I am in the process of building a .375 H&H and I don't want to get the balls beat off of me by heavy recoil. My question is what are the best products to alleviate recoil?

If anyone has any experience with these products please reply!

Pachmayr F990 Recoil Pad

Mercury Recoil Suppressors

Mag-Na-Port mag-na-brake (threads on barrel)

Mag-Na-Port mag-na-porting (slots in actual barrel)

Thanks for the information.

The first step is always to make a stock that fits you well. Improper fit accentuates recoil.There has always been a question of whether the mercury reducers work mostly because of the weight and they put the weight in one place.I think it's better to pick the best gun weight from the start.

Had a Browing A Bolt in .375 it was a stainless stalker, very light beat me like a jack hammer.
I had it magnaported and it was much better.
I have one now ,A .375 and a .416 that I am going to have done it worked for me.

...mercury recoil supresor...similar to tungsten filled...it sure do the job (-20 % or so) it does put an extra weight on and you must keep an eye on ballance of the gun...

Stock fit, soft recoil pad and mercury recoil reducers are all in the good guy's camp - any kind of porting of the barrel are nightmares of the bats from hell.

How about a limbsaver? How will this compare to a mercury suppressor?

Proper stock fit is essential, but IMHO if the rifle is of proper weight for it's class recoil is not bad at all, especially in the .375 H&H...

Mine is an RSM and at 10 lbs it's a pussycat. I'm sure when you're talking about light-weight rifles it becomes more of an issue, but to me the recoil in my .375 RSM is a non-issue.

What weight do you anticipate it to end up being when finished? If you stay around 9 lbs or so I doubt it'll even be a problem. Recoil affects people differently though, so alot depends on the individual.

I found that hunting with my big bores isn't at all unpleasant as I don't notice the recoil at all. The bench is a different story. Get it dialed in and then you don't really need to shoot it off of the bench very frequently. All of the other suggestions here are good and should be noted, but the only time I really notice any abuse is when I bench rest........

Muzzle brakes work well, but I would rather drop a caliber than use a brake. The mec. reducers work too & any of the softer recoil pads are a big help, I like the Pac. Dec., haven't tried the new F990. Others have said it, stock fit is important as well as weight, especially bbl. weight. One reason the Ruger is pleasant to shoot.

In the first place the 375H&H is not a very heavy recoiling cartridge, in a properly built rifle. All you need is to find a rifle that fits you, and install a good recoil pad. A 8.5 lb rifle, will weigh in at around 9.5-10 lbs when the magazine is full, and a round in the chamber, with a scope mounted in steel QD rings, and bases. There is absolutely no need for Merc units, or porting in such a rifle. If you absolutely must have porting, then my choice would be the Magna-porting done in a removable brake. This way it can be used when shooting on the bench, and removed for hunting, and off hand stump shooting. As someone above said, once you get the scope, and iron sights dialed in, then stay away from the bench, and shoot from hunting positions. I have several 375 H&H bolt rifles, and I shoot them a lot. They seem like small bore rifles to me, with the 300 gr bullets (the only weight I use) both softs, and solids, loaded to about 2500fps, do a fine job on anything I shoot with them. I've shot almost everything from jackrabbits, to Hippo with the 375H&H, and if I was allowed only one rifle for the world, it would be a CRF 375H&H bolt rifle, with QD scope, and Iron sights, useing the 300 gr bullets!

Tom
I should get to shoot a 375 H&H Magna-Ported bbl on my Blaser R 93 this weekend. I will let you know how much it reduces the recoil.
I have a Magna-Ported bbl in 300 Win Mag too.
I find it is much more plesant to shoot than my other non Magna-Ported bbl. I do not find it any louder in the field than a regular bbl, unlike other muzzle breaks. Also when you shoot prone the Magna-Port does not kick up debris as regular muzzle breaks do.
The Blaser R 93 is fairly light as 375's go.

Thanks for the input so far. The rifle I want to purchase is the Winchester Model 70 Classic, stainless synthetic. It weighs in at about 7 1/2 pounds bare.

Are the synthetic stocks alterable like wooden stocks as far as cutting some off to adjust length of pull with the big F990 recoil pad?

As far as the mercury recoild reducers go, how exactly are they installed?

Would it be possible to add the same amount of weight behind the receiver and in front of the receiver to maintain balance in the rifle?

I do not want to add the muzzle brake unless absolutely necessary, but if it is necessary I will only have the barrel ported and not have a brake threaded on to the barrel. From what I gather the porting on top of the barrel is the better option.

If this makes any difference I will be topping this rifle with a set of Leupold QRW bases/rings and a VXIII 1.75-6x32 scope.

Thanks again for any input!

MagnaPorting is a good compromise between noise & recoil reduction. The various brakes work better but are louder. If you must go w/ a brake, have it removable & use it only for bench work, unless you like the extra muzzle blast.

I had the same concerns when I purchased my M70 stainless. The most important modification is to replace that truck tire recoil pad that come on the gun with a Pachmayr soft recoil pad.

Remember, the gun actually kicks less than a 12 gauge shotgun with duck loads. Having put a bunch of rounds throught it off the bench with the help of a Past pad, I no longer notice recoil when hunting.

I wouldn't bother with either the porting or recoil reducer, although the recoil reducer might improve balance.

Here might be a silly question, but don't take it the wrong way:

Have you ever fired a 375 H&H?

In my opinion, the recoil is rather manageable even in a light setup, after a nice pad is installed.

It is more of a push on the shoulder, instead of the sharp jolt of say a 338WM.

-Spencer

You've never fired a .375, yet you want to build an 18"-barreled big-bore backup rifle?

George

You guys can call me a pussy if you want, I'm fine with that. I just don't like recoil. If there is anything I can do to make any of my rifles have less recoil without sacrificing accuracy or performance I do it. That doesn't just go for big rifles, that goes from 22LR on up. Why should you deal with the recoil if there is something that you can do to lessen it? That is just my opinion. I have plenty of guns that beat the crap out of me, and the worst offender is my Rem 870 with those friggin core lokt slugs...if you guys haven't tried it and you want to lose some fillings give it a shot.

And as for building a back up big bore...thats what it is. Its not a gun that I will shoot all the time, and its not a gun that I will mind shooting in the field, because if I ever have to shoot that one it means my ass, and that is worth getting hit with the heavy recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by TomFromTheShade:

Pachmayr F990 Recoil Pad
Mercury Recoil Suppressors
Mag-Na-Port mag-na-brake (threads on barrel)
Mag-Na-Port mag-na-porting (slots in actual barrel)

Pachmayr F 990 -----a must
Porting and Muzzlebreak--- dont´t use it on safari with other people around (PH´s ears may be hurt).
Recoil suppressors, not recommended if rifle weight over 4.5 kg. You have to carry it.

See videos shooting a .458 Lott rifle, 4.5 kg, Pachmayr F990. Watch the standing, relaxed, no
strong hold. Recoil1
Recoil2

Norbert, great clip of the elephant hunt!