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brendonjames65
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Haha. We've all been there!
Heaviest recoiling gun you’ve shot?
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Haha. We've all been there!
There is one other rifle I own that deserves honorable mention for the most felt recoil and largest fireball/muzzle blast on any range. That would be the 1944-vintage Soviet Mosin Nagant M38 in 7.62x54r. Everytime someone sees me touch off some Russian surplus ball ammo out of the short 20" barrel, they ask: "What kind of magnum rifle round is that?" 
H&R 10 gauge single shot slug gun...
I shot an H&R 10 gauge slug gun with Federal 10 gauge 3 1/2" slugs one time...it was BRUTAL...a friend who is a lot bigger than I shot it and he started shaking badly as his false teeth flew out of his mouth! He only shot it once also!
I shot an H&R 10 gauge slug gun with Federal 10 gauge 3 1/2" slugs one time...it was BRUTAL...a friend who is a lot bigger than I shot it and he started shaking badly as his false teeth flew out of his mouth! He only shot it once also!
Sp many stories out there.
Many years ago a group of shooters were having fun with a .460 or a .500, I can't recall which. One of the group was a 12 year old boy who asked to shoot it and the recoiling revolver came right back and hit him between the eyes. He died!
That's a true story but feel free to look it up!
VaTom
Member
^^^^ High Standard Riot Pump Shotgun (short barrel) with no recoil pad and 12 gauge slug. We had these in our patrol cars until the department replaced with Remington 870s in late 1970s.
Like I said, so many stories.......
I just came back from day 1 of the Dallas Safari Club Expo and I just told this story to a maker of very high end rifles and shotguns (6 figure high end!).
Maybe 20 or more years ago I was at the Dallas Safari Club Expo and I was talking to a gent named Butch Searcy. He is still out there.... B. Searcy & Co. Mr. Searcy is a large man, broad shouldered, barrel chested, and strong.
Anyway, he had some of his guns for sale and some others that he had acquired. I was looking at several and then I picked up a gorgeous rifle that was labeled .500 Jeffrey. Butch looked at me very seriously, no smile, and he said, "That one will hurt you!".
It did NOT come home with me!
So, to answer the question. a 3" M629 Lew Horton edition with wood stocks. I fired it 6 times with full house .44 Magnum rounds and then I put it down and said, "Never again".
As for rifles, I had a CZ 500 European in .416 Rigby. It was just an amazing feeling when it pushed me back HARD! Sadly, after I tore my right shoulder rotator cuff in a martial arts class I felt compelled to sell it to avoid any future issues.
Even with the shoulder injury I have no problems with any other rifles but that .416 was guaranteed to hurt me!
As for rifles, I had a CZ 500 European in .416 Rigby. It was just an amazing feeling when it pushed me back HARD! Sadly, after I tore my right shoulder rotator cuff in a martial arts class I felt compelled to sell it to avoid any future issues.
Even with the shoulder injury I have no problems with any other rifles but that .416 was guaranteed to hurt me!
Handgun: 500 S&W 4" . (A friends) only 3 shots. My hand stung for hrs.
Rifle: .50BMG Barrett bolt action "light sniper". Also not mine. 1 shot. No thanks.
Shotgun: Fox 10 gauge, which doubled. My shoulder hurt for days.
Rifle: .50BMG Barrett bolt action "light sniper". Also not mine. 1 shot. No thanks.
Shotgun: Fox 10 gauge, which doubled. My shoulder hurt for days.
.38SuperMan
Member
I agree with you on that. I had a 303 Jungle Carbine and a Russian 7.62 carbine that just beat the snot out of my shoulder. The 303 had a rubber piece that was rounded and had gotten hard over the decades. It seemed to wedge perfectly in my shoulder joint and felt like a swarm of hornets hitting me each time I shot it. One magazine and I had a beauty of a bruise.
The Russian Mosin Nagant carbine, like most older military bolt guns, had a steel but plate that summoned the hornets pretty quickly too. It left a nice purple spot after a half dozen rounds.
I'm not squeamish, or at least wasn't in my younger days, about recoil but my dad had a Thompson Contender with a short lightweight barrel in 44 mag. It was really unpleasant to shoot compared to my 10.5" Super Blackhawk. The same loads in the Ruger were no big deal and having shot 100 full house rounds in a single session. (That might have contributed to arthritis in my hands and wrists though.)
Cartridge sure makes a difference but the weight and design of the gun plays a huge factor in felt recoil and just how much you can tolerate plus some folks are just tougher than others. I never shied away from recoil years ago but at 75 I'm a wimp now.
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brendonjames65
US Veteran
You know I've heard this more than once with some of the large bores like 454 Casull, 475 & 500 Linebaugh, etc. I've read of some shooters having to make a consciousness effort to move their head out of the way! In one of the photos I posted, I'm in full recoil with my 6" Freedom Arms M83, 475 Linebaugh, with full house loads and it's nowhere near my head? I'm not denying it's happened but in my case, shooting 454, 475 Linebaugh, at full recoil it's nowhere close to striking my head.
Tom I had a similar gun in mind. For 20 yrs I deer hunted a state park where rifles were not allowed. I used an 18" Remington 870 with plastic butt plate. Shooting deer wasn't bad with all the clothing but testing and tuning in early October wearing a T shirt left a mark.
OP
brendonjames65
US Veteran
So, to answer the question. a 3" M629 Lew Horton edition with wood stocks. I fired it 6 times with full house .44 Magnum rounds and then I put it down and said, "Never again".
As for rifles, I had a CZ 500 European in .416 Rigby. It was just an amazing feeling when it pushed me back HARD! Sadly, after I tore my right shoulder rotator cuff in a martial arts class I felt compelled to sell it to avoid any future issues.
Even with the shoulder injury I have no problems with any other rifles but that .416 was guaranteed to hurt me!
I always wanted a CZ 550 in 416 Rigby. There was a time when they were very reasonable. Not so for the ammo! Should've got one back then. Perfect cape buffalo rifle! Actually, I know of a guy who took this rifle on a grizzly hunt.
Rotorhead1026
Member
Nothing overwhelming on the handgun side (I'm surprised 10 mm hasn't made an appearance). On the rifle side, Marlin 1895 in 45-70. The cartridge isn't that brutal, but the 1895 is so light.
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Never fired a handgun that I thought was going to hurt to shoot. I had a 6.5" Power Port model 629 that was not at all bad with full loads.
I have read the shooting technique for the really powerful big bores is not to try to control (fully resist) the recoil, but I can see how this advice not only leads to funny videos, but also tragic consequences as in post #24.
I've told this story before, but one full house load out of a Ruger No. 1 Tropical in .458 Winchester Magnum was enough. I was about 110 pounds soaking wet at the time.
I have read the shooting technique for the really powerful big bores is not to try to control (fully resist) the recoil, but I can see how this advice not only leads to funny videos, but also tragic consequences as in post #24.
I've told this story before, but one full house load out of a Ruger No. 1 Tropical in .458 Winchester Magnum was enough. I was about 110 pounds soaking wet at the time.
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WW Greener double barrel rifle in .500 Nitro Express.
Echo40
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That's easy... For handguns, the hardest kicking one I ever shot is my Taurus Judge Magnum loaded with Federal Premium 3" .410 Handgun 000 Buckshot shells.
It's got some pretty substantial recoil, as you can probably imagine considering that it's a 37oz Revolver shoot 3" .410 Shotshells, each with a payload of four 70gr 000 Buckshot, but it's nothing compared to this...
The Mossberg 590 Shockwave 12 Gauge. Fortunately, the bird's head grip angle doesn't transfer much recoil into the wrist like a typical vertical pistol grip would, but it still delivers quite the jolt of sharp recoil when fired, and that's just with 2.75" 00 Buckshot. I've yet to shoot any 3" Shells out of it.
It's got some pretty substantial recoil, as you can probably imagine considering that it's a 37oz Revolver shoot 3" .410 Shotshells, each with a payload of four 70gr 000 Buckshot, but it's nothing compared to this...
The Mossberg 590 Shockwave 12 Gauge. Fortunately, the bird's head grip angle doesn't transfer much recoil into the wrist like a typical vertical pistol grip would, but it still delivers quite the jolt of sharp recoil when fired, and that's just with 2.75" 00 Buckshot. I've yet to shoot any 3" Shells out of it.
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Ruger number 1 in 450 win mag was nasty.. but McMillan bolt action in 50BMG (pre-barrett) was the winner of the rifle category..
handgun is a tie between 500S&W MAG & 460 MAG.. both early models with 8 inch barrels... shotgun is either a trench gun my uncle stuffed a 3 inch mag into.. not nice at 13 years old... or the only 10 gauge I ever tried.. one & done with 3 1/2 inch mag of bb's...
handgun is a tie between 500S&W MAG & 460 MAG.. both early models with 8 inch barrels... shotgun is either a trench gun my uncle stuffed a 3 inch mag into.. not nice at 13 years old... or the only 10 gauge I ever tried.. one & done with 3 1/2 inch mag of bb's...
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