M14/M305 - how is the recoil?

P

PeteKalin

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
Location
GTA
Thinking about buying my first rifle and looking at the M14/M305 - good enough looking, not too expensive, and medium range.
I just worry about the recoil as I have an injured right shoulder (sport injury).
When I do trap shooting with my semi-auto 12gauge Beretta (abt 100-125 rounds a day) I wear a shoulder pad and it solves the problem.
How is the kick of M14? Are there any options to reduce it?
I do not see any special butt pads for recoil reduction for M14 like we have for shootguns.
Are any rounds with the lower fps to reduce the recoil (especially if I am going to shoot it a lot)?
I like SKS too but it looks like it's a pain in the neck to install scopes on them…
Thanks in advance
 
much easier than a shotgun for sure.
recoil on the m14 is easily handled and should be of no concern.
the weight of the rifle and the way the gas system is designed pretty much makes it an awesome and user friendly rifle to shoot lots of rounds with ;)
 
For being a 308 round it recoils very mildly. The weight of the rifle and the fact it is a gas operated rifle help. Last summer i was shooting it in a t shirt and last week was shooting in a t shirt and light jacket off the bench with only a front sand bag rest. I only had time for 30 rounds but was begging for more.

The good news is that should you buy one and not like it you can pretty much sell it for what you payed for it. Provided you didn't overpay.




45 acpking beat me to it. Lol
 
I've cycled Federal fusion low recoil ammo thru mine, it's stout enough to cycle the action... But any 150gr hunting ammo is quite pleasant to shoot from it.

If your not a tinkerer tho it may not be the ideal rifle for you... They typically require some fiddling to shoot consistently and can be a pain in the neck to put an optic on... Litterely no matter what mount you choose (the m14.ca CASM works excellent) the scope sits so high it demands a cheek rest be put on the stock.
 
PeteKalin said:
Thinking about buying my first rifle and looking at the M14/M305 - good enough looking, not too expensive, and medium range.
I just worry about the recoil as I have an injured right shoulder (sport injury).
When I do trap shooting with my semi-auto 12gauge Beretta (abt 100-125 rounds a day) I wear a shoulder pad and it solves the problem.
How is the kick of M14? Are there any options to reduce it?
I do not see any special butt pads for recoil reduction for M14 like we have for shootguns.
Are any rounds with the lower fps to reduce the recoil (especially if I am going to shoot it a lot)?
I like SKS too but it looks like it's a pain in the neck to install scopes on them…
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Buy the M14/M305, u'll love it! Won't even think about recoil after a few rounds. Like most of us u'll mod it out spending more then u'll ever get back in $$ but it will always be ur fav. Then go buy 2 SKS's...one that's a nice all matching no referb Russian collector in a lam stock and one good Russian referb that you can bubba the crap out of and never cry if ya beat it up a bit...again like most of us u'll love them and they too will join the realm of "your favourite" gun:)

Btw...both of these are a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, are typically very reliable and can be very useful tools when needed:) a great investment both!
 
PeteKalin said:
thank you for your input.
If it is high does it allow the usage of iron sights?
Click to expand...

CASM replaces the rear sight, and sits as low as a mount can go, so no irons there.
There are other see thru sights out there. I'm not sure if the ARMS18 is one of them. Don't cheap out on the mount if you scope it. I know it's painful to pay 1/3+ the price of the rifle for the mount but buying a cheap mount that doesn't hold zero will frustrate you to no end. Pay once, cry once. Also see thru is pretty useless. Sure you can barely use the irons, with a limited sight picture and virtually no elevation adjustment, but why would you want when it's scoped.
As others have stated, the m305 is heavy which significantly reduces recoil + gas system. There are also plenty of muzzle breaks available. Probably one of the lightest recoiling 308 out there.
 
The M-14 rifle is a pretty gentle shooter; in no way comparable to a 12 ga unless we're talking about skeet loads. That said, there are lighter, handier .308 rifles available, and given good fit to shooter, a good quality recoil pad, and good shooting technique, the .308 should not be beyond the abilities of a physically fit adult. The M-14 does have some advantages though. Most importantly, like any semi-auto it allows the rifleman to make multiple shots without needing to break his firing grip or cheek weld. Equipped with a USGI rear sight, the adjustments are precise, and the sight picture is excellent. An M-14 receives top marks for reliability and ruggedness, combined with good practical accuracy. It can be easily stripped for cleaning without tools or the risk of loosing a bunch of little springs and pins. There are some desirable aftermarket products available for M-14 rifles, so one need not be restricted to the old Garand style stock unless that is his preference.

The disadvantages of the M-14 can be played down, but they are real and should be taken into consideration. Weight is the most obvious, and an M-14 is heavy for the power it wields, my M-70 .458 is similar in weight. Neither the Garand nor the M-14 was originally designed for use with optics, so mounting options are limited, at least compared to modern rifles, although scoped M-14s are fairly common. The M-14 trigger can be decent enough, but due to the elements necessary in a semi-auto rifle trigger, it will never be as good as a good bolt gun trigger. Aftermarket accessories are available for the M-14, but as with the purchase of aftermarket accessories for any product, it can significantly increase the cost of the rifle without necessarily increasing it's worth. Make sure you need the accessories you intend to purchase.
 
PeteKalin said:
Thinking about buying my first rifle and looking at the M14/M305 - good enough looking, not too expensive, and medium range.
I just worry about the recoil as I have an injured right shoulder (sport injury).
When I do trap shooting with my semi-auto 12gauge Beretta (abt 100-125 rounds a day) I wear a shoulder pad and it solves the problem.
How is the kick of M14? Are there any options to reduce it?
I do not see any special butt pads for recoil reduction for M14 like we have for shootguns. Q
Are any rounds with the lower fps to reduce the recoil (especially if I am going to shoot it a lot)?
I like SKS too but it looks like it's a pain in the neck to install scopes on them…
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Recoil is minor, it weights more than your typical bolt gun etc. Be careful with reduced loads as there may not be enough gas to cycle the action properly. It's a battle rifle, beat on it!
 
They're very gentle. And even if it's still too much there's a myriad of muzzle brakes and compensators that will replace the flash hider.
 
Ah... hang on guys...

"12 gauge shotgun" recoil actually encompasses a VERY wide range of recoil energy. A 3" magnum slug, out of a lightweight pump shotgun, is DRASTICALLY different from a Beretta SEMI AUTO with "target" or "skeet" loads. They are worlds apart... not even comparable. Sorry, but an unmodified M-14 will kick significantly harder than the OP's Beretta with target loads.


That said, since the OP's injury is a major concern, if the shoulder pad doesn't help, you still have three significant options:

- An aftermarket stock that weights a couple pounds more... or add some lead shot into the stock you wanna use. More weight, less "kick", more gentle recoil.

- Springfield Armory makes a great muzzle brake that just screws onto M-14's and M1A's. That alone may reduce recoil by roughly 50%, at the expense of a louder noise! These can be bought used on the EE, or ordered from Brownells and others. Used can range from $120-160 Canadian. Smith Enterprises also makes the great "Navy Coastguard M-14 brake", but AFAIK these are difficult to get in Canada.

- get out some epoxy, sand paper and other stuff, and modify your stock to have a Limbsaver buttpad on it. The Limbsaver is great for reducing big felt recoil from pain into something "fun". These seem to go for around $45 Canadian from a store.

You could do all three on an M-14 and that would make it almost "recoilless", and I'd seriously doubt it would aggravate your injury, or cause pain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom