little slots are are cut into the muzzle or they never notice.

 

[Philip Glass]

Which one do you use...the max?...just checked their website and it's not exactly great to look at

Yes I have the Max and the large adjustable reducers depending on the rifle. Kevin, who owns Edwards, is busy with a full time job and the reducers are a sideline. The website is not great and getting in touch with him can be a challenge but it is all worth it in the end.
Many of mine have been sent to him (stock) to install. He will ask you about the felt recoil, get some details, and custom install based on your personal situation. Of course many of these reducers are just slipped into the bolt home and a small screw placed to hold it firmly in place.

 

[Mountaineer]

I didn’t see a % of recoil reduction on his web site. How much would you expect it to be for a 458 WM?

 

[spike.t]

Yes I have the Max and the large adjustable reducers depending on the rifle. Kevin, who owns Edwards, is busy with a full time job and the reducers are a sideline. The website is not great and getting in touch with him can be a challenge but it is all worth it in the end.
Many of mine have been sent to him (stock) to install. He will ask you about the felt recoil, get some details, and custom install based on your personal situation. Of course many of these reducers are just slipped into the bolt home and a small screw placed to hold it firmly in place.

OK max looked best as said can glue in place in synthetic stock I think...

 

[poco]

My vote is to just add lead.

A cheap easy solution is to drill a hole in the stock under the butt pad, add lead shot, then seal with epoxy. The size of the hole and amount of lead will depend on the balance of the rifle.

You can do the above method to the forgrip as well. This allows you to greatly increase the weight while maintaining balance

I did this with my 7lbs 375 ruger , it was beastly recoil wise , the guy who had it before me did some work to lighten it up and couldn’t handle the recoil, I disassembled it and added lead in the butt stock and for stock, definitely worth the extra weight

 

[BeeMaa]

Needs can change over time. As a person gains experience shooting a firearm, they become more comfortable and build up this skill of being able to absorb recoil. As a result, you may want to remove some (or all) of it as you see fit.

At the same time, there are those who shoot large bores very well but then experienced an injury that could necessitate needing to dampen the recoil. Something like a car accident where a shoulder injury occurred.

My point is that you should be comfortable shooting your rifle and if that means a recoil reducer, go for it. There are some DIY ways to make your own with stainless steel pipe, a couple of caps and tungsten pellets that will allow you to adjust the weight as necessary. Let me know if you want some details.

This would be very similar to what Blaser is using for their kickstop on the R8, except their version is not adjustable.

BTW - I had a 16 oz mercury recoil reducer in my CZ550 375H&H and it made the rifle waaay too heavy. Same thing with a Blaser R8 416RM, too heavy. Both those rifles were sold and I now shoot a 375H&H that weighs 7.75 lbs with ease. Don't rush it, you will get there.

 

[Green Chile]

Don't rush it is GREAT advice. It's very hard to undo flinches and injuries of course can be long term or permanent. If you reload, you have even more options all the way down to powder puff loads that can be worked up to heavier levels. If you do that, be careful to get the right loading info...it's really easy to destroy a gun if you download it incorrectly.