I got kicked by a Rem. Mntn Rifle

T

taco

New member
Last weekend my brother and I took his new Remington Mountain Rifle out to the range to sight-in the scope. The rifle was very nice with smooth action and had beautiful finish including the fantastic looking stock. The rifle plus the scope, mount/rings, sling and ammo had total weight of just under 8 pounds.

I had the honor of shooting the first round so I put the rifle on top of the range bag and pulled the trigger. When the round went off I thought something was wrong with the ammo like it was a over-pressure load because I felt as if I got hit on the shoulder with a bat. Recoil was that bad. I checked the rifle and then loaded another round from a different ammo box and shot the second round standing and again I felt like I was hit with a bat. I have never felt such sever recoil from a lightweight 7-08 rifle. I used to have a Winchester Featherweight rifle in same caliber and I never felt the recoil was bad. After shooting 4 rounds through the Remington I gave it back to my brother and he shot 6 rounds before putting it away. He said it was the worst recoil he felt in a rifle.

My question... does anybody else here have this same rifle and do you feel that it "kicks" a lot more than other rifles in same caliber/weight? I was looking at the stock shape and it looked pretty conventional. Only the recoil was unconventional.
 
I had the R Mod 7 in 260cal at the same time I had a Savage Scout in 308. IMO recoil was about the same. For the size it didn't impress me as having unusually bad recoil.
 
Last edited:
I've got the 7-08 in a Model Seven. It's a little shorter than the Mountain Rifle and a little lighter. Recoil is nothing like what you describe.

This may seem obvious, but are you sure you are holding the rifle tight to your shoulder when you fire?
 
kicksalot

I had the same experience with a rem 700 .280 mountain rifle. I was working at a gunshop, the boss said go sight this rifle in. I have a .280 in a heavy bbl ruger so I thought it wouldn't kick, WRONG! Okay I wasn't holding it tight but it really nailed me. Couple that to shooting high energy 160 grain shells. The lighter rifles just plain kick harder. The stock design has a lot to do with it. :cool:

On my 300 WSM it is hard to shoot off a bench. I'm having a decelerator pad put on it, should tame it quite a bit.;)
 
I have been shooting rifles for about 20+ years and have had about same number of rifles and shot many more. I've shot everything from 22lr to 338win mags. I used to have a Rem Model 7 in 308 for few years and enjoyed shooting it. The ammo we shot were 140gr factory load so it wasn't the ammo. I also have a Winchester Featherweight in 30-06 that is only about 10 ounces heavier than the Mountain Rifle that I occasionally shoot. None of these rifles kicked like this Mountain Rifle... okay maybe that light weight 300 win mag was pretty close.

I think the reason for that kick has to do with the stock design. I'm going to look into that a little more this weekend.
 
Taco,

As it happens I am considering the
same rifle in .30/06.
The seller is offering it with scope rings
for $475 in near new condition.
Problem is, I know nothing about this model's
reputation.
Could you share some more observations
about your rifle....Thanks
 
Sport:

The rifle it self is beautiful with smooth action. My brothers short action was 6lb 10oz before adding anything and felt/handle very nice. Unfortunately I know very little other than that. I really could not get any idea about the accuracy other than that 4 shot I took. I never heard anything bad about these rifles... actually I never heard anything about these rifles anywhere and I never seen one at the local range before.

My brother paid $599 for his rifle and this was pretty good price around here. $475 for one in near new condition seems like excellent price. Only think I would consider is how hard that 30-06 will kick.
 
taco: Didn't mean my question to be insulting. You might well have been a newbie, who didn't know what to expect, or how to shoulder a rifle. I've shot most of the Rems, but not the Mountain Rifle. Must be the stock design.
 
I have a Mtn. Rifle in .280 and have never been bothered by the recoil. In fact it is one of the softest recoiling guns that I have. I liked the stock design so much that I had a McMillen copy of it put on my M-70 Winchester in .257 Rbts.

Maybe its just the way I'm built but the stock fits me great and I have never felt pounded by it.
 
Taco, just a thought,
you might want a gunsmith to check the rifle. Bad recoil can be an indication of something loose or cracked. It can also indicate chamber problems, though this would be very rare on a factory new rifle.
 
Recoil in Mountain Rifle . . . ?

Something wrong here.:confused:

I have a Mountain Rifle in .280 from the custom shop and I routinely shoot groundhogs with it using 140 grain Ballistic Tips. Recoil is tolerable; and about what you would expect. Maybe you can let some other shooters give it a try and let us know that they think?
 
I often wonder about folks' body shape/proportions and how it relates to recoil. I've seen some guys who don't notice the kick of, say, a .300 Win Mag, and a heavier guy who grumps about a .308.

It's not something obvious from just looking at a guy; it just "Is". So, stock shape? Drop at comb or heel? Cast-off? Dunno. I know I've seen a guy speak highly of one rifle as to "no recoil" and another as "Ow!"--yet I didn't notice any particular difference between them.

Which is why I talk about fit and feel, before buying. If a rifle feels good, and if you can mount it to your shoulder with your eyes closed and when you open your eyes you are looking right through the scope, you probably won't notice the recoil...

Just an opinion,

Art
 
My brother and I went out to the range again today with this rifle and this time there were 3 other experienced rifle shooters with us to try it out. We didn't tell any of them about the recoil we felt.

First shooter was my brother's co-worker who has been shooting rifles for over 15 years and regularly shoots his 300WM. After 2 rounds and gave the rifle back to my brother and said he had enough. He said he was going to shoot his 300WM instead to rest his shoulder.

Second shooter was my friend and he has been shooting for about 30 years. At about 5'7" and 150lb he was the smallest of the group. He shot 4 rounds and said the recoil was a bit stiff but nothing he couldn't handle. We thought he was trying to be macho so my brother asked him to shot a 5 shot group. Well, he did shoot the group but it was about 5". He is the best shooter we know and he can shoot under 1/2" group with his 308 Remington on any given day. We still think he was in pain.

Third shooter was my brother's neighbor. At about 6'6" and over 300lb he was the largest among us. He shot 4 rounds and afterwards said the recoil was more than expected. He did shoot 9 more rounds to shoot some 3 shot groups. The best group he shot was about 1 1/2" and the worst was about 2 1/2".

My brother shot some groups but none were really good. Best was 2" and other were 3-4". I finally shot 4 rounds and got 3 rounds in 3/4" with the forth round make it 1 1/4".

Everybody thinks the recoil is due to the stock design except the second guy who thinks the recoil is okay. We didn't have another Mountain rifle to compare it to so my brother is going to take back to the store to compare it against another one.
 
I have owned some rifles that I thought were "kickers". Ruger #1 in .30-06 (not a lightweight by anyone's definition), Ruger Ultralight in .308. My Ultra Light Arms .270 weighed 5lbs 12oz (with scope) and it's wasn't a "kicker". Stock design, body build, rifle balance have a lot to do with a rifle's "felt" recoil, IMO.
 
Art, you have came to same conclusion that I have. This weekend I was shooting some informal clays at a cousin's house. Both my uncle and my cousin said my Benelli SBE and my Ruger O/U kicked like a som-bitch. When I shot neither gun even phases me. However my uncle is out of shape and my cousin is real skinny whereas I lift weights 4 to 5 times a week. Then my cousin tried to argue that his 1100 doesn't kick at all. So I think it is a combo of setting in your shoulder, build and stock design. Incidentally my cousin had nasty bruise minutes later and I shot a combined 125 shells through those two and never could detect even some soreness.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top