i was wanting to no some good ways to reduce recoil on my ML w/o haveing to drop the amount of powder or the sabot/bullet wieght. i have thought about a muzzlebrake but the problem is finding one big enough for the size of the sabot and what will happen to the plastic wad when it leaves the barrle and also cost,,so i think that may be out of the question (unless the is something i dont know about out there that will work) so i came here for suggestion if u have any,,

hmmm...dont know if porting or muzzlebreaks work on a muzzleloader.......worth a look.......take it to a gunsmith and ask......also...maybe a GOOD recoilpad.....adding weight to the rifle can help also......take off the recoil pad...drill it...fill it with some lead...and put the recoil pad back on....i heard of that..never did it..and couldnt tell you how much lead or anything....and it would mess up the balance if alot was added.......why cant you shoot a lighter bullet? or drop the charge??? i know patch n balls barely have any recoil even with 90 or 100grs of BP........and i have a BRASS recoil pad....but a 350gr maxi and 90grs pf powder hits me pretty dang hard......there a reason why you cant change?? muzzleloaders dont really recoil hard.....sounds like you might be shooting a 150gr load.....which really isnt needed unless your hunting something huge or trying to make loooooong shots.........

Add weight to the rifle or get a better recoil pad. If you are shooting a magnum charge, load down. I doubt you are gaining much from it. And most ML's I have seen are not that accurate with that much powder, few can burn it all.

Having a faster flatter shooting bullet doesn't do you much good if you flinch everytime you pull the trigger.

You can put a brake on a ML, but if you use loose powder it may be pain to load properly. Also it will suck to clean because the vents will get fouled, especially if you are not burning all your powder. Not to mention the guys at the range will look at you like you have a mental problem if you show up with a muzzle break on a muzzle loader. And they are pretty loud.

Paul

A very good quality recoil pad is going to be the best way to fight this problem since you do not want to change your load. I am guessing you found a high power great shooting load but do not like the recoil. So you want to cut the recoil and a better pad will do that for you...

One of mine came equipped with a muzzle brake , and it does seem to help with felt recoil , but it still "bumped" my shoulder a little hard for my taste with loads over 100 grains . Drilling/leading my stock wasn't an option since it's a hollow synthetic stock , so I added a $10 Pachmayer slip on recoil pad , which seemed to help .

Simms is makeing some good recoil pads .

Ever tried filling your stock? At the very least some spray foam with a heavy bolt or old bowstabilizer would help. You could also use silicone caulk if you fill it gradually. Fill a bit then let it set up for a few days then fill some more until it's mostly full. I filled a coupleof stocks that way and it helped a bunch.

Before you start with your weapon, invest in The PAST Super Mag Plus Shield.
http://www.battenfeldtechnologies.com/past.html
330110
I always wear one for load development and repetitive shooting.

For the field if I am hunting with a hard kicking rifle or load, I will also wear the Super Mag+ Shield.

Works fantastic!

If that does not cure your recoil blues, then I would look to a Limbsaver recoil butt pad
http://www.limbsaver.com/limbsaver/home.aspx
and then lastly a muzzlebreak/or porting. Which can be done by a full service gunsmith.

Regards,

Tahquamenon

I bought a "Limbsaver" recoil padfor my TC Omega... GREAT improvement! I would highly recommend one.

Same here,bought the "CUSTOM" fit Simms Limbsaver pad for my Omega.It works real well,but the "custom fit sucks.

Charlie