# Recoil



## swampthing (Mar 15, 2010)

Just curious. what is the hardest kicking gun ya'll have ever fired? I got the magnum craze a few years ago, and picked up a #1 custum chambered in 30-378. It was brutal on my wallet and shoulder (about $5 a shot). I also had a little break action HR in 45-70 that was bad......But maybe the worst.....This guy at the hunt club ask me to help pattern his turkey gun off the bench...2 shots and I was done


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## 375shooter (Mar 16, 2010)

For me, the biggest has been a .458 Lott - 500gr. at 2350fps. It has lots of recoil but is still manageable. I mostly shoot it from the sitting position with shooting sticks or from standing. I hope to some day get a .500 Jeffery or .505 Gibbs. I'm also interested in .500 Nitro Express and .577 Nitro Express.


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

.375 rum shot it twice and was done. single shot 12 guage with some hot 3 inchers was pretty rough to.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

Double Barreled 10 ga., touched both triggers accidentally with 2 1/4 oz of lead in each barrel, let me tell you, that will make you never shoot a double with two triggers with big gloves on again real fast.


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

When I was 19 I was able to shoot a buddy's grandfathers 458 Win Mag. It was this little 7.5lb single shot, it knocked me off my feet. I was shooting at a steel plate at 50 yards that was posted in the ground with two posts about 6 inches. It lifted the steel out of the ground and pushed it back about 2 feet. I was pretty inpressed. I've shot the 30-378 wasn't to big of a deal, fun gun to shoot, and fast.

xdeano


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## Bug Guy (Jul 19, 2009)

8 years old with my dads double 16. I pulled both triggers and it knocked me completely on my arse. Nothing even close to that since. Not even a borrowed .338-378 weatherby mag. I haven't shot anything bigger than that except military .50 cals and they have muzzle brakes and engineering to reduce recoil. That double still makes me nervous.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

A .470 express gun will knock some fillings loose if you dont mount it right. But, so will a 12 ga. with real heavy loads.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

I let my .444 Marlin go after a couple of years. Now I wish I had it!!!!!!!!!


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## swampthing (Mar 15, 2010)

xdeano said:


> When I was 19 I was able to shoot a buddy's grandfathers 458 Win Mag. It was this little 7.5lb single shot, it knocked me off my feet. I was shooting at a steel plate at 50 yards that was posted in the ground with two posts about 6 inches. It lifted the steel out of the ground and pushed it back about 2 feet. I was pretty inpressed. I've shot the 30-378 wasn't to big of a deal, fun gun to shoot, and fast.
> 
> xdeano


Yeah I shot a 30-378the first time out of a big bolt gun...No real problem. I'n this Ruger No 1 I had it was brutal....You right about the fast part....We had 180s zipping through the chrony at 4100 fps plus....That turkey gun though....good god! i don't know what kind of shot shells he was using, but it was a real freak


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

If you look at the recoil generated by a shotgun vs rifle in ft/lbs you will be really surprised.

A 12 ga. 1 1/4 oz load is really close to a 300 win mag with a 180 gr bullet, depending on rifle/shotgun weight/velocity etc, right around 32 ft/lbs.

The reason most people get surprised is then almost never shoot a shotgun when not shooting at something and even less off a bench.

Just like in the field with a rifle when shooting at something you rarely ever feel the recoil unless you mount the gun wrong, which isn't the case off the bench shooting targets.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

I owned & shot my share of heavy recoiling stuff over the years. Recoil is often the price for a certain level of performance. Recoil tolerance is learned, and felt recoil has much to do with weight & stock design, but some stuff can literally injure you if you shoot with improper technique.

The 338 Win Mag and 300 RUM are plenty stiff, as is a heavy 45-70 out of a Guide Gun. Probably the worst for sheer punishment was a skeletonized 18" Topper 12 guage with slugs. I bet it didn't weigh 4 lbs.

I recently got the word that medically my back can't tolerate that sort of thing anymore, so I got rid of all my mags & heavy recoiling stuff except for my braked 338 and 257 Wby Mag. Not going to stop shooting 12 gauge but when I get through one last box of Black Cloud 3.5"ers, it will be nothing stiffer than 3" from here on out...


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## duckp (Mar 13, 2008)

Recoil and flinching,a marriage made in hell.
Recoil and 'Sugar Ray Leonard' retina detachments,another marriage made in hell.
Recoil and hearing loss,relatives that shouldn't get together for christmas.
Real men,smart men,don't endure it,they try to 'kick' it by reduction. :thumb:


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## Swifty56 (Sep 14, 2009)

Have to agree with a couple of other posters, the big mag rifles are a real popper to the shoulder. Personally the hardest shoulder fired kicker to me has been a 12 guage, 4 Dram, turkey load through a super full choke !!!!! The Weatherbys hold nothin on that one. But to date the most uncomfortable recoil I haver ever experienced was a Ruger blackhawk, 4 5/8" barrel reworked into a 500 Linebaugh  it split the web of my hand open through a past shooting glove on the first and only shot, and my wrist ached for 3 days. Never again.

Swifty


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## swampthing (Mar 15, 2010)

Swifty56 said:


> Have to agree with a couple of other posters, the big mag rifles are a real popper to the shoulder. Personally the hardest shoulder fired kicker to me has been a 12 guage, 4 Dram, turkey load through a super full choke !!!!! The Weatherbys hold nothin on that one. But to date the most uncomfortable recoil I haver ever experienced was a Ruger blackhawk, 4 5/8" barrel reworked into a 500 Linebaugh  it split the web of my hand open through a past shooting glove on the first and only shot, and my wrist ached for 3 days. Never again.
> 
> Swifty


I heard that....hard stomping pistols can be bad too. Never fired a 500 linebaugh, but a .444 marlin or 375 JDJ in a TC pistol hurts


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