Recoil sensitivity as we age.

[Bill Rodolph]

Shootability has always been important. But, back when I started this, small bullets with good ballistic coefficients were non existent. So for 1K shooting especially, a 30 caliber magnum with a big bullet is what was used. I'm a small framed person, but shot a 300WM at 1K. 50 rounds did me in for the day! Then along came 80gr bullets for the AR15's and the M1A's and 308 bolt guns started started going away. Tubb started shooting a 7-08 XTC, better bullet, less recoil. Then there was a 142 gr. 6.5 bullet and the 6.5 X 284 replaced the 30 caliber magnums, the 260 Remington (6.5 X 308) came along and so on. Now I shoot a 6mm. Shot a 22-250 XTC for quite awhile. I can't bear even the recoil of my 308 palma rifle. LOL! Old age? Yes, but better bullets/cartridges as well. And therefore better shootability, better scores, more enjoyment.

 

[209jones]

Never realy noticed recoil a bunch in my bigger guns, other than a #1 in 450-400NE, that one got to me after about 500 rds thru it, decided I didn't need to do that anymore. Shot a 3" 12ga SXS for about 5 yrs with a wood buttplate when goose hunting, put a pad on it to lengthen it finally, couple of boxes a day in it was no big deal, which kinda surprised me, nicer than an SBE, although there was also a difference in weight. Only hung that up this year because of no dog. 300H&H in a 10lb gun is fine by me for hunting still. My range guns are on 308 based cases, so, I really don't notice them.

 

[Davers]

Years past, I enjoyed shooting my rebarreled Remington M-722 in .458 X 2" American. However, at 76 years of age, the rifle stays in the gun cabinet. Loads with 400 grain bullets have roughly 45 Foot Pounds of felt recoil, while I can reload it using 300 grain Hornadys which have less recoil.

 

[Oso]

Big is fun, but there has to be a reason for it. I don’t shoot competitions so I am not having to deal with an arms race. I hate getting punished by a muzzle break, which I find to be way worse than recoil. I pick efficient cartridges that do the job I want. Where possible I stick a suppressor on everything to make my shooting experience that much better, less noise and less recoil. It makes me happy.

 

[CF Junkie]

Yes, I think we become more affected by recoil as we get older.
I have noticed that I feel recoil more now that I am older.
I am 82 and still shooting and reloading.

There was a time, maybe 15 years ago that I thought .308s were light recoiling rifles.
I used to love to shoot 308s and wore out one barrel and have just about worn out the replacement - over 10,000 rounds combined, and have a 2nd 308 with almost 5,000 rounds through it and about ready for a new barrel.
I also shoot two 6.5mm CMs - I just replaced one barrel at 4,800 rounds, and am thinking about replacing the other barrel also.

And I shoot a lot of .223 bolt actions. Shot my first to over 7,000 rounds.
In my second, my favorite, I wore out one barrel at 9,030 rounds and have 2,500 rounds down its replacement.

Over the last few years, I have tended to shoot more and more .223 rounds than the heavier calibers.
After I replaced the barrels in my favorite .223 and one of the 6.5mm CMs, I found that I literally had to work to overcome the heavier recoil in the 6.5mm CM, a rifle that I used to think was a pussycat for recoil.
Yes, my body is not as fit as it once was and a .308 now feels like the recoil is very harsh.
I still shoot the 6.5mm CM, but I have to work really hard to get real accuracy.
Some of that might have been shooting so much with a .223 target rifle with much lighter recoil in a heavy target rifle.
But my 6.5mm CM target rifle weighs 15 lbs. and it now feels like it recoils a lot.

 

[Tesoro]

IMO noise amplifies perceived recoil, and esp when shooting in covered ranges. Blast also shocks your brain which cant be good for you. I have lost count of how any times I got kind of 'brain foggy' and 'subdued' after a long range session with big bore or magnum handgun. I am a big fan of suppressors and also low cost Kaw Valley linear compensators for all field rifles.
Also a big fan of 6mm for bench shooting at 65!

 

[Mark W]

I’ve never enjoyed shooting the big boomers, but I have a buddy my age who is as likely to show up at the range with a 300 Ultra Mag as he is a Dasher.

 

[Syncrowave]

Spent most of my life shooting 270 Win and 30-06. In my 50s, I got into Highpower 223 and 6.5/284.
Now in my 60s, I'm trying to work up a load for long range in 300WSM. Don't expect to go much beyond that.

 

[roband]

TAC 20 and Seventeens on the rifle side,Twenty Eight and Four Tens on the shotguns.
Im going to live forever.When anything else is needed im along for the ride, enjoy watching my two boys.

 

[David Milisock]

I'm 72 this year and as I don't compete and shoot field positions for practice in my opinion my reaction to recoil is very similar today as years ago.
A poorly stocked 30-06 always sucked, even at age 20 but my custom bolt 450 Marlin rifle shooting 500 grain projectiles doesn't bother me even now.

 

[6.5 forever]

I still shoot the Big Stuff, but do it in the winter with more padding.

Am always fearful of ScopeEye!

I'm 81 YO

Hip

You da man!!!

 

[Dead Eye]

I think all that matters is if there is a change in shooting you adapt to that change so you can still enjoy what makes you happy. Worrying about scores or group size back in the day compared to now does no good. If recoil bothers you more shoot smaller cartridges, if vision is a problem get a bigger scope, gun to heavy to hunt with get a lighter gun. The important part is to keep having fun.

 

[SKWERLZ]

I still shoot big stuff but it’s nice n heavy so recoil isn’t terrible.
I now generally refuse to shoot stuff like a hunting weight 338/378 my friend had and similar it aggravates my shoulder injuries.

 

[Nevned]

This is a question for those of us who are middle-aged or better, but who've been shooting since we were lads. How many of you who were into shooting really powerful rifles (e.g. .300 WinMag; .338 Lapua) when you were young men found yourself abandoning them for much tamer, smaller-calibre fare by the time you were in your 40s or 50s? And for those of you that did, was it because the little pills in little cases are so inherently accurate? Or, because the big pills in big cases are so obnoxious to shoot, however inherently accurate still? I ask this question because I'm torn between the two worlds. I'm almost 57, but I still love shooting the big stuff. The thing is, I don't love shooting it as much as I love shooting 6.5mm, 6mm, and 5.56mm rifles. And I'm certainly less inclined to taking something in the way of a .30-calibre or larger rifle to the range for the day with my son.

I can relate. I have greatly reduced my shooting activities with my big bores. I find that my 6 Creedmoor and 6 GT are my happy place these days. At 70 plus years it just seems to more user friendly and enjoyable. I also can go to the range and shoot more rounds in a single session with the smaller cartridges. I guess I'm just a lightweight.....

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Yes, I think we become more affected by recoil as we get older.
I have noticed that I feel recoil more now that I am older.
I am 82 and still shooting and reloading.

There was a time, maybe 15 years ago that I thought .308s were light recoiling rifles.
I used to love to shoot 308s and wore out one barrel and have just about worn out the replacement - over 10,000 rounds combined, and have a 2nd 308 with almost 5,000 rounds through it and about ready for a new barrel.
I also shoot two 6.5mm CMs - I just replaced one barrel at 4,800 rounds, and am thinking about replacing the other barrel also.

And I shoot a lot of .223 bolt actions. Shot my first to over 7,000 rounds.
In my second, my favorite, I wore out one barrel at 9,030 rounds and have 2,500 rounds down its replacement.

Over the last few years, I have tended to shoot more and more .223 rounds than the heavier calibers.
After I replaced the barrels in my favorite .223 and one of the 6.5mm CMs, I found that I literally had to work to overcome the heavier recoil in the 6.5mm CM, a rifle that I used to think was a pussycat for recoil.
Yes, my body is not as fit as it once was and a .308 now feels like the recoil is very harsh.
I still shoot the 6.5mm CM, but I have to work really hard to get real accuracy.
Some of that might have been shooting so much with a .223 target rifle with much lighter recoil in a heavy target rifle.
But my 6.5mm CM target rifle weighs 15 lbs. and it now feels like it recoils a lot.

That’s great that you have got to enjoy that much shooting!
Have you ever tried any of the 6BR variants?

 

[spencerhenry]

I don't shoot my big stuff as much as I used to, there are a few reasons for that. I like to kill stuff, but I don't get very many tags that require anything of size. I can, however, shoot ground squirrels to my heart's content. I love my 17 Ackley Hornet for that. And as others have said its way cheaper to shoot. I stocked up years ago on components, but when I looked to replenish my IMR4350 I was shocked.
I haven't had a moose tag in 7 years, antelope in 6 years, only get one deer tag per year, elk I always hunted with a bow.
I moved a couple times and lately am finally getting back into shooting more. I've had my 50 BMG out a few times in the last couple months, I guess that qualifies as a big gun. The recoil with the 50 is different, its more of a slow push, than a sharp smack. My 338 win mag is more unfriendly, but going to get it out and use up the last 10 rounds of 100 that I loaded back in .......... 2006! I did use that rifle on a moose in 2004, again in 2014, and a bear in 2011.

 

[mongo chicago]

Started when I was 20 with a 44 magnum. Shot it for decades. Starting rifle was a 458 Win Mag. Also had a 338 Win. mag. Am 74 now. Many - many - many guns in between. Biggest boomers that I have now are a 1911 in 45 acp. and an M1 Garand. Age and health take their toll.

 

[Steel Mover]

My story is a bit different, shot all manner of heavy recoiling stuff for decades and built all of them, like my 458 Lott. Then I had a need for open heart surgery to replace all my heart arteries and valves....so prior to the event I studied on the problem, asked questions and then built myself a 6mm Mongoose AR-15, light weight rifle with a 6mm punch and low recoil. Our farm requires heavier bullets at times. The 6mm works well. It is based on a .050" shortened 223 case necked up and blown out with a 40 degree shoulder. It can fit heavy 6mm bullets in a 2,26" AR-15 mag. Pictured is an 80 grain that is set out to a 95 grain set.

 

[PhilC]

For most of my life I've claimed to not be recoil sensitive. Started hunting in my teens shooting a very early (sub 100 SN) Savage 110 in 30-06. Light with a metal butt plate it kicked like a mule but I could handle it. Moved to 7RM in '86, also a 110, purchased from my roomate for $130. It is deadly accurate, but as plain as they got, non-checkered stock, plastic butt plate and kicked more than the -06. From there I went bigger with a 700 BDL in 338WM, designated it my big game rifle. From the bench w/250gr Partitions it was unpleasant after about 10 rounds.

Dropped out of shooting in 2006 for over 10yrs as my wife and I spent time fishing instead. Got back into shooting actively ~2016, older and wiser, I left the 'boomers' in the safe. Bought a 12FV in 6.5CM during the Cabela's bargain sale days 2017, found it pleasant to shoot and still enjoy it. Liked it so much decided I needed a 22 centerfire so built my 1st rifle and chambered it in 22CM.

A few years later I got into casting, became a CBA member, and now shoot sanctioned matches at Spokane Rifle Club with a Savage PTA chambered in 7BR. In the 12.5lb rifle, felt recoil is 3.4lbs and I'm neither tired nor sore after a match which is close to 100rds.

Early June I slipped off a floor joist doing some remodel work at our cabin and messed up my right shoulder pretty bad - ended up needing rotator cuff surgery which occured Nov 13th. Looks like I'll miss most, if not all, of the '26 season all depends when the surgeon gives me the 'ok' to shoot.

 

[K22]

This is an issue that a lot of us older shooters eventually face. Due to health issues, I had to change my shooting platform. Therefore, in my case the decision was fairly straightforward.

Do I miss shooting my 30 caliber rifles? You bet, especially the great 308. I tried reduced recoil loads for a few years, and they worked until my spinal condition worsened. Next came the cost constraints / supply chain issues of trying to inventory components for several calibers. Next, I had to retired from big game hunting and significantly reduce my varmint / predator hunting.

Finally, I faced the reality of my declining physical condition and downsized to 223 Rem bolt rifles. I began the transition to being primarily a practical target shooter. The economy, lack of recoil, excellent accuracy, and the less toll on my body made the transition enjoyable and more affordable.

I can still do some limited varmint / predator hunting thus enjoy the outdoors. With the siginficant decline in huntable farms areas, it also made the transition to range shooting easier. I can still stay in the game and enjoy getting outdoors to the ranges.