Recoil sensitivity as we age.

[Coyotefurharvester]

The county I deer hunt in may soon allow centerfire rifles(currently shotgun/slug, handgun or muzzleloader) so my 7,30,338 cal will certainly get more range time. They all seem less recoil than my Savage 220 with 3/4 oz sabots or 54 cal muzzle with 300 gr + sabots. 66 yo first rifle deer hunt.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Smarter

 

[sacre]

Yes and no.
Just fun is 22lr, 22 Hornet, 17 HMR, 222, 223, most of the year. No recoil.

Deer and elk season it's 6mm Rem or 7mm Rem mag. Not many shots fired.

Once a year (not counting practice) I shoot 5-800 rounds of 40-65 or 45-90 in a week at the Quigley BPCR match. Yes they kick.
(I'm 82)

 

[PiXman]

Just turned 70. Picked up a 40X in 7.62 three years ago to try 1000 yard after a 40 year layoff from smallbore prone and three position competition in high school and college so I don't know any different. (Bad knees, family, travel, freelance business, yada, yada...) Traded for one the new CZ-600 Ranges with a big NightForce 56mm scope on it and am handling the recoil over 80 round practice days pretty well. The 40X stock just didn't fit well and I noticed it more, even with some ugly modifications to try to make it fit. The adjustable cheekpiece on the CZ goes a long way towards making that rifle fit, which, with the total weight, mitigates a good bit of recoil. I can shoot a full weekend match easily, so I'm happy.

That said, the scope on dad's (now my brother's) 7mm magnum Remington 700 broke my glasses and cut a gash in my eyebrow the one time I shot it. That was enough, thankyouverymuch.

 

[Straightshooter1]

At age 78, it's been a long time since I've shot a really large caliber gun and have stuck to my .308, though it has a muzzle brake. A shooting buddy let me shoot his M1 Garand a while back and I expected the recoil to be more sever that it actually is and I wouldn't say I enjoyed the recoil, but I did enjoy shooting that gun (kinda reminded me of my old days).

Just a couple weeks ago I was curious about the recoil of my .308 without the break. So, on removing it, shot about 40 rounds to see if I could still shoot it as well as with the break. The amount of recoil didn't surprise me, but the difference between having a break vs no break was kinda surprising. I though I might have a bruised shoulder afterwards, but none appeared.

When I first bought my .308 for target shooting and reloading (and the 6.5 PRC too) I didn't give any thought to the cost of it vs. smaller cartridges. Had I thought about shooting 2,500 - 3,000 rounds a year, I'd probably choose a smaller caliber/cartridge just out of the cost savings. . . and less recoil would make shooting a little more enjoyable (I think??). But, as I had figured, going with the very popular .308 I've not ever had an issue with component availability as I've had with my 6.5 PRC.

As for the recoil on the 6.5 PRC. . . it's pretty close to the same as my .308 and to me it feels just a little less.

 

[Leo_B]

Heading for 69 in 3 months. Never did like recoil, even when young. So I have a 22 Hornet and a 5.56 AR. Might eventually get a .222 as I really like that round. Never shoot more than +P ammo in 9mm pistols and .357 (.38+P ammo) revolvers although I do load them with .357 for carry since it's 99.7% unlikely to ever be needed and if so I can shoot it. I don't hunt so no reason to get beat up when I'm at the range to enjoy myself. Targets never know or care what I'm hitting them with.

 

[CF Junkie]

Kraken Mcgraw,
Thanks for the idea, but I have my hands full just loading for the rebarreled .223, rebarreled 6.5mm CM, a resurrected .22-250 and a restocked .308, that I might rebarrel shortly also.
I just don't think there is enough difference to justify trying yet another caliber.

I have thought about trying a 6mm CM, but I concluded it will not be all that much different than a 6.5mm CM.
My new 6.5mm CM barrel is grouping at 1/4 MOA and I have just started getting used to the recoil again. I haven't even tried all the bullet variations that I shot with the factory barrel so there is still a lot of shooting to do before I get bored with the 6.5mm CM.

 

[Kittitas George]

When I was young recoil wasn't an issue except for a friends Mod 88 308, it KICKED. I bought a Mod 70 300 Win Mag spring of 1964, it's still in the safe. The smaller guns, 25-06, 270, 22-250 were just more enjoyable to shoot. When I got the 300WM, I knew Alaska was in my future, after Alaska, it was used here in WA for a season or two, then replaced with a 270 and 25-06. This was in the mid 1960s, I used the 25 and also a 22-250 for rock chucks. At 84, next month, I do like the smaller stuff. My shooting partner and spotter died 6 years ago, so I've gone to small and heavy, no recoil, no jump. I gotta see the shot without a spotter. Lots of 17HMR, 17 Hornady Hornet, 222 Rem. both 'heavy guns' and the 25-06 for waaay out there. Over the years I've had some very nice rifles in 223, 204R 22-250, and a 6mm Ackley built by Richard Franklin, a true thousand yard prairie dogger. Best rifle I ever had. If it needs a brake, rethink it!!!

 

[DShortt]

Next time you're browsing used gun racks, notice all the 7-ish pound 300 Win Mags.

Sounds great. Reality proves otherwise.

 

[358WCF]

Over the years I've owned & shot almost everything in common use up to 375 H&H & learned a few things about recoil. Stock design matters. Barrel weight matters. Eye relief matters.

I had a 700 ADL in 308 that was more punishing on the aft end with 165s than a properly stocked 358 Norma with 200s. There was a 300 WinMag with a horribly exaggerated Monte Carlo that was just miserable to shoot. Not even sure I made it thru a box of factory ammo before selling that one; & that 338 WinMag Model 70 that definitely had a step up in rearward motion from 250s to 275s, but shot them under an inch.

Then there was the 375 H&H with a thin whippy little 22" barrel that torqued so much from the bench, the scope bit over the non aiming eye. A sling wrapped around the rest with c.40# bag of shot only broke the sling swivel... & bit above my weak eye again. It was OK offhand or sitting. All of the big stuff wears 1.5-5 Leupolds for max eye relief. Some newer stuff seems to be specced even longer. Hmmmm...

Nowadays all of the belted stuff is gone except for a pair of 300 H&Hs & the mentioned Norma just because I like them. They mostly sit in the safe because I have good loads for all & enjoy fiddling with new stuff.

Except for the above, never had much problem with recoil until a few years back. Showering after a day at the range that included 20 rounds with a paltry 358 Winchester load shooting 200s, I noticed my arm was that purple/yellow color from just above the elbow almost to my nipple. Apparently the asthma meds also thin blood. So now for everything over 30 cal. I wear a PAST recoil pad. My buddy called it the pussy pad until he shot the Norma with full tilt 250s.

I turned 70 last year & have come to accept that I'm not as good as I once was & the water at the drain is swirling faster. Oh well. It's still fun to take the big stuff to the range. It's jacket weather again & I really do need to look for a faster load for that Norma with 250s & some of the newer powders. Maybe next week.

Edit... Forgot about the old single shot 10 gauge some guy at the hunt club had. One shot was enough.

 

[Rank Amateur]

Honest suggestion: it isn’t cheap, but check out the R.A.D. from Hart shooting systems. MANY F-class shooters have added these to their 7mm and 30 cal rifles. They absolutely transform the perceived recoil of heavier rounds and make recoil a “non-issue”.

HartSystems

hartshooting.com

 

[rjtfroggy]

I'll be 74 in a few weeks and never thought much about recoil, but I had a shoulder replaced last March and that changed everything.
I now wear a pad and add a folded towel if needed. The 6BR isn't bad but the 30x47 lets me know I pulled the trigger.

 

[GetReal]

Sold my 338 Norma Mag bolt gun for this reason. Love shooting any of a half dozen 22rf and a dozen 9mm pistols and SBRs.

Opted for 22 and 6mm caliber precision rifles.

Shooting is sposta be fun..

 

[Dufas]

06 Garand in boot didn't bother me. At 83 nope, no more.

 

[DShortt]

Call me a wuss if you want. But.

A 7lb rifle with a sporter-profile barrel and a hard butt plate in .308 takes ALL the fun out of load testing for me.

 

[Tacoma]

Turning 68 here soon. I've got arthritus and bone spurs in my shoulders. My right wrist has issues too. I've sold off anything bigger than 6.5 Sweed/Creedmore these days. Even then, I'm dowloading those for 30-40% recoild reduction. Honestly, I completely happy shooting lighter calibers and loads in everything from my revolvers to target rifles. Too each their own, I guess.

 

[wkdickinson]

I am 72. In the 80s and 90s I shot 10s of thousands of rounds of 308 Win during NRA ATC competition. Late in that time I moved to an AR. Today I shoot off the bench only. My primary 600 yd gun is a 6bra, which is an amazing round - very accurate, with moderate recoil. I also have a 6.5 CM in a heavy target rifle, which don't really enjoy shooting because of the recoil. Am I a pussy, maybe.

 

[41cal]

I grew up in a shotgun only zone for deer.
This was in the early 80’s and the bead barrels were not a very precise way to hit what you were aiming at.
Ithaca had a slug barrel (smooth bore with rifled sights) that I had on a 12 gauge mod 37 featherweight.
Shooting that with federal 2-3/4” federal 1-1/4 oz slugs off of a bench taught me how to flinch!! lol.
Now they legalized straight wall cartridges and they kick like a pellet gun in comparison.
Now I mostly stick to small cal varmint guns for target shooting.

 

[6.5 forever]

06 Garand in boot didn't bother me. At 83 nope, no more.

Whatever it takes, keep shooting

 

[BHP9]

At 76 I'm still not recoil shy, but, I have chosen to not shoot any rifle greater than 30/06. I, once had a .338LM with a brake that I enjoyed shooting, it felt like a .243 due to the brake, but I sold it because I only had a 400 yd range and it was boring.