recoil reduction for wife

lledwod

lledwod

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Dawson City, Yukon
Hi, I did a little searching, didn't find quite what I was looking for. My wife is 5'3", 115 lbs, and recoil shy. She is an excellent shot, and loves bird hunting. But she has yet to warm to centerfire shooting hunting. 30-30 in a 7lb gun is too much. My .44 levergun is too much. My 7mm-08 micro medallion with light 120grn loads is too much. (7mm-08 with 120's over trail boss is OK)

So, I would like to talk her into moose hunting, also I would like her to have a gun in camp that she is comfortable with, in the event of a bear showing up.

My idea is a good recoil pad. I tried a new browning, and was really impressed by that recoil pad. Also, I was thinking of installing a mercury recoil reducer. This would be potentially on a husqvarna 1600 30-06. How realistic is it too tame the recoil on a 6 1/2 lb 30-06?

Not interested in muzzle breaks.

Any ideas welcome, thanks!!

Jonathan
 
Take a look at the savage lady hunter. It's stock is designed for smaller stature females. The design reduces felt recoil. A mercury reducer could be added as well.
 
Try a very good recoil pad like a Decellerator on a heavish rifle using a lighter boutique bullet like nosler partitions or accubonds at 2600 fps or so. If she is not yet ready to handle this level of recoil then a moose hunt is not in the cards at this point imho. Sometimes its the noise level as much as recoil so you might try having her use earplugs and muffs while shooting and see what she thinks. To increase the rifles weight you can add some lead shot under the recoil pad which though it tends to make a rifle muzzle light will reduce recoil.
 
Too bad you don't like muzzle breaks. I put one on my 12ga and my gal (5'5" 115lbs) pumped slugs through it all day. I have a break on a .308 that is so effective I have to remind myself to properly shoulder it when shooting prone; it just doesn't kick.
 
lledwod said:
Hi, I did a little searching, didn't find quite what I was looking for. My wife is 5'3", 115 lbs, and recoil shy. She is an excellent shot, and loves bird hunting. But she has yet to warm to centerfire shooting hunting. 30-30 in a 7lb gun is too much. My .44 levergun is too much. My 7mm-08 micro medallion with light 120grn loads is too much. (7mm-08 with 120's over trail boss is OK)

So, I would like to talk her into moose hunting, also I would like her to have a gun in camp that she is comfortable with, in the event of a bear showing up.

My idea is a good recoil pad. I tried a new browning, and was really impressed by that recoil pad. Also, I was thinking of installing a mercury recoil reducer. This would be potentially on a husqvarna 1600 30-06. How realistic is it too tame the recoil on a 6 1/2 lb 30-06?

Not interested in muzzle breaks.

Any ideas welcome, thanks!!

Jonathan
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I've had a 30-06 since I was 15 and she'll love the caliber (IMO only). The mercury reducer will work but will make the rifle butt heavy and make sure it's balanced in the stock properly when the mercury is added. Look at a good stock such as McMillan as the shape and contour of the stock will mitigate felt recoil. Last but not least, look at the grain of the bullet. I find 165 to be best and has less felt recoil than 180's or 220's etc etc etc. I have shot deer, elk, and moose with 165 Nosler Accubond with no issues....hope this helps.

.243 is also great suggestion as well.

Cheers
John
 
I bought a Tikka T3 in a 260, there is no more recoil than my 243 and you have the option of a heavier bullet in the 260 for moose. I never did try 140g bullets but the 120-130 range kicked no more than a 243 with 100g.
 
All of the above is good info, but nobody has mentioned 'gun fitting'. IMO, the best way to reduce felt recoil is to make sure the gun fits. Take a look at the lengths trapshooters go to make sure the gun fits, they don't just do it to hit more targets, they also do it to make the gun more comfortable to shoot. For a woman especially, the drop at the heel is critical, and things like length of pull, and drop at comb are also important. Obviously, heavier guns for a certain caliber will reduce the felt recoil, but who wants to pack around a 12 lb rifle ? Some rifles just don't fit some people, and for a shorter person, this is even more pronounced. Find or make a gun that fits her, and the recoil will not be much of a problem.
 
There is no way I'd go with a .30-06. Even with light 125gr loads you will be recoiling more than the 7mm-08 with 120's.

On that note, what is your light 120gr load? Make sure the LOP is correct. I bought my wife a T3 Superlite in .270 and loaded some mild 130gr loads. Even with the limbsaver the recoil is up there for a sensitive person. I also go her a Bog-Pod tripod - this reduced felt recoil when compared to the bench and is excellent practice for the field. It also would let her use a heavier rifle. I'd be tempted to go with a Weatherby Vanguard 2 youth model. They have the shorter LOP and are really quite heavy. Get a really good scope for her - a VX6 2-12x42 is excellent and weighs about 1 pound - and steel bases/rings. That should put you up close to 8lbs. A properly fitting rifle of that weight with 120gr bullets at 2700 should be around 8.5lbs of recoil. A 7lb rifle with the same load will have about 15% more recoil. You could also try to find some 110gr TTSX bullets around the same velocity for about 8lbs of recoil.
 
Also, at 5'3" and 115 lbs, I'm guessing she has shortish arms. So slapping a thicker recoil pad onto a rifle that is already too long for her is a bad idea IMO. And if you can, get her a .22 in the same configuration.
 
I thank everyone for your help. I think the obvious aspect that I was overlooking is the fit of the gun. I had of course intended to cut down the length of pull; but had not thought much beyond that.

Narrowing down the search, Mary (and I) prefer wood stocked rifles. Mary prefers no checkering. Pretty sure we want a bolt action. We want a practical, relatively light, and short, handy rifle and not scoped.

We spend quite a bit of time in cabins or wall tents, and likely will be spending a lot more time out in the future. The rifle will initially be just a back up in case a bear shows up while I am out, and then possibly for moose and sheep.
 
ronecol said:
Why not consider an auto-loader and a good recoil pad, ie BAR in.308 or 7mm.08?
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did you seriously just suggest a BAR for his 115 lbs wife?!? do you have any idea how much a BAR weighs? its practically heavier than she is
I certainly wouldnt carry that all day....
 
My 13 yr old son loves shooting his 30-30 marlin 336 with reduced recoil loads. Shooting off the bench it hardly moves him at all. ImageUploadedByCanadianGunNutz1444190495.887379.jpg
 

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lledwod said:
30-30 in a 7lb gun is too much.
My .44 levergun is too much.
My 7mm-08 micro medallion with light 120grn loads is too much. (7mm-08 with 120's over trail boss is OK)
Click to expand...

If these calibers are too much for her and she shoots shotgun, bring some slugs in case a bear show up.

lledwod said:
How realistic is it too tame the recoil on a 6 1/2 lb 30-06?
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Not realistic at all with .30-06 in a 6 1/2 lbs gun.

Managed recoil ammo in either of the three above is a better bet, she still may not like it.

On the other hand, If a bear showed up and there was a .300 Win Mag in her close proximity, I am sure the adrenaline would make her forget about the recoil all together.

Another great option would be a semi like the BAR, felt recoil is completely different in a semi. If you are determined to get a Bolt Action, that option would be out...

Good Luck...
 
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