>>>Hey, anything with a steel buttplate and centerfire will give you a case of shoulder groan the next day. Mauser, Enfield, Springfield, and yes, the garand.<<<
Thank you! That's exactly right although due to the gas operated semi-automatic action the Garand is by far the least objectionable on the lot. My Enfield SMLE with its' short barrel and relatively light weight kicks like a dang MULE - not fun at all from the bench (in my opinion).
Several issues: 1) Some people don't mind recoil as much as others, but in general body mass helps, 2) The weight of the rifle makes a large difference with heavy rifles muting the recoil a percentage that you can definitely feel, 3) That fireball that someone mentioned? That translates into RECOIL. If hot gasses are still burning when the bullet leaves the barrel the "rocket effect" can be much worse and you definitely will feel it. Look for ammo that has less muzzle blast if you're recoil sensitive, 4) Any .30-06 class bolt rifle is going to have a good deal of recoil but someone should try a hard buttplate "mountain rifle" or sporter of the sort that is popular by the millions with deer hunters across the USA chambered in .30-06 or .270 if they want to get a kick like a mule. The difference is we shot ours a few times every fall to check zero, test the ammo and get ready for one shot deer kills! Imagine shooting the doggone thing for hundreds after hundreds of rounds in the face of a charging enemy and the picture in your mind's eye get ugly real fast.
I like shooting my Garand. I can't say the same for my SMLE. That's just the way it is and I guess tells where my limits are. I would like to get a nice P17 some day but I'm cool to the Mosin.
Cheers,
Oly
Oh and P.S. - my Winchester 94 carbine in .30-30 with 180gr. factory ammo gets old REAL fast! There's a kick that generally surprises everyone who shoots it for the first time.
Thank you! That's exactly right although due to the gas operated semi-automatic action the Garand is by far the least objectionable on the lot. My Enfield SMLE with its' short barrel and relatively light weight kicks like a dang MULE - not fun at all from the bench (in my opinion).
Several issues: 1) Some people don't mind recoil as much as others, but in general body mass helps, 2) The weight of the rifle makes a large difference with heavy rifles muting the recoil a percentage that you can definitely feel, 3) That fireball that someone mentioned? That translates into RECOIL. If hot gasses are still burning when the bullet leaves the barrel the "rocket effect" can be much worse and you definitely will feel it. Look for ammo that has less muzzle blast if you're recoil sensitive, 4) Any .30-06 class bolt rifle is going to have a good deal of recoil but someone should try a hard buttplate "mountain rifle" or sporter of the sort that is popular by the millions with deer hunters across the USA chambered in .30-06 or .270 if they want to get a kick like a mule. The difference is we shot ours a few times every fall to check zero, test the ammo and get ready for one shot deer kills! Imagine shooting the doggone thing for hundreds after hundreds of rounds in the face of a charging enemy and the picture in your mind's eye get ugly real fast.
I like shooting my Garand. I can't say the same for my SMLE. That's just the way it is and I guess tells where my limits are. I would like to get a nice P17 some day but I'm cool to the Mosin.
Cheers,
Oly
Oh and P.S. - my Winchester 94 carbine in .30-30 with 180gr. factory ammo gets old REAL fast! There's a kick that generally surprises everyone who shoots it for the first time.
