Light rifle Big recoil from a bench

[djtjr]

Guys i am setting up a light rifle in 300 Win Mag for an upcoming sheep hunt and wanted to get some thoughts on shooting this gun from a bench rest setup for load development. Like most of my guns i am shooting it rested in my Sinclair rest with a protector num 1 narrow sad bag in there. its quite a light rifle and i am shooting 180 gn partitions in front of 77 grains of RL-22. I am shooting this with normal bench technique I.e. one hand on the gun one of the rear bag but i feel i am getting a lot of jump off of the front rest that may be skewing my results. Do any of you hold the fore end down when shooting a similar rifle? Has it helped? Or have you found it to matter? I know i can just go out and try it next weekend but if there was some common knowledge on the topic either way i figured i would ask rather than burn the ammo.
thanks and all the best,
Don

 

[Terry]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/699899/past-super-mag-plus-recoil-pad-shield-ambidextrous

and hold firmly.

 

[MrMajestic]

Yes some lighter weight rifles like to be held when firing off the bench. I try both ways if accuracy is in question. I have a Remington 141 in .35 Rem. that is extremely sensitive to my hold off the bench however when I do what it wants it thinks it's a varmint rifle. ;D

 

[Ledd Slinger]

If you hold the fore end in the field shooting at animals, then do the same when shooting targets. Don't try to stop the recoil with your shoulder, absorb it and roll with it. Allow it to push you back a little to keep the natural motion of the rifle. Shooting with your back in a more vertical position will make it easier. A large magnum is gonna jump off the rest, theres no stopping that. Just try to roll with it consistently

I personally use bipods on all my hunting rifles and use it in the prone position whenever a shot will allow time to deploy the bipod and lay down. So when I am load testing and target practicing at long range, I try to only shoot from a bipod.

 

[bheadboy]

all good advice, I had a 300m for a long tim and off the bench used my left hand to hold the forend just behind the rest, not pushing down just as I might in the field. also use a position near the rear of the bench where you can have a lower chair, more vertical body position and rock with the recoil. doooo not lean forward on the bench, also hold tight to the shoulder as you would hunting.

Bob

 

[mattri]

Very interesting post and great replies.

May be way off base here but it seems that there are three separate issues:

1) How to get a light, heavy recoiling rifle to shoot accurately off the bench to do load work up etc.

2) How to shoot said rifle accurately from field positions.

3) How to mate the two.


If you have a way of anchoring the rifle for bench work that's great, in the field when you're leaning against a tree maybe not so much.

By the same token shooting offhand would eliminate "bench" issues but not necessarily guarantee best results for testing loads/ammo/etc.

Interested to hear more experienced replies.

 

[rcerro]

read this





http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/Hold+that+Forend.html

 

[AKShooter]

Not the easiest approach, but I'm kind of in the same boat. I just build 2 stocks for mine, same stock but one is filled with shot and weight, just about everywhere I can get it, its even a single shot so I could fill the mag well, I shoot with it off the bench, Switching back to the lighter stock, I have seen zero point of impact changes, and I can repeat the same group size too,, granted not for long strings...at some point you know when to stop. at least I do

 

[djtjr]

read this





http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/Hold+that+Forend.html

That's a great article certainly explains some of what I am seeing with the very light rifle that I dont see with my more traditional and heavier long range guns.

 

[wvlongshot]

Make sure the front sling stud is not contacting the bag/rest on recoil. Or just thread it out. We had a 300rum that liked a bipod & about a pound of extra weight attached to it. It took all the vertical out of the groups compaired to my mechanical rest.

 

[DickE]

Have you thought of putting on a muzzle brake. You can also get a cap when you don't want to use the brake. If the brake is installed correctly POI will remain the same. Just a thought.

 

[RDavies]

Have you thought of putting on a muzzle brake. You can also get a cap when you don't want to use the brake. If the brake is installed correctly POI will remain the same. Just a thought.

+1 on the muzzle brake. With a good brake your 300WM will feel like a 7mm/08 to shoot.

 

[djtjr]

i do have brakes on most of my guns and i had thought about it but opted out primarily for hearing concern. It may not be an excuse but i literally will not shoot any more braked guns without ears in and this gun is set up for a pending dense cover moose hunt. I want to be able to not wear ears to hear but may have to shoot quickly with a long range gun it usually doesnt matter as i have time to setup and prepare with this i may not. with that a lot would say the 1 inch groups i am getting are fine but my ocd wont let me stop there if i think i can squeeze some more potential out of it and get rid of some flyers. Also the recoil felt by me is nto the issue. A 300 win mag is nothing compared to a lot of what i shoot on a regular basis i.e. 375 chey and chy imp, lapua imp 470 NE light 375 H&H etc... its really more about what that recoil does to the gun shooting from a conventional bench setup.

 

[DickE]

Note well taken.
I have installed a few brakes and I have the shooter promise me(good luck) they will only shoot it with ear plugs on. That is why you practice, check point of impact, tune loads at the bench with muzzle brake on, then remove the brake and put on the muzzle cap to go hunting. That way you get used to the gun and not waiting for the big recoil when you pull the trigger.
Sometimes you have to trick yourself, for no flinching.
I believe you when you talked about your other guns and recoil, I don't really like it myself, but know many who don't mind it one bit.
You have many good ideas to go about your business, pick and chose, and you will do fine.
Good luck

 

[LoganDon]

As an old guy, I am beginning to hate recoil. After shooting an M1 match, I went over to the benches and shot my 7mag, which I hunt with but avoid it on the bench, with my shooting coat on - it was actually comfortable!! I had forgotten that the old cloth military shooting coat forces you to roll with the recoil rather than taking all the recoil all on your shoulder.

 

[Joe Salt]

For all you Sissy's just put a 25 pound bag of shot on your shoulder, and put the butt of the rifle on it when shooting of the bench. Its like shooting a 22 Cal.

Joe Salt

 

[M-61]

For all you Sissy's just put a 25 pound bag of shot on your shoulder, and put the butt of the rifle on it when shooting of the bench. Its like shooting a 22 Cal.

Joe Salt

I've done that exact thing when sighting in a friends 378 Weatherby. What I consider a brutal recoil was dramatically reduced. Not like a 22 but survivable. Don't recall being ever called a sissy either.
Joe Salt is correct in as much it's a world of difference and the increased length of pull was nothing compared to not being hammered.