i need to pick brains about reducing recoil on a 375.w/o the use of muzzlebrake,am slight built 6fter and want to be able to comfortably practice alot before the africa run.any ideas?

It's difficult without a Muzzle Break. You can always take the break off while hunting.

I'm about to start the familiarization process with my 375 as well. Here are my thoughts on the process I hope to follow:
1) Make sure your rifle fits you.
2) Fit a proper recoil pad.
3) Add weight, but try not to screw up the rifle's balance.
4) Build up your recoil tolerance with light and moderate loads. Depending on the game you are after in Africa you might even hunt with less than full power ammunition; you might find 9.3x74R or 375 Flanged performance sufficient.
5) Practice from field positions. I haven't got much trigger time in with my 375 yet but all of it has been from standing and kneeling - no troubles.
6) Wear a PAST Recoil Shield for practice
7) Make sure your trigger is crisp enough to give you a surprise break.
8) Don't shoot until it hurts. Five good shots per range session is going to be better for your confidence than sixty the week before you leave...
Good luck to you on your hunt. I won't be headed back to Africa soon but this year my deer gun will be the 375.

What type of rifle are you shooting???

I have a 375 RUM, and I shoot at the range with a Bob Allen shoulder pad, thats it. When I hunt, I do not think about the recoil at all. If you have the ability to add weight to your weapon, and do not mind carrying the weight, then you can do that too. Oh, having a F990 pachmayr butt pad installed helps too. It might not look the greatest, but it works.

winchester m70

Several tricks for shooting off the bench that work. You can get one of the strap on arm/leg weights from wally world that is full of sand. Put it between the stock and your shoulder. Another easy trick is to rig up a strap that fits into your front carry strap loop. Attach the other end of the strap to a weight that is just touching the ground. Rest the rifle on the bench rest and shoot. As the rifle tries to rise and move back it will have to move the weight before it whacks you. From standing and such the recoil will be less of a problem. Wiedmanshiel

I'm not a big fan of brakes of any kind as a matter of fact I really dislike them on a hunting rifle, and I like to keep my rifles light so I don't add weight to them but what I have figured out is a way to shoot big guns by working up your skill and confidence and still use full power loads.
I shoot a .375 H&H mag in stainless synthetic that weighs 7.25 plus the scope .75 = 8 pounds on the nose, this baby kicks a bit but a few tricks I've learned are ( as someone said before never shoot till it hurts) practice frequently but shoot only a few rounds each session. When sighting it in I shot 3 shots then made adjustments then shot my 22/250 for 5 shots or so to let the gun and me cool down in between groups, then shot another 3 shot group and finished by shooting the 22/250 at the end of the session, I can't fully explain it but there is some real positive psychology going on with that method. Then the next time I'd take it out I would shoot 3 from the bench then finish by shooting 2 offhand or simulating field positions (sit or lean against a pole). Then as I gained more confidence that the rifle could shoot excellent groups from the bench I would stop the benchrest portion of the shooting and only do the sitting and other field positions. Nearly every time I took it out and shot it I would finish with a 5 shot group from a 22/250 or .223. I do the same thing when shooting my Lightweight 30/06 with 180 grain full power loads.

Simms recoil pad and a Mercury recoil suppressor in the stock. Works on my 416 Rigby without a muzzlebrake.

http://www.mercuryrecoil.com/suppressors/index.htm#top

Lots of good ideas - but none of them work as effectively as a muzzle brake. If I decide to keep my Remington 700 Classic in 375 H&H - I'm going to add a brake and maybe a mercury recoil reducer, it is a little too light to be confortable shooting. Another pound and a brake and it will be a breeze.

I have had several rifles with muzzle brakes. I found them just too loud to hunt with.
I now have a 300 Win Mag and a 375 H&H with Magna-Port. To my ears the Magna-Port does not seem any louder than a regular bbl.

Look into the Anser (not sure of the spelling, might be Answer) recoil reduction system. I saw a gal that weighed about 110 pounds shooting a 416 Remington using this system.

RavenR,

My experience is that a .375H&H and cartridges upwards from there is the rifle needs a little bit of weight to assist in taming recoil. My Winchester Model 70 is pretty hefty (10 lbs. all up) and my Blaser R93 a flyweight in comparison (7.5 lbs.), so I have expereince from both ends of the rifle weight spectrum using the same cartridge.

Secondly, is bench-technique, stay away from constant shooting at the bench, especially in the typical low-bench crouch, i.e., the "laying" on the rifle position so commonly seen in Varmint Shooting. Get the rifle up to a level position using your forearm hand in front of the front bag/rest or use your forearm hand on the bag to comfortably hold the rifle. Sight-in from bench only and move straight away to field positions, the more erect/standing the better.

Also, get the recoil pad into the pocket of your shoulder where it belongs, not out on your arm somewhere; and use a firm but not a "Death-Grip" hold on the rifle.

Have fun!

Start with either a Decellerator or Limb Saver pad. You can also use one of the strap on PAST pads. You could also pick up some 235 gr. Speers and load some lighter loads with them for practice. Another good practice tip is to spend most of your time with a lighter kicking rifle. To me rifle shooting is rifle shooting. When you go to the range run some rounds through your .375 but spend most of your time with a .22. I find my .375 Model 70 very manageable to shoot with out a brake but I also don't sit down and run a couple hundred rounds at a time through it from the bench.

Jeff

I shoot my 416 rem mags from a standing bench on a bull bag .I put a milk crate then a heavy bull bag on the bench.I always push forward withg my left hand and let the recoil pushme.I use two past pads and extra wide recoil pads.I have shot two of my 338s one with a muzzle break 300 times in one day.I also reduce the loads for my 416 .I shoot a 350 gr bullet at 2400 fps that does not kick that bad.I have shot that load 150 times in one day.I get very use to my gun that way.I load my top loads to hit right where the others hit and shoot them at least 10-20 times.Then I an not flenching from full house loads.I bet that 375 rum is pretty light for the caliber also.You can add a mercury recoil reducer in the stock or add some lesd shot in the forend.A frioend of mine had to have a bigger 375 so he rechambered his 375h&h to the 375 weatherby.Now he is afraid to shoot it.The gug already had too light of a barrel for the 375h&h.Its a browning abolt.I bet he sales it not.You have to start with reduced loads and work up to shooting it.But if your guns too light which I bet it is you have to add a muzzlebreak or weight to lower the recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
winchester m70

What model? I started with a Model 70 Stainless classic and the first thing I did was upgrade the recoil pad, then I bought a McMillan fiberglass stock from D'Arcy Echols in the Legend pattern. I sent it off to McMillan for bedding and finishing, and used a Decelerator pad. I've only shot a few rounds since but that stock really does wonders with recoil.

I have also found that heavier bullets recoil less "violently" than lighter, faster moving bullets.

As others have said, sight in with a pad, then practice using field positions: off sticks, standing, kneeling, and sitting.

Just shoot it a little bit each time, but shoot as often as you can. The .375 isn't bad at all, being slightly built has nothing to do with recoil tolerance, it's mental, not physical. Proper gun mounting, practice will make the recoil negligible.

All good advice. I had my .404jeffery built w/ a removable brake. After getting it sighted in & working up some loads I gave up on the brake. The more you shoot the more you get used to the recoil. My rifle also has a merc. red. in the butt & a Pac. Dec. pad, all up it weighs 10.25# & I really don't want it lighter.
From the bench, get a low seat so you can sit almost straight up. Use a Past recoil pad on your shoulder. Firmly grasp the forend & pull it inot your shoulder then rock w/ the shot. I've fired 40rds in a sitting this way & was fine. Also, start w/ 270gr loads then move up to the 300gr after you feel you are handling the 270gr. If you handload you are even better loading the 270gr yo 2500fps or so & shooting those for awhile. A great cartridge, I think I need to go look for a CZ.

Dear Ravenr

I had the same problem with recoil on my 375 initially. The cure is:
- Chech the gun fits properly
- have a recoil damper fitted in the stock and the rifle checked for balance as you will need to hold it comfortably to take the shot quickly in Africa.
- Avoid muzzelbrakes like the plague this is a hunting rifle.
- Dont shoot off a bench or prone except to check zero.
- Do practice a lot at sitting, kneeling and offhand shooting,also off sticks.
- Only shoot 5-10 cartridges at a session.
-Wear a thin PAST recoil pad when practicing.
-Wear ear plugs and ear defenders together.
-Practice little and often. The more comfortable and confident you are with a rifle the less you will notice the recoil.
-Learn to shoot quickly, sight the target, take aim and fire and reload keeping your eye on the target in a smooth 1-2-3-4 action. Waiting increases your body tension which prevents you rolling with the bunch so to speak.

Regards

Mark