When did folks become such recoil wimps?

I bought a .444 in my teens. Now that I have more meat on my bones I love shooting the 500 Jeffery. I've learned to love recoil over the decades. Low-recoiling guns are no fun.
 
It is not only the cartridge but it also has a lot to do with stock design. I admit My Browning BBR in .300 win. I considered stout when shooting more then 5 rounds from the bench. Hunting I never noticed it at all. As for stock design Rem 700 in 7MM my limit was 3 off the bench with the Rem.To me it really hurt. . After switching to a Bell&Carson stock I could shoot a box from the bench no problem so it is not all the cartridge.
 
MiG25 said:
By the time Textbook of Small Arms was printed in 1909, the British had determined that 15 ft lbs was as much recoil as every man fit for military service could handle.

Way back when, the US Army noted that shooting scores went up using the Remington Model 8 in 25 Remington compared to the 1903 in 30-06. I don't think anyone considers the Model 8 to be more accurate than the 1903.
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Gotta remember, the average Brit of the day was smaller and less robust than the typical North American . :)

Grizz
 
MiG25 said:
By the time Textbook of Small Arms was printed in 1909, the British had determined that 15 ft lbs was as much recoil as every man fit for military service could handle.

Way back when, the US Army noted that shooting scores went up using the Remington Model 8 in 25 Remington compared to the 1903 in 30-06. I don't think anyone considers the Model 8 to be more accurate than the 1903.
Click to expand...

In 1909 typical British men were smaller than those of today.
 
While I find it more pleasant to shoot rifles that do not beat me up, I still enjoy some of the more
"generously" recoiling rifles as well.

While I have never seen a need of anything larger than the 375 H&H in North America, I own and
shoot [without muzzle brakes] the big 30's, an 8mm Rem Mag [this one is quite a stout recoiler]
an 8½ lb 338 Win Mag, etc.

I am not a big guy, 5' 6", but not a lightweight either. If you really set your mind to it, it is possible
to master shooting heavy recoiling rifles. Group size is generally the telltale sign as to whether one
can handle recoil or not.

Recollect going to our local range one day, and seeing a fellow I knew [Tool salesman] trying to sight
in a Ruger #1H in 375 H&H magnum. He was cursing the rifle, the scope, and everything else pertaining
to his equipment. His shots were all over a 8½ x 11 sheet of paper at 100.

I engaged him in a short dialogue, and he complained about how inaccurate this rifle was, and how he had
spent $$$ on ammo to sight in with no success. I checked his rifle, scope, etc. All seemed fine, good optics
and nothing loose, so I asked him if I could give it a go.

I shot a 3 shot group at a new target, and while it was no where near centered, the group was about 1 - 1/8 "
C to C. A bit of adjustment, another good group, a final tweak, and a 1" group 3" high, dead center.

He was completely aghast!! But he was afraid of his rifle, doing all the things that wreck good shooting. Gear
was good, shooter not so much, lol. Dave.
 
I’ve gone from being recoil sensitive, to an era of big bore play up to .505 Gibbs, to finding they didn’t kill any better than a .270 on this continent. Over the last twenty years it’s been an evolution from .243 and .30-30, to the nitro expresses and .375s, back to 7x57s, 6.5s, .257s, 6mms and .224s.

For me the .257-284 range of bullets is my favourite with .375 for the jobs that call for it at work, and like guntech I’m finding I don’t need anything more. If people like the big guns, cool, I’ll still build a .577 just to know and for science. And science is fascinating... but I’m not likely to do more than one or two hunts with it.
 
The 30-06 was a rifle I shot extensively back in the day, 20-40 rounds at a sitting was not unusual. 12 ga was no problem as well, the 338 win mag I didn't care for when shooting off a bench though. Much preferred the lighter recoiling rifles when we did a afternoon gopher shoot, wore out several barrels on 22-250's during the 70's and 80's, took turns with a buddy shooting gophers at long range. I still sit down at the bench with many medium sized rifles before deer season, for myself and others checking the sights, don't do long bench sessions now though unless it is a 204 or better yet my 17 Hornet, love those little kickers. :d
 
My first big game rifle was a 7mag, Savage 110. It started me down a magnum path. Despite being chambered in only 7 rem mag, it was brutal. First shot bullseye, second probably on the target, third shot you couldnt hit a 4x8 plywood.

Stock design, length of pull, never did figure it out, before spending more than the rifle was worth trying, selling it. Since then, many calibers up to 458, my current bopper is a 416 rigby. Built up tolerance ,form, and overcame world class flinch through stubbornness.
 
Recoil is a very subjective thing. The famous line "it all depends" comes to mind. Felt recoil depends on many things. Shooters body, shooting position, training, caliber, rifle fit, ammunition, barrel length, stock design and material.....the list goes on. I'll admit to never buying into the Magnum phenom. Have I shot them, well yes. Would I use a Magnum for hunting, you bet. Would I use one for plinking or target shooting, no. I've never hunted with a magnum and currently do not own one. I don't see the point for the situations I hunt. I hunted with a 45-70 once. Wonderful round and kills stuff deader than dead, but I quickly gave it up due to its recoil and distance limitations. My ol Marlin 30-30 travels with me in the woods most of the time now. I've had a 308 hunter as well. That got sold in favor of a 7mm-08, which was a smaller and lighter gun and more practical for my hunting style. Again, it all depends right? I have a target rifle in 308, mostly because of the knowledge base and that fact that i'll never shoot beyond 1000m. Ammo is cheap (compared to magnum rounds or specialty 6.5 stuff). I have my eyes on a 9.3x62mm for the occasional moose hunt. Is it a magnum, nope. Does it have recoil, probably. But for the one or two shots I'm going to take, I doubt very much I'll feel anything over the rush and adrenaline of seeing that monster bull stepping out into the swamp.... IT ALL DEPENDS LOL!
 
I started to wear a shoulder pad. Nothing worst then fearing the rifle and being afraid to shoot it. I got caught in the collar bone by a heavy hitter, and nearly broke it. Took me awhile to go back and try to shoot it again.

Plus there are people that think it's funny to give a novice a 3" slug and watch them suffer.
 
A lot of recoil can be traced to stock design and weight of rifle. A Winchester 1895 in 405 can be hard to shoot off the bench. A Browning 1885 in 45-70 not near as bad.
 
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