Rifle that kicks like a mule....

Many, many years ago, when I was very young, stupid and skinny (and wearing a T-shirt and jeans), I loaded an elderly 12ga. side-by-side hammer gun (with a curved steel butt-plate and straight stock) with high-brass #6's. Then, out of curiosity--I said I was stupid--I cocked both hammers and fired both barrels at once.

I don't think I need to say more.
 
My little Ruger #3 in 45/70 will get everyone else's attention. Your's is mostly a few inches in front of where you ended up.
 
I would have to vote for my 1881 Marlin .45/70 with the octagonal barrel but haven't shot it for a while. Lately it is the Winchester model 70 featherweight in .30-06 that I deer hunt in Maine with. As others have stated, those three sighting shots at the pre-season get ready session are starting to hurt.

Not sure if the guns are getting more powerful or if my old body is just getting weaker, but I'm guessing it's the later. :(
 
One time while deer hunting with an old .303 Enfield we got back to my old truck and the battery was dead. So my buddy hopped up in the bed and put the butt of the rifle against the back of the cab and shot 4 times real quickly and that got us rolling, I popped the clutch and she started right up.

True story. ;)
 
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cougar14 said:
My little Ruger #3 in 45/70 will get everyone else's attention. Your's is mostly a few inches in front of where you ended up.
Click to expand...

That is one hard kicking little rascal.

TrapdoorBig.jpg

This one with a full dose of 3Fg and a 530 gr. paper patch bullet will get your attention.
 
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TC Scout .54 caliber 530 grain maxi ball over 120 grains of FF in such a light carbine with solid brass butt plate put a beat down on your shoulder.

TC_Scout-1.jpg
 
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Hardest kicking rifle i've ever owned hands down was a
Weatherby synthetic stocked 30-06
I got rid of that one quickly...

Chuck
 
First shot ever with a scoped rifle AND off a rest was a 70's era 700 BDL in 30.06 with what I swear was a gutta percha butt pad... not sure if it was better than nothing. I had bought it from my best friend who was shooting a .300 WM with a muzzle brake just next to me. Barest bit of wobble from the rest and bench plus the muzzle blast nearby had me focusing so hard on the target I forgot a good shoulder lock with the first shot.
With my buddy's help I dialed in the scope, firing twice between adjustments just to see if I could hit the same spot twice, moved the target down range, stuck a folded hand towel under my T-shirt and threw another dozen rounds before I realized my shoulder hurt like heck. I was having a good time, only 20 rounds total.
The next day it looked like I had slice of baseball right on the shoulder knob.
 
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Worst rifle I ever fired? Not sure. Fired some real thumpers. The bad ones have mostly been the ones that were inappropriately stocked for the caliber. With a proper stock, even the loud and boomers are manageable. The worst I ever got beat up was with two particular rifles. One was a plain Jane very nice condition Kar-98 in which I was firing some Egyptian 7.92x57mm ball. That stuff was hotter than the hinges of the theological place of eternal torment. By the time I'd gone through six strings of 10 rounds, I was ready to stop for lunch. But, being brilliant and given that I only had 40 rounds to go... I just put a layer of newspaper on my shoulder and kept shooting. After 100 rounds... I was (thankfully) out of ammo. The huge pine tree that I'd nailed my target to had a hole shot all the way through it. A few weeks later that big old tree fell over. That was about the time my shoulder stopped being sore.

In 2004 my identical-twin brother passed away after a short vicious struggle with cancer. I bought all his reloading stuff and ammo since his wife was throwing it away. I found nine boxes of Russian .30-06 ammo loaded with 145 gr. FMJ's. One morning I retired to the range with all nine boxes of ammo and my Remington 1903 rifle. Firing at 200 yds. with the ladder sight up and the aperture set for 200 yds. my groups formed at the top of the bull on a SR-1. Recoil was to put it mildly stiff in the extreme. It was difficult to lift the bolt. Extraction was however easy. Keep in mind that this is the rifle that I use for vintage military rifle matches. To say that it has a slick bolt is an understatement. I was shooting that day in my normal summer outfit... i.e., pants and a T-shirt. I was firing normal 10 round strings. The first couple of strings were fine. By the time I broke open the third box, I was reconsidering things. I repeated the newspaper pad routine I'd previously used with the Kar-98. I quit shooting SR-1's and just concentrated on trying to pound a nice little pattern into the rust covered steel plate hanging at the 200 yd. line. Don't know what powder the Russians use in their ammo. Don't want to know. Don't ever intend to ever fire any more of it in any of my rifles. Would not ever consider using it in a M-1 Garand as the port pressure would in all probability be way to high.
 
What's so bad about firing the moisin carbines?. Each time you pull the trigger you get a loud boom and a light show. I have a Russian M44 that I shoot with yugo heavy ball I get the boom and the light show. I didn't notice the muzzle flash until a buddy asked to try it. Standing off to one side than I saw what he was talking about, even comes with a pig sticker so's you can cook your food as well. Frank
 
I have shot some heavy hitters, but recoil usually doesn't bother me too much. One gun that does is a Ruger .44 mag Deerstalker semi auto carbine. It's not really the recoil, but the design of the stock's comb, and its compatibility to my face. I have to press my cheek down fairly hard to get good sight alignment, and that comb just smacks me. A dozen rounds, and I'm done, usually with a bruised cheek the next day.

Larry
 
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I had a Winchester Model 88 in .308 Win. I shot three rounds from a standing position at the range before I traded it for a 12 gauge Winchester Model 94 that was mild on comparison.
 
Ron M. said:
My vote goes to my 91/59 Nagant Carbine. When I fire it at the range, a fireball the size of a bowling ball erupts from the muzzle...children scream and women swoon....okay, not really...but the next guy over says..."***"? Two magazines of 7.62x54 and my shoulder has had enough....
Click to expand...

I would have to agree that the Nagant M44 carbine version when fired with yellow tip heavy ball ammo is a heavy hitter. I take one to the range with me every time I got but only shoot silver tip light ball ammo through it.

I purchased a Winchester Mod 70 in .458 Mag because I just had to have one. Never having fired one before, I didn't know what to expect. The first time I fired it the butt stock came up off my shoulder and knocked the ear protectors off my head. I went out and purchased a PAST recoil shield to make it more bearable. It's not to bad with 350 grain bullets but it's brutal when firing 500's.
 
Qball said:
I once had a Remington "Zouave" replica (like this)
25302-02.jpg

.58 cal 500grains pure lead in front of 100+grains of blackpowder

Not much when standing.... but lie down and it was a sholder breaker.
Click to expand...

Do you realize that 100 grains of FFg or FFFg is about a proof load in a Zouave repo? The service load of the 1860s was 60 grains of musket powder (FFg) behind the 460 grain Burton (Minie) bullet. My first black powder rifle was a Navy Arms Zoli Zouave and too much powder would kick. My usual North-South Skirmish Association target load was 45-48 grains of FFFg under a 525 grain Lyman Minie.

The big mistake that folks make when shooting from the bench is that they almost lay prone and put the butt on an area of the body that has little padding and no give.

Elmer Keith had the best solution. His bench rest position was a sitting position so that the upper body could help absorb the recoil.
 
Ron M. said:
My vote goes to my 91/59 Nagant Carbine. When I fire it at the range, a fireball the size of a bowling ball erupts from the muzzle...children scream and women swoon....okay, not really...but the next guy over says..."***"? Two magazines of 7.62x54 and my shoulder has had enough....
Click to expand...

My Marlin 1895G in .45-70 pushes back pretty good . . .
 
A10 said:
Marlin guide gun loaded with Buffalo Bore 500 grain solids. That little sucker kills on both ends!
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I do believe it! I've been surprised by the smack of 44 mag, and even .357 in a M94. Nothing to complain about, just surprised.
 
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12 ga and 30-06....

I have light Savage 30-06. Model 110 I think. Full power is brutal. Since I don't hunt any more I now use 'much reduced' loads using SR 4759 and IMR 4895 with light bullets. Fun city...

Having to repeatedly fire a dangerous big game rifle.... I've never done this but not without an awful lot of recoil training.

Bench rest position seems to hit me toward the top of the shoulder. I do much better when I can lean into it and become 'rubbery' I think that's why a lot of women can take heavy recoil. Their bones are looser.

The 12 ga speaks for itself.
 
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I have owned a lot of big rifles, even a double nitro. They weren't
pleasant to shoot, but of the guns I use all the time the worst
is a Marlin 1895- 45/70. It is a early 70s model that I dressed
the stock and fore end down to the lines of the originals. The
butt plate area was reduced by about 25%. With full house loads
even with 300g HPs it will stomp you. The worst I've ever been
stoved with a rifle was shooting a m-70 , 300 H&H off bench. Had
my left hand lying flat on bench, right under pistol grip. When I
touched it off I thought some one mashed my hand with a sledge
hammer. Swelled up for couple of days. I am fast learner, don't
do tricks like that anymore.
 
bushmaster1313 said:
I had a Winchester Model 88 in .308 Win. I shot three rounds from a standing position at the range before I traded it for a 12 gauge Winchester Model 94 that was mild on comparison.
Click to expand...

I agree with the model 88. Also had a model 8 Remington in 35 Remington that wakes you up with each shot. I think due to the recoil design 1/2 the the weight of the gun comes back to smack you. Not to bad when bundled up in winter hunting cloths but try 5 off the bench, once is enough.
 
Muley Gil said:
Do you realize that 100 grains of FFg or FFFg is about a proof load in a Zouave repo? The service load of the 1860s was 60 grains of musket powder (FFg) behind the 460 grain Burton (Minie) bullet. My first black powder rifle was a Navy Arms Zoli Zouave and too much powder would kick. My usual North-South Skirmish Association target load was 45-48 grains of FFFg under a 525 grain Lyman Minie.

The big mistake that folks make when shooting from the bench is that they almost lay prone and put the butt on an area of the body that has little padding and no give.

Elmer Keith had the best solution. His bench rest position was a sitting position so that the upper body could help absorb the recoil.
Click to expand...

Yes i do :D
I shot it at a competition and another shooter asked me what bullit i used?
The holes looked like i used wadcutters, she used 56 grains of blackpowder in here Enfield musketoon.
Needles to say... i backed down to 56grains to :o
 
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