Recoil yes or no!!!

[rob257]

I dont like recoil so I mainly shoot 6mm, and 25 calibers. With high quality bullets they work well

Which brand of recoil pads is most effective on harder recoiling guns

 

[Phil Rizzo]

The most accurate rifles are shot free recoil and you touch a 2 ounce trigger.
The less you need to manage recoil the less interaction with the rifle better the shooting. I remove as much human element as possible to let the gun run as close to its build potential as possible.

Of all the very serious long range shooters I know, I don't think a single one of them grips the rifle, man handling a rifle is anti accuracy and precision.

Less is more, from my experience

 

[FEENIX]

I dont like recoil so I mainly shoot 6mm, and 25 calibers.

LOL! .257 WBY is .25 Cal.

 

[Lou270]

Recoil can absolutely cause you to miss! The rifle is moving before the bullet exits the muzzle. The more recoil, the more movement. At the range, prone or on a bench, you can get the perfect shooting position and help mitigate some of the movement (it's still there). While hunting in a field expedient position, you will have even more movement.

If the rifle movement were significant before the bullet exits the muzzle you would miss literally every single time. There is no way to control this sort of machine rests or very heavy guns. At some great distance or for extreme BR accuracy maybe becomes a factor but not for hunting. The anticipation and flinching causes the problem

 

[Taj]

Most folks that have a "flinch" or an anticipation issue with recoil will have a tendency to flinch with almost any long gun they shoot. It's a developed habit that is sometimes hard to overcome. I've taught shotgun sports (sporting clays, skeet, trap) for over 30 years and found if a student flinches with a 12 gauge they will usually flinch with any lesser gauge as well. Anticipation is a "learning scar" and the longer it goes on, the harder it is to overcome. Properly fitted stocks and properly mounting the gun can really help. So many folks have never been taught a proper mount or shouldering the gun, and they often end up taking the brunt of recoil on their upper arm ( and the face) ----which can really hurt. Good recoil pads definitely help but it all starts with a proper mount.

 

[Calvin45]

Most folks that have a "flinch" or an anticipation issue with recoil will have a tendency to flinch with almost any long gun they shoot. It's a developed habit that is sometimes hard to overcome. I've taught shotgun sports (sporting clays, skeet, trap) for over 30 years and found if a student flinches with a 12 gauge they will usually flinch with any lesser gauge as well. Anticipation is a "learning scar" and the longer it goes on, the harder it is to overcome. Properly fitted stocks and properly mounting the gun can really help. So many folks have never been taught a proper mount or shouldering the gun, and they often end up taking the brunt of recoil on their upper arm ( and the face) ----which can really hurt. Good recoil pads definitely help but it all starts with a proper mount.

Stock design matters a lot too. I know a lot of older designs that were designed around shooting with iron sights seem to kick way harder because the position of the bore relative to the buttstock and shoulder is notably higher. So it doesn't just come straight back, it jumps up. This makes for flinching. I am convinced flinch has very very little to do with "recoil" objectively speaking in terms of how hard a hit to the shoulder one takes, as much as it has to do with our natural reflex to flinch with something flies at our face, especially our eyes, quickly. "Jumpy" rifles feel like they're trying to punch you in the face!

 

[nksmfamjp]

I don't use a brake or suppressor.

Not sure why I thought you might. I think someone else was talking brake and you just talked about holding tight.

 

[waspocrew]

Less recoil is a more pleasant shooting experience in general. I rarely shoot without my suppressors now (mainly to help protect my hearing, but the recoil reduction is an added bonus too) and it's just a lot more fun to not have the concussive blast and to be able to spot shots.

For my 338 RUM, I started with a 5 port muscle brake that really cut the recoil, but man was it LOUD. Like clear surrounding benches loud. I now shoot it with my TBAC 338 Ultra, but at the bench with 300 gr projectiles, the recoil is pretty stout. If I stick with the 300 grainers, I may go back to the brake for better recoil reduction.

 

[MagnumManiac]

anyone who says they like recoil is an idiot

What about those that are so familiar to it that it doesn't in fact bother them?
In 2020, our ranges banned muzzle breaks…so we had to add weight or not show up.
The only 2 rifles I have that MUST run breaks are my ELR rifles because without the break you will, one, get hit by the scope or, two, it will damage your collar bone.
My 375-416 Rigby Improved running 400g+ bullets has almost 150lbs/ft of recoil. I will not shoot that prone without the break on it. I have shot my 30-416 Rigby Improved prone without the break running 230's above 3200fps…ONCE!
I don't like recoil, but you do get accustomed to it with practise.

As to the original question, how much recoil is too much is a personal thing. I've seen guys flinch so bad with just a 30-06 and saw a slight female shoot all 5 rounds out of my 416 Rigby and it never bothered her.

Cheers.

 

[Radman]

Stock design matters a lot too. I know a lot of older designs that were designed around shooting with iron sights seem to kick way harder because the position of the bore relative to the buttstock and shoulder is notably higher. So it doesn't just come straight back, it jumps up. This makes for flinching. I am convinced flinch has very very little to do with "recoil" objectively speaking in terms of how hard a hit to the shoulder one takes, as much as it has to do with our natural reflex to flinch with something flies at our face, especially our eyes, quickly. "Jumpy" rifles feel like they're trying to punch you in the face!

Totally agree.

 

[Buffalobwana]

In 2020, our ranges banned muzzle breaks…so we had to add weight or not show up.

A wise man once said "Muzzle breaks do not reduce recoil. They just share it with your friends."

I won't hunt with someone with a break. It's dangerous for me and anyone with me and I can't keep an eye on the animal to see if/where it's been hit.

Suppressors are too easy to obtain these days to justify a break in that the added weight does a lot to tame recoil.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Suppressors are too easy to obtain these days to justify a break in that the added weight does a lot to tame recoil.

Suppressors are ILLEGAL here…

Cheers.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

My dad received a call from a friend back in the day. Said friend had tipped over an elk, but got hurt in the process and needed a group to come help butcher and pack out.

Upon arrival, my dad found his friend thoroughly beat up with a broken collarbone, bloody forehead and a cracked eye socket. He was walking up a skid road and saw an elk, so he dropped to his belly, aiming uphill and using a convenient rock as a rest. The position put the stock on top of his collarbone and he crowded the scope unintentionally, and the big 338 win mag broke him.

I don't know what it is about some 338win's but they have a bad attitude and want to break you.
My #1 in 338win is fine with the Ruger sloid rubber pad, but my Pops has a Browning A-Bolt2 in 338 for a spell. He shot it exactly 1 time without the brake. It popped him in the glasses and messed them up.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

anyone who says they like recoil is an idiot

I've never heard anyone say they like recoil, but people sure notice it different. I've got a buddy who dislikes shooti ng a remmy 270 with a hard buttpad, but shots some of my bigger rifles just fine and owns/shoots a 300roy Accumark without issues.

A pic of my kid running my 375 H@H from sitting with full throttle stuff.