Have you ever thought about recoil before a shot at game?

John Y Cannuck

John Y Cannuck

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If you have, IMO you need to make some changes. Not necessarily buy a new rifle, although not many of us need an excuse for that. It's often the best option.

The rifle may not fit you properly, and you can change that with a few stock modifications, and or recoil pad changes.

You can make changes by changing factory or handloads.

You are out there to enjoy yourself, not punish yourself.

If you change rifles, look at the various options to reduce recoil, you needn't change cartridge necessarily.

I was once bitten by the 'Magnum' bug, and chose a big name bolt rifle that fit me terribly. It's the only rifle that has ever bruised me. Did that on initial sighting in. It was only a 338WM, but it was a brutal kicker in that rifle for me. i need a longer length of pull than the factory allows. I chose to trade it. I could have added a longer pad and probably been fine.

Semi's in general eat some of the recoil. But I've never been a fancier of the semi's.

I have since shot rifles by the same maker also in 338WM but semi auto with a longer pull. No issues at all.

Brakes, have a love/hate thing with me. that is I love to hate 'em. If you frequent a rifle range and have shot beside one, you probably know why.
But they do reduce recoil, and they are a serious option for those so inclined.

as I became more experienced I found out what many old timers had told me was correct, "you don't need that magnum son".

I like getting closer, using older cartridges, or using moderate cartridges carefully placed.
 
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When a shot at game is about to present itself, I don't know anyone who thinks about recoil.
 
I think the OP is a bit over the top. A rifle should fit, and you should know how to shoot it, but hunting can present some "odd" situations that require improvisation.

Couple of times I have very carefully made sure there was enough scope room before I shot. I can remember being twisted around a tree that I was using for concealment and also trying to use as a rest, and another time I used the top of a fence post on a shot that was onto my own side of the fence. Both times I was "aware" that I was not holding the rifle properly and made sure I had enough scope relief before I shot. First one was a .270, the second was a .300 WM. Both worked fine, and I never thought about needing another gun just because I had consciously thought about my shooting technique while a game animal was nearby.

If a shot at game presents itself and you get so excited you forget about any aspect of shooting safety and accuracy, you need to calm down.
 
I can say that i've thought about it while shooting at game.

Growing up, my first gun was a 12 gauge Remington 870. I wasn't a big kid (still not huge but my belly seems to be growing ever so slightly :redface:)

This gun beat the crap outta me. To the point i developed a very noticeable flinch. It didn't matter much because i was using a shotgun and would, more often than not, kill what i was shooting at.

What using this gun did, however, was make me develop some seriously bad habits in my formative years that i still (I'll be 30 next year) have to consciously deal with. I even noticed myself pulling shots on game last year with a single shot 28 gauge. :redface: Not from the hellish recoil a 28 gives off (lol), but because flinching is so engrained in me that i didn't even notice i was doing it for so long.
 
To a certain extent on the biggest of my rifles I do. Recoil isn't a big deal to me, but the big guns get held with a degree of firmness and muscle tension that a little .300 or .338 or .375 just doesn't need. Forget about recoil management on something that kicks like 2 .375s or 4 30-06s and you will regret it.

To the extent that learning those techniques took time and thought to learn, yes I do consider recoil at times on game. Its not about fear, its about preparation. Also, if you are planning to hit something big more than once you better plan on working a bolt and recovering your aim during recoil.
 
hoytcanon said:
When a shot at game is about to present itself, I don't know anyone who thinks about recoil.
Click to expand...

I have never thought about recoil before making a shot at an animal.
But, about 25 yrs. ago I made a shot that I will never forget.
It was on a big and scary beast about 45 to 50 yds. away and I was carrying a 458 with 600 Barnes loads.
I snapped the rifle to my shoulder without realizing the bottom of the butt was a tad high and when I fired the rifle fractured my collar-bone.
Live and learn....
 
my oldest son bought a Ruger No.1 in 458 Lott for his No.1 collection. It came with 6 cartridges. When we got home there were 5 of us guys there, all excited and anxious to fire a round from this canon. We each took one shot, no one wanted to shoot that last round! The rifle went into the safe and stayed there for years (came out for oiling/fondling etc every now and again). The time came to sell a few, so down the road that one went. There are no elephants in MB!
 
on the other hand, there are past pussy pads, slip on recoil pads , and thicker jackets to remedy that situation , as well as muzzle brakes- while murder on those folks shooting beside you, these are something to consider B4 going ot lighter calibers
 
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