Dealing with recoil?

Mr. 16 gauge

AH fanatic
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
666
Reaction score
1,001
Location
Michigan
Media
3
Hunting reports
Africa
2
Probably been addressed before, but here goes............
Bought a .375 H&h earlier this year.....took it out (without a scope) and shot with iron sights; no problems...ran two boxes of factory loads through it with no pain, etc.
Took the rifle out today after mounting a scope on it......after the 3rd or fouth shot, I was in severe pain!!! I now have a bag of frozen peas on my shoulder and aspirin in my system, to be followed by a double dose of Jim Beam after dinner!
Without trying to sound like a schoolyard sissy............WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!!?!?!? It was suggested by one of the other shooters (who noticed me wincing and cursing loudly) that maybe I had my head too high, since the last time I shot it I didn't have a scope on it, and my head would have been down with my cheek on the cheek piece; does this make sense? I didn't try shooting it any more today (don't want to develop a flinch).....I did finish off 50 rounds of .338 Win. Mag and 50 rounds of .30-06, but it was barely tolerable.
Currently thinking of having the gun magnaported.......any thoughts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: lcq
are you shooting this off a bench?

while the 375 H&H can be shot off a bench in moderation due to its lighter recoil, I don't recommend that you do it often. I prefer a lead sled for load development and for getting your POI close to your POA.

I don't think the location of your head is going to make a lot of difference other then if your getting "cheek slapped". however, where you have the rifle in your shoulder can be a big issue. did you have the rifle properly tucked into the "pocket" of your shoulder? was the rifle pulled into your shoulder firmly? some people get comfortable with a rifle and forget to treat with the respect it deserves. I see it all the time... "BANG, aw that wasn't so bad" then they shoot it again and "BANG, holy hell that hurt!". the shooter relaxed and didn't use proper big bore shooting technique the second time around.

sorry for all the guessing but without seeing you shoot, its hard to guess what your trouble is.

-matt
 
Continued cheek slapping will result in a bruised, bleeding, and tender cheek which will contribute to flinching.

Proper gun fit and the way that you hold it when you shoot makes a big difference in felt recoil. Sometimes standing instead of sitting will reduce felt recoil.

Magnaporting only reduces felt recoil by up to 15%. A muzzle brake will reduce the felt recoil by up to 50%. Adding weight to a stock or installing a mechanical or mercury recoil reducer in your stock will also reduce felt recoil, as will installing a thicker recoil pad like a Limbsaver or Decelerator.
 
Leave it alone for awhile. Then use a lead sled for bench shooting/load development. Do final sight in without the lead sled as you would normally. Then just practice from normal hunting positions (no more than 20 rounds at a time). Or you can shoot my 500 Jeffery, your 375 will feel like a 243 (that's what we do ... :) )
 
Since the pain is in your shoulder it doesn't seem this is due to cheek slap. It may be a much more simple reason. Whenever I go to the range, no matter what the caliber may be, I always pay attention to my posture at the bench. The goal being to make my spine as perpendicular to the ground as possible while at the same time making the line of the rifle barrel as perpendicular to my shoulder as possible.

Failure to do so by virtue of leaning over and forward puts the rifle more up on your shoulder, almost on your collar bone. If you think about it, the top of your spine is now more parallel to the ground. This concentrates the recoil into a smaller spot and greatly increases felt recoil.

By doing what I'm talking about above you're squaring up the recoil pad to your shoulder and distributing the recoil force over a greater area.
 
I think Phil has probably identified your issue.

I just can't imagine a .375 bothering you that much without something like that causing the problem. It isn't like you've only been shooting a .22 lr your whole life!
 
Probably been addressed before, but here goes............
Bought a .375 H&h earlier this year.....took it out (without a scope) and shot with iron sights; no problems...ran two boxes of factory loads through it with no pain, etc.
Took the rifle out today after mounting a scope on it......after the 3rd or fouth shot, I was in severe pain!!! I now have a bag of frozen peas on my shoulder and aspirin in my system, to be followed by a double dose of Jim Beam after dinner!
Without trying to sound like a schoolyard sissy............WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!!?!?!? It was suggested by one of the other shooters (who noticed me wincing and cursing loudly) that maybe I had my head too high, since the last time I shot it I didn't have a scope on it, and my head would have been down with my cheek on the cheek piece; does this make sense? I didn't try shooting it any more today (don't want to develop a flinch).....I did finish off 50 rounds of .338 Win. Mag and 50 rounds of .30-06, but it was barely tolerable.
Currently thinking of having the gun magnaported.......any thoughts?

Pain relief of choice Jim Beam Black, if severe The Devils Cut. Adjust dose until pain subsides.

Phil seems to have pegged the problem. Me I despise recoil and have a bad flinch. Lighter bullets (barnes) , faster powders (read less), steel rings and bases and a nice soft recoil pad like a limbsaver help a great deal. At the range I also wear a PAST shoulder pad which spreads the recoil over a much larger area. Final point get a scope with lots of eye relief. That way you won't be stock crawling and never have to worry about magnum eyebrow.
 
Magnaporting only reduces felt recoil by up to 15%. A muzzle brake will reduce the felt recoil by up to 50%. Adding weight to a stock or installing a mechanical or mercury recoil reducer in your stock will also reduce felt recoil, as will installing a thicker recoil pad like a Limbsaver or Decelerator.

i would consider the above options as "extreme" and should be done only if absolutely nothing else works. in MOST cases modifing the gun is not required and its the shooter doing something wrong. with proper technique any one can shoot any gun with little to no negative side effects. you should think of the pain as your rifle telling you that your doing something wrong.

i regularly shoot guns that make a 375 H&H look like a 22LR and can assure you that with the proper technique you can fire your rifle without any issue. if i pull the trigger and feel pain then i immediately assume i made a mistake and try to learn from it. the only exception to this is stock fit, i have found times where a stock simply does not fit me well. a stock that doesnt fit you can lead to pain and or cheek slap when shooting but still should not cause bruising or the kind of pain your describing.

-matt
 
Since the pain is in your shoulder it doesn't seem this is due to cheek slap. It may be a much more simple reason. Whenever I go to the range, no matter what the caliber may be, I always pay attention to my posture at the bench. The goal being to make my spine as perpendicular to the ground as possible while at the same time making the line of the rifle barrel as perpendicular to my shoulder as possible.

Failure to do so by virtue of leaning over and forward puts the rifle more up on your shoulder, almost on your collar bone. If you think about it, the top of your spine is now more parallel to the ground. This concentrates the recoil into a smaller spot and greatly increases felt recoil.

By doing what I'm talking about above you're squaring up the recoil pad to your shoulder and distributing the recoil force over a greater area.

Made the same mistake Phil points out when I was doing load development with my 500 Jeffery. Shot 20 plus rounds from the bench leaning forward, no sissy pad, no lead sled in a T-shirt. Started feeling pain at 10 rounds, last 6 rounds (570g at 2500 fps) were torture (I' m extremely stubborn). Took a month off, no flinch, bought a lead sled. Hope you're shoulder doesn't look like this (this was the day of the range, my shoulder got way more colorful the next few days lol) Now my 500 Jeffery is my favorite rifle to shoot offhand and hunt with.

 

Attachments

  • shoulder_bruise.jpg
    shoulder_bruise.jpg
    86.4 KB · Views: 580
Last edited by a moderator:
I've seen that picture before, but it still makes me wince.
 
Call me a pussy I don't give a rats ass I will not be beat up by a rifle and I won't have my eardrums blown out by a break.
 
Call me a pussy I don't give a rats ass I will not be beat up by a rifle and I won't have my eardrums blown out by a break.

I don't consider myself recoil sensitive at all, but I still use a PAST pad off the bench if I'm going to be shooting much. It definitely makes a difference, especially if I'm leaned forward. And this has little to do with caliber. Without the pad I would prefer to shoot my .375 for 20 rounds than I had my .30/06.
 
Three words: Edwards Recoil Reducer. Look it up then get it installed. You'll be surprised.
Regards,
Philip
 
Or shoot from standing. This is a quick set-up I did to show another chap so the legs of the tripod need adjusting to a better angle but you get the idea. I made a standing bipod for the rear and it is as steady as it needs to be for testing. Even my 400 Lee Speed with a 320gn bullet at 2300fps (and steel but plate (and just 7 3/4 lb) is more comfortable off the sticks like this than at the bench

 

Attachments

  • Photo2219_zps6bdsob4i.jpg
    Photo2219_zps6bdsob4i.jpg
    286.8 KB · Views: 264
  • Photo2218_zpsusjeei6y.jpg
    Photo2218_zpsusjeei6y.jpg
    276.3 KB · Views: 228
Last edited by a moderator:
Call me a pussy I don't give a rats ass I will not be beat up by a rifle and I won't have my eardrums blown out by a break.

no rifle should beat you up or make you and your hunting party go deaf! ive been shooting ActionBob's 505 Gibbs a bunch lately and at 11.5 pounds with a 14" LOP it fits me well and is pleasant to shoot. even my friends 585 HE which throws a 750gr bullet at 2300+fps isnt unpleasant to shoot due to its weight, LOP, and wide butt pad. neither of these guns have porting, muzzle brakes, or any fancy recoil reducing gizmos.

just because a gun is chambered in a big cartridge doesnt mean it should be unpleasant to shoot. proper weight, fit, and technique will make for a happy shooter.

in the case of a 375 H&H: the gun should weight at least 8 pounds unloaded (9 pounds for a novice) and have a LOP that is appropriate for the shooter (i like 14"). as with all African kickers the butt should be wide and preferably have a 1" soft rubber pad. even with cartridges as small as the 375 a proper shooting stance and hold is essential for accuracy and comfort. you cant treat these cartridges like a 30-06.

-matt
 
Matt, my 505 does have a mercury tube in the stock... I also think it is easy to shoot compared to some others. I do think the reducer helps, but contribute most of it to the big stock and good fit. Definitely a bigger CZ fan than I was before I had this gun! In fact if they refined the actions they might really be onto something!

My personal preference is to get my scopes down as low as possible. I like to have my cheek squashed down on the stock before I pull the trigger.

Mr. 16 please don't mess up your gun by magnaporting it!
 
Hells bells Colorado, that looks like a proper beating...
 
Mr. 16 please don't mess up your gun by magnaporting it!

this!

also, i dunno about those mercury tubes. i know they reduce recoil but im not sure if its just the added weight or if its actually the liquid making a difference.

-matt
 
  • Like
Reactions: lcq
FYI, porting in a heavy isn't nearly as effective as when utilized in a smaller bore magnum. Why? The powder charge is much less of a portion of the overall mass in forward motion.

With regard to mercury tubes, it is a function of additional mass + a longer dwell time. Regardless, I see them as being (ideally) unnecessary. In other words, I agree with Matt, 100%.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lcq

Forum statistics

Threads
53,630
Messages
1,131,518
Members
92,689
Latest member
SVCBoyd46
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

Impact shots from the last hunt

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top