Limbsaver Recoil Pad, Good or Bad?

Mine is still as good as the year I put it on....no sticky mess, no debris collection, my coat is still clean. Would definitely buy another.
 
I have a Fierce a Fury chambered in 7mm Rem Mag. It has a Limbsaver recoil pad. I've shot it with a brake as well as suppressed and I have issues spotting my shots. Question is, is the Limbsaver recoil pad partially to blame? Seems like having a butt pad that is squishy isn't necessarily something that would make it easier to spot your shots.
Not saying my form can't be the culprit but I feel like I have a fair understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship, so form aside, has anyone seen their ability to spot their impact diminished after installing a Limbsaver vs a traditional harder rubber pad?
I own 'em, I love 'em. They're great on shotguns.
 
I have issues between the 500-800 yd range. If I'm shooting 1000 or beyond the rifle usually recovers and I can spot my impact. As stated by others, a 7 rem mag pushing a 180 Berger over 2900 is not going to make this super easy. I shoot off of a Harris bipod with a rear bag. Right now I have a Gunwerks 6IX Suppressor up front. I totally hear you on the form comments, I work hard to get proper body to rifle alignment, bipod preload, shooting hand pull straight back into my shoulder all while maintaining a natural point of aim. Doesn't always happen and I can tell when I've made a mistake. The rifle is an absolute tack driver, but I am not a huge fan of the stock. You can see in the photo below there is a significant vertical separation between the centerline of the bore and top of the butt pad. I have shot other rifles with a manners style stock where the butt pad is more in line with the centerline of the bore and this has made it exponentially easier to spot my impacts. The offset in my stock creates a moment arm causing the rifle to want to rotate up when fired. I am just wondering if this is exaggerated by the squishy Limbsaver butt pad or if that is in my head. I'm ok with people telling me it is my form, but if there is something in my setup that is adding to the issue I'm just trying to vet that.
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Yes they work get the new style instead of the old rib style
 
Do not take insult but are you loading the Harris bi-pod properly? Also as has been stated unless you are the Hulk it will be very difficult to get maintain your poa.
No offense taken, I think I am. But I've never had formal training. I bought Jacob Bynum's rifles only Fundamentals training video. I also have listened to a lot of Caylen Wojcik's content. So I think I have the basics, but could always get better. Having a stock that would allow me to get more behind the centerline of the bore would be a big benefit, but if most guys say they have no issues with a sporter stock then I guess I need to go back to the drawing board. I could Also probably get to where I want if I screwed on a APA brake but I know myself too well that I will shoot without plugs if I get a quick shot in the timber
 
My only issue with Limbsaver pads is that they turn into a sticky mess after several years. Makes a mess of your safe carpet, collects all kinds of debris in the field and sticks to your coat. I'll never buy another one.

if and when the limbsavers go sticky - call them up and tell them. They will ship you a new one free of charge. At least that is what they did for me and a Tikka T3. No questions asked! (Other than my address) they said sorry and that they had a bad batch of rubber several years back that contributed to the pad going sticky.
 
I have issues between the 500-800 yd range. If I'm shooting 1000 or beyond the rifle usually recovers and I can spot my impact. As stated by others, a 7 rem mag pushing a 180 Berger over 2900 is not going to make this super easy. I shoot off of a Harris bipod with a rear bag. Right now I have a Gunwerks 6IX Suppressor up front. I totally hear you on the form comments, I work hard to get proper body to rifle alignment, bipod preload, shooting hand pull straight back into my shoulder all while maintaining a natural point of aim. Doesn't always happen and I can tell when I've made a mistake. The rifle is an absolute tack driver, but I am not a huge fan of the stock. You can see in the photo below there is a significant vertical separation between the centerline of the bore and top of the butt pad. I have shot other rifles with a manners style stock where the butt pad is more in line with the centerline of the bore and this has made it exponentially easier to spot my impacts. The offset in my stock creates a moment arm causing the rifle to want to rotate up when fired. I am just wondering if this is exaggerated by the squishy Limbsaver butt pad or if that is in my head. I'm ok with people telling me it is my form, but if there is something in my setup that is adding to the issue I'm just trying to vet that.
View attachment 219166

Pitch may be a factor. I just had a squishy pad installed on a light sporter rifle, and the stockmaker who installed it mentioned that the stock had no pitch. He changed that. He pointed it out to me by standing the rifle in front of his gun safe, and with the butt flat on the floor the barrel was right up against the front of the safe, full length - just like your picture here. He cut out a wafer-thin wedge in the buttstock, which put a bit of pitch into the equation. This made a world of difference in the felt recoil, and it did not induce muzzle. I don't know if this is a consideration with your issue or not, but I do know that pitch is not just a gun fit thing for your grouse gun.
 
Pitch may be a factor. I just had a squishy pad installed on a light sporter rifle, and the stockmaker who installed it mentioned that the stock had no pitch. He changed that. He pointed it out to me by standing the rifle in front of his gun safe, and with the butt flat on the floor the barrel was right up against the front of the safe, full length - just like your picture here. He cut out a wafer-thin wedge in the buttstock, which put a bit of pitch into the equation. This made a world of difference in the felt recoil, and it did not induce muzzle. I don't know if this is a consideration with your issue or not, but I do know that pitch is not just a gun fit thing for your grouse gun.
Interesting, do you have a photo of your rife?
 
Interesting, do you have a photo of your rife?

I'll see if I can figure out how to post one. With the scope on it, I may not be able to stand it close enough to the wall for you to see what I mean. ( I don't want to take the scope off, since I'm leaving for a deer hunt with it the day after tomorrow.) When the stockmaker did it, there was no scope on top, and with the receiver against the front of the safe, the buttpad was flat on the floor. The tip of the barrel was also right up against the safe, almost touching. It looked very much like the picture you posted, which is why this rang my bell.

Now, when the buttpad is flat on the floor and the receiver is against the wall, the muzzle is away from the wall an inch or two. The wedge he cut out of the buttstock was tiny, and the wider end was only about 1/4" thick, tapering to zero at the other end. This didn't make the stock feel noticeably shorter, but it did have a different feel. The rifle feels, and points, like a fine bird gun. ( It's a Dakota model 10, falling block single shot.) The barrel sits kinda low in the frame, and when the gun recoils it's about like shooting the lower barrel of an over & under shotgun. It feels like straight back recoil to me, and there's more pad surface against my shoulder than there was before he changed the pitch. This distributes the recoil over a larger area on my shoulder, and that reduces felt recoil. The pad the guy put on helped reduce recoil even more.

It's a KICK-EEZ sorbothane pad, and I was just on their website to confirm that they still make them. I saw something on there that might be of interest to you, if you want to try changing the pitch. They make a shim to give you pitch, and it looks just like the wedge the stockmaker cut out of my rifle stock when he installed the pad. ( They discuss this in their FAQ's on the website.) You could put one of those in between your pad and stock, and see if this does the trick for you, without having to alter the stock to find out. Being able to try this concept without removing stock material would be quite handy, since once you cut it out you can't put it back if you don't like the effect. You might want to check that out. Good luck.

P.S. I just did an internet search on "shotgun pitch" and there were a couple of pages of pictures that will illustrate this concept for you. You might want to give that a shot.
 
I have a Fierce a Fury chambered in 7mm Rem Mag. It has a Limbsaver recoil pad. I've shot it with a brake as well as suppressed and I have issues spotting my shots. Question is, is the Limbsaver recoil pad partially to blame? Seems like having a butt pad that is squishy isn't necessarily something that would make it easier to spot your shots.
Not saying my form can't be the culprit but I feel like I have a fair understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship, so form aside, has anyone seen their ability to spot their impact diminished after installing a Limbsaver vs a traditional harder rubber pad?
I don't think so.....I love my limbsavers...staying in the scope is Art with a ton of practice....recoil is the issue, head alignment.....I don't know if you do this or not....if you don't you should....do not release the trigger after you fire until back on the target! Makes a large difference and helps prevent snap shots
 
I have issues between the 500-800 yd range. If I'm shooting 1000 or beyond the rifle usually recovers and I can spot my impact. As stated by others, a 7 rem mag pushing a 180 Berger over 2900 is not going to make this super easy. I shoot off of a Harris bipod with a rear bag. Right now I have a Gunwerks 6IX Suppressor up front. I totally hear you on the form comments, I work hard to get proper body to rifle alignment, bipod preload, shooting hand pull straight back into my shoulder all while maintaining a natural point of aim. Doesn't always happen and I can tell when I've made a mistake. The rifle is an absolute tack driver, but I am not a huge fan of the stock. You can see in the photo below there is a significant vertical separation between the centerline of the bore and top of the butt pad. I have shot other rifles with a manners style stock where the butt pad is more in line with the centerline of the bore and this has made it exponentially easier to spot my impacts. The offset in my stock creates a moment arm causing the rifle to want to rotate up when fired. I am just wondering if this is exaggerated by the squishy Limbsaver butt pad or if that is in my head. I'm ok with people telling me it is my form, but if there is something in my setup that is adding to the issue I'm just trying to vet that.
View attachment 219166
I like the limbsavers as well. I have them on several rifles, 2-300 win mag,338 win mag,375 HH and a 308 win in a mod. 99 savage that I bought for my son as his 1st rifle. All rifles seem to shoot to the same point of impact after they were installed vs before. One thing I have found out over the yrs. is the shooter needs to be consistent in stock placement on the shoulder as well as being "square behind the gun". By that I mean- body not too far offset sideways one way or the other depending if you are right or left handed and also not directly inline with the gun- especially when prone. If your gun is rotating upward when fired, check the position of your shoulder on the stock before you send one downrange. Sometimes it is just a matter of repositioning your shoulder on the stock until you get the desired results then getting used to it so it becomes automatic and you are in the "zone". Another thing you might try is shooting it off a lead sled or similar platform without strapping the barrel down and see how it behaves and where the force of recoil is in relation to the pad.
 
I have a Fierce a Fury chambered in 7mm Rem Mag. It has a Limbsaver recoil pad. I've shot it with a brake as well as suppressed and I have issues spotting my shots. Question is, is the Limbsaver recoil pad partially to blame? Seems like having a butt pad that is squishy isn't necessarily something that would make it easier to spot your shots.
Not saying my form can't be the culprit but I feel like I have a fair understanding of the fundamentals of marksmanship, so form aside, has anyone seen their ability to spot their impact diminished after installing a Limbsaver vs a traditional harder rubber pad?
In our stockmaking, we do find the Limbsavers to be almost 'too soft' for calibers above 308 or so. 1" Pachmayr Decelerator is our default, and no complaints.
The run of defective gooey/melty limbsavers still crop up occasionally- Simms labs is good about replacing them, and they have had to pay for any number of gunsafe carpet floors etc.


-Wes Chapman
aigunstocks.com
 
In our stockmaking, we do find the Limbsavers to be almost 'too soft' for calibers above 308 or so. 1" Pachmayr Decelerator is our default, and no complaints.
The run of defective gooey/melty limbsavers still crop up occasionally- Simms labs is good about replacing them, and they have had to pay for any number of gunsafe carpet floors etc.


-Wes Chapman
aigunstocks.com

Thanks for the reply. Interesting to hear a stock builder say what I was thinking. Don't get me wrong I have no complaint about the pad as far as felt recoil but It seems like there is almost too much compression in the pad allowing more rifle move more during recoil than a harder traditional rubber pad
 
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