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Recoil Perception

4K views 28 replies 22 participants last post by  RaySendero 
#1 ·
Lots of people take recoil into consideration when buying guns and I think some people are just too worried about it. For semi autos I totally get it with the issue of trying to speed up your follow up shots but others I just don't get it. For example, some people think that 44 mag out of a snubby is a recoil monster but as a fairly young teenager I had no issue with it. People also think that 12ga kicks you around. I personally used to shoot 100 rounds every Saturday and it never bothered me once. Nowadays I am a 270lb guy so that makes sense but I've been one handing my shotgun since I was a 200lb high schooler. My brother gave me three 3 &1/2 inch shells to shoot out of a pump as fast as I could. It bounced me around enough that I didn't hit my target at all but there was no pain whatsoever.

I've never considered myself to be exceptionally tough when it comes to recoil but lots of people seem to be afraid of guns that I've never had an issue with. Small women makes sense but when grown men complain I wonder what the issue is for them. Does it really hurt or are they just over playing it?
 
#2 ·
Depends. I weigh about 125. With handguns, recoil is not an issue. But with my bad joints, long guns are a definite issue. Especially since I have got older. Design plays a large role though. It doesn't bother me to shoot a Garand, but most bolt action rifles and most shotguns hurt. I can shoot them, but I am going to feel it for a couple weeks. At least.

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#3 ·
3 1/2" 12 gauge will bounce most people around!
 
#5 ·
My brother gave me three 3 &1/2 inch shells to shoot out of a pump as fast as I could. It bounced me around enough that I didn't hit my target at all but there was no pain whatsoever.
When you flinch you miss...maybe too much recoil? I do not think recoil is typically a matter of pain as much as it is flinching and unable to truly handle the gun effectively because of the flinch. When I was younger I was quite used to shooting a lot of big bore revolvers, and got quite comfortable with them, but if I shot too much they would eventually start to wear me down, and the flinch would creep in and accuracy would fade. If you cannot hit with three rounds, it might be too much recoil. Not a question of being man enough, just violent recoil. Can you get used to it? Maybe, depends on the person and the gun.

I know a petite lady (wife of a friend) who is happy as can be blazing away with her commander sized 1911 in .45 ACP, but does not care for anything more than a .223 rifle, and still is not fond of the recoil with the rifle. Recoil is different for all of us.
 
#6 ·
I’m a big guy, 6’ 240 pounds ( I know I have to loose ) and I’m not embarrassed to say I don’t like recoil in long guns. I shoot mostly 20 ga shotguns unless I’m waterfowling or turkey hunting. I do shoot the 30-06 on deer but I don’t like it. My 12 ga water fowl gun is a semi to suck some of it up. It’s a necessary evil so I don’t shoot it very often off the bench. I use a lead sled to sight it in.
 
#8 ·
There are two different recoils, actual and perceived. Actual is a math calculation, perceived is a combination of actual and gun fit. A gun that does not fit, regardless of how hot the load is, will be nasty to shoot.
 
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#9 ·
my magnum days are purty much fading........i just no longer enjoy or am willing to tolerate the recoil and other factors as compared to my younger days. Nowadays its less range time, more health issues, and less time it seems.....

to those ends when i do get some range time in, i like the 38 special in snubs and service revolvers and am developing a great appreciation for the 32 H&R mag and 32 S&W Long for lighter weight snubs.....and think the reduced recoil offerings in 12 ga slug/buckshot loads are the cats meow in 12 ga defensive ammo as i still like some range time with a riot gun....

my rifle choices have toned down over the years as well.....mainly staying with the 308 and 30-30 as my primary calibers............they just simply are more enjoyable and tolerable nowadays...

so i am staying in the game....and enjoying the game...at a slower more manageable pace.......for me.....
 
#10 ·
I really believe that recoil perception is highly subjective and totally a matter of the specific individual. However, it certainly can change as a function of age and physical impairments. For most of my life, I was not only not bothered by recoil but I kind of enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a masochist but I rather figured that if I was shooting something with up to several thousand foot pounds of muzzle energy, when I squeezed the trigger, I should expect dynamic things to happen. In spite of this, I never developed any significant flinch and I shot successfully on a couple of rifle teams. However, and alas, things have changed dramatically. I caught my carpal tunnel way too late and even though I had surgery my thenar muscles have atrophied to the point that the only semi-auto that I can rack is my P3AT 380. However, I have a Taurus 605SH2 .357 which is a 16-ounce titanium revolver. I can still pull the trigger both single and double action but I have it loaded with .38 special +P's which are easier to control than the .357's. Anyway, I've been shooting for at least 75 years and I'm not going to quit.
 
#11 ·
Recoil in handguns isn’t an “issue” but I do prefer the balance of a 9mm over the force of a 410 out of a Judge or a 45 long colt out of a cowboy gun. I can get back on target quicker with my 9mm. In rifles a 458 SOCOM may bother me, but i have no idea.....i have an AR15 and shoot 223 and 556, which imo has no kick whatsoever and is a dream to shoot.
 
#12 ·
Try shooting a full power 357 in a scandium J frame, or a hot 00 Buck in a 5# single shot H&R...........then get back to me......
 
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#13 · (Edited)
At 200lb, you still would have had plenty of mass to absorb recoil. That will, to an extent, help mitigate how much the recoil pushes you around. How painful recoil is will be more heavily influenced by ergonomics than the weight of the shooter.
 
#14 ·
I can handle recoil just fine. I just don’t care for it as I get older. I have a Savage 311 SXS 12 ga that always seems to kick like a mule. I shoot 12 ga and 30-06 and I don’t flinch but I’d rather shoot my 20ga or 410 or AR. I don’t need the extra power most of the time so why use it. I hunt pheasants with the 410 or the 20OU. Isn’t dee in NJ with a 20 ga 870 slug gun. I hunt geese with a 12ga Semiautomatic. Modern guns and ammo designs have become more effective so you don’t need a howitzer to shoot deer. Why punish myself?
 
#15 ·
Some guns and some calibers just hit me different I have 3 Marlins in 45-70, 444 and 35 Remington. The 35 punishes my shoulder the most, the first time i had it out i put maybe 40 rounds through it and was sore for a week! Without checking i think the big bores have rubber butt pads and i know the 35 is plastic so that little bit could be the difference too. Most of my regular bolt and semi guns in various 6,7 and 8mm calibers don't bother me much if any except i seem to remember the 6.5 carcano hurts a bit. Only a small fraction of those have rubber pads, most are steel and a couple plastic.
 
#17 ·
"Recoil Perception" implies that recoil is only in the"MIND" of the user. I say this 454 Casull 4 inch barrel vs the same round from an 8 inch barrel the "PERCEPTION" is as different as Rabid Pit Bull and a Noisy chihuahua..Which "PERCEPTION" would you want to slap and scream shut up at. No Try only Do Or Do Not. But hey I aint an "EXPERT"
 
#28 ·
Perceived recoil is just that - how an individual perceives the recoil to them. FIT is the key, whether it is a shotgun handgun or rifle. But folks who brag about how they can shoot all these heavy loads with no ill effect are kidding themselves. Recoil damage is a cumulative thing. Constantly shooting heavy loads leads to nerve damage, flinching, etc................
 
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#18 ·
Recoil is very subjective. It depends upon the load, velocity, muzzle energy, barrel length, and weight of gun.

I do not tend to discern heavy recoil in revolvers longer than 6.5”.

However, the force and tendency to rise from the initial position, at least in handguns, is a real entity.

A heavier recoiling gun will have a certain degree of muzzle rise, and in bigger magnums, a twist. So the key is coming up with a recovery that allows an efficient follow up.

I shoot all of my revolvers in DA. I’ve never felt the need to shoot a 500 Magnum or 460 S&W Magnum quickly, though.

I’ve worked a long time working on bigger caliber revolvers. I have a minimal tendency to flinch, but if I notice, I don’t fill all cylinders to detect if I have one and work fo correct it. If it occurs, it’s with a 500 Magnum, using a 500 gr bullet. I’ve never detected a flinch with my Ruger Alaskan 454 Casull with Buffalo Bore 360 grain cast lead bullets.




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#21 ·
I had a Sako chambered in .375 H&H Mag. Ten rounds was my limit.

The most punishing recoil I ever felt was a Remington 700 Safari chambered in .416 Rem Mag. To me, it was worse than a Weatherby Mk V chambered in .460 Weatherby. I could shoot the Weatherby three times. The Remington was one and done.
 
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#25 · (Edited)
I agree on those Weatherby's. My worst ever kick was the .378 Weatherby. I believe it was right up there with the .475 A&M magnum. I never shot a .475. I did some stock work on one for a customer with the proviso that HE did the proof shots at the range. My mama knew she raised an ugly child. He would have been heart broken to know she raised a dumb one as well.
 
#22 ·
I am currently in therapy with a bad shoulder and cannot think of recoil at this time. Recoil in a handgun never really bothered me too much and through a long gun, with the exception of a 12 ga, I never really thought about recoil (never shot anything above a 357 through a Henry); not sure how that would feel today.

I believe my long gun days may be over....as I write this, I have ice on my shoulder.
 
#23 ·
There is always .22's. AR's in .223 and the pistol caliber lever guns give little or no recoil. .38's through a Henry is pretty much like a .22 and 357's are hardly more noticeable. Lifting and holding the gun up would probably strain your shoulder more than firing but you could always use a bag and bench too. Don't give up just yet.

I had a little recoil yesterday with the 454 Casul. The 444 Marlin wasn't bad at all.
 
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#24 ·
Perceived is a very real recoil. It is what you actually get at your shoulder. The very expensive custom shotgun makers practiced this. Custom fitting. Also making sure the person shoots it right. Right placement, holding and all. This can make a huge difference.
Just one example to back this up. Some guys have one shotgun they hate. It just kicks too bad. Can put the same load in a different shotgun. It somehow doesn't kick as bad. Now why is that? Because the second shotgun fits him much better.
 
#26 ·
I'll admit I don't care for heavy recoil anymore. Getting older tends to makes things hurt that didn't used to hurt. I don't care for shooting my mosin nagant for more than maybe 10 or 15 rounds. The other day after shooting 4 clips out of my Garand, I had enough. When I reload for 10mm now, I back off the powder a little. I've Shot a S&W 500 before but wouldn't care to any longer. Heck I have a P64 9x18 that with some ammo hurts.
 
#27 ·
Just mentally I have mellowed in my old age. When I was younger I loved to unleash that power. The recoil and boom was feedback. The louder the boom, the harsher the recoil, the more powerful I perceived myself. I got past that somewhere along the way, and I'm quite satisfied with a pop and a little kick to go with it.
 
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