Shooting tutorials - recoil
- Thread starter GetReal
- Start date
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I was able to reproduce the videos results. Targets 1-3 were all the the same load, the butt positioned tight up to my collarbone - same verticle stringing. Follow thru sight pic was well to the left of target..
Target 4 same load (albeit with 0.005 shorter BTO measurement) much tighter groups. 100 yards. Semi auto 6 ARC. Same brass lot / batch. No / light wind. But soft shoulder, butt in the "pocket" lightly agaisnt the pectoral "meat" allowing best as I could for straight rearward recoil. Follow thru sight pic was much more on target.
Target 4 same load (albeit with 0.005 shorter BTO measurement) much tighter groups. 100 yards. Semi auto 6 ARC. Same brass lot / batch. No / light wind. But soft shoulder, butt in the "pocket" lightly agaisnt the pectoral "meat" allowing best as I could for straight rearward recoil. Follow thru sight pic was much more on target.
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Try it again with a heavier kicker and see if the pattern holds
meaning a larger caliber / more powder? Its true in this gun with this load, there's very little recoil. In fact I occasionally fail to have the bolt lock open on last round bolt hold open.
With about 300 rounds thru teh gun, best guess is it takes ~15 rounds to foul the bore (Bartlein) Targets 1-3 were round 6 - 20. Target 4 # 21- 25. But I don't think the wide dispersion is due to an unfouled bore.
If this works, it might explained part of why I sucked with 6 Dasher loads so much.
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This post is directed toward those shooting light, heavy to moderate recoiling rifles used for hunting, not target shooting.
A light rifle is obviously an advantage if you're the type of hunter that roams the field a lot, covering a lot of territory during a hunt. Yet, the recoil in big game cartridges, even the 308, can create difficulty shooting off the bench for sighting in and / load testing. This is especially the case for small frame older hunters like me.
Given the large vital area of big game, the good news is that you don't need a tack driver to be successful if the distances are moderate, say 300 yards and under. Actually, in my area, PA, most shots are well under 200 yards.
My Tikka T3 in 308 is a well-made very accurate rifle, a joy to carry in the field, and with enough terminal performance to anchor even the largest bucks in my area but kicks like a mule because of the light weight and my small frame. My Rem 700 isn't much better recoil wise.
Many years ago, the American Rifleman published an article on sighting in big game rifles with sporter weight barrels. Basically, it promoted the idea of holding the forearm of the stock slightly back while supporting the forearm on a sturdy front rest and rear bag. This accomplished two things: 1. it reduced felt recoil and 2. it produced a sight in that was more representative of the manner in which most big game hunters hold a rifle when shooting a game.
For many years I adopted this practice and found it to be very effective for sight in / sight in verification before the season without the pain of shooting free recoil. It's not the best approach for load development because it creates some potential shooter error, but I've used it for load development and while not ideal, it can work well enough to develop an effective big game hunting load keeping in mind that for big game you don't need a tack driver.
So, you may want to give this a try before your next big game hunting season if you have an issue with recoil. You can also use a recoil reducing shoulder pad during sight in off the bench which is helpful. When combined with the aforementioned technique, felt recoil if very manageable.
A light rifle is obviously an advantage if you're the type of hunter that roams the field a lot, covering a lot of territory during a hunt. Yet, the recoil in big game cartridges, even the 308, can create difficulty shooting off the bench for sighting in and / load testing. This is especially the case for small frame older hunters like me.
Given the large vital area of big game, the good news is that you don't need a tack driver to be successful if the distances are moderate, say 300 yards and under. Actually, in my area, PA, most shots are well under 200 yards.
My Tikka T3 in 308 is a well-made very accurate rifle, a joy to carry in the field, and with enough terminal performance to anchor even the largest bucks in my area but kicks like a mule because of the light weight and my small frame. My Rem 700 isn't much better recoil wise.
Many years ago, the American Rifleman published an article on sighting in big game rifles with sporter weight barrels. Basically, it promoted the idea of holding the forearm of the stock slightly back while supporting the forearm on a sturdy front rest and rear bag. This accomplished two things: 1. it reduced felt recoil and 2. it produced a sight in that was more representative of the manner in which most big game hunters hold a rifle when shooting a game.
For many years I adopted this practice and found it to be very effective for sight in / sight in verification before the season without the pain of shooting free recoil. It's not the best approach for load development because it creates some potential shooter error, but I've used it for load development and while not ideal, it can work well enough to develop an effective big game hunting load keeping in mind that for big game you don't need a tack driver.
So, you may want to give this a try before your next big game hunting season if you have an issue with recoil. You can also use a recoil reducing shoulder pad during sight in off the bench which is helpful. When combined with the aforementioned technique, felt recoil if very manageable.
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