Serious question on recoil.

[feralmerril]

I have had 22-250 and didnt think it kicked. I have a ruger 7x57, for me it doesnt kick. 257 roberts, 25-35 if you can find one, 357 in my 92 copy isnt bad, 44 mag in same rifle is. Actualy there must be a dozzen I am leaveing out.

 

[cowart]

To reduce shoulder pain as much as possible, take the shoulder out of the shooting equation as much as possible. I suggest that you consider a hunting type handgun of some type. Either a Thompson Center Contender or a long barreled revolver.

Fitted with a scope and fired from an improvised rest, the Contender can be as usefully accurate as a rifle.

 

[keith44spl]

Sir,

You might try the 6.8 Remington SPC cartridge or maybe the old 6mm TCU in a heavy barreled bolt rifle with a Pachmyer decelerator recoil pad.

Best of luck in your search,

Su Amigo
Dave

 

[Gary]

I have a Browning BAR in .308 that has very little recoil. The gas operated action soaks up a large part of it. I believe that it is also made in .243 and would expect the recoil to be even less in that chambering.

 

[35Rem]

Reduced Recoil ammuntion has been on the market for a while.
Limbsaver Recoil pad, properly installed.

Get the gun as heavy as practical.

 

[Straightshooter2]

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. I think I'm going to get one of the strap on type shoulder pads. My wife is actually quite good with a sewing machine and it's possible she may even be able to thicken the padding with chair foam. She used to do this for me on the knee pads we used when we were unloading the bins of airplanes. Pulling suitcases and mail out of those low bins with aluminum floors was rough on the knees so we'll try it on the shoulder. Maybe I can work up to a nice caliber that thumps what it hits on the other end.

Thanks also for all the left handed suggestions. I'm sure in 10 years or so I could learn to do it but by then I would probably be too feeble to even hunt.

CW

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I have a Ruger Mini-30 and it does not have a lot of recoil.

I also have a TC Contender Super 14 with a scoped .30-30 barrel. It also has a Choate rubber grip that reduces felt recoil. I load 125 JHP over 29gr Reloader-7 that will give 1/2" groups at 50 yds from a sand bag.

 

[wbraswell]

HP rifle competitors use padded jackets and vests. They might be a little hot in the Georgia woods.

 

[semperfi71]

Sorry to hear about you pain.

I'm going through that with my legs, they're wanting to quit on me.

Good idea on the pad.

I knew a fella in Texas who killed all of his deer with a .218 Bee at about ten feet with neck shots.

I'd think something in the .22 centerfire class between the .223 and the .22-250, loaded with the correct bullet would do well on lung/heart/neck shots on whitetails.

 

[4330Inroute]

As suggested earlier a 6.8 SPC in either an AR or a Mini 14 ranch format might work for you. The Recoil in the Mini 14 6.8 was just a little sharper than the .223 for me. Weight is about 6 lbs or so without a scope mounted so it's easy to carry too. I shoot left handed and had the same type of injury and surgery on my right shoulder. I too had to give up my .270 and .30-06 because the recoil was too painfull. The recoil jars your whole body not just the shoulder under the butt. I also don't miss the 8 and 9 lbs I had to carry.
Hope you feel better.

PS don't skimp on the physical therapy. It hurts but it's worth the effort.

 

[venomballistics]

stuff a stack of leather under your coat to spread out the recoil
consider a 243 with a muzzle brake.
trim the stock a few inches to add a nice thick "panzy pad" like what they'd use on a 458 or 460.
add a few pounds of metal to the stock.
if you cant handle it, accept that you'll have to sit out the season till ya heal up some or opt for a camera as your shootin iron

 

[scooter123]

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions. I think I'm going to get one of the strap on type shoulder pads. My wife is actually quite good with a sewing machine and it's possible she may even be able to thicken the padding with chair foam. She used to do this for me on the knee pads we used when we were unloading the bins of airplanes. Pulling suitcases and mail out of those low bins with aluminum floors was rough on the knees so we'll try it on the shoulder. Maybe I can work up to a nice caliber that thumps what it hits on the other end.

Thanks also for all the left handed suggestions. I'm sure in 10 years or so I could learn to do it but by then I would probably be too feeble to even hunt.

CW

I think your over estimating how long it would take you to adapt to shooting lefty, by about 9 3/4 years. Seriously, it's not nearly as hard as you think it may be. If I were in your position I'd be looking for an older top eject Winchester 94 in 30-30 and talk to a gunsmith about an offset scope mount for a left handed shooter. One big plus for those old 94's is that they were as ambidextrous as any rifle I can think of. Once you have one set up for a lefty, then it's a simple matter of telling yourself YOU CAN do this and spend a bit of time learning how.

 

[jkc]

I don't think you need to sacrifice terminal ballistic performance to avoid painful recoil, but you may need to sacrifice funds for a purpose-built rifle that solves the problem --- it would feature: gas operation, heavy barrel, top-of-the line muzzle brake, LimbSaver or similarly effective recoil pad, and maybe one or another of the available internal buttstock recoil dampening devices. Any of these elements will serve to ameliorate problem recoil, and compounded, might let you shoot a more appropriate deer cartridge than the .223 or etc. I've fired my friend's .50 BMG Barret bullpup bolt gun, and was astounded at the effectiveness of its muzzle brake --- the gun is to be sure very loud, and the brake creates a fearsome blast, but the recoil, even from that mighty cartridge, is negligible. A rifle with these features may end up looking peculiar, but I'll bet you can get a centerfire .30 caliber to be almost felt-recoil free.

 

[Cyrano]

You might look into one of the Whisper series of cartridges, or one of the wildcats made by necking up the 223 to 270, 7mm or 30 calibers. The limited powder capacity cuts down on the velocity and thus the recoil.

 

[oldman45]

I share your pain and indecision here. My shoulder was separated and my rotator cuff was totally separated in a tragic accident on July 01, 2008. It was painful to sleep, lift the arm and daily use was almost nil. Shooting a rifle was out of the question.

Most drs said any surgery would be fruitless since most of the time they are not successful.

Then I found a surgeon that does the shoulder surgery for the US Olympic ski teams. He was repairing shoulders to pre injury condition with 99.9% success. I shot a 7mm mag last week some 15 times in about two hours on the range. No pain.

During my research on shoulder surgery, I learned it is not the injury that remains or painful, it is the doctor not being as correct in dealing with the injury or as proficient in the surgery room as they should be.

 

[oliver507]

Good luck with your shoulder problem. almost any caliber choice from 220 Swift to the 7mm-08 should work just fine on Georgia Whitetails. One of my favorites is the 257 Roberts and with a muzzle brake the recoil should be AR to 22 rimfire-ish.

 

[mooshoo]

model 94 in 25/35 winchester, I've used it works good and hardly any recoil! those who knock it have never used one! love mine!

 

[Straightshooter2]

After some research, I ended up with a bolt action .243. I did fire it this past weekend with very little shoulder pain. I purchased a PAST Field Recoil Shield but I don't think it's going to be needed. Can't afford the purpose built rifle someone mentioned but for the use I will get out of it, I think the rather inexpensive Remington 770 will do.

Thanks again all,
CW

 

[amazingflapjack]

look out deer...

I didn't read every response, so excuse the repeats. I have a chest size that, coupled with a "neck thing," makes it necessary for me to shoot long guns from the center of my right chest. This will require some experimenting with different sights, but could work with something like a 243 Winchester. As some have suggested, you may have to learn some new tricks. An auto loader is going to transfer less recoil, significantly. You might have to learn to shoot from your left side. You might even shoulder on the left side and still use your right hand trigger finger. You could shoot from a multiple of positions using a red dot sight that is oh so much easier to line up from almost anywhere, even from close to the middle of you chest, al be it, with a good recoil pad and some additional padding, we ain't going for external heart massage! And then there is the marvelous S&W model 29-629, with a scope, red dot, or just good old iron sights. I helped a friend in basic shoot for qualification in basic. He was 25, drafted, and had NEVER fired a gun, no-not even a shooting gallorie. He had broken his firing arm durring zero week, and the way it was cast, he had to shoot with his ring finger, (give that a try right now) while holding the M-14 in a position that was not only ugly, but sad! When he climbed out of the hole he had missed expert by one round, (and he was angry about it) and that was at FT. Bragg! So our little stumbling blocks can be defeated. Oh-use a blind or stand with a bench rest and a scope left handed-just takes one shot. Flapjack.