Recoil, what recoil?

I see that some seem to think that bigger caliber, harder kicking rifles come with a sacrifice of accuracy. While I'm sure that there are much more accurate rifles than ours and much better riflemen than me, for sub 9 pound "sporter weight" rifles ( my wife's is box stock) I think they do pretty well. Mine is generally 2" or a little under @ 300, her's is generally around 2 1/2" @ 300....both with 3 shot groups.

Prior to past hunting season, I verified the 300 yard zeros on both rifles, only firing two rounds.mine was a bit off, so I made a small adjustment. My wife's was close, so I just dropped it 2 clicks. The photo, is of my 2nd two shots after adjustment, and shows the wife's 1st 2 shots. Her 2 shots are about 1 7/8" Center to Center, mine about 1/2" Center to Center. My first 2 shots (prior to adjustment) was just over an inch. I don't generally take a photo of our targets....but I was kinda proud of those two shots! memtb

That'll bring home backstraps...Good shoot'n memtb.

Thanks Beaver10, As soon as I finished typing the response, I realized ...."Hey, I know this guy"! I certainly can't do that everytime, but close enough to build confidence with the rifle! After 29 years, of it being my "only" hunting rifle....I've grown accustomed to it and am pretty comfortable with it! Of course, you've probably heard that...once or twenty times!

There's a big discussion going over on the sheep forum, about rifle selection for a sheep hunt in grizzly country. Been there, done that....this rifle did OK on a sheep! memtb

Gerard Schultz said:

.....but it was ill fitting in the extreme and therein lies the rub. If a rifle is a bad fit and light for the caliber it is shooting, then the perceived recoil is uncomfortable.......

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Which is why 20 guys asked about their perceptions, about size 9 shoes or whatever are going to give a variety of feedback.

Plenty of the big caliber rifles are capable of fine accuracy. Not to many people shoot them well enough to let it show. I feel confident that I can pick up just about any decent shooting rifle that is sighted in for me and make a clean shot out to around 300 yards from just about any field position on a game animal. Anything past that and I want lots of practice with the same gun I am using.Brakes are a game changer for tameing recoil,but I don't want one on a hunting rifle. A word of caution to the ones banging away with the heavy kickers. I now have problems with my shooting shoulder and was told that I need eye surgery so my retina doesn't detach.Doc said it's not normal for someone only 47 years old. Pretty sure its from the countless magnum rounds over the years. Something nobody uses much anymore but is a good compromise is the original magnaport. It reduces recoil about 20-25 percent. It does made things louder,but not nearly as bad as a brake does,and there is no extra barrel length.

I find that most folks who complain about recoil are talking about when shot from a bench. I have used up to a 338 win mag on game, and never had problems in the field. Those with medical issues, like I now have, should shoot whatever they are comfortable with, assuming it is of adequate power for the game they hunt.

I personally loved to shoot my 338 from a bench before. Not so much now. But I wouldn't be afraid to hunt with it still. Just my .02.

Speaking of shooting at a bench or in the dirt at paper or steel...It's pretty much been proven that most joe's can shoot a low recoiling rifle better than a magnum. For that matter, any medium to large critter rifle in a lightweight package, including a 7/08 as an example, where the weight to chambering makes the rifle "snappy", some aren't going to shoot it as well as something in the 223 Win arena where recoil is almost unnoticed...It's just a fact.

It's not a slam against anyone. Some who hunt a magnum can do the obligatory proper sighting in of their magnum without giving away any accuracy. Same goes for the shot made in the field at fur versus printing holes in paper...A lot of joe's can make a great shot with their magnum again, and again...Not a problem.

But, it's the joe who has trouble on the bench sighting in that magnum or that "snappy" lightweight rig who will likely have some trouble in the field with a missed shot, or worse, the unenviable wounding that takes all hands on deck to track down and put a final into their game animal...

I'm not talking about ethics here at all...Swing whatever you want. You're the one who will know first if recoil bothers you. The rest of us will see it on the hunt when it becomes a regular rodeo you bring us into with missed shots or woundings because you are having issues at the break of the trigger.

I hunt with a magnum, always have after being learned up properly on an 06 at the young age where I could control the recoil enough to know it wasn't something to fear...With that said, I enjoy practicing with my big game rifles, but I prefer to play with any rifle that has less recoil.

SMK1000plus said:

That's a buttplate, not a recoil pad. Yes, that will make the recoil very notable! I still have a couple older 700s with the buttplate. One is a 1962 7mm Rem Mag! Adding a quality 1" thick recoil pad won't hinder accuracy, in will improve it. It will slow down the effect of the recoil and let the bullet exit the barrel with less rifle motion before it does. It will also slowdown your shoulder/body motion, again lessening the rifle movement that occurs before the bullet escapes the bore.

If the rifle is a heirloom, a collectible or has sentimental value, then I understand not altering it. You'll just have to suffer through. If not, add the pad!

If you truly have issue with that nasty recoiling Remington 700 ADL 30-06 with a Laminate stock, I might be interested in helping by taking it off your hands, for a reasonable price! I only own nine '06s right now. I could use one more!

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Oh no, I love that rifle. I'll never sell it. I'm going to keep the buttplate, but find a Remington recoil pad, like on the sendero, to match to the stock. I want to keep it all stock. It's just got sentimental value is all. Nothing much more than that. Oh it's really accurate for an untouched, factory Remington too!

Gcan said:

Rifle should kick but not smack u in the face.

Check to see if the barrel is hitting the stock, action bedded tightly or if the recoil lug is not in contact with the bearing surface of the stock.

Run the dollar bill under barrel back to action. If its snug anywhere its probably hitting when fired.

I'm assuming stock is not cracked.



I have seen a few guns that SING when they shoot.

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everything is torqued to spec. It free floats as well and sits evenly in the stock. It's not bedded. Stock is in mint condition. It's honestly probably me and the way I'm holding the rifle. I tend to caution toward shooter error before I go messing around with the rifle. That's great advice though. It's something to check on all my rifles.

300 whisper-- I kinda have the same thing. Been hunting my a 30/06 that was my dad's for about 30 years. I put a good kick-was pad and set the trigger at 2-1/2 lbs. The newer rem pads are about the same,just weren't around back then. That was one of the best choices I ever made! I don't know how many 06 s I 've shot but that one was the worst. After the pad it is fun to shoot off of a bench. Since I shoot it more and did a lot more load development after the pad i have more confidence with it and a longer range for hunting. This has been an interesting thread,but I think this is what the Op was first getting at. I don't regret at all that the stock was cut down a little for the pad. The only other changes ever made was a new sling and scope--out of necessity. No bedding or floating and shoots under 1/2 inch groups with 165 s.

300whisper said:

everything is torqued to spec. It free floats as well and sits evenly in the stock. It's not bedded. Stock is in mint condition. It's honestly probably me and the way I'm holding the rifle. I tend to caution toward shooter error before I go messing around with the rifle. That's great advice though. It's something to check on all my rifles.

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300whisper, that face slap you experience with your 30-06 is caused by the metal buttplate! The rifle recoil it transmitted to your shoulder so much faster than with even a thin recoil pad, that it jerks your shoulder back much more violently, which snatches your neck down and propels your face/check weld down into the stock. It is a common occurrence on old rifles with metal buttplates.

Back when metal buttplates were the norm, most shooters (mostly hunters) rarely shot over 5 rounds in a given day. The face slap was the normal consequence of shooting most rifles and so was expected and accepted. For a few rounds, particularly at game, it wasn't an issue. Today, most of us shoot between 20 to over 100 rounds in one shooting session. I personally shoot @ 50 to 100 rounds out of each rifle I bring that day, and I always bring at least three, usually five. You probably wouldn't want to shoot 100 rounds of my standard 30-06 load; 212gr ELD-X moving at 2,470 fps, out of your metal buttplate 30-06 would you?

You stated that your stock is a laminate. That means your rifle isn't one of the early 1960 to 1970 vintage rifles or it has been re-stocked. If you plan to shoot that 30-06 very much, have the stock shortened to fit you with a quality recoil pad installed. If you plan to pass it on to one of you children or grandchildren, have it fit to them, or to the length you estimate they'll need when grown. If you leave it original, consider what will become of it the first time whoever you leave it to gets a bruised shoulder, or worse, gets scoped! Chances are, they won't expect the recoil associated with a metal buttplate. They'll be use to rifles with decent recoil pads and hopefully suppressors, or at least good muzzle brakes by then...

That's a great explanation. It's a 2006 Remington 700 ADL. I'm the first / original owner. Bought it when I turned 18 at our local Walmart in my tiny little town. I have to double check the buttplate. It's probably plastic now that I think about it. Anyway it doesn't work. I'm going to probably swap it out with a new recoil pad.

300whisper said:

That's a great explanation. It's a 2006 Remington 700 ADL. I'm the first / original owner. Bought it when I turned 18 at our local Walmart in my tiny little town. I have to double check the buttplate. It's probably plastic now that I think about it. Anyway it doesn't work. I'm going to probably swap it out with a new recoil pad.

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Yes, that MFG date will most certainly not be metal. I wouldn't worry with degrading the value of that rifle. They made thousands of those. You are young, so have the rifle fit to you and have a good recoil pad installed when they do it. You'll really enjoy shooting that rifle once it's done. Incidentally, you may want to bed the action or have a reputable gunsmith do it for you. A quality bedding job has always made my rifles shoot better, even if they were sub-MOA to begin with. Just considering the rifle itself, the lack of, or improper bedding is usually the biggest offender when it comes to POI shift! Once properly bedded, your laminate stock should be stable for the life of the rifle...

I agree with smk. Only reason I 've never bedded or floated mine is because it's just never off no matter what the weatherweather. Everything.else gets it done shortly after I buy it. Think of the minor mode kinda like buying a new car without a stereo--you e add.one. If you bought a new 4x4 with street tires and kept getting stuck--- you would put better tires on it. It s still the great rifle but now it is better suited for you and will like it even better. If you do the work yourself you will like it even better because you put the work in to make it better and more enjoyable for you.--- At least that's how I feel.