I can shoot a 300 weatherby well of the bench for extended sessions as it has a good recoil pad and seems to jump up more than kick back. With the 458/458 Lott , I can fire a fair few shots and it doesnt worry me too much ,though I do think about it each time I fire from the bench. It is my practicle limit. I have used a 460 Weatherby and it is too much for me to do accurate shooting with. I dont mind using one for thrills in the bush ,but if I was faced with a dangerous aniumal ,I would much prefer the smaller 458/458 Lott.

Rob I find by myself I don't get seem to get many cumulative effects.This includes grouping a 585 running at 9500ftlbs from a bench or several boxes of 375.But yes on
a crowded range after a while it starts to hurt my head and ears.


Karl.

I'm not talking about being able to shhot the biggest ,meanest rifle out there. I'm talking about how much is too much. Eg:
I regularly shoot Military Rifle with a # 4 in 303 or a Jungle Carbine in 303. My other main rifle is a Winchester Sporter in 308.
Recoil is no problem, however I find that after a military rapid fire shoot where I may shoot 20 plus rounds in a very short time I sometimes have a dull headache. I wonder if this is a result of recoil alone or the combined effect of recoil plus some 10 - 15 shooters all blasting away at the same time.
your thoughts are appreciated
rob

up to .308 doesn't worry me too much.

Like someone else, I also had a p/a 12g Bentley (now crushed � thanks JWH) "riot gun" with 20" barrel. With solids, that booted like hell!

Re the headaches.

Even with hearing protection, there is still "sympathetic" transmission of noise/shockwave via the cranial bones, particularly around the ears. Muffs are infintely superior here to earplugs, because they also cover some (but not all) of the bone around the ear.

Every time you (or someone else) pulls the trigger, you get a "slap in the head" from the sound waves.

No wonder you get a headache!!!!

Bruce

Usually fire up to 30rds of my 338win when out for a casual shot, anything below that is not a problem. Have owned x2 458wins, they were ok most shots fired in a session was 27, 500gr handloads, yes i got a head ache. I will not fire my mates brno 602 in 375, christ it comes back harder than the 458win, terrible thing, especially shooting the 250gr sierra's and a case full of 760.

cheers 338w

Rob,

Do you shoot out at Malabar? My son and I shoot with Navy, using our hunting rifles (me:270, he:223) SMLE next on the list of 'need to buy'!

I can really relate to your 'headache' issue - I'm fairly lightly built, and off the bench, even with a handtowel between butt and shoulder, my absolute limit before headache (and flinch) is 50 shots with the 270!

Shooting military, I can't use the handtowel, and after a shoot a couple of weeks ago, which included something like 20 shots double tap snap, I was almost reeling!

One thing I have noticed, is the position that a lot of guys use, especially when prone. When I was taught, we were at 45 degrees to the rifle - I see a lot of guys out at Malabar lying 'in line' with the barrel - when they fire, the recoil is transferred to the whole body - there's no 'give' in the system. As a result, each time you fire, you're effectively giving your self a 'whiplash' type impact.

I'm no expert, but my guess is that if you're at 45 degrees, the recoil is absorbed more slowly, hence there is less 'whiplash' effect. One thing I've noticed with myself, is that I tend to 'tense up' when it comes to the snap, and that probably 'worsens' the recoil - I've been working on being 'firm' but not tense - seems to absorb the impact more slowly, hence less whip.

And yes, other shooters around you will have an impact - just when you're about to fire, someone near you lets loose, and you tense up again!!

I hope that helps! If nothing else, at least you know you're not alone!

I find that when shooting from a bench I usually develop a headache after a certain number of shots & usually If I exceed the following,my headache spoils any enjoyment of the day & I only exceed it if i'm testing/developing loads for a hunting trip.

243 90 to 100 shots
7mm-08 70 to 80 shots
270win 50 to 60 shots
30-06 20 to 30 shots
300 win mag 5 to 10 shots

I refuse to shoot anything with more recoil than the 300 win mag from the bench,the 30-06 is my sensible limit if I want to enjoy the day.

Off hand at the range is not so bad for me & most of the headaches are caused by the boomer beside me.

when hunting I dont seem to get headaches.

Goodness me, what has happened to the Australian male. Hearing protection and slip-on recoil pads have been the go from the early sixties so there has to be a problem with proceedure. What would you do if these devices were not available? Give up shooting?

Worst thing I have ever fired was a 'sporterised' military M98 in rechambered for .30/06. Modified original stock, still with the metal butt plate. That thing was a bitch, two shots and I was looking for half a dead sheep to hang over my shoulder as a recoil pad.

My experience is somewhat limited as I have never shot anything above 30-06 but for what it is worth I believe that combination of light firearm and �heavy� projectile will cause the most discomfort. So far I had only two experiences with recoil that I would consider very unpleasant. One involved solids from pump action shotgun (Bentley) while the other was a small 44 Mag semi automatic carbine (Uberti, Rossi or something like that). The Bentley fell to the �great buy-back� scheme and so would the 44 Mag if I didn�t sell it immediately. I am about to get 300 Winchester Magnum so I finally will have a chance to compare but I must admit that I would be seriously intimidated by some of the calibres preferred on this forum.
Cheers

Well it greatly depends on the stock, pad and muzzle break.
I have shot 50 rounds while out spot lighting with my 416 (over 7000ftlbs energy) with no ill affects. My rifle has 2 lead recoil reducers in butt, decelerator pad and a muzzle break, plus it weighs over 13lb.

Have shot my 1886 45/70 with 405grn doing 1975fps, with one of those slip on pads, rifle weighs 7.5lb at a BGRC shoot by the end my shoulder was very tender (was so after about 25rounds) and would not like to shoot more than 20 rounds at a go, again with that rifle.

A nasty rifle I once shot was a 450 Ackley with 500grns doing about 2200fps that weighed 10.5lb and would not want to fire it again full stop.

Have shot a 378 Weatherby with 2 lead recoil reducers, decelerator pad and a muzzle break, I found this rifle no worse than my 416.

338, if the 602 is the one with the 'European' or 'hogsleg'(?) stock, I know exactly what you mean!! A mate had one in 270, 2 shots, and I was outta there!! That thing kicked like a bloody mule!