Recoil Sensitivity

[cbeard]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-01-11 AT 07:25AM (MST)[p]I am a pretty small guy and not particularly athletic. But I grew up in the country hunting and shooting. Worked my way up pretty quickly from .22 to .410 to .30-.30 for my first deer at age 7. Now I own several rifles and shoot quite a bit with calibers all the way up to .375 H&H-have even shot a .416 Remington a few times. I have found that I am not particularly recoil sensitive.I mount the rifle firmly and-while I notice that some rifles "punch" and some "push"-don't really have any problems.

But I have several buddies(many of whom are big,strong,tough guys) who are VERY sensitive to recoil even with what I consider to be fairly mild calibers like .270 and .30-06. Some are almost brought to tears after firing a few rounds at the range. Most have shot rifles and hunted all their lives just like me. I notice a wide range of views on this subject on here too.

Do y'all have opinions as to what may contribute to recoil sensitivity? Do you think it is mostly not knowing how to mount a rifle properly? Is it mostly between the ears?

What in your view is the best way to overcome it?

 

[completesportsman]

I don't know but some people just can't take it. I am a pretty small guy and I feel like a can get a good trigger pull and get pounded and it doesn't bother me.

I know some big guys that can't take it.

Its always fun to slip one of those guys an unloaded gun and watch them flinch when they pull the trigger

 

[sageadvice]

Big ol burly guy here. I don't like dentists, needles, spiders, and i don't care for rifles the kick a lot. It must be a mindset!

Joey

 

[completesportsman]

Speaking of recoil turkey season opens for me next weekend, nothing compares in recoil to some of todays turkey guns with todays turkey shells

 

[RELH]

Some of it is mindset, but the design of the rifle stock can make or break a person with a paticular rifle. I am a big burly guy and recoil does not normally bother me.

I have fired heavy calibers from the bench and so far no flinching. I have also fired my sons 30-06 with a custom stock that fits him, and after 15 rounds I will have a headache with that damn rifle due to stock design. Yet my own 300 Win. mag will not bother me even if firing 20 rounds or more from the bench.

I knew a very petite lady that was 5'2" and 105 pounds that hunted Africa several times using a 460 weatherby, no muzzle brake, and she was a great shot with that rifle on many one shot kills.

Many factors involved concerning recoil and a person's limit on calibers that they can control and shoot well.

RELH

 

[D13er]

one word......"pussie".....sorry sage


JB

 

[sageadvice]

"one word......"pussie".....sorry sage"

Yeah, i admit i may have my moments but i took on all comers in this timber town for many years and never lost a fight, not one, no brag, just a fact, and that includes every other town i've lived in as well. I get a kick outa how everyone thinks he's some tough guy.

Me, i'm not the most "he Man" guy in the world, as i said, i don't like dentists, needles, spiders, and rifles that kick. But that don't mean that i can't do them and that don't mean i'm some puzzy!......sorry JB, you're dead wrong!

Joey

 

[B_BOP_A_LU_LU]

So?

We gonna see some KALI UFC?

I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!

 

[sageadvice]

Bessy, Sorry to let you down bud but JB is again just trying to get a rise outta me. Seems to be the thing to do lately!

Joey

 

[RELH]

Joey, you can bet your last dollar that it is not personal with JB when he picks on you. HE DOES IT TO EVERYONE FOR $HITS AND GRINS.

No! Bess, there will not be any Kali UFC among us Kali guys, we save that for UTARDS.

RELH

 

[sageadvice]

RELH, Yeah i know... I think one of the very first PM's that i ever got here on MM was from JB. He called me cupcake and told me to toughen up!

Joey

 

[B_BOP_A_LU_LU]

Well if that's the case!!!

Gonna call all of ya a bunch of Pussies!

You mean people don't even fight in KALI anymore?

I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!

 

[Gator]

It a pull and shoot state now. That just how we roll in the hood. LOL

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[BuckSnort]

>It a pull and shoot state
>now. That just how we
>roll in the hood. LOL
>


LMFAO

Disclaimer:
The poster does not take any responsibility for any hurt or bad feelings. Reading threads poses inherent risks. The poster would like to remind readers to make sure they have a functional sense of humor before they visit any discussion board.

 

[beavis14]

+1 on the turkey loads. i shoot a benelli nova and those 3.5" max dram loads ROCK MY WORLD blood blister on my face and heavily heavily bruised shoulder on patterning day ! i say to hell with patterning this year ! just going to shoot ol' boss gobbler !

 

[ELKOHOLIC]

cbeard, A lot of it is "between the ears". What I mean by that is for someone that is recoil sensitive, try putting some foam ear plugs in. Then put on some ear muffs over them. Take the sound away and the recoil goes down. Obviously you don't do this while hunting, but at that point you don't here it anyway.

Also, bigger guys absorb all the energy at the shoulder. Smaller people seem to use there whole body to absorb the recoil.

 

[hntbambi]

Contrary to some beliefs, everyone is affected by recoil. Some more than others. Accuracy will decrease over exposure to recoil. How much it decreases and how long it takes to get a decrease is different from person to person. When I shot trap competitively, we could see it in the marathon shooting days. Watch the scores, they will go down. Getting kicked in the shoulder/head is not fun. The body does not like it. The mind knows this even if the ego does not.

Excessive exposure to recoil over a short time can lead to a wide range of things from larger groups, flinching, bad habits, and as far as serious physical issues like mild concussions or detached retinas. Granted the latter is probably not going to occur from shooting a box of 338 Win Mag ammo in a couple hours, but prolonged exposure does damage.

For some the blast is as bad as the kick. The noise generated is damaging. Doubling up on ear protection (plugs and muffs) are necessary for some. I have known one shooter that could not deal with the pressure wave from a brake.

 

[4000fps]

proper shooting technique, and double ear protection works wonders.

 

[cbeard]

Agreed on both counts.