Recoil and young or small shooters.

[Pathfinder76]

My two youngest kids took their game this year with my rifle. It just worked out that way. Both aren’t very big. Diminutive actually. My wife at 110 lbs has also used that same rifle successfully. It’s chambered in 7MM Remington Magnum and weighs just over 8lbs loaded and slung.

I’m actually quite surprised at the number of people concerned with that. Like it would somehow cause damage. Theses kids shoot quite a bit throughout the year and I’ve just asked both if they felt excessive recoil when shooting this particular rifle in the field. Both said no.

Now I wouldn’t recommend a 40 round bench session with the rifle, but a few rounds in the field seems pretty reasonable.

The trend I really hate seeing is every rifle now days seems to be sporting a brake. On all sorts of rifles and their cartridges. I see so many of these rifles shot on film, in the field, without hearing protection. Recoil generally won’t cause any physical harm. Brakes on the other hand can and most certainly cause irreparable damage.

What gives? Makes zero sense to me.

[NCC]

I agree. The recoil bothers me a lot less than the noise from a brake.

My 110lb daughter shot a moose and a deer with my light weight 30-06 and never said a thing about the recoil.

[elkhunter11]

I agree, lighter people actually are moved more by recoil, but moving means that they actually absorb less recoil. On the other hand, the noise is the same danger, no matter how big or small the shooter is.

[Savage Bacon]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

My two youngest kids took their game this year with my rifle. It just worked out that way. Both aren’t very big. Diminutive actually. My wife at 110 lbs has also used that same rifle successfully. It’s chambered in 7MM Remington Magnum and weighs just over 8lbs loaded and slung.



I’m actually quite surprised at the number of people concerned with that. Like it would somehow cause damage. Theses kids shoot quite a bit throughout the year and I’ve just asked both if they felt excessive recoil when shooting this particular rifle in the field. Both said no.



Now I wouldn’t recommend a 40 round bench session with the rifle, but a few rounds in the field seems pretty reasonable.



The trend I really hate seeing is every rifle now days seems to be sporting a brake. On all sorts of rifles and their cartridges. I see so many of these rifles shot on film, in the field, without hearing protection. Recoil generally won’t cause any physical harm. Brakes on the other hand can and most certainly cause irreparable damage.



What gives? Makes zero sense to me.

I think the 40 round bench session is the issue with recoil. At what shot does accuracy start to be affected? 5th or 6th? Depends I guess. When you start flinching before you're even squeezing the trigger. But with adrenaline pumping, 1 or 2 shots in the field wouldn't be as noticeable.

The boss handles recoil pretty good. With rifles and handguns. But after a few rounds, she's had enough.

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[BC7stw]

I helped a recoil sensitive feller this fall prepare for a moose hunt. He is VERY effected by recoil. I have two savage rifles that are pretty much identical, a 223 and a 6.5. I suggested he borrow these, rather than his fathers light weight 30-06 for the season. He shot the 223 a bunch, then tried the 6.5. He was able to stay on target really well. He never harvested a moose, but I’m certain he could have. He literally was hitting nothing with the 30-06.

[Pathfinder76]

I suspect the fear of recoil is taught. It’s a mental thing.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I agree, lighter people actually are moved more by recoil, but moving means that they actually absorb less recoil. On the other hand, the noise is the same danger, no matter how big or small the shooter is.

Yes.
Elmer Keith wrote about this.

[Battle Rat]

I'm always surprised when people on here are using the term recoil and 308 in the same sentence.
Yes there is a force that your body will absorb but so is there in a lot of sports like hockey and rodeo.
Have we raised a generation of people that are super sensitive to any form of mild discomfort?

[kingrat]

I know for my small wife and boys when they were young the fit was more important than caliber. They needed a shorter stock and lighter gun so a youth model in 7mm-08 was the ticket. To me if you need a brake in order to handle it you prob shouldn't be shooting it. And yes I had a love affair with some big non braked weatherbys for many years.

[Ebrand]

When a person is intently focused on a hunting target they have some adrenaline working and are not concerned about anything but making the shot.

Often they won’t even “hear” the shot and the recoil is not felt.

Brakes damage hearing. And scare shooters. My buddy braked his 300 because he was scared of it. Tried to shoot more to overcome with the recoil. Did not work.

Hearing protection. Lots of focused shooting with 22 ( basic shooting skills )
And got rid of the braked Sako ( ruined the gun ).

Taught the kids the same way. Lots of good skills practice with good hearing protection. They really say they can’t tell the difference between the 22. 22-250. 243. Or the 270wsm.

They feel a little beat up after an afternoon of skeet. But so do I.

They have both shot my 338 WM. They know it is bigger than their guns but they do ok.

Brakes ruin guns and shooters. A brake is not the way to fix a recoil sensitive shooter.

They may have a place in some very long distance or small target applications.

Kids started shooting when they were 4 and 5. They are 14 and 15 now.
Ears on and they can shoot anything I have very well. Especially in a hunting situation.

[3blade]

Stock designed to reduce muzzle flip
Heavy weight to reduce recoil
Appropriate eye relief
Shooting off a pack or rest so they can use an 8 lb rifle
Decent instruction on form
You didn’t list load or barrel length, but you have some knowledge in that area
Modern recoil pad, probably
And plenty of experience shooting so there is no fear/anticipation

Lot going right there, and conversely a lot to go wrong if the instructor doesn’t have his stuff together.

I don’t like brakes either.

[-JR-]

The 7 mag is a fast hard kick . Light loads are felt less than heavy loads in a 7 mag. Some people just don't like any kick at all , so they go with a very light rifle like a 6.5 ,243,7mm-08 you get the picture ,its all good .

[catnthehat]

Double tap!

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

Yes.
Elmer Keith wrote about this.

I spoke with my father about this many years ago, and he explained to me about Mr. Keith being a small statured man helped him in shooting the the big kickers that he lovd so much!
When I shot TR as a youngster in the 60's back when the.303 was the standard cartridge shot in DCRA competitions , I would have to crawl back forward to my position after every shot and re-set because the recoil shoved me back ! LOL
however, I do not recall any big discomfort from recoil .
A heavier person would have absorbed it though, and the results would have been noticed far more.
Cat

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I spoke with my father about this many years ago, and he explained to me about Mr. Keith being a small sturex man helped him in shooting the the bug kickers that he lovd so much!
When I shot TR as a youngster in the 60's back when the DCRA shot the .303, I would have to crawl back forward to my position after every shot and re-set because the recoil shoved me back ! LOL
however, I do not recall any big discomfort from recoil .
A heavier person would have absorbed it though, and the results would have been noticed far more.
Cat

This can be seen, and can be quite comical, when you hand a 45-70 to a large frame, non-shooter and let the tough guy touch one off.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by 3blade

Stock designed to reduce muzzle flip
Heavy weight to reduce recoil
Appropriate eye relief
Shooting off a pack or rest so they can use an 8 lb rifle
Decent instruction on form
You didn’t list load or barrel length, but you have some knowledge in that area
Modern recoil pad, probably
And plenty of experience shooting so there is no fear/anticipation

Lot going right there, and conversely a lot to go wrong if the instructor doesn’t have his stuff together.

I don’t like brakes either.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

I suspect the fear of recoil is taught. It’s a mental thing.

I think more people are affected by the report rather than recoil. They just assume it is the recoil causing issues. Ear plugs and muffs off the bench can help a lot.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

I think more people are affected by the report rather than recoil. They just assume it is the recoil causing issues. Ear plugs and muffs off the bench can help a lot.

Physical nerve and muscle damage from recoil can and has caused severe issues in some shooters ( myself among them) to the neck and shoulder .
Cat

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Physical nerve and muscle damage from recoil can and has caused severe issues in some shooters ( myself among them) to the neck and shoulder .
Cat

That’s a different issue entirely.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

That’s a different issue entirely.

Maybe so, but it is something to consider .
I was responding to the post about the noise actually, ear plugs or muffs can limit noise , but ibwill not shoot a braked rifle for several reasons .
I would much rather shoot a lighter recoilng one.
Cat

[marxman]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

I'm always surprised when people on here are using the term recoil and 308 in the same sentence.
Yes there is a force that your body will absorb but so is there in a lot of sports like hockey and rodeo.
Have we raised a generation of people that are super sensitive to any form of mild discomfort?

Recoil doesn't have to cause discomfort to cause a flinch. And I'm pretty sure hockey players will tense up a bit when they see a hit coming, and they won't be trying to maintain a position of a millimetre or two

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by marxman

Recoil doesn't have to cause discomfort to cause a flinch. And I'm pretty sure hockey players will tense up a bit when they see a hit coming, and they won't be trying to maintain a position of a millimetre or two

Yes they will anticipate it but they don't change to a lighter impact sport because they don't like to get hit.
They embrace it as part of the game and enjoy getting and giving it right back.
You learn to manage it if you want to master the sport.

[marxman]

We shouldn't have to manage it these days there should be a safe space for flinchers on AO

[Smokinyotes]

Maybe some of you guys with 110 lb wives that are recoil sensitive just need a bigger wife. I know since I got a 375 lber she soaks recoil up like a champ. Joking aside, I feel if you need a brake on a hunting rifle you should probably get a smaller rifle.
I wouldn’t say I’m recoil sensitive but years ago I had a browning stainless stalker in 338 wm. Shooting stout 250gr partition handloads beat the crap out of me on the bench, I never really noticed the recoil though when a moose was standing in front of me. IMO brakes are just a good way to have permanent ringing in your ears.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

Maybe some of you guys with 110 lb wives that are recoil sensitive just need a bigger wife. I know since I got a 375 lber she soaks recoil up like a champ. Joking aside, I feel if you need a brake on a hunting rifle you should probably get a smaller rifle.
I wouldn’t say I’m recoil sensitive but years ago I had a browning stainless stalker in 338 wm. Shooting stout 250gr partition handloads beat the crap out of me on the bench, I never really noticed the recoil though when a moose was standing in front of me. IMO brakes are just a good way to have permanent ringing in your ears.

I’ll take the 110lb wife shooting a 375 vs the other way around any day. Lol.

[sns2]

[QUOTE=Pathfinder76;4681210]I suspect the fear of recoil is taught. It’s a mental thing.[/QUOTE

I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Kids who play pee wee hockey, crying after they shot a 12 gauge. Why? Because their family members had them so wound up they were expecting to meet Godzilla when they pulled the trigger. Can’t blame the kid, and I’ve seen it a few times. And btw, I have no reason to believe those kids were timid by nature.

Then we have the opposite. Out hunting with a landowner for an evening shoot. He pulled up on the SXS, and I said where’s your young feller? We had such a nice shoot, we just left the blinds out. Went back in the morning, and sure enough, his young son was with him. It was chilly. Not a peep or a complaint out of the young guy. We started knocking down birds and watching great dog work, and the boy’s eyes were saucers. The whole time we kept talking to him about the hunt, and giving him high fives, and telling him that soon he’d be hunting. When we were packing up, I asked Dad if it was okay to ask him if he wanted to shoot a 12 gauge. Dad was a-ok. The young lad did great and had nothing but smiles a mile wide, and we all had a wonderful memory of a tremendous young man joining us like a champ, and shooting his first 12 gauge. Win!

Much of the game is between the ears, and so positive coaching and calm lead up, should not be ignored.

Between yourself, and your older kids, the younger two had nothing but positive examples they were more than ready to emulate.

Dad…step side.

LOL

[Bo21]

I shoot a .300 win mag recoil was horrible without a break. I shoot very little when hunting obviously. But when not hunting I do enjoy target shooting at various ranges and might shoot 50+ in a few hours / afternoon. I’d much prefer to have a moderator or suppressor on the end instead of a break.

I had them on all my rifles back in England. My wish would be to be able to buy them here I’d have one in a heart beat. I never used to wear ear protection when shooting my 22-250 at night hunting or my .223 at night hunting back in England. Reduces felt recoil, muzzle flip and most importantly sound. I think it would stop a lot of ranges from closure if they were allowed. Obviously you can’t stop the supersonic crack but it does reduce it enough to a more moderate or manageable level.

I do have some tinnitus from going on shoots in England beating and so on and never wearing hearing protection my Own fault I know I was young and stupid would never do that now. .

[DirtShooter]

Never had an issue with recoil, even from my 9.3x62. It slaps but I kinda like it lol.

I hate the muzzle brake trend so much that I won't buy a rifle with a threaded barrel. I have one braked hunting rifle and I barely shoot it.

[6.5 shooter]

Recoil is cumulative. Ask any bench rest shooter or people who fire more then a few rounds a year. Hearing protection goes a long way to limit flinching. Breaks are not conducive to accuracy, the body dislikes getting hammered with loud noises. Now suppressors that would be a God send. Stock fit is the real key.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Recoil is cumulative. Ask any bench rest shooter or people who fire more then a few rounds a year. Hearing protection goes a long way to limit flinching. Breaks are not conducive to accuracy, the body dislikes getting hammered with loud noises. Now suppressors that would be a God send. Stock fit is the real key.

I wear plugs and muffs, if I am shooting a braked rifle, and my one rifle that came with a brake has worn a thread protector, after one test session with the brake.