Question about handleing big bore recoil

Kimio

New member
I enjoy shooting big bore rifles, a lot in fact. However, being 5'2 136lb, I find myself getting thrown around a lot. I was wondering if there is a means to help prevent this (Other than growing another foot and gaining weight). Currently I try to keep my feet spread at shoulder width, and with one foot slight forward and the other to the rear to help stabilize my stance while leaning into the rifle as much as possible.

Is there anything else that I can do to try and mitigate the recoil of large caliber rifles such as the FAL and the PTR91, or am I just SOL here?
 
Recoil , FAL ?? Try a 600 NE then the FAL will seem like childs play !:D
Stock fit is important .If it doesn't fit it will accentuate recoil. There are some recoil pads that absorb recoil a lot.
Don't shoot off the bench. Stand and lean into it a bit .You could use shooting sticks if you like to support the rifle.
Get used to the gun by starting out with 'reduced recoil ' ammo though they may not function a semi-auto .
 
Be sure to hold rifle butt tight into the sholder pocket, and your cheek firmly on the stock. Dont put too much forward lean into the rifle and allow it to rock you back a bit. That allows your body to take up some of the recoil.
 
From what I understand, small guys feel less recoil than big guys. The big guys are like a brick wall to the gun and stop the trifle movement faster, so they get more perceived recoil. Smaller guys get pushed back as you say which spreads the recoil absorption out over time which lessens perceived recoil.

The biggest mistake people make shooting hard kicking rifles is to hold it loosely (scared of it). Big mistake. This give the rifle a running start before it slams into your shoulder. Suck it up tight to your shoulder and let it recoil.
 
Add weight to the rifle (usually inside the buttstock)

Wear a recoil pad on the shooting shoulder (either on a vest or strapped on)

Get a muzzle brake installed.

.
 
Being bigger has nothing to do with handling recoil. Small guys typically do better anyway. The key to recoil is to not fight it. Learn to roll with the kick. The big boys who lock down receive all the recoil. The small guys who learn to roll back with the kick don't feel it nearly as bad.
 
Maybe that's my problem, I tend to be pretty stiff and rigid to try and counter the recoil.

So I should try to loosen up and let my body rock with the recoil?
 
I have a LOT of experience with recoil. I have made one of the biggest rifles to be built in the last 150 years, (2 bore) and I also have built a lot of rifles in the 40s up to 505 Gibbs in the years I have been a gunsmith.

The issue is not simple.
Recoil is a function of several factors. It can be figures by taking into account these things;

A. Velocity of the acceleration of the projectile and also its velocity as it leaves the muzzle.
B. Weight of the rifle.
C. Vent pressure at the break of the gas seal.

"Kick" on the other hand is what a shooter feels. It's tied into recoil, but it's not just recoil.
Kick also includes the factors of;
A. Body weight
B. Interface of the weapon to the body (hands, arms, shoulders dynamic action of the body upon impact and so on....)
C. Sensitivity of the nervous system of the individual shooter.
D. Stock fit which will effect ALL the above. The dynamics above are worse the worse the gun fits you, and better the better it fits you.

A well fitting 30-06 will hurt you less than a poor fitting 260 Remington. A well fitting 8 bore rifle is not at all bad to fire, but a poor fitting 58 cal can beat the crap out of your arm, shoulder and face. The 8 bore will have 5X the recoil, but may seem to “kick’ less.

Here is a 4 bore in action.
4boreinaction.jpg

I find that at 4 bore and bigger, nothing can be done to make them “nice” But 8 bore (82 caliber) and smaller can be made into nice rifles to shoot.
The speed that a rifle hits you is more painful than how much force it hits you with.

Consider a Land Cruiser in 4 wheel, low range at idle. If it was moving forward at idle in 1st gear it would push you out of the way if you were in front of it, and as long as you didn’t fall down and get run over you could move out of the way without injury.

Now consider a sharp jab from a welter weight boxer in your face.

If we compare the forces generated by the truck and the boxers jab, the truck is WAY more powerful, but which one would cause more pain- or put you on the ground?

That’s an exaggeration of the forces I am speaking of here, but it’s a valid illustration. The power of the truck is not harmful if you get pushed by it. The power of the jab is painful no mater what you do.

Recoil is what the gun generates when you fire it.
Kick is what you feel.

As a shorter man, you need to be very careful to get a rifle that fits you well. If the kick is too fast to be comfortable, consider 3 things that can be added.
#1 a good recoil pad
#2 an internal stock mounted recoil reducer (like a “dead mule” or “Breaco system”
#3 A good muzzle break. Breaks make the gun louder, and most shooters don’t like that, but if you must have one, get one. They do work wonderfully well.
Happy hunting and shooting.
 
Is there anything else that I can do to try and mitigate the recoil of large caliber rifles such as the FAL and the PTR91, or am I just SOL here?

The FAL and PTR91 are not large caliber rifles.:D

While they are certainly larger than the 5.56mm, the 7.62mm Nato doesn't even make it to "medium bore" in the traditional classification of sporting rounds. (where the mediums are .35-.40cal)

Adding weight to the rifle will decrease the felt recoil, but, of course, adds weight, which may not be a desirable thing.

A muzzle brake (not a flash suppressor) will reduce recoil, but at the expense of increasing muzzle blast. Tolerable by most shooters (with hearing protection) but a real problem for anyone on either side of you when you shoot.
 
I'd start with a heavy sweatshirt or better yet, recoil pad. A shooting coat would be the ticket though. Surplus ones are pretty cheap.

If you shoot prone with a sling, the supporting arm takes quite a bit of the recoil--more than you'd think.
 
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