Heaviest recoiling gun you’ve shot?

[Buford57]

I had a Ruger #3 .45-70. Full house handloads out of that lightweight rascal and a metal buttplate could rock your world. My wife went shooting with me while she was carrying our oldest and the poor kid was born with a flinch.

One-handed my worst was an H&R Topper buck special in 12 gauge 3". Those were the days.

 

[STCM(SW)]

"I had a Ruger #3 .45-70. Full house handloads out of that lightweight rascal and a metal buttplate could rock your world."

That's why I put a Ruger #1 stock on my Ruger #3 45-70........

 

[Rotorhead1026]

I can top that! Try taking some shots with a Marlin 1895 in .444 Marlin! The stock configuration and light weight combined with that cartridge is a killer. I bought it to hunt black bear in the NE PA woods and sold it before I shot a box of shells.

I stuck with 45-70 because I had dies for it. Otherwise I'd have gone for the flatter-shooting "44 magnum magnum". Now I can't find it.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Browning B78 SS in 45/70 with steel crescent butt plate.......Made a lasting impression.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

12 gauge side by side, pulled both triggers at once
.30-06 with a heavier load 220 grain bullets
Runner up is a .30-30 crescent butt rifle with point of crescent lined up with shoulder

In my teens we used to do the double trigger SxS at once.......Then we thought it was fun.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

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.

I have a Marlin LTD III in 45/70 with a 16 in octagon barrel and plastic butt plate. Unwisely I bought a 400 grain bullet mold for it........After 6 rounds it goes back in the case

 

[Rick Sanborn]

Remington 660 in 350 magnum. I wanted one for many years and finally got one. Near perfect condition. Searched and found a box of cartridges. Fired 2 rounds. Thats was the end of it. Sold it to a fellow in Maine that wanted it for his wife's moose gun. Stout Mainer gal to be sure.

 

[7.62match]

475 #2 nitro express in a double rifle, was shooting old kynoch ammo and the second round was a hang fire. it went off just as I was taking the rifle off my shoulder. I was seeing stars and thought I had broke my shoulder.

 

[HOGSTR]

50 BMG bolt action rifle. You take in the whole blast.

But I'm not sure that's any worse than a Model 340PD.

 

[RobertJ.]

I had a Ruger #3 .45-70. Full house handloads out of that lightweight rascal and a metal buttplate could rock your world.

I bought one of those when I was 19, and immediately started loading full-throttle loads for it. The Hornady book said my 500 gr. SP was moving at 1700 FPS. It was the most obnoxious rifle I've ever shot. I got my dad to shoot it- once. That was enough for him! I wound up trading it for a 1903 Springfield.

I had an H&R 10 gauge once, and that kicked pretty good. I bought it at a pawn shop in Lewiston, Id. for 70 bucks, fired 18 rounds, then sold it for 75.

My friend Kip had a Remington Model 700 in .375 H&H, and it had a fiberglass stock. I think it weighed around 7 pounds, and it had a pretty healthy thump.

A couple of years ago in Vegas I shot a Barret .50 Cal, and it didn't really impress me, recoil-wise.

As far as handguns, it would probably be the Ruger SRH in .480 Ruger, owned by the same friend mentioned above and trimmed to a 3" snubby.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I have my great grandfathers Ithica 10 ga magnum double barrel shotgun . With factory magnum loads , it's quite a handful .
I had one of those Enfield Jungle Carbines . I actually enjoyed it . I didn't find the recoil a problem . It had the metal plate of the butt stock but it was a fun gun to shoot .
Handgun ? I had a S&W 329PD . The recoil was " very pronounced " . I sold the gun , but not because of the recoil ? I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if I was inside the barn . I never blamed the gun . It just wasn't a good fit for me . Regards Paul

 

[mrchick]

My worst was a .416 Weatherby Magnum. It was a thumper.

 

[ameridaddy]

M110A2 8 inch Howitzer.



Without question the heaviest recoiling gun I have ever fired. I'm the guy on the right

Naval guns fire a bigger round with more recoil but that's someone pushing a button.

Who's the lucky guy who gets to hand the ammo up to the guys on the gun platform?

 

[Rudi]

A Remington 870, but I was only 6.

 

[AJ]

Went to a Combat Shotgun Instructor's Course many moons ago. We fired at the minimum 350 rounds of .12 ga. 00Buck and slug in the three day course. Most of us shot mare as the instructor's would hand us more rounds and say shoot it again. A lot of the drills were speed drills and when going for speed you did not get the shotgun in your shoulder all the time. We all were black and blue from above our elbows to our necks. Never wanted to see a shotgun again! Two months later would grab a shotgun and show the students with a "That's how you do it!".

 

[Boudiepitbull]

12 gauge slugs and factory .44 magnum rounds. I've led a sheltered life.

 

[John Patrick]

For the most unpleasant handgun, it was a S&W J frame Air Lite, I think it was a 340PD.

For the most unpleasant long gun, it's my Mossberg 12ga slug gun. I get a bloody nose every time I check zero on a bench. It's much worse than a 458 WM I used to have.

 

[Bill Bates]

My worst was having a 100 year old plus 12 gauge side by side, that weighted about 6 1/2 pounds, double on me. Let's just say; that sure wakes you up.

As for handguns I've never shoot any calibers larger than .44 Magnum and I would say that isn't all that bad.

I do regularly shoot my Ruger M77 Hawkeye African in 9.3x62mm. Pushing a 285 grain slug at 2500 ft./second will begin to wear you out after 10 or 12 rounds from the bench. After a box of 20 I'm done for the day.

 

[Capt. F.]

Had a Ruger #1 in .458 WM. With 510 SP's you didn't have to sniff the muzzle to see if it went off.
For handguns, my Ruger 3 screw flattop .44 magnum with stock black stocks will peel the hide off your knuckles after a few of Elmer's 250 grainers.

 

[Old cop]

A 340PD loaded w/five 125 grain magnum rounds. It felt like catching a 90 MPH fastball w/o a glove.