is it just me or does 308 hurt?

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allan92

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ive gone out a total of three times now with my 5r milspec over the past month and after about 50 rounds i cant handle the recoil. there is no bruising visible but it sure hurts and it will hurt for the next three days. is a muzzle brake the answer to my pain? or am i a wiener :confused:
 
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it's just you. All kidding aside make sure you have the butt of the rifle seated firmy against your shoulder. If you have small space between them it will whack you a little harder. If you truly are recoil sensitive maybe look to a lighter caliber, shooting isn't much fun if the recoil is unpleasant.
 
308 is pretty tame.

The 5R is a medium weight gun so it absorbs a fair amount of recoil. The pad on the HSP stock is garbage, so maybe look at upgrading to a Limbsaver or other quality pad.

I'm not sure your experience with firearms, so you may just need to get your body acclimated to the recoil.

Please do not get a muzzle break. They are very disrespectful to everyone around you. A 308 does not need a muzzle break.
 
allan92 said:
is a muzzle brake the answer to my pain? or am i a wiener :confused:
Click to expand...

You are a wiener...:cool:

I have a 5R and the recoil is nothing like that of a light weight rifle of the same caliber. Try a .338 Lapua a few rounds and then go back to the .308. Alternatively, get a nice "sissy pad" for your shoulder.:p
 
I shoot a lot of rimfire and my only "real" rifle is a light stevens in .308, even with a limbsaver it hits pretty hard, I might get used to it if I wasn't too broke to shoot it more.
Some guy at the range told me it hits hard because it is a short action, powder burns quicker and the reaction is faster. He did not look like an applied physicist but hey maybe he is right. :)
 
Felt recoil depends very much on how much of a man you are. I have balls made of tungsten carbide, so I could fire a 10lb .50BMG prone without a brake several hundred times and barely notice.

Then again, someone who is less of a man may be sore after firing 50 rounds of .308 over a month.

:D
 
Try a chronic bad shoulder (old break) and a session with a K31 in 7.5x55, two enfields in .303 and an FN 98 in 30-06! Did that a few weeks ago and now I'm shopping around for a padded shooting harness.
 
I owned a 5R for a while and I found its recoil to sometimes exceed my comfort level after firing 50 rounds in a session. I don't think the 5R or the 700P for that matter have much if any recoil padding. Before I sold my 5R, I did have it in a Macmillan A5 and it helped greatly. Now I mainly shoot 6.5's and 308's with a brake and no matter hom much shooting I do, I never get sore.

I have had the pleasure of using a 338 timberwolf with a brake and that didn't bother me as much as my OEM 5R.

Apparently the US military found that 308 is the upper limit of what most people find tolerable for recoil.

Remember this is supposed to be fun... it shouldn't hurt. Some have higher tolerance for discomfort than others. I am a wuss and okay with it
 
Yup you are a weiner. My 10 year old shoots a 30.06, off a bench lots, and a 45/70 and a 12 ga all day. Man up. His friend is 65 lbs and shot my 45/70 20 times the other day.
 
Recoil depends on many factors, rifle weight, load, your stature and physical tolerance to it, but it can all be managed. The 5R doesn't have much of a recoil pad for a start, get a Limbsaver or Decelerator installed and that will go a long way. Muzzle brakes are fantastic and will reduce recoil even more, anything that improves your comfort will translate into better shooting, there's nothing disrespectful about them, if you're worried about fudds get a removable brake and a thread protector.
 
Well ignore the 'manly' posts and any suggestion to grow a pair... it has nothing to do with being a 'man'... if anything grow a ###### - they can take a real pounding...

I shot a 10 pound .308 in competition with fairly stiff 168 grain loads... it kicked the hell out of me on the bench. A 10 pound .308 has a lot of recoil. A Decelerator pad may be of some benefit. If you are allowed a brake the reduction in recoil will be huge.
 
A lot of felt recoil is due to stock design.Had a rem 700 im 7mm mag 5 shots was about my limit.it hurt.On the other hand have a .300 win mag browning and it is not bad at all.I changed the rem stock for a B&C stock and it was a joy to shoot after that.I guess shape of stock dosen't fit my body shape could be the same with you
 
I have owned a 5r and was not overly fond of the presentation pad. I never attempted to remove the presentation pad and upgrade to a recoil pad, but I'm sure it could be easily done. Another issue with style of stock, depending on scope size, can be cheek weld.....which also impacts felt recoil.
 
For the most enjoyable trigger time (and one that will save you a ton of cash and double or triple your barrel life) try Hodgdon's reduced loads that use 150-168gr bullets and Clays, Titewad or IMR Trailboss powders. Shoot those loads at 50-100yards and then finish your shooting session with 10 full power loads at whatever range you want.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

Look up the .308 Winchester and then select one of the 3 above mentioned powders.
 
wce323078 said:
A lot of felt recoil is due to stock design.Had a rem 700 im 7mm mag 5 shots was about my limit.it hurt.On the other hand have a .300 win mag browning and it is not bad at all.I changed the rem stock for a B&C stock and it was a joy to shoot after that.I guess shape of stock dosen't fit my body shape could be the same with you
Click to expand...

Perhaps a weight difference was involved too? Was the browning bolt or otherwise?
 
Have a good brake installed. The rifle will be much more comfortable to shoot; you will probably shoot it better. You will be able to see your own splash.
 
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