Does anyone have any tips for shooting an extreme recoiling rifle? I purchased a new gun and every time I get ready to shoot it. I close my eyes and flinch so bad because I know what's coming. I have only shot this rifle off of a bench. It's extremely accurate and a great long range shooter. The gun has an efficient muzzle break and I even have a suppressor for it. When I'm on the bench I try to hold the rifle tight in my shoulder. Lean forward into the rifle and pull the two stage trigger. Wow...... I get rocked and I'm an average guy 6 foot 1 195lbs. Any suggestions would be helpful...
Shooting Extreme recoiling rifles
- Thread starter TH
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BigSky112
Well-Known Member
What caliber is this rifle ? Stock maker ? Stock design could have something to do with what you consider extreme recoil. The most important factor is if you can not shoot the rifle without flinching a different caliber might be in order. gun)
RMulhern
Well-Known Member
Order you one of these in 50/90 and shoot it for ten years using 120 grs. black powder an 720 gr. cast bullets. You won't be worried anymore about flinching!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/9712206804/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/9712206804/
Try breaking up your shooting sessions with some rimfire. You need to break the mental block that this is going to hurt. Also try a slip on pad with one of the strap on shoulder pads.
Limbsaver Protective Recoil Pad Shield Ambidextrous Black
Limbsaver Protective Recoil Pad Shield Ambidextrous Black
Thanks Guys..... I'm shooting an Accuracy International AX50. Rifle weighs 30lbs. Recoil is like nothing I've expirences before. I shoot trap 3 times a week. I shoot 22s twice a month. My main tactical rifle is a 300 Norma improved. The recoil is a long push the most I've shot with this gun is Ten shots in one session. If I keep shooting it will I eventually get used to it or will I start flinching on everything I shoot? How do you overcome flinching?
Have a friend place a few cartridges in the chamber (don't watch) As you fire them. Have the friend to sometimes put nothing in the chamber, but not tell you. When you pull the trigger you will not know if the gun will go off or not. You will learn a lot about how you flinch and can overcome it.
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
What brake are you running, probably the best brake out right now is the Assassin, there is one specifically tuned for the 50.
Listen to Barrelnut, after you squench your eyes, bow your shoulders,and duck your head all because a teeny weeny little click, you will be embarrassed into manning up.
Remember, If you're gonna be a man, be a man in full, let your balls hang down like a Jersey bull.
Shooting heavy recoiling rifles require good fundamentals. Once everything is in place and the shot is going to happen, your focus should be zoned in on the reticle. If you even think about recoil at the point of breaking the shot, you're screwed.
As long as you have enough eye relief, the rifle is not going do do any damage to you. It's all in your head. Train yourself to look forward to the discomfort, convince yourself that recoil is a good thing and you want to absorb ALL of it. After you learn to let your whole body absorb the energy while staying relaxed you are well on your way to mastering the beast.
Remember, If you're gonna be a man, be a man in full, let your balls hang down like a Jersey bull.
Shooting heavy recoiling rifles require good fundamentals. Once everything is in place and the shot is going to happen, your focus should be zoned in on the reticle. If you even think about recoil at the point of breaking the shot, you're screwed.
As long as you have enough eye relief, the rifle is not going do do any damage to you. It's all in your head. Train yourself to look forward to the discomfort, convince yourself that recoil is a good thing and you want to absorb ALL of it. After you learn to let your whole body absorb the energy while staying relaxed you are well on your way to mastering the beast.
+1. Well said...on the later part of your post, not so much the first part...
I shoot a 338-375Ruger with 250gr Berger bullets going 2925 fps from a 26" barrel. The rifle has no brake. She's got some kick to say the least.
I also have a 358 Norma Mag that pushes 225gr Nosler Partitions at 3030 fps in a 26" barrel with no brake. Another thumper for sure.
Follow the advice given by Augustus that I quoted and just shoot til you get used to it. You'll either get it down or you won't. Some people just can't handle it. Nothing wrong with that. You don't have to be able to shoot big guns to be a man. A man who loves God and his family and puts food on the table is a REAL man, the rest is meaningless
, your focus should be zoned in on the reticle
I also agree with this statement. You should be THINKING about nothing but the reticle on the target. As a matter of fact. You should be able to draw a bullseye on a piece of paper and mark EXACtLY where the reticle was on the target when the hammer dropped. You should be able to see the muzzle flash in the scope.
Lots of long range target shooters mark the reticle on the bullseye after every shot. Then they look through the spotting scope, or whatever, to see where the bullet actually hit. Focus on this like Augustus said and forget about the recoil due to the extreme focus you have on the reticle. Do this while your friend is loading your chamber for you.
Also, you could add a slip-on recoil pad over the existing recoil pad on your rifle. I do this alot with heavy recoiling rifles at the range. Limb Savers are good.
I also agree with this statement. You should be THINKING about nothing but the reticle on the target. As a matter of fact. You should be able to draw a bullseye on a piece of paper and mark EXACtLY where the reticle was on the target when the hammer dropped. You should be able to see the muzzle flash in the scope.
Lots of long range target shooters mark the reticle on the bullseye after every shot. Then they look through the spotting scope, or whatever, to see where the bullet actually hit. Focus on this like Augustus said and forget about the recoil due to the extreme focus you have on the reticle. Do this while your friend is loading your chamber for you.
Also, you could add a slip-on recoil pad over the existing recoil pad on your rifle. I do this alot with heavy recoiling rifles at the range. Limb Savers are good.
barnesuser28
Well-Known Member
+1! I cant wait to try one out for my self.
Dudes, the first part of the post was hillbilly humor, some gets it some don't, some gets it and dont like it. Anyway, some folks can handle recoil while others can't. I have helped cure the affliction on several individuals through intense one on one range sessions using the helper load the gun method.
Folks who are flinching may deny they have such a problem, the severity of the denial is generally directly proportional to the severity of the affliction. The shooter load the gun method will undeniably establish the problem. After he has jerked, ducked,blinked,and milked the grip while dropping the hammer on an empty chamber a few times you can have him stand up and forcefully proclaim, I am Joe Blow and I am a flincher. Now the effort to heal can begin.
Tell him straight up, you don't get to load the rifle anymore. I load the rifle, you pull the trigger. The first five or six cycles should be dry, when he is relaxed with good breath control, slip a live one in. Mix it all up where there is no way he can correctly predict what is going to happen. Talk to him, relax, breath, watch the reticle until it
disappears. It also helps to stay on the rifle throughout and after the recoil, don't try to see where the round went, close your eyes, lay on the rifle until you are completely relaxed. Slowly open your eyes and take a look through the scope, if you see the target, great, if you don't slowly readjust.
Well, that's my take on the matter, I know this method will work because that's how my dad helped me get over my flinching problem fifty or so years ago.
Folks who are flinching may deny they have such a problem, the severity of the denial is generally directly proportional to the severity of the affliction. The shooter load the gun method will undeniably establish the problem. After he has jerked, ducked,blinked,and milked the grip while dropping the hammer on an empty chamber a few times you can have him stand up and forcefully proclaim, I am Joe Blow and I am a flincher. Now the effort to heal can begin.
Tell him straight up, you don't get to load the rifle anymore. I load the rifle, you pull the trigger. The first five or six cycles should be dry, when he is relaxed with good breath control, slip a live one in. Mix it all up where there is no way he can correctly predict what is going to happen. Talk to him, relax, breath, watch the reticle until it
disappears. It also helps to stay on the rifle throughout and after the recoil, don't try to see where the round went, close your eyes, lay on the rifle until you are completely relaxed. Slowly open your eyes and take a look through the scope, if you see the target, great, if you don't slowly readjust.
Well, that's my take on the matter, I know this method will work because that's how my dad helped me get over my flinching problem fifty or so years ago.
I totally agree with this... it's exactly what me and my hunting buddies started doing a long time ago. I still have to go back to it from time to time. The hardest rife I have to shoot is a 338wsm that weighed in the low 7 lb range. At one point I had 250 grain Accubonds pushing around 2700 fps. It has a pac-nor ultralight barrel. So not only does it have over 4000 ft*lbs of energy, the light barrel causes the barrel to jump really bad. If you don't hold the stock tight you actually do risk getting ringed really bad.
So I started to develop a flinch with this gun, and not only did I follow Augustus' helper load the gun method, but I also just spent a lot of time dry firing on prairie dogs out in my back yard. I'll find some several hundred yards out and really focus on watching the crosshairs and a good trigger pull. Actually learned a lot about my trigger pull doing this, and I think it made me a better shot. At first the crosshairs would jump a little just from my own bad trigger pull. Give it a try and see if you get any movement out of your crosshairs when the firing pin drops.
Anyways, once I got my flinch calmed down I mounted a slightly heavier scope and also moved down to 210 grain bullets. Gun still kicks but nothing like it did with the 250 Accubombs.
It will help to mount the rifle higher on the bench. Hunkering down behind a hard kicker causes you to lean into the rifle so you cannot roll with the recoil as easily. I have read of guys using a bench that you use standing up for some hard recoiling rifles.
I remember reading in one of the big bullet manufacturer's loading manual years ago that they used a 25 lb bag of lead shot between the stock and shoulder when developing loads for the 460 Weatherby to "prevent badly bruised shoulders."
Some shooters use the Past recoil pad:
http://ads.midwayusa.com/find?userS...il+pad-_-1t1&gclid=CL6t0dTHgL4CFQ5gMgodXDgAPQ
I quit using mine because I couldn't get the stock into a consistent place on my shoulder.
I now use the shooter's friend when I shoot the rifles with heavy recoil:
The Shooter's Friend Recoil Pad : Cabela's
I remember reading in one of the big bullet manufacturer's loading manual years ago that they used a 25 lb bag of lead shot between the stock and shoulder when developing loads for the 460 Weatherby to "prevent badly bruised shoulders."
Some shooters use the Past recoil pad:
http://ads.midwayusa.com/find?userS...il+pad-_-1t1&gclid=CL6t0dTHgL4CFQ5gMgodXDgAPQ
I quit using mine because I couldn't get the stock into a consistent place on my shoulder.
I now use the shooter's friend when I shoot the rifles with heavy recoil:
The Shooter's Friend Recoil Pad : Cabela's
