Any tips to help make this as painless as possible?

Beg, borrow or steal a Lead Sled.. works wonders for hard kickers.. Les

quote:

Any tips to help make this as painless as possible?

I use a PAST ulta mag shoulder pad for range work with my 375 RUM. It adds a good 15-20 rounds to a range session and takes the sting out of the recoil.

The lead sled works well too but I like learning how the gun reacts under recoil. All in all I think it helps to develop a tolerance to recoil.

I developed a load with the 300 gr. TSX's and RL22 and chronographed at 2920fps...it will most definitly get your attention off the bench.

I have one but have it ported so I can't help you there--wish it wasn't though. Hal Waugh used to use a .378 Wthby for back up on Kodiaks, he guided in the late 50's and 60's, 26/27 in bbl, irons and he was some what of lanky looking fella. Talk about grit, them days bears were up to 12ft.

Settle in, aim and squeeze--kaboooom! have fun.

Reduced loads, PAST recoil shield, shooting cradle with sandbag draped over the frame.

George

If you just got to shoot off the bench, get into the most upright position that you can. If you don't have enough stuff to cradle your rifle to help keep upright, steal all the sandbags from all the unused benches around. Believe me, you NEVER want to shoot from a low, typical benchrest position as used in shooting 22's and other small stuff.

When I shoot my .404jeffery off the bench I use a Past pad, sit on a low stool so you can be as upright as possible, grip the forearm, pull the rifle in tight & hang on. It's not like shooting an 06 but it's managable. You can also put a shot filled bag between the butt & your shoulder if you don't have a lead sled, but it puts your eye/cheek in an awkward position.
If you don't already have one, get the butt pad relaced w/ a 1" Pac. Dec. or Kick-eez, makes a big difference. You may want to also look into adding a recoil reducer to the butt stock. It adds another 6-8oz & seems to help slow down the recoil impulse.

I have a Bob Allen rifle pad that I wear to shoot my 375 RUM. Works pretty good. I still get a little sore after 30 or so from the bench. Just a little.

I also recommend the Past Pad. I use one for my 300 rum and larger calibers when shooting from a bench and they really work.

JMJ88,
How many grains of RL 22 are you using to get 2920 ft/sec? Thanks for sharing info.

quote:

JMJ88,
How many grains of RL 22 are you using to get 2920 ft/sec? Thanks for sharing info.

95 gr and 98.5 gr were most accurate. 99.0 was decent and gives me 2910-2920 and is listed as the max load out of the Barnes manual. I have a 26" barrel as well.

Truly devastating load...on both ends.

I ordered a Past Super Magnum Pad from Midway.
Thanks guys, your the best there is.

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=757&dir=16|377

Put one of these between the butt and your new PAST Pad and you'll have zero problems. Works well with both of these. Bill T.

quote:

Originally posted by Les Staley:
Beg, borrow or steal a Lead Sled.. works wonders for hard kickers.. Les

+1

billt, I placed my order, thanks.

Unless your hochsitz has a shooting bench why shoot from the bench at all? Zero from standing with sticks (a camera tripod topped with a sandbag will approximate), sitting with a shooting sling, or other field positions you are actually likely to use. Don't forget to make the rifle heavy enough and install a superior recoil pad. Have the trigger tuned up for a truly surprise break. To reduce the effect of blast on your perception of recoil wear puffs under your muffs, wear shooting glasses, and do not to shoot under a roof if you can help it. Finally, be sure to tilt the brim of your ballcap up so the scope can't knock it into your forehead.

Sitting with the shooting sling was my first thought.

quote:

Originally posted by dad11345:
Any tips to help make this as painless as possible?

Get someone else to pull the trigger! Sorry could not resist.

IMHO its not as bad as a 404J even though the 400gr bullet is going as 2180fps & the 300gr Barnes is going at 2650fps. (the 404 weighs #10.5 & the 375RUM #9.8)

I had a carpenter friend build this jig for me off some old plans in a Shooting Times article:



Weighs about 20 lbs & I find I can shoot better groups off this than off a Lead Sled. My friend bought a Lead Sled & it is perhaps too rigid - all the action screws came loose off his 308 PSS with 2 bags of shot. Have shot up to 404J with this & its makes it like a 270. 375's a piece of cake. You have to find the compromise right for you. The lead sled definitely reduced recoil more but put a lot of vibration into the gun.

Regards,
JohnT

quote:

IMHO its not as bad as a 404J even though the 400gr bullet is going as 2180fps & the 300gr Barnes is going at 2650fps. (the 404 weighs #10.5 & the 375RUM #9.8)

404 Jeff
10 lb rifle
400 Gr Bullet
80 gr powder (assumed)
2200 fps

= 44 ft. lbs recoil / 16 fps recoil velocity

375 RUM
10 lb rifle
300 Gr Bullet
99 Gr powder
2920 fps

= 60 ft. lbs recoil / 19 fps recoil velocity

That is almost a 36 % increase in recoil. I would say that is a bit of a difference.

Recoil Calculator

JMJ888

What happens when you plug in 2650fps into the RUM equation?

Regards
JohnT

quote:

JMJ888

What happens when you plug in 2650fps into the RUM equation?

It becomes a 375 H&H.

I wasn't sure where that 2650 came from as it hadn't been mentioned previously. The recoil calculation is the same as the 404 at 2650 but there isn't a factory load available for the RUM that gets near that.

A 300 gr bullet at 2600-2700 is both comfortable and very manageable even from the bench. When you start getting into the 2800+ ballpark the gun develops a bit more attitude and requires a little more management

Neat looking rig by the way John.

I think you'd give a 375 H&H Hemorrhoids trying to push a long bearing surface bullet like a Barnes X at 2650fps!

Regards
JohnT

I always use a PAST recoil shield when shooting heavy caliber rifles off the bench. There is no reason not to! I make my range sessions short and don't use a leadsled. My hardest kicker so far is a .33G&A that weighs 7.2 lbs. Pushing 250gr bullets at 3000fps. Hold tight and squeeze!

quote:

I think you'd give a 375 H&H Hemorrhoids trying to push a long bearing surface bullet like a Barnes X at 2650fps!

Barnes manual says 2645 with RL15. I suspect that you could get a little more with the TSX and it would be within the reasonable loading guidelines stated from Barnes. The TSX's have shown an increase in velocity of 50-150fps at safer pressures versus the original X-bullets given the same powder charge.

On/off muzzle break (like those found on Savage 'Safari') plus ear plugs and ear muffs! I should have bought one of those in .425 something.

as Harry Pope once wrote "....stand on your hind legs and shoot like a man...".

I have a forty-six dollar portable standing rest I use for dial in. 24"x48" sheet of 3/4" plywood. Two eight foot two by fours. Cut off a couple 12" long pieces from one. Frame four sides of a 2x4 width at one end of the 24"x48" sheet. Make the 2x4 a snug fit. Cross bolt it (with a 1/2" bolt and wingnut). Cut the fl 2x4 int three and five foot leangths. Place the three foot length into the "box, drill it and crossbolt it. Four inches from the top, clamp the five foot length to it (the 5' length is drilled 8" from the end) and drill a 1/2" hole. Crossbolt it snug, and angle it about thirty-degrees from vertical. Cut two short pieces, say 8" long off the 2x4 and glue them skinny side to fat side. Cut your hinged 2x4 to a comfortable length for you standing to shoot from. Drill a third 1/2" hole thru both at center, and crossbolt them snug. That piece gets padded and bolted to the top piece of the angled 2x4. You stand on the 24x48 plywood, and have someone adjust the angle of the two 2x4's to where the padded piece fits you. Shoulder the rifle and place the back of your non-trigger hand on the padded area. You should be standing fairly upright, but leaned into the rifle a bit, normal shooting stance. Your left hand (for righties))is on the pad, and you are ready to shoot. Bang! your hand recoils off of the pad, and your body is free to move however it needs to to dissipate the recoil. My 416 Rigby shoots 1.25" groups off the bench at 100 yds. Off the standing rest it shoots 2"-2.5" groups at 100 yards. When the opportunity to shoot a cannon comes along, I use the standing rest exclusively. It lets me know what the recoil is like and actually hit something at the same time.

Hope this helps,

Rich

Custom built M700 24" barrel, SS fluted, ready to shoot with scope and sling mounted is 7.5 lbs.

260 NABs at 2950 FPS. 67 lbs of free recoil!

Embrace the suck!

I shot it into .5 inches during the first 50 round "breakin" range visit.

Really Sucks... so I suck it up!

RLTW!

off the bench: 505 Gibbs with 650gr bullet at 2100fps 6600ftlbs ME, 89ftlbs recoil, recoil impulse 22fps. 11.5lb rifle with Kickeez pad. Well constructed stock = moderate recoil and 2" 4-shot groups at 50yds, one per day. Off my stand up rest, 3" 4-shot group at 50yds, four of them, five minutes apart this early afternoon. Stand up boys!

Rich