Help with managing recoil for a mosin?

K

Kimio

New member
I will be the first to admit that I am a novice when it comes to shooting, let alone the more complex things about rifles and such.

I recently went down to a local range and tried out my new Mosin Nagant for the first time and I found the recoil to be pretty painful, I resorted to folding up a piece of carpet that was sitting by the bench to help buffer the shock to my shoulder.

I have the feeling that I simply was not holding the rifle correctly, and that may have contributed to my inability to withstand the recoil.

What I basically try to do is place the butt of the rifle into the groove of my shoulder and keep my arm tucked close to my body so i don't chicken wing my stance, all the while slightly pulling back on the stock so that it's firmly against my shoulder. the top of the butt sits just a little low below the top of my shoulder though not by much.

Might anyone have suggestions for a novice like myself when it comes to, well, making the recoil not be so painful? Steel butt plates don't seem to agree with me so far.
 
the mosin nagant is almost as punishing to the shooter as it is the person getting shot. hold it tight to your shoulder, lean into it, and don't shoot more than 5-10 round strings because you'll start flinching bad. take a .22lr with you and shoot it a bunch between strings with the mosin.

if you want you can get a lead sled and that would mitigate recoil but I think those things cost more than a mosin does. cabelas has shoulder pads that strap to your shoulder, I've never tried one but it can't hurt.
 
I had an M38 and really didn't care for the recoil. Tried a Limbsaver pad, just made it worse.

My friend's full size 91/30 is better but a handful to hold up after a while. I just can't imagine using this thing all the time in battle. Those guys have my respect!
 
I use a Limbsaver on my .375 H&H magnum and it really helps reduce felt recoil
 
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Thankyou for the suggestions, would any gun store sell these "limb savers"? Or is it as simple as going to a Walmart or something?
 
I think walmart has limbsaver pads. them or most online shooting suply websites like cheaperthandirt.com or sportsmansguide.com
 
Not 100% sure if I should take that seriously, but if true, that's very interesting. You learn something new every day I suppose.
 
Limbsavers are not usually available at Wally.Check with your local gun shop or get one from Cabella's on line.They run around $20.
 
That "chicken wing" may be what you need....

Shooting isn't about how you look when you are doing it, its about results. There are lots of folks who shoot with a high elbow, although its not what is currently in vogue. It does work. And it works better for some people than others. I do it myself, its how I learned as a child, and I have not found reason enough to change, when shooting offhand.

Find the "pocket" in your shoulder, so the butt is not on bone. Know that the Moisin is known to be a hard kicker. Understand that recoil, and what you feel have a relationship, but are not identical.

Recoil is a straight energy calculation, involving bullet energy and mass of the gun (in simple terms). FELT RECOIL is the way it feels to you, and is highly subjective. It involves not just the recoil energy, but less tangible things like how well the gunstock fits you, the size shape and composition of the butt, the shape of the stock in general (straight, or with a lot of drop, etc). A number of things, all highly personal go into what you feel.

The Moisin kicks because you are firing a round with plenty of power, from a rifle with a skinny stock that ill fits the average American shooter. So it feels as bad as it gets, basically.

There are a great many products sold to reduce the felt recoil, pads you can wear, pads the rifle wears, all the way up to something like the Lead Sled, which is a cradle for the rifle you add weight to while shooting from the bench.

Don't shoot the Moisin like you see soldiers shoot the M16/M4. Current training has them putting the butt very high on the shoulder. They can do this because of the very light recoil of the 5.56mm round, the elevated sight line of the rifles, and the fact that they are training wearing body armor. The Moisin, or any other moderately recoiling rifle will kick the snot out of you if you shoulder it that way!
 
It doesn't sound like you're holding it incorrectly. In my experience, stock Mosins just hurt if you shoot them too much, especially the lighter variants. I still love them. :)

Funny thing is, my teenage kids and their friends can shoot them all day and not seem to be bothered by them at all. I guess I'm just a wuss.
 
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Thankyou, that was extremely informative, and I will definitely be trying that in the future. Worse comes to worse, I'll keep a towel or something with me next time, since I don't want to spend money on something that may be correctable or managed with by shifting the way I hold my rifle.
 
I changed out the recoil pad on my older 7mm rem. mag with a Limb Saver, I was pleasently pleased with its function.
 
We could get into a deep discusion about recoil but in the end it is the men that do not whine about a bruised shoulders that tend to win wars.
For some reason you seem to have excluded yourself from that
 
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Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not sure I'm understanding what you are trying to say Kenno, nor am I sure if what you are saying is even directed at me.

If so, I just want to be able to enjoy my rifle and be able to fire it more effectively, and if getting a shoulder pad allows me to do so, then so be it. I think that's what most of us are looking to do when we go out to the range.

I would like to thank you all again for your suggestions and comments. If anyone else has some other advice I'd more than welcome it :)
 
The steel butt plate makes for bruised shoulder for sure. I don't mind so much unless its at the end of the day and I've been shooting some of my larger rifles. I just use a slip over Limbsaver and it's fine, well, takes the bite out anyway. But after being pummled by big bores, even the limbsaver doesn't help.

If you start out shooting the Nagant with the pad, it shouldn't pound you that bad.

Moisin, or any other moderately recoiling rifle will kick the snot out of you if you shoulder it that way!
Click to expand...

Probably disconnect your collar bone from your shoulder if it's in the right spot.
 
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Buy a heavy Soviet winter uniform. It helped Ivan, it'll help you.

Besides pads, shooting lessons will help you handle recoil better.

There are a lot of tough guys with serious flinching problems because they were too vain to ask for help.

kenno is pulling your leg.
 
Consider getting a wrap on recoil pad like this Galco. It fits my Mausers, Enfields and Swiss mil-surps. Does a great job of reducing the felt recoil. I was starting to get a flinch after 20 rounds or so and I started using this and no more flinching.

galco-recoil-pad-lt1029cn.jpg
 
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