Ruger Forum

trigger creep · September 17th, 2012, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 429421Cowboy

I also have to say my BLR .243 kicks as bad as an '06, due to the short barrel and light weight. It is also dang loud, you have to be sure to have plugs for anything more than the first shot if you don't want a flinch. My 7mm with 26" bbl and fully outfitted weighs a shade over 9lbs and doesn't kick terrible, but the gun is matched to the round. I do love my BLR though!

Recoil has to do with how you manage it, the first "big bore" i ever shot was a .375 H&H at a branding when i was 15. The rancher brought it out and had grown men actually afraid to shoot it until he have shot it first to prove that it wouldn't snap his collarbone! We all know that there are far worse kickers that the .375 (I'd lay money down that the Weatherbys take that prize). I leaned into the gun and pulled the trigger, let it rise up and push me back, not a hard kick or jab in the face by any means.
Recoil is all a matter of how you position yourself, granted that you are not restricted by a shoulder problem, as my grandfather is.

I shot a .375 H&H exactly once in my lifetime, and I was rather surprised as it was far more pleasant than I had imagined, even with 270 grain Hornady's! I would like to get a .375 H&H someday, but I'm still building up my recoil tolerance. I finally can shoot a .300 magnum, now it is time to work my way a little further up the ladder. Maybe in about 7 years I'll be ready for the .375 H&H, and than I'll just need $15,000 for the Cape Buffalo hunt!

429421Cowboy · September 17th, 2012, 10:55 AM

Isn't your .308 Norma mag pretty much the original .300 mag, just with a slightly different shoulder?
I too like the .375, it would make a good elk gun for the timber! It also is a good caliber for cast bullets, they do a number on deer without ruining alot of meat.
Save up $2000 and come out here and we'll have a bison buffalo hunt instead

Tater · September 17th, 2012, 11:59 AM

I have to ask why would you want to?

I shoot heavy loads in my 12 gauge Wingmaster. It isn't tough at all because I know how to hold a rifle as well as the superb recoil pad that disperses the recoil into a long push.

Would I hand it to a kid? No. My reason is I like people to learn to ENJOY shooting not be afraid of it.

opos · September 17th, 2012, 12:25 PM

Back in the late 50's my then Wife wanted a deer rifle to hunt with so she could accompany me when I went...I shot an Ackley improved 30-06 built on an 03A3 action with a Douglas barrel in a Fajan stock..typical old school missurp conversion and the Ackley was a big time "wildcat" in those days...I never had any issues with recoil and figured one caliber would be fine for both she and I. I didn't have her shoot my rifle as it was way too big for her (I was really big and she was a little tiny thing). So being the good hubby I built her one of the similar things...06 Ackley on an 03A3 but we turned the Douglas barrel down to lighten things up and put it in a Bishop stock that was actually for a kids rifle....the whole thing with a scope weighed about half of what mine did....I took her out to the range to get her set up (she'd shot my 243 and my 30-30 with no problems other than length of stock)...We got all set up and she set the gun on a bench on a sand bag....close in to get the scope zeroed in....the first one she touched off was the last...that thing went off like a howitzer..It kicked her hard enough to make a huge bruise and almost backed her off the bench...that was the end of going hunting with me....Later on I cut a muzzle brake into the barrel and figured that might help....it did....some but the blast that came off that set of cuts in the bbl was horrible...all in all the whole idea was a bust.

Recoil can end someone's interest in shooting or it can just plain become an issue...I've shot all kinds of things as a young man and all through my life (75 now)...I have a couple of 44 mags and I shoot little silly handloads in them as I simply can't take the recoil of a full house 44 mag any more....at one time that was the big thrill....I love big bores but my 44's and 45's as well as 357 magnum all load with sissy powder loads....I love to shoot but hate the result of the big kick any more.

trigger creep · September 18th, 2012, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 429421Cowboy

Isn't your .308 Norma mag pretty much the original .300 mag, just with a slightly different shoulder?
I too like the .375, it would make a good elk gun for the timber! It also is a good caliber for cast bullets, they do a number on deer without ruining alot of meat.
Save up $2000 and come out here and we'll have a bison buffalo hunt instead

Yes. In fact, you can use .300 Win. mag brass to make .308 NM, by running it through a full length re-sizing die. I used .338 Win. mag brass though, which most guys say is the best way to do it. You can use 7MM Remington mag brass as well, but I never read up on that to see how.

It doesn't matter anyway, because I recently sold the gun after discovering some headspace isses, the guy I sold it to said that he didn't want to shoot it anyway, so he didn't care anyway. It wasn't that it was causing major problems, it just kept showing signs of high pressure. My dad then made a download for it and it still showed signs of high pressure on the primer! I accomplished my goal with the rifle nonetheless, improving my recoil tolerance. At first I couldn't shoot a 4" group with the thing, then after shooting it over 100 times I got used to it.

And as for the Bison hunt, that sounds like fun, but it still can't match Africa!

I went hunting with my dad (didn't actually hunt, was 11 years old) in SoDak for Pronghorn twice, and that was quite a blast!