Taming rifle recoil

I have the Ruger M77 African in 375 Ruger, no muzzle brake, factory recoil pad. To tame the recoil from the bench, you need to LOWER your seat so your back is almost straight up and down. This will let your body move with the recoil instead of absorbing it. To help spread the recoil if I plan on shooting it a lot that day along with other rifles, I'll fold a rag (a tea towel would work) in half and place it over my shoulder and below my overshirt. My overshirt holds it in place and it adds about the equivalent thickness of a light jacket. If you don't have a rag, you can always fold an empty cartridge box flat and place it between your shirt and jacket - it doesnt really absorb recoil, but spreads it over a larger surface area. Additionally, HOLD the forend FIRMLY. You dont need to be afraid of it, just hang on and roll with the recoil.

If you handload, try 235gr Speers at 375 H&H velocities. I have them going 3000 fps in my Ruger and its fairly stout recoil. My 270gr loads are around 2700fps and about equivalent felt recoil.
When I was fireforming brass, I shot 300gr loads with a minimum charge (before I learned to lower my seat) and came home with major bruises. Now, I can shoot 20 to 40 rounds in a sitting without any tenderness.

zmDu0rY.jpg


Heck, it even works on Whitetails.
 
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pacobillie said:
Lately, I have been shooting this new (to me) Ruger M77 Hawkeye African chambered in 375 Ruger. The stock recoil pad is quite thin and hard, and it does very little to tame the recoil. Last Sunday, after merely 4 shots, my shoulder was crying "Uncle" and the following day, I was sporting a large and quite dark hematoma on my upper biceps. How the hematoma showed up on my arm, when the rifle was cradled in my shoulder is a mystery, but it did.

So, how do I keep this from happening again? I am tempted to try and install a Limbsaver pad that I have on hand, but it would add about 1/2 in. to the LOP. It is considerably softer than the stock pad. Will it make a significant difference?
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What you call a stock recoil pad is not a recoil pad... it is just a cheap pad for looks... Have a smith fit a Pachmayr Decelerator pad (best overall performance and life) at the correct length for you... then only shoot that from a standing position once in awhile.

Any bench shooting should be done with a 'sissy pad' between your shoulder and the rifle butt. The sissy pad can be as simple as a small sand bag...

Or trade it for a lighter cartridge.
 
When shooting from a bench with large rifles I typically put a couple 8x8 pieces of wood under my rear bags and a couple under my front bags. this way I am still really steady but propped up with back straight and my whole upper body takes the recoil. You can still shoot tight groups this wAy and Likely tighter than if you are leaning into it and flinching.

And of course, hold the gun like you mean it.
 
littlehughey said:
I have the Ruger M77 African in 375 Ruger, no muzzle brake, factory recoil pad. To tame the recoil from the bench, you need to LOWER your seat so your back is almost straight up and down. This will let your body move with the recoil instead of absorbing it. To help spread the recoil if I plan on shooting it a lot that day along with other rifles, I'll fold a rag (a tea towel would work) in half and place it over my shoulder and below my overshirt. My overshirt holds it in place and it adds about the equivalent thickness of a light jacket. If you don't have a rag, you can always fold an empty cartridge box flat and place it between your shirt and jacket - it doesnt really absorb recoil, but spreads it over a larger surface area. Additionally, HOLD the forend FIRMLY. You dont need to be afraid of it, just hang on and roll with the recoil.

If you handload, try 235gr Speers at 375 H&H velocities. I have them going 3000 fps in my Ruger and its fairly stout recoil. My 270gr loads are around 2700fps and about equivalent felt recoil.
When I was fireforming brass, I shot 300gr loads with a minimum charge (before I learned to lower my seat) and came home with major bruises. Now, I can shoot 20 to 40 rounds in a sitting without any tenderness.

zmDu0rY.jpg


Heck, it even works on Whitetails.
Click to expand...

Agreed on that fer sure. I 've been using a PAST recoil shield under me woolies for many years to take the sting out of big bores when playing at the bench. They work dandy for bruise control on extended shooting sessions. The fabric or folded gun bag methods have worked fer me as well on many occasions, but I prefer the PAST overall as it really helps dummy down the boot on the big kickers without grossly extending me length of pull.
 
My 375 ruger is the Alaskan model. The factory pad is actually half decent. I found when sighting in from the bench, that three, three shot groups was enough. If I kept going, my shooting got worse. But, once it was sighted in I found that shooting from offhand or kneeling positions was very manageable and quite fun. It’s no 223, but 20 rounds isn’t an issue. So, since I’ve got it sighted in I just shoot three from the bench to confirm my zero, then get on my feet. One of these days I’ll try some shooting sticks.....
 
time4t said:
Being overgunned creates a number of problems; and it is difficult to master a rifle that has already mastered you. Trade it in on a chambering that matches your skills and recoil tolerance, and take time to work on the flinch. ymmv.
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With all due respect, recoil tolerance and skill are not an issue. I own 7 other hunting rifles, including ones chambered for hard kicking cartridges such as 450 Marlin and 300 H&H. I can shoot the latter all Day. I want to keep this one. It shoots exceptionally well.
 
Skip the sissy whistle and permanent modifications. I picked up a No. 1 T in 375 WM in Drumheller. Whilst wandering the shops I picked up an old shooting jacket, made by Kerrs of Beverly Hills ( can't make this up) sporting badges from NRA wins.Canvas jacket...almost a 'duck' color. Elbow pads and a steel hook system for the sling. Actually a light jacket though, the shoulder and elbow pads deal that with the recoil are like a catchers mitt
If I have a gnarly kicker to deal with, or a milsurp hog like an old 98 or M44 to deal with...out comes the jacket.
When the shot presents itself in the field, muscle memory will kick in...you won't notice the recoil though I'm guessing.
 
Recoil tolerance is, for the most part a learned discipline. By working your way up slowly, you can accustom yourself to substantial recoil.
That being said, some shooters will simply be more tolerant of heavy recoil than others.

As I have accumulated the years, and am now into the so-called "Golden Years", I find myself less tolerant of heavy recoil than I once was.
My 308 Norma Magnums are still OK, as long as they wear a Decelerator. [At the bench I add the magnum recoil shoulder pad]

My reasonably lightweight 8mm Rem Mag is another good step up, and in recent times, I found it to punish me after a few shots at the bench.
The recoil was always, not only heavy, but also very quick, definitely a recipe to get your attention at the bench.
However, I did not want to give up this particular rifle, due to it's accuracy and longer range persuasiveness.

I have always disliked muzzle brakes, but in this case, I felt it might be the answer. So I shipped the rifle off to Guntech, and had him fit a very
svelte, effective muzzle brake, that does not look like some ugly "blob" on the barrel.

It has made the "big 8" feel about like a 270 on the bench, and had absolutely NO detrimental effect on accuracy. [220 A-Frames .6 moa avg]
I took it elk hunting this fall, and shot a 6x5 Bull at 425 yards. It simply means I get to keep and shoot a favorite rifle for a while longer.

I am not suggesting that this is the solution for others. Just pointing out what worked for me. I do have a brake that came with one custom
308 Norma Magnum, but it is not on the rifle....the threads are capped, and will stay that way. Dave.
 
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