Proper way to shoot big boomers?

F

feets

New member
I'm well versed with shooting the big booming heavy recoiling monster magnums. I recognize that there is a significant difference in the way an experienced shooter handles those beasts. What I'm not familiar with is exactly what I'm doing and how I do it. When it comes time to light one off it seems I handle it as a matter of second nature.

I've tried explaining what I'm doing to my friends (fellow shooters of smaller cartridges) but they don't seem to really grasp the concept. The most recent example was a friend of rather large stature. He's a big, tall guy. While not exactly a gym rat he has a fairly stout build. I wasn't able to get the idea across to him and he had trouble with the middle weight loads in my 7-1/2" 454 Super Redhawk.

The best way I can describe it is taking the recoil with your elbows and shoulders instead of the wrists.

I guess people get accustomed to shooting the typical 9s and 40s and get a bit sloppy with their handling.

I've seen people complain about 357s in SP101s and don't understand why. That's not a big deal. I've done it regularly. On the same note, I can understand the displeasure of shooting 38 +P in my 642 Airweight. That's kinda snappy.
The 454 doesn't bother me. Heavy Colt loads in my big Vaquero are a bit rude but the same rounds in my 7-1/2" Redhawk are like a 44 and no big deal.

I'm not Superman or anything like that. It's just that I understand how to handle the heavy kickers. Where I have trouble is explaining to others how to do it properly.

What do you guys do when trying to coach people on big boomers?
 
Recoil is perceived; our bodies all interpret that data differently.

Even with proper form, one shooter may just "feel" more recoil than another; all other factors being equal.
 
Can't say I have coached anyone. There has been the "Oh Wow, That thing kicks" factor. Next step has to be determination by the new big bore shooter that they ARE going to shoot them and try to develop some mastery. It ususally means they will be buying a firearm and feeding the beast.

Don't fight the recoil like they might with a 9mm, 40 S&W, or even a 357 mag. This usually results in sore wrists. Let the gun recoil and control it from the point of view that you don't want to drop it. Let the gun push you and let your elbows flex as needed. (Added: But not too much flexing.)

Firm but loose grip. Watch your hand placement as the SRH hammer will tear you up if you grip the gun too high like I tend to do with smaller calibers.

Gloves.... helps to take one recoil element out of the equation. It is mostly psychological, but they do make shooting them more comfortable.

Both eyes open if possible. Keeps you more aware of what's going on.

Shoot only until fatigue sets in and stop. Don't force it. You're just wasting ammo. This may be only a couple cylinders.
 
Last edited:
I tell then something very similar about fighting the recoil. I assure them that they are not going to stop the recoil. It will happen. All they can do is control it with their elbows, not the wrists.

As for hand placement on the SRH, I always hold it high. That's a key part of handling the recoil. I've never had hammer bite. If I pick it up after shooting bottom feeders I will occasionally forget to tuck the thumbs low. It only takes one round of pounding the back of the cylinder off my thumbnail to remind me. :D

I guess all the years of shooting an Encore pistol in 308 taught me well. I did manage to break the little finger on my support hand with that thing. It was curled around the sling swivel on the bottom of the grip and recoil drove the gun (and the finger) into the roof rack on the Jeep Cherokee. Luckily, it stayed swollen and numb for the first few days. That covered the most painful part of a broken bone.
 
The hammer bite thing happened the very first time I shot my 480 Ruger 9.5" SRH. I was a bit surprised as I had never experienced that before. Where did all this blood come from? :) I started holding just a tad lower and had no more problems like that. To this day I don't know if it was the hammer or simply the fairly sharp edges of the frame near the hammer? But it is entirely possible I just screwed up that first time. I don't pay a lot of attention to that anymore other than I don't want the hammer snuggled into the web of my hand.
 
Last edited:
I use a VERY relaxed grip (including wrist, bent-elbows, and shoulders) on my S&W69 .44mag (with the 500 rubber grips I put on it). I also use a low grip. I get a LOT of muzzle-rise, but the mass of my forearms alone seems to soak up the recoil, and that's the way I prefer to shoot it ... less shaking of my brain-box, eyes, etc. Easier on the hands, too. Slows down followup shots, but that's not important to me ... if it were, I'd be shooting 9mm or .38+P.
 
When shooting my BFR 454 or a heavily loaded .45 Colt in the 4 5/8" Blackhawk I just use a firm (but not too firm like I'm squeezing it to death) grip and not locking the elbows and just let it the recoil happen without fighting it. Support hand just there for support of my shooting hand fingers wrapped around my knuckles. I was chronographing some 300gr XTPs doing 1800 fps from the BFR and yeah it recoils but it wasn't uncontrollable either.
 
Recoil has everything to do with how it is perceived. Anticipation of recoil is another problem. Sometimes a shoot will attempt to force the gun down even before the trigger breaks. Ball-and-dummy work helps to catch the flinching.

I've told a few to open up one palm and strike it with the opposing fist. I'll do the same. It doesn't kill either of us, and I'll tell them actual recoil is far less. Seems stupid, and it is. But it seems to help with the perception.

Of course, the grips have to fit their hand and they should be wearing good hearing protection. If possible it's best to get them outside and out from underneath sheltered shooting positions.

None of this means a whole lot if they haven't learned the basics of shooting before tackling a "big boomer".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top