Okay, I'm getting ready to send off a M70 classic in 7mm stw to my gunsmith. I'm completing my set of wby calibers. First one was a 270, then a 257 and now a 300. I've had 300's before and can handle them just fine, however that was before two shoulder operations. So, the question is what can I do to lower the recoil a bit. Anyone have a stock preference between HS and McMillan in regards to recoil? What about the recoil reducer that HS offers? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

Well, I've used a brake on my .300 Jarrett since it was new. It works.

I forgot to mention that a brake is not an option. I'm prepared to sacrifice weight to help tame recoil, but not my ears.

parrett
I have had 4 rifles in 300 WBY Mag, and currently have 2 300 win Mag bbls for my Blaser R 93. If you put a KDF muzzle break on your 300 it will kick like a 243, but it will be very loud. I have Magna-Port on one of my Blaser 300 Win Mag bbls and like it very much. It lessens the kick quite a bit, and I can shoot it in the field without earprotection and it does not hurt my ears.
If your shoulder is very fragile go with a regular muzzle break, just wear ear protection when shooting in the field.

A PAST recoil shield is the greatest thing since sliced bread for range useage.
- mike

I agree the past recoil absorber really work well. I use it when hunting with my 338 RUM without a brake.

The PAST products are really good. You can also add a Limbsaver recoil pad. They are the best that i have tried. A stock with less drop at comb and heel seems to help as well.

Parret-I am a big time proponent of the 300 and 340 Wby. To me these are great rounds and when rebarreling I would for sure put enough weight in the tube.

What I prefer is a tube to be cut to 25" and to have it measure between a minimum of .65 at the muzzle to .7" at the muzzle.

The 4.5 weight Schneider seems to fit me the best.

This gives it enough weight so it hangs well and it also takes a lot of the torque out of the recoil.

So my thoughts would be to make sure you get enough weight in the tube.

Good luck

Mark D

If you have shoulder problems then the obvious answer is a smaller caliber or bite the bullet and go with the brake that you seem to dislike...A brake is the only thing that actually works on recoil, the rest is hype...use ear protection and tell your hunting companions that you use a brake and they need to be prepared....We hunt hunters every year with brakes on their 458 Lotts, 500s etc. and its not a problem with us, we have ear plugs hanging on our necks as do our trackers and staff or we simply stick our fingers in our ears..

Whatever you do is apparantly going to be a compromise to what you wish, thats a fact of life and only you alone can make that determination, not a bunch of internet battering of biased opinnions from us.....

Mine is a M-70 that I sent to Hill Country Rifle. They stocked it in their "Bridges" stock made by McMillian. Scoped with a 4.5x14 Leupold LR it weighs just under nine pounds. Recoil is quite manageable, I suspect due in part to the straight comb stock. I myself do not feel the need for a recoil dampening device. Personally I have never met a recoil brake I've liked the looks of.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:

A brake is the only thing that actually works on recoil, the rest is hype.

Not really so.

At the shooting range I've used a Recoil Shock Eliminator pad -- the thick "magnum" one -- for years, and it definitely makes a significant difference. I can definitely tell if I shoot a .375 H&H with and without it, for one example.

This thing may no longer be manufactured -- it's a silicone-based pad that I simply lay between the stock and my shoulder. But it wouldn't work while hunting because it doesn't attach to your body. For that I think the PAST recoil shield works because it fits to your shoulder and you can wear it afield.

I've got a Vanguard in .300 Weatherby Magnum (which I habitually load with 200 grain Speer spitzers over a compressed load of WC860 for a MV right at 3000 FPS from a 24" barrel.) 5 1/2 years ago I got launched off the "high side" of a Harley and wrapped my right arm over my head and around my back, resulting in the replacement of my upper humerus with a metal prosthesis and wiring the fragments of the humeral shaft together. The A-C joint was separated and there was a lot of soft tissue injury; I just about tore my arm off, and went through a year of difficult and painful physical therapy. I can still shoot the Weatherby just fine off of that shoulder, using a Past Magnum Recoil Shield. I highly recommend it.

During the very early days after the surgery I bought a large rectangular leather sandbag that holds about 40 lbs of sand. With the rifle benchrested, the butt can be placed against that and the rifle fired with no felt recoil at all. It moves a bit and requires resetting everything after each shot.

I have recently fitted my model 70 featherweight 7mm WSM with a Limbsaver recoil pad . I had heard good things about these but it has performed way beyond my expectations . Rifle is now no more unpleasant to shoot than my heavy barrelled .243 .
Suggest that this is the best place to start .
Also bought Peltor sound trap electronic earmuffs . These can be worn during a hunt without compromising your hearing and only cut out certain frequencies . Also have a low profile and don't interfere with your cheek weld . Might be worth a look if you are forced to go down the muzzle brake route .