Absorb recoil in your lead sled without adding weights to it

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M70375!

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I have ruined a scope or two using to much weight on the lead sled. Problem solved with these recoil absorbing rubber tarp straps and there is the option to add a strap or two if needed for the really big boomers. Much more forgiving than dead weight , really softens the recoil.
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What scopes were ruined? What rifles did you have them on?
 
Aaron N said:
What scopes were ruined? What rifles did you have them on?
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338 win, Burris 3.x10 from 20 years ago and a Hawke Optics, don't recall what rifle I had it on
 
Grumpy gumpy said:
Good idea but may I suggest a cover for the straps incase they let go, I have a friend who has one eye when one broke and the end hit him in the face.
Gumpy
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Maybe simply squeezing the s hooks closed with a plier would prevent that, they really don't stretch that far, when shooting 338 win , I haven't tried the 416 rem yet, but I am looking forward to seeing how it works.
 
godwincp said:
If you’re shooting large caliber rifles the best thing you could do is give your led sled to goodwill!
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416 is the biggest I currently have, I was using it without any weight or straps before and it worked out just fine
 
Stop using a Lead Sled nothing good comes from using them. Broken stocks, damaged screws and scopes, worst of all is the belief that the rifle has to much recoil. If your concerned about recoil and sustained practice buy and use a Past Recoil Shield. You can use a Past Recoil in the field, you can't do that with a Lead Sled.
 
Art Lambart II said:
Stop using a Lead Sled nothing good comes from using them. Broken stocks, damaged screws and scopes, worst of all is the belief that the rifle has to much recoil. If your concerned about recoil and sustained practice buy and use a Past Recoil Shield. You can use a Past Recoil in the field, you can't do that with a Lead Sled.
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I believe using the straps on the sled eliminates all of your concerns. I have a very bad neck and actually may need another surgery this year, so this setup works very well for me. I only use it for zeroing or load development, all the rest of my shooting is done off hand.
 
Art Lambart II said:
Stop using a Lead Sled nothing good comes from using them. Broken stocks, damaged screws and scopes, worst of all is the belief that the rifle has to much recoil. If your concerned about recoil and sustained practice buy and use a Past Recoil Shield. You can use a Past Recoil in the field, you can't do that with a Lead Sled.
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R.A.D. recoil reduction system is another option that works in the field.
 
I never use a led sled. Once cracked a pre 64 m70 using one. Large calibers need some space to recoil. Exclusively use shooting bags or offhand.
 
I have a couple of evo shield shirts. Not sure if they are still made. Has a plate that moods to your shoulder and chest, and then slides inside a pocket of the snug fitting t shirt. You can barely tell it’s on with another shirt over it. They drastically reduce felt recoil, use them all the time. I would not recommend using a lead sled, shoot off sticks, best way to practice anyway. Shooting tiny little groups with big rifles is overrated, and eventually that sled will break everything, stocks, bolts, scopes
 
Actually a pretty good idea! Two thumbs up. Put a bunch of weight in a sled and it really over stresses the stock. No added weight and a couple of bungees seems reasonable. I’m very fortunate in being able to shoot fairly heavy recoilers, even off the bench. But that doesn’t mean I think heavy recoil is pleasant.

Most new scopes should be able to handle the recoil, so maybe a good time to change out to a proven type. Of all things, I’ve found the little Leopold fixed power Ultra light to be very recoil resistant. May have something to do with ….. less mass = less inertia.
 
The reason shooting a rifle using a weighted lead-sled breaks scopes is there is a very slight distance from initial recoil to full contact with the weight. The result is the rifle and scope accelerate and are then abruptly stopped. The scope is designed to absorb rearward acceleration but not deceleration. As a result, the inner parts of the scope break loose. having an unweighted lead-sled generally allows the rifle to accelerate rearward, then decelerate at a slower rate which doesn't overwhelm the scopes construction. I find trying to shoot from a lead-sled to be difficult because it prevents holding the rifle as I would even from a bench.
 
Ray B said:
The reason shooting a rifle using a weighted lead-sled breaks scopes is there is a very slight distance from initial recoil to full contact with the weight. The result is the rifle and scope accelerate and are then abruptly stopped. The scope is designed to absorb rearward acceleration but not deceleration. As a result, the inner parts of the scope break loose. having an unweighted lead-sled generally allows the rifle to accelerate rearward, then decelerate at a slower rate which doesn't overwhelm the scopes construction. I find trying to shoot from a lead-sled to be difficult because it prevents holding the rifle as I would even from a bench.
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Yep, agreed, Most probable cause is a greater kinetic effect of the deceleration caused by a heavily weighted sled. Even a thick or soft recoil pad could exacerbate the effect. Different mechanics but same principle as with a high power rifle scope mounted on an air gun. I don’t have nor use a sled for two main reasons- potential damage to gun and unnatural feel of shooting position. I may experiment sometime with an unweighted sled and bungee set up as I know some shooters who use them.
 
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Most if not all top tier European rifle makers use rests similar to a lead sled for test shooting. They all move with the rifle. similar to the human body moving rearward.

Krieghoff told me if a lead sled harmed a rifle. It wasn’t built correctly.

Remember, a lead sled and similar rests are designed to move rearward at recoil not be an immovable object. The rifle moves with the rest rearward. It shouldn’t stop abruptly if used correctly.
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A lead sled is a perfect recipe to destroy a dangerous game rifle. Sure, to soften a 30-06 its not a big deal, but the bigger you go, the heavier the weight added, and the stiffer the recoil of the load, the more likely to do tremendous damage. Breaking a $4000 scope is actually not the worst thing that can happen, breaking the wrist on the rifle could be a $15,000 mistake that takes years to resolve.

If anyone thinks this is nonsense, try this: take your largebore rifle out and stand it with the butt against a brick wall. Fire the rifle three times. Then cry. Recoil has to go somewhere, and a brick wall is not going to yield. Your stock, scope, and mounts will. An overweight lead sled is just a brick wall of another sort.

Adding to all of this, for largebores specifically, the recoil impulse out of a lead sled is different enough than shooting freehand off sticks that your point of impact is significantly altered.

So in conclusion, for big guns, a lead sled does not reproduce real-world shooting conditions, is likely to break your rifle, and will not be field-repeatable point of impact.

I hate lead sleds.
 
I use a Lead Sled for sight in only. I do not use any weights. As stated above the excess weight does bad things.
The sled makes it very easy to get the rifle dialed in. I have been accused of being a bit obsessive about a perfect zero.
After that is is shooting off sticks or bags.

The other thing some people do not think about with the LS is that it can build bad habits.
The LS covers up a multitude of bad habits.
 
Yes, any rest whether a $300 lead sled or a $5000 European one should only have the amount of resistance as your shoulder would. The difference is while sighting in. It’s taking the recoil instead of you, but it should not provide more resistance than your shoulder.

If you tied your rifle to a wall or a tree and shot it. that would most likely destroy your stock.
 
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