Free Recoil on Light Rifle Affecting Accuracy?

[Calvin45]

Agreed. I think there's a huge argument to be made for hunters to quit obsessing over working up loads at the bench to try to get consistent 1/2-3/4 MOA, settle for a 1moa load and use the extra components and time for field shooting practice. Most misses are made due to wind call or positional shooting errors.... Not a 1/2" vs 1" load at the bench.

Agreed. Lately I've been going back to my childhood shooting roots haha, finding it far more challenging and fun to shoot at Tin cans and jugs and stuff at different distances with iron sights just standing, no rest. Old Cooey 22lr, ruger 10/22, my iron sighted .358 Norma magnum, and dads old 30-30. (The .358 was NOT part of my childhood haha)

 

[Greyfox]

Given recoil/flinching isn't an issue for you, it's doubtful that a brake will solve your accuracy problem. By the time a brake does it's job in reducing recoil, the bullet is out of the barrel. The solution to the issue with a light barrel has to be solved by developing a hold that reduces the barrel movement as much as possible during primary recoil, and doing it exactly the same with every shot. This is the challenge of accurately shooting a high intensity cartridge in a light rifle.

 

[charliewhisky]

My Tikka T3x Superlite 30 06 is a thumper with 178 grain ELD-x handloads.

I shoot off a Caldwell Rock front rest and a rear bag.

I've found that Tikka can be tricky to shoot accurate. I don't have a flinch and follow through on the shot but man that muzzle jumps. I wonder if reducing that muzzle jump would improve accuracy.

I'm considering a Witt's clamp on brake or just holding the stock when shooting.

Anyone find allowing a light rifle to freely recoil off a front rest affect

My Tikka T3x Superlite 30 06 is a thumper with 178 grain ELD-x handloads.

I shoot off a Caldwell Rock front rest and a rear bag.

I've found that Tikka can be tricky to shoot accurate. I don't have a flinch and follow through on the shot but man that muzzle jumps. I wonder if reducing that muzzle jump would improve accuracy.

I'm considering a Witt's clamp on brake or just holding the stock when shooting.

Anyone find allowing a light rifle to freely recoil off a front rest affect accuracy?

I
I lack the long experience with long range shooting that most on this forum have. That being said, I can say without any doubt in my mind that consistency is everything. I have a 700LR in 30-06 that was worked over by an expert and to which I added some trigger improvement. I tried shooting of a bipod, and a pack, and could not get consistent results. Close but never close enough. I finally started using a M1907 Military Style Leather Rifle Sling rigged for shooting to provide stability. I dumped the bipod and started using available supports and my pack and the added pressure and consistancy of hold improved my shooting dramatically. I have since switched to a Ching Sling with increased improvement and consistency from all shooting positions.

I plan to add a Ching sling to a Marlin 30-06 I have but I am a little concerned that on this very lite rifle barrel the increased pressure on the forearm from the sling will warp the barrel. The barrel was not originally free floated, but I have reamed out the stock and bedded the action, so we will see.

I guess my bottom line is that if a truly solid shoulder hold and consistent positioning from a Ching Sling will improve consistency on a 13-pound rifle, it should improve a 6-pound rifle.

 

[charliewhisky]

Given recoil/flinching isn't an issue for you, it's doubtful that a brake will solve your accuracy problem. By the time a brake does it's job in reducing recoil, the bullet is out of the barrel. The solution to the issue with a light barrel has to be solved by developing a hold that reduces the barrel movement as much as possible during primary recoil, and doing it exactly the same with every shot. This is the challenge of accurately shooting a high intensity cartridge in a light rifle.

Ching Sling.

 

[cabelasken]

My Tikka T3x Superlite 30 06 is a thumper with 178 grain ELD-x handloads.

I shoot off a Caldwell Rock front rest and a rear bag.

I've found that Tikka can be tricky to shoot accurate. I don't have a flinch and follow through on the shot but man that muzzle jumps. I wonder if reducing that muzzle jump would improve accuracy.

I'm considering a Witt's clamp on brake or just holding the stock when shootinI have a

My Tikka T3x Superlite 30 06 is a thumper with 178 grain ELD-x handloads.

I shoot off a Caldwell Rock front rest and a rear bag.

I've found that Tikka can be tricky to shoot accurate. I don't have a flinch and follow through on the shot but man that muzzle jumps. I wonder if reducing that muzzle jump would improve accuracy.

I'm considering a Witt's clamp on brake or just holding the stock when shooting.

Anyone find allowing a light rifle to freely recoil off a front rest affect accuracy?

My Tikka T3x Superlite 30 06 is a thumper with 178 grain ELD-x handloads.

I shoot off a Caldwell Rock front rest and a rear bag.

I've found that Tikka can be tricky to shoot accurate. I don't have a flinch and follow through on the shot but man that muzzle jumps. I wonder if reducing that muzzle jump would improve accuracy.

I'm considering a Witt's clamp on brake or just holding the stock when shooting.

Anyone find allowing a light rifle to freely recoil off a front rest affect accuracy?

Your shooting form has to be perfect when you fire a rifle that weighs less than 7.5 lbs complete and when you get to 6.5 lbs it's 10 times worse. I have a titantium remington in 7-08 and for years i could not get below a 1 1/2 MOA average. I mentioned this to a custom rifle maker and he told me that less than 5% of the shooting public have the ability to accurately shoot a gun this light on the bench, much less in the field. To just prove to myself that the gun is accurate, I've gone to the Caldwell bull bags that support the forend on three sides (remove the front stud) and have now gotten my groups down to 1 MOA. I now only carry this gun in the field where I think my shots will be under 200 yds.

 

[General RE LEE]

Consistency is the name of the game! We obsess over it in our handloading regimen but sometimes neglect it in our shooting practice.

Additionally, it's highly unlikely that you're gonna get the exact same shooting position offered you in the field…prone is ideal but
Sometimes your shoot freehand or leaned up against a tree. Good to get an idea of what happens when you have to shoot like that. Lots of guys can no doubt shoot half moa groups at 600 and would struggle to connect with a milk jug at 200 shooting standing offhand. But for hunting that's a silly thing to not be ready and able to do.

Thank you. I hunt out of box blinds with windows so I have a steady front rest and use shooting sticks to support the butt stock like a rear bag.

 

[Lionel Boyd Johnson]

My Tikka T3x Superlite 30 06 is a thumper with 178 grain ELD-x handloads.

I shoot off a Caldwell Rock front rest and a rear bag.

I've found that Tikka can be tricky to shoot accurate. I don't have a flinch and follow through on the shot but man that muzzle jumps. I wonder if reducing that muzzle jump would improve accuracy.

I'm considering a Witt's clamp on brake or just holding the stock when shooting.

Anyone find allowing a light rifle to freely recoil off a front rest affect accuracy?

With the exception of rifles built for "benchrest" that have the flat-bottom forend and balance forward, I believe you will get best accuracy gripping the forend and pulling the rifle back into your shoulder while maintaining even contact wtih both front and rear bags. That is, sort of simulating how you would grip and shoulder the rifle in the field; but with the added stability of the two rests. The lighter the rifle, the more important the evenness and repeatability of the hold is to accuracy.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

I have a factory Savage rifle, in 308, I am trying to use it for Competition Score Shooting. Rifle must remain stock, as per rules. I am using the 115 Grn. Berger Flat Base Target Bullets ,3031 Powder, and Win LR primers in matched Win Cases. I tried shooting it free for many sessions until my Gunsmith and fellow competitor said. "You Cannot shoot 308 Free." So now I Grip the rifle . Still have not won a match!!

 

[charliewhisky]

I have a factory Savage rifle, in 308, I am trying to use it for Competition Score Shooting. Rifle must remain stock, as per rules. I am using the 115 Grn. Berger Flat Base Target Bullets ,3031 Powder, and Win LR primers in matched Win Cases. I tried shooting it free for many sessions until my Gunsmith and fellow competitor said. "You Cannot shoot 308 Free." So now I Grip the rifle . Still have not won a match!!

Try a Ching Sling. repeatability,

 

[General RE LEE]

I
I lack the long experience with long range shooting that most on this forum have. That being said, I can say without any doubt in my mind that consistency is everything. I have a 700LR in 30-06 that was worked over by an expert and to which I added some trigger improvement. I tried shooting of a bipod, and a pack, and could not get consistent results. Close but never close enough. I finally started using a M1907 Military Style Leather Rifle Sling rigged for shooting to provide stability. I dumped the bipod and started using available supports and my pack and the added pressure and consistancy of hold improved my shooting dramatically. I have since switched to a Ching Sling with increased improvement and consistency from all shooting positions.

I plan to add a Ching sling to a Marlin 30-06 I have but I am a little concerned that on this very lite rifle barrel the increased pressure on the forearm from the sling will warp the barrel. The barrel was not originally free floated, but I have reamed out the stock and bedded the action, so we will see.

I guess my bottom line is that if a truly solid shoulder hold and consistent positioning from a Ching Sling will improve consistency on a 13-pound rifle, it should improve a 6-pound rifle.

I initially read that as "chink sling". I thought "hmmm this is interesting. Maybe a Korean War vet designed it" lol

 

[436]

I would think a .30-06 Springfield in any rifle lighter than 9.5 lbs is going to start having some real bite at the butt end, especially when you get over 150gr bullet weight. Just my 0.2 Cheers

 

[Bull_Mtn]

I shoot a Model 70 .300 WSM that I was lucky to get 1.5 MOA groups. I finally got a Gentry break installed and the barrel and action bedded. This got my groups down to 1 MOA, but I was still getting a sore shoulder after a morning of shooting. I read about the Limbsaver Pad on LRH and installed one on the rifle. Huge improvement! I shoot off a bench with a Sinclair front rest and Protektor rear rest. So I have a very stable platform. Lastly I installed a Timney trigger, switched to Hammer Hunter 181 gr bullets and again a tip from LRH, started holding the forearm. I'm now consistently shooting groups under 1/2 MOA. After three shots the barrel really heats up so I limit the groups to three shots. That's plenty for elk hunting

 

[General RE LEE]

I shoot a Model 70 .300 WSM that I was lucky to get 1.5 MOA groups. I finally got a Gentry break installed and the barrel and action bedded. This got my groups down to 1 MOA, but I was still getting a sore shoulder after a morning of shooting. I read about the Limbsaver Pad on LRH and installed one on the rifle. Huge improvement! I shoot off a bench with a Sinclair front rest and Protektor rear rest. So I have a very stable platform. Lastly I installed a Timney trigger, switched to Hammer Hunter 181 gr bullets and again a tip from LRH, started holding the forearm. I'm now consistently shooting groups under 1/2 MOA. After three shots the barrel really heats up so I limit the groups to three shots. That's plenty for elk hunting

I also have the Limbsaver Pad. Great upgrade to a Tikka.

 

[Mark37082]

Brakes definitely help felt recoil, but my ears hate them. I struggle with muzzle flip on a heavy 7RM. It is primarily shot off a bench with a Harris bipod. Accuracy is acceptable but spotting my hits is nearly impossible. Ive tried changing up my hold and installed a good brake, but still can't spot my hits without adjusting after shot. I don't have this problem with a light 308 win. There are so many things that effect rifle position after the shot. I am going to keep trying different things including different rifles and cartridges until I find a something that I am happy with.