Sounds like a lot of folks have an aversion to big bores (300WinMag and up) based on their experienced recoil or imagined/anticipated recoil. I think for many the honeymoon with a big bore is usually over right after the purchase when the scope gets put on and now it is time to go to the range and sight that bad boy in. So for you big bore shooters, what techniques do you use to handle recoil during sight in (primary) and practice (secondary) with a big bore?

Try using muzzle brake. A friend has a 30-378 Weatherby with factory brake that kicks less than my 30-06. We also got to shoot his 270mag, and 300 Weatherby mags with brakes. While shooting at the range on bags the cross hairs never move from target even with the 30-378. One suggestion though - buy a good set of ear plugs as any gun with a brake will be verrry loooouudd.

When you are first sigthing in that big boy you are being attacked from two angles and it seems like bullies, alone neither one is very tough but together they are unstoppable. Most of the time if you take away one factor the other is manageable. In my case all I needed to do is get great ear protection and the kick suddenly didn't seem so bad because the sound was just a little pop rather than thundering boom that made my ears ring. Alot of ranges have raincovers or other factors that amplify sound anyway.

I did have a friend that ear protection wasn't enough so he bought a new recoil pad and with the ear protection that did the trick. He said the new pad installed easily on his new rifle and to him it felt like half the recoil. Practice that way in hunting stances. While hunting you'll never hear or feel a thing and you'll be deadly accurate.

1) Make sure your rifle fits you ~ you can do this before you buy it.

2) If it doesn't come with a good recoil pad, get one. The Pachmayr "Decelerator" absorbs a lot of recoil.

3) I wouldn't resort to a muzzle-brake. It makes the gun loud and it's not very sportsmanlike to your hunting or shooting companions. But that's just me. If it's your cup of tea, by all means get one.

4) Don't feel sissy at the range with a good PAST recoli shield. Shooting off a bench is very artificial, and felt recoil is magnified through your unyielding body-position.

5) Shoot off "shooting positions" as much as you can. For instance, the sitting position will allow your body to "give" under recoil, thus greatly minimizing the gun's punch. Also, practice with these will make you a better field shot.

6) Mount your scope as far forward as possible. Obviously, you will have to choose a scope with adequate eye-relief. Also, never crawl the stock of a heavy rifle. There's nothing like scope-bite to give you a flinch in no time.

7) If you are recoil-sensitive but like the benefits of a heavy gun, steer clear of the lightweight models. A good 7mm Mag or 300 Win weighing 8.5lbs scoped and loaded should not be very unpleasant to shoot.

8) There's recoil and recoil as far as "felt" recoil goes. Many shooters feel a considerable difference between the short-and-fast punch of a 7mm Mag or .300 Mag and the long-and-slow shove of a .375.

9) Given adequate gun weight, good fit and proper scope-mounting, any gun giving you up to 50ft/lbs recoil should feel acceptable.

10) When you practice, go back to your .22 every time you feel like you are developing a flinch and/or every time your shoulder starts feeling raw.

Tom

That's some great advice .333. I shoot my .22 a lot in the off season just so to keep my skills sharp. It's cheap and it'll help keep you tuned up. I use a BOSS sytem on my .300 and I have a non-ported weight that I put on when I am hunting..really saves on everyones ears, mine included. At the range when zeroing however, I use the ported muzzle brake and that .300 kicks significantly less than my .270.
When I am practicing (sitting, prone, sticks) I set the gun up as it would be for hunting. Like .333 mentioned though, recoil is not nearly as big an issue when your shoulder has got some give to it.

A lot has to do with how often you shoot.The people that have the most problems are those that shoot infrequently.A friend of mine used to shoot quite well until he moved to a different city that does not have a local range.He went from shooting a lot to shooting only to sight in his gun before the season.He now has a terrible flinch that he never had before.Another friend has lost interest in practising during the off season.He too has developed a bad flinch that cost him an animal this past fall.It seems that those that shoot often but not too many shots at an outing are able to get used to recoil and overcome any tendency to flinch.
In any case I would not resort to a muzzle brake as the great increase in noise can quickly damage hearing and can cause flinches as well.

Yes, Dreamin'

I forgot to mention those "variable" brakes. Although I have never used one, I have friends who've had excellent results with them. And they sure help tame the extra recoil of a mag at the range.

Tom

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Analogy: Shooting big bores versus small bores is like playing in the NFL versus flag football in the park! You can get "hurt" doing either one; however, the pros in the NFL will use all the equipment, tricks, and techniques available to their advantage - if you are shooting big bores you should too!

Nitro, Dreamin, Gator, Dreamin, Rather, Stuble, Otis - those are some great tips, much appreciated! All the following ideas are oriented toward sight in and practice, not necessarily for hunting.

EQUIPMENT:
(1) Make sure the the stock is long enough, add "plates" if necessary don't allow yourself to get "hunched up."
(2) Scope forward with lots of eye relief was an essential tip - don't get "hunched up."
(3) Make sure your trigger pull is not too heavy or too light (2 to 4 pounds) you don't want it to surprise you (too light) nor have a delayed shot when you are trying to squeeeeeze off a shot (too heavy).
(4) Stock up on "cheaters": good recoil pad on the rifle for sure, "strap on" shoulder pad for you, and take a pair of leather gloves with you for spacing or for additional padding.
(5) The bully/ear protection tip was a great one! I wear plugs AND muffs not that the muzzle blast is bad, but as was said earlier I want to TOTALLY ELIMINATE report so that only recoil remains to be dealt with. It makes the whole process more tame and tends to "remove" and "detach" you from explosion that is occuring near your face (with all guns) when you pull the trigger.
(6) If you use a muzzlebreak be keenly aware of the damage you can do to others positioned laterally to you, especially in the field! The non-ported replacement for hunting was a great tip!

RANGE/SIGHT IN TECHNIQUE:
(1) If your big bore doesn't have a scope on it when you get it, then go shoot it with iron sights just as a first introduction. Load up with all the "cheaters" and fire standing up (maximum body flex) and don't even use a target just a back drop. When you decide to shoot, squeeze the trigger quick. Take control right up front and just get accustomed to the rock and roll - hitting comes later. If it does have a scope on it do the same thing just sight over the scope and fire with both eyes open. This is a much better introduction than hunching up on a bench rest and concerning yourself with the 10 ring and then learning the recoil involved.
(2) When sighting in bore sight it first and use a large cardboard backdrop to attach your target so you can "get it on paper" quickly and get it sighted in with fewer total shots and less stress.
(3) Keep your thumb away from your nose! If your stock fits you right it won't be a problem, if it's too short for you then a stinger to your nose/upper lip will give you a quick flinch (big bore not required for this one!). If I'm shooting a rifle that is too short for me then I don't wrap my thumb on around the stock grip (three fingers have that covered). I lay my thumb up the backside near the back of the bolt.
(4) At the range take your own forearm rest (18" or so - cardboard box, case, etc.) and sit up high instead of hunching down low. You want to "roll" with it not "defeat" it.
(5) If your group is erratic and you can't tell if you are flinching, then use the "tag team" set up. You have live rounds and dummy rounds (protect the firing pin). Your partner loads your gun (one at a time) while you look away. You don't know if the round is live or a dummy. When you dry fire one if you are flinching, then it will be obvious, also if you are calm and cool, then that also will be obvious.

PRACTICE:
I may take some heat for this one, but here goes. I assume your big bore will be one of the later guns you will add to your "hunting toolbox." We sight all our rifles in a 200 yards and from 0 to 200 yards there isn't a nickels worth of difference between them. Once you have that bad boy sighted in, then in my mind there isn't a much of sense in shooting it a whole lot - put it away.

We shoot 338's and a 375HH for hunting season but we practice through the year with a Remington 788 in .223, prairie dog gun, no recoil, no report to speak of, harmless. Work on technique! 50, 100, 200 yards. Standing, kneeling, sitting, prone, off hand, off trees, off cross-sticks, lots and lots and lots of repetitions, no "injuries", and cheap. Just like a NFL team practicing you want to sharpen up without "injury." Then at the end of the "plinking" session we'll fire one to four rounds through each of our respective big bores and make it a point to STOP on the first good shot, even if it is the first one! In my mind using many of these sessions is superior to two or three slugfests.

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

EKM

Edited by - ELKampMaster on 12/27/2002 23:39:49

Edited by - ELKampMaster on 12/27/2002 23:42:41

Edited by - ELKampMaster on 12/27/2002 23:45:52

Edited by - ELKampMaster on 12/28/2002 14:49:05

When a person dosen't shoot much,shooting the &quot;big-boys&quot; can be tough. I always start off slow during sightin. Take a shot,wait a bit and shoot again. This takes more time but easyer on the shoulder and when is't time to quit,you'll know...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hunt Safe!

Jack