I have recently acquired a Sako Finnbear in .375 H&H Mag. The rifle is fitted with a synthetic stock and Pachmayr recoil pad. I am a fairly light-framed individual.

The recoil is acceptable with the 300 grainers, but I am developing loads for the 380gr Rhino bullet. Although the recoil is hardly noticeable in the bush when aiming at an unfortunate eland or bluewildebeest, it has turned out to be a painful and frightening experience to get this bullet running at 2100fps at the bench.

I have heard that there are recoil pads available that attaches to your shirt with velcro, but nobody has been able to show me what this looks like or tell me where I can get this in South Africa.

With a wife who's proficiency at the sewing machine proves to be dubious at best, is there an easy way to lure her into manufacturing this device? What would one fill it with and how thick will it be without having an effect on the overall performance of the rifle when not using this rather feminine aid?

Your advice is appreciated.

It's made of some kind of new material that I refer to as recycled jelly. Don't know how you'd go about getting one in Africa, but I can give you some U.S. info and that might be a start. Action Products, Inc. calls the thing an Action Kick Killer Shoulder Recoil Pad, says it's made of AKTON viscoelastic polymer. Their address is 22 N. Mulberry Street, Hagerstown MD 21740 USA. Their phone number is (301) 797-1414. In the US, they have an 800 number: (800) 228-7763. Their fax # is (301) 733-2073.

Good luck. They DO work.

Get a kickeez pad, a 302 series, at whatever length.. and have a blast
jeffe

Also try
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/367156

Try a small bag (I use a little leather coin purse) filled with lead shot, perhaps 4 to 6 ounces or so. Place it between your shoulder and the gun butt when you lean into the stationary gun on the sandbags. It will (1) distribute the recoil over a larger area which results in less trauma to your shoulder, and (2) add its inertia to that of the gun to slow the recoil. This is not as good as placing the rifle in a simple inertial rest which cuts the recoil to virtually nothing, but is much better than "going bare".

Karoo,

The recoil pads such as the Past Magnum Pad will let you double the number of shots you fire from the bench before your eyes begin to cross.

You could also not shoot from a bench, but rather use a standing rest.

You could also get a 20 pound bag of lead shot (or equivalent metric size) and rig it with a strap that goes around the butt stock. The bag sits on the bench and effectively adds weight to the rifle.

You could also use one of the machine rests; they don't complain much.

Finally, you could stick to 300 grain bulleys; I don't know anybody who thinks the .375 H&H has too little penetration with those bullets!

jim dodd

Karoo,
Just change the Pachmayer decelorator pad you have to the Pachmayer triple magnum pad model F990 and you won't need the other shoulder pads that your refering to. This pad will soften up your 375 with the heavy bullets.

Take care
470 Mbogo

470 Mbogo,
I just had an F990 Triple Magnum Pachmayr pad installed on that Armtec synthetic stock (I got it from Nickudu) for a CZ 550. Most impressively "soft" and I like it better than the Kickeze, which is too crumbly for my rough use.

My two favorite pads (for different reasons) are both Pachmayrs, the Sporting Clays Decelerator, and the Triple Magnum. Thanks for the tip, a while back. 'Twas you who first made me aware of the Triple Magnum.

I am interested in this 380 grain rhino bullet. I live in alaska and feel this would be of great use for a brown bear hunter like me. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you, Greg

Dagga does this recoil pad have the same thickness as the regular decellerator? Do you have to take more stock off is my question ----to accomidate the pad.

Thanks, CAPMED@aol.com
LEE

CAPMED,
The F990 is 1.5" thick so my stock had to be cut to give me the 14" pull I like. It replaced a thinner pad that came on the Armtec synthetic stock.

If going from a 1" thick pad to a 1.5" Triple Magnum, this is a way to lengthen pull by 1/2" if the current stock is too short. It seems that a lot of factory rifles have a 13.5" pull and a 1" pad, so this will be a handy conversion for me.

BTW, the Decelerators come in four thicknesses:

0.600", 0.800", and 1.00", in the D750B Field Style Face as well as the D752B Skeet Style Face (which I prefer of these two)
and ...
0.800" and 1.00" in the Decelerator Sporting Clays SC100 (which I prefer most of all the Decelerators)
and ...
1.10" in the Decelerator Trap D550.

You might go to

www.pachmayr.com

and see if they are pictured. I am looking at a hardcopy catalog here.

[ 12-07-2002, 19:55: Message edited by: DaggaRon ]

Karoo,
If a 300 gr. bullet at 2100 is bothersome to you then I think you have a degree of recoil sincitivity to deal with...

Play it smart and get a muzzle brake, use it at the range, take it off when hunting if you like, and fire a few shots offhand with it off from time to time, after a couple of months you will be able to take it off and shoot 300 gr. bullets at 2700 FPS. At that point start shooting the hot 375's a bit without the brake, then when you shoot your fine load of 300 at 2100, you will think your shooting a 22 short..It is a mind game, that's all it is....

This is how I learned to shoot the really big bores, it happened with me by accident, but I have taught it to others and it always works very well over and extended amount of time. I don't have need for the brake these days, but it is a wonderful tool to conquering recoil.

/

Can you buy these past recoil pads in Australia ???

Gents;

Thanx for the input. I will explore the Pachmayr route as this seems the easiest way to also have the recoil damping in the bush without having to slog the jacket-fitted version around.

The 380gr Rhino bullet for the .375 has caused quite a stir in South Africa and you will hardly find a PH (outfitter) here walking around with anything else in the chamber where the risk of an agitated buffalo is a remote possibility.

Please read the reviews (especially the tests done on buffs in Tanzania) on their website: www.rhinobullets.co.za .

Trust this helps

Karoo

i like the packmyer my self had 1 one my 375 loved it

Dave do you find the F990 soaks up recoil better than Pachmayer regular decelerator? Is it made of the same material? I need to lengthen my LOP on my rifle, seems like going to an F990 will kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks,

Chuck

If the problem is sighting in on the bench then get a lead sled. You can virtually eliminate recoil

Jeez, Chuck! Dredging up a six year-old topic?

Tsk, tsk.

George

Now George, if I asked the question without doing that someone would tell me to search the *&^% archives .... I have to say the F990 pads are butt ugly, I may just put the 1" thick Decelerator on and a spacer.



Chuck

Someone said you could cover the F990 with leather (buffalo scrotum?).

Think I'll pass on that one, talk about giving someone a flinch!



Chuck