This has long puzzled me. Some of my shooting companions can handle real brute calibers without major flinching. Others, like myself, find a .270 or .45 ACP about all we want to handle. And talking to a range of these folks, many agree that the big, slower push of some slower bullets and loads affect them less. A slower punch, as it were. This makes some sense to me, but not the first part of how we all tolerate felt recoil to such different degrees. Any thoughts?
Why Do You Feel Recoil Differently?
- Thread starter DeadCalm
- Start date
David Scott
New member
Part of it is taking the proper stance. Fairly small people can fire a .44 mag all day if they hold it properly. It amazes me how many people I see at the range who do not even know how to hold a pistol. Huge gaps between the web of their hand and the underside of the beavertail, grip way too big for their hands, and so on. Good grip and good stance help a lot.
Part of it is training. If you flinch when you fire, your muscles will not be properly braced to counter the recoil and you will feel it more. If you fight the gun's movement you will feel it more. Your arms are the shock absorbers, you need to find a balance between totally rigid and riding with the recoil; that point is where you can make quick follow up shots without battering your wrists to bits.
Part of it is conditioning and general health. Bulk of muscle counts for something, but so does muscle tone. Bruce lee was not a big guy but he was so conditioned that I bet he could shoot that .44 mag all day. Factors like arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome enter into it too. My left wrist was broken in 1981 and it still gives me twinges.
Take a look at your friends' ammo selection. In any caliber, loads vary from mild to wild. There can be a difference of 200 foot-pounds or more in the energy of loads in the same caliber (based on the ballistics listings in the back of Guns & Ammo's Handgun Annual).
Part of it is training. If you flinch when you fire, your muscles will not be properly braced to counter the recoil and you will feel it more. If you fight the gun's movement you will feel it more. Your arms are the shock absorbers, you need to find a balance between totally rigid and riding with the recoil; that point is where you can make quick follow up shots without battering your wrists to bits.
Part of it is conditioning and general health. Bulk of muscle counts for something, but so does muscle tone. Bruce lee was not a big guy but he was so conditioned that I bet he could shoot that .44 mag all day. Factors like arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome enter into it too. My left wrist was broken in 1981 and it still gives me twinges.
Take a look at your friends' ammo selection. In any caliber, loads vary from mild to wild. There can be a difference of 200 foot-pounds or more in the energy of loads in the same caliber (based on the ballistics listings in the back of Guns & Ammo's Handgun Annual).
Repeat after me: Recoil is all in your mind, Recoil is all in your mind. . . . Oh, and never mind that sore bruise on your shoulder, that's just yer imagination. 
I found I used to flinch too, until I got into training with the USAMU Shooting team.
They PERMANANTLY fixed me flinching once and for all!
Even though my problem was with high power rifles, their method works with sidearms too.
Have a buddy with you at the range, and let him/her decide whether you fire a live round or not without you knowing whether you will or not.
In other words, you won't know if it's going to go: BOOM! or CLICK!
That'll be a sure-fire way of telling if you're flinching or not.
I also think it'll work if you DON'T have a mean-a$$ed DI standing over you yelling!
I found I used to flinch too, until I got into training with the USAMU Shooting team.
They PERMANANTLY fixed me flinching once and for all!
Even though my problem was with high power rifles, their method works with sidearms too.
Have a buddy with you at the range, and let him/her decide whether you fire a live round or not without you knowing whether you will or not.
In other words, you won't know if it's going to go: BOOM! or CLICK!
That'll be a sure-fire way of telling if you're flinching or not.
I also think it'll work if you DON'T have a mean-a$$ed DI standing over you yelling!
David Scott
New member
Take a tip from golfers, and have someone video tape you while you're shooting. Play it back in slow motion and critique your style.
Eric of IN
New member
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Outlaw1:
I also think it'll work if you DON'T have a mean-a$$ed DI standing over you yelling![/quote]
Isn't it amazing how well this improves your learning skills?
------------------
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
I also think it'll work if you DON'T have a mean-a$$ed DI standing over you yelling!
[/quote]Isn't it amazing how well this improves your learning skills?
------------------
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
Brett Bellmore
New member
It's curious, isn't it? I've got small hands, (Woman's medium gloves) weak wrists due to their being repeatedly sprained, (Or is that the other way around?) and yet recoils don't seem to cause me any trouble. Holding the gun tight, and proper posture, I think.
There's some physics behind it, of course; It's energy which does damage, and that's one half mass times velocity squared. Momentum is also conserved in firing a gun, and that's mass times velocity, equals mass times velocity. The upshoot is that the heavier the gun is compared to the bullet and exaust gasses, the more of the energy goes out the muzzle, and the less is available to hurt you. That's why all things being the same, a heavier gun kicks less.
Hold the gun tightly and rigidly, and much of your own weight is added to the effective mass of the gun, dramatically reducing the amount of energy available for recoil; It isn't just that you deal with the recoil better, it's also that there's actually LESS recoil!
------------------
Sic semper tyrannis!
There's some physics behind it, of course; It's energy which does damage, and that's one half mass times velocity squared. Momentum is also conserved in firing a gun, and that's mass times velocity, equals mass times velocity. The upshoot is that the heavier the gun is compared to the bullet and exaust gasses, the more of the energy goes out the muzzle, and the less is available to hurt you. That's why all things being the same, a heavier gun kicks less.
Hold the gun tightly and rigidly, and much of your own weight is added to the effective mass of the gun, dramatically reducing the amount of energy available for recoil; It isn't just that you deal with the recoil better, it's also that there's actually LESS recoil!
------------------
Sic semper tyrannis!
Barring some sort of physical disability most recoil problems are psychological. The fact is that you have an explosion going off right in front of your face. T'aint natural. Takes a little while to tell the brain that everything is hunky dory.
I worked in a shooting range. Recoil doesn't bother me and I don't flinch when I shoot because I know that it can't hurt me and I'm expecting it.
What causes me to flinch is when I'm on the range and somebody ELSE fires a round off that I wasn't expecting. It's the surprise factor. If I know they are shooting, no problem. If I'm not expecting it then my normal reflexes kick in, which are to jump a little and look around. It's in the head, not the hands.
I worked in a shooting range. Recoil doesn't bother me and I don't flinch when I shoot because I know that it can't hurt me and I'm expecting it.
What causes me to flinch is when I'm on the range and somebody ELSE fires a round off that I wasn't expecting. It's the surprise factor. If I know they are shooting, no problem. If I'm not expecting it then my normal reflexes kick in, which are to jump a little and look around. It's in the head, not the hands.
So many words to say...cowardice.
Personally, I...hate...recoil. I can put up with shotgun because target is moving and I forget it.
But....handgun or rifle.....fahgeddaboutit!
I shoot a lot of bullseye and heavy recoil starts a noticeable flinch with me.
.45 hardball is OK......but just. I even notice a tremor start after a spell with them. I prefer .38 wadcutter or better yet .22 rimfire.
Personally, I...hate...recoil. I can put up with shotgun because target is moving and I forget it.
But....handgun or rifle.....fahgeddaboutit!
I shoot a lot of bullseye and heavy recoil starts a noticeable flinch with me.
.45 hardball is OK......but just. I even notice a tremor start after a spell with them. I prefer .38 wadcutter or better yet .22 rimfire.
I discovered several years ago that alot of what I considered recoil was actually the loud muzzle blast. I wasn't flinching from recoil but from the noise. Wearing good hearing protectors improved my shooting. Too late for my ears though - I have a constant ringing that sounds like crickets. Doctor says it will only get worse and hearing aids are in my future. For what its worth...
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TBeck:
Barring some sort of physical disability most recoil problems are psychological. The fact is that you have an explosion going off right in front of your face. T'aint natural. Takes a little while to tell the brain that everything is hunky dory.
I worked in a shooting range. Recoil doesn't bother me and I don't flinch when I shoot because I know that it can't hurt me and I'm expecting it.
What causes me to flinch is when I'm on the range and somebody ELSE fires a round off that I wasn't expecting. It's the surprise factor. If I know they are shooting, no problem. If I'm not expecting it then my normal reflexes kick in, which are to jump a little and look around. It's in the head, not the hands. [/quote]
Man does that ring a bell.! Usually it doesn't bother me when I'm also shooting myself, but when I stop to reload, whoaaaa. I've fumbled more than a few times even putting in a fresh magazine or reloading a magazine. That suddden unexpected WHAM! from somewhere unseen is a bit much.
Note to self<---->hmmmmm, 10 round limit. A light is starting to go off a bit. Could there be a method to the maddness? A government that will spend $300,000.00 to study cow farts says there just might be.
[This message has been edited by RAE (edited August 05, 2000).]
Barring some sort of physical disability most recoil problems are psychological. The fact is that you have an explosion going off right in front of your face. T'aint natural. Takes a little while to tell the brain that everything is hunky dory.
I worked in a shooting range. Recoil doesn't bother me and I don't flinch when I shoot because I know that it can't hurt me and I'm expecting it.
What causes me to flinch is when I'm on the range and somebody ELSE fires a round off that I wasn't expecting. It's the surprise factor. If I know they are shooting, no problem. If I'm not expecting it then my normal reflexes kick in, which are to jump a little and look around. It's in the head, not the hands. [/quote]
Man does that ring a bell.! Usually it doesn't bother me when I'm also shooting myself, but when I stop to reload, whoaaaa. I've fumbled more than a few times even putting in a fresh magazine or reloading a magazine. That suddden unexpected WHAM! from somewhere unseen is a bit much.
Note to self<---->hmmmmm, 10 round limit. A light is starting to go off a bit. Could there be a method to the maddness? A government that will spend $300,000.00 to study cow farts says there just might be.
[This message has been edited by RAE (edited August 05, 2000).]
I feel recoil differently than the guy next to me because I don't place the pad againt my nose. I place it against my shoulder.
Kind of like some people who don't know how to dim their brights on their cars.
Usually it's because they can't get their foot that high up on the steering column.
Kind of like some people who don't know how to dim their brights on their cars.
Usually it's because they can't get their foot that high up on the steering column.
This weekend I started a flinch while shooting, so I'd better clarify my last post.
I was sighting in a 12 gauge shotgun that I had installed a set of fiber optic sights on. Why did I need adjustable sights for a shotgun? Slugs.
Now the only time I had ever fired slugs before was from a Mossberg Persuader with a pistolgrip. It wasn't too bad. I figured a full stock with a recoil pad wouldn't be a problem.
The first shot was fine, second okay, by the fifth the shoulder started to ache. Then I noticed the damn rear sight was slipping off. So I tightened it and started over. By twenty rounds of one ounce slugs my shoulder was killing me. I noticed I was closing my eyes as I pulled the trigger. The elevation was okay but the shotgun was still shooting to the left. It was time to stop. I wasn't doing myself any good trying to adjust the sights on a shotgun that was causing a flinch from the recoil with every shot.
So, I'll add a caveat. Barring any physical disability or the repeated firing of heavy caliber longarms, 90% of recoil is psychological. Or maybe I just experienced that elusive 10%.
I was sighting in a 12 gauge shotgun that I had installed a set of fiber optic sights on. Why did I need adjustable sights for a shotgun? Slugs.
Now the only time I had ever fired slugs before was from a Mossberg Persuader with a pistolgrip. It wasn't too bad. I figured a full stock with a recoil pad wouldn't be a problem.
The first shot was fine, second okay, by the fifth the shoulder started to ache. Then I noticed the damn rear sight was slipping off. So I tightened it and started over. By twenty rounds of one ounce slugs my shoulder was killing me. I noticed I was closing my eyes as I pulled the trigger. The elevation was okay but the shotgun was still shooting to the left. It was time to stop. I wasn't doing myself any good trying to adjust the sights on a shotgun that was causing a flinch from the recoil with every shot.
So, I'll add a caveat. Barring any physical disability or the repeated firing of heavy caliber longarms, 90% of recoil is psychological. Or maybe I just experienced that elusive 10%.
MountainGun44
New member
RAE-
I agree to a point. The brutal kick of 3" magnum slugs is not "all in my mind", however. That is where the fun ends for me when sighting in. I have a couple of heavy duty rifles that will teach anyone to flinch if fired repeatedly. They are rifles you shoot to get a job done, not for the fun of getting your butt kicked.
One thing for folks to remember: shooting from a bench intensifies the effect of recoil because your body is somewhat stationary and doesn't "give" with the shot.
When shooting anything heavier than a 30-06 from a bench, I use a PAST recoil protector. It makes the session more productive and more enjoyable. You won't feel the recoil in the field anyway.
I agree to a point. The brutal kick of 3" magnum slugs is not "all in my mind", however. That is where the fun ends for me when sighting in. I have a couple of heavy duty rifles that will teach anyone to flinch if fired repeatedly. They are rifles you shoot to get a job done, not for the fun of getting your butt kicked.
One thing for folks to remember: shooting from a bench intensifies the effect of recoil because your body is somewhat stationary and doesn't "give" with the shot.
When shooting anything heavier than a 30-06 from a bench, I use a PAST recoil protector. It makes the session more productive and more enjoyable. You won't feel the recoil in the field anyway.
Steve Smith
New member
I shoot heavy recoiling handguns often (hot .45 Colts and .454 Casull). I'm not a big guy at all, but early on I learned how to stand. With the proper form, and learning the recoil character of the gun, you can shoot anything. I still struggle with large caliber rifles, but I'm getting much better.