Acctually, you are built to take recoil very well. You will move more easily, rather than soak up the force of the recoil. Tall, skinny folks tend to handle more recoil with less pain. Someone who is 5'10 250# will take a real beating compared to the same height person in a 135# frame.
Really depends on you. What sort of experience do you have with firearms?
__________________ You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. - Kid Rock
You need to shoot a variety of calibers and rounds and determine it for yourself. There is no clear answer. You could just go with a caliber such as a 7mm-08 that is favored by many, as it is relatively low in recoil, yet takes game very well.
I already own a .308 bolt-action, and the recoil doesn't bother me at all, and it's a really fun gun to shoot, IMO.
I can fire an SKS just fine since I was 12, and when shooting handguns, my dad's 40 S&W is fine, I don't feel the recoil, it's one of those Taurus Milleniums, and the trigger is crappy, so that's what I think about when I shoot it, not the recoil. And I think shooting a 9mm is pretty fun.
As for shotguns, I don't have too much experiance with those, since I've only fired 2 3/4 inch in a Mossberg 500 pump-action, and it didn't bother me.
I've never fired a magnum, and the last time I shot a 30-06 was when I was 11, and I could shoot it several times, but I didn't like it.But, I haven't shot one in years, so it would be more milder now, I bet.
I think the real question isn't how much recoil you can handle. Apparently you don't mind getting knocked down, which is all good and well.
The real question is how much recoil can you handle ACCURATELY.
I'll stand up to a .460 Weatherby without a brake (although reluctantly), but don't expect me to shoot MOA groups with it. The word, flinch, comes to mind.
I am sure you could walk away from an encounter with just about anything, but being able to have the discipline to squeeze off the shot, knowing you are about to get a good thumping is the measure of your max caliber.
__________________ You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve. - Kid Rock
That's why I mentioned what do you think I could shoot well, WITH PRACTICE.
I heard a saying, "If you're going to learn how to shoot a gun that kicks alot, you're going to have to shoot a gun that kicks alot."
I heard one guy say I should try out a .300 Win. Mag. Then there's this 15-year old guy on here who wants to get a .338, and everyone thinks he can handle it.
I'm not asking for precise "What can I shoot", I'm just asking for an educated(or semi-educated) guess.
I shoot my .308 very accurately,I have a Shooter's Edge 3x9x50 scope on it.(Manufactured by Bushnell).
I do well out to 100 yards; I just haven't had much practice beyond that.
Everybody is different on how well they handle recoil. I have a Marlin .450 and a lot of people will not shoot it, but my buddies wife who weighs about 110 pounds shoots it all the time. You just need to try out different guns and see how well you can shoot them.
__________________
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What do you think is my limit?
