More Recoil

We talked a bit about mind over matter when it comes to dealing with recoil. Today we will look at it from an actionable angle.

Most shooters, even many who identify as “riflemen”, do not seem to enjoy the recoil generated by a 6 or 7# 308. Move up to an 8.5# 458WM and fewer still will want to play. It was explained to me from a young age that the recoil from a lightweight 308 carbine was too much for many shooters but not too much for a seasoned rifleman. As a teenager, I was quite sure that I qualified as a seasoned rifleman, even though I had not shot anything much bigger than a 22. My first Remington 600 in 308 disabused me of that notion. It had a hard buttplate and it hurt a bit. I could manage it (barely) when standing, but prone just hurt.

Nonetheless, I persevered and over the years, the recoil from all sorts of guns became much more manageable. Today, I happily shoot a 458WM, whether it is 8.5#’s, or as heavy as 11#’s. Truthfully, I cannot really tell the difference in recoil from the light end to the heavy end. Stock design matters quite a bit and my main 458 is very well designed, so maybe that is why the weight doesn’t matter.

A side benefit of shooting the “heavies”, is that when you go back to a 6.5# 308, it feels a lot like a 223. “Heavy”, by the way, refers to the blow delivered, not the weight of the gun. It is usually a reference to guns meant for stopping dangerous game in Africa. Which brings me to the point of this ramble. If you want to handle recoil better, build up to shooting heavier recoiling guns. Once you acclimate to them, everything below them seems pretty easy going. To be clear, a 458WM is just barely in the “heavy” category, and there are many guns that recoil more, some much more. For most of us though, a heavy loaded 45-70 or a 458WM is plenty of recoil for training purposes, as well as providing all the power we could ever need in North America or most other places.

If you prefer shotguns, shoot slugs for group at various distances. My current favorite is a Winchester 23. It has a hard butt plate and weighs 7 pounds. Slugs are very comfortable out of it and I have to force myself to stop when I get to 50 in a session. When you get used to this, it makes shooting hundreds of clays a day seem like plinking with a 22.

The key is to go do it. If you think your gun recoils too much, it is probably because you don’t shoot it enough. Of course, some guns actually generate a lot of recoil, which can cause some damage. If you are shooting a 600 NE, you should probably limit your practice sessions regardless of how fun they may be. The picture at the top is a 3 shot group at 70 yards, shot standing off sticks. The gun is my Blaser 458WM, shooting reloads that mimic my Federal factory ammo. That distance, number of rounds, and shooting position are dictated by a big bore match I am entering next week. Wish me luck!