"Recoil is more of a push than a smack..."

I would claim that on any caiber with any rifle that you hold properly. if it is snug against your shoulder it can ONLY push you. if it is not snug against your shoulder it WILL smack you.
 
the recoil pad makes a huge difference ..... a huge one made to fit with lots of surface area to your shoulder and ya .... it's a push .........

if the pad is too small , or too hard and it is going to feel like someone big is punching you in the shoulder .

how i tell between the two .....
if it leaves a bruise ..... no bruise , a push and i just need to learn to absorb the recoil .

if it leaves a bruise then it is smacking .... and this can lead to bad things like flintch ... and a bruised up sore shoulder .
 
The weight is a factor, but more important, IMO, stock design. A thick and straight comb with a soft and wide pad, that also fits you well, goes far to tame down the perceived punishment.
A firm grip on the forend as well.

Worse than any big bore I've tried, those mid-caliber sporters with lots of drop and a knife-edged comb .... ouch.
 
In my experience with all other things being somewhat equal, i find that calibers with big charges and little projectiles like the 7mm rem mag, 300 win mag, even 30-06 etc... have more of a "smack" recoil. Cartridges with a generally heavier projectile and moderate load such as 44 mag, 45/70, 35 rem, 444 marlin, 12 guage slugs etc, have more of a "push" than a "smack"... albeit sometimes it can be one helluva push.

Personally i find the "push" calibers more comfortable and enjoyable to shoot than the "smack" calibers.
 
The severity of recoil can be attributed to several things in combination:
1) good stock design
2) recoil pads
3) weight of the rifle or shotgun
4) type of action
My SP-10 weighs almost 12 pounds, has a great recoil pad, fits me like a glove, and is gas operated - and it has what I call a healthy push. I can shoot it all morning at geese and ducks.
My buddies 870 is light at a little over 7 pounds, recoil pad is good, stock fit is OK, is a fixed breech pump - but kicks like a mule with the big loads.
I had an 8 gauge elephant rifle once - it weighed 26 pounds, fit me well, had a leather covered recoil pad (nice to the touch but on the hard side), and fit me well - that rifle when fired was like having a middle linebacker run you over. I'd call it the biggest push/shove that I ever felt from a rifle.
 
Garbage. You're launching a heavy bullet from zero to ouch in the blink of an eye, it'll hurt, ask Newton. Silly me sold my ZKK602 in 375 HH, heavier gun most people who shot it at the bench were done after 5 rds. I now have a Savage in 338 winmag that kicks harder, 3lbs lighter though.
 
Bowie said:
I wonder how much of that recoil description comes from the heavier weight of rifles the .375s are often chambered in?
Click to expand...
Definately a factor. My BRNO 602 weighs 11lb ... scoped, slung, loaded, and with bipod. "Whoa, thats enough" comes at about 20 rounds from prone.
This at long range, holding a precise POA.



if the pad is too small , or too hard and it is going to feel like someone big is punching you in the shoulder .

how i tell between the two .....
if it leaves a bruise ..... no bruise , a push and i just need to learn to absorb the recoil .

That big, soft Pachmeyer pad did make a difference. Just 'roll with it'.


savagefan said:
Garbage. You're launching a heavy bullet from zero to ouch in the blink of an eye, it'll hurt, ask Newton. Silly me sold my ZKK602 in 375 HH, heavier gun most people who shot it at the bench were done after 5 rds. I now have a Savage in 338 winmag that kicks harder, 3lbs lighter though.
Click to expand...

"Silly me", hear you loud and clear on that. A pity, indeed ... Would cry if ever parted with mine.
Off the bench with handloads(270's at 2850) it ain't exactly 'pleasant' ... agreed. One time at Oshawa a scope detached and spun off into the rifle rack. Bizzare.

Snugged up from field positions however, a different story. Dozens of young shooters, smaller females, and new to the sport, unhardened, intrepid souls have responded with huge grins from their indoctrination to the "medium bores". Just last weekend a <first ever day of centerfire> young man went 5 for 5 on the 160yd gong from sitting. His grin was truely massive. No one got hurt.

A long eye relief scope, and studious coaching from an experienced rifleman are preconditions for success.

Never liked the few .300/.338's I've sampled ... too sharp and slappy on recoil to hold that calm and focused mindstate needed for LR precision.

After 45 years of shooting, it's 6.5x55 and .375h&h that fill all my needs.
 
the two times i fired a 50bmg it was very disappointing in how little my shoulder hurt if at all..... it was just a push back and that's all.
 
Many years ago and far away from here I fired a 600 Nitro Express at a target. It felt like I had been kicked in the shoulder by a teed off mule.

Owner said that when a Rhino or Elephant was charging you that you would never feel it at all --- I took his word for it.

Dave
 
Savagefan,

The folks are describing felt recoil. Both you and I noted the same phenomena with me and the SP-10 vs the 870 and you with the 375 vs the 338. It is the combination of weight, action type, recoil pad, and stock fit that influence the preceived felt recoil.

A big cartridge will pound you with the same foot pounds ( we both probably agree on this point). In my case whether I pull the trigger on a Ruger or Weatherby (both in .300 Win. mag.). My Ruger is an old canoe paddle Ruger and the Weatherby is a Vanguard with the wood California style stock. Both smack you when you shoot them, but both of my sons prefer shooting the Weatherby as they both say the (felt) recoil is less with the same load. Both rifles weigh about the same, both are bolts, but the stocks are very different. I bet Newton would prefer to shoot the Weatherby over the Ruger.
 
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