Recoil as I age

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m really enjoying shooting a .38/.357 revolver and found myself shooting some hundred rounds a day for three days surrounding New Year’s this year.

Typically my range trips involve 50 or more rounds of .45 or .44special loaded somewhat over contemporary book maximum. My wrists let me know about it the next day. Not really painful but I feel it.

After shooting a great number of rounds (mainly.357 pushed above contemporary book max) I did not feel any discomfort in my wrists. But I noticed that the three fingers on my right hand were a little sore.

Not sure why this is different.

[JimT]

When I passed 60 I was out shooting the .475 Linebaugh .. fairly heavy loads with 420 gr. bullet. I ran 300 rounds that day and was really beat up the next day from it. Somehow I wised up to what was happening and before too long I traded it for two Uberti single actions and some other stuff. Then I sold the Freedom Arms 454 and quit shooting heavy loads in the Linebaugh Ruger .45. The .41 Magnum became my "heavy" gun and continues to this day.

I had not shot any of the 300 gr. 45 Colt loads out of the Linebaugh Ruger since 2008 or 2009. A couple years ago I spied a box of 20 rounds I had loaded way back when among some of my ammo. Feeling chipper I hauled them to the Range. To make a long story short, I brought 17 loaded rounds back home.

My heavy loads these days are the .41 Magnum 210 gr. XTP over 20 gr. WC820 (Milsurp H110) and .44 Special with the Keith SWC and 16.5 gr. 2400. And I don't shoot many of those. What I do shoot a lot of is .38 Specials with 160 gr. cast over 3.0 gr. Bullseye. And .22 Long Rifles.

[bmtshooter]

I am not nearly as tough as I used to be.

Could be due to the high mileage.

[KWK]

I never was one for recoil. Today, a 38 Special revolver and a 357 rifle is all I aspire to. I just might get a 44-40 rifle some day.

[.45colt]

Nothing wrong with You Scott. At 70 everything has changed again for Me. My Goal is to Age as Well as Jim T. .

[Griff]

Call me "Whimpy". I've never liked the 44 Mag, even with factory ammo. And it didn't take me very many rounds to come to that conclusion. In the mdl 94 Winchester carbine, the factory 44 Mag ammo beat my shoulder to death, much worse than .30-30s in the same model carbine, so I typically stuck to 44 Specials. In a handgun, I'm fine with 45 ACP, 45 Colt & 357 Mag, but typically shoot lighter than factory 45 Colt & 38 Specials. (Lighter in terms of both bullet weight & charge).

I was always issued .38 Spl +P ammo as a Deputy, so always shot something along those lines when competing. Now that I'm no longer active, I backed off slightly.

[JimT]

In the mdl 94 Winchester carbine, the factory 44 Mag ammo beat my shoulder to death, much worse than .30-30s in the same model carbine ...

Same with the 1894 Marlin .44 Magnum.

[Walt]

My standard .44 mag load is Lyman's "potentially most accurate" load of 20.5 gr of 2400 behind a 250 gr 429421 bullet or a similar bullet. I shoot that in all of my Rugers, my FA and Smiths except my 4" m29-3. That one is just too uncomfortable so I just shoot reduced loads like 10 gr of Unique. Despite my strong preference for .44 spls and .45 Colts I will probably never sell the hard kickers like the m29, 4 5/8" SBH or FA in .454. I still enjoy them although I seldom shoot them. I love opening my gun locker and seeing them staring back out at me. I'm 73 and am obviously afflicted by, "the older I get, the better I was".

[marlinman93]

I injured my right wrist back in 1971 on the job, and have a 95% disability in that wrist, so since I was 21 years old I've always been more recoil sensitive than most. Everything I shoot is medium level loads, and occasionally when I practice with defense loads in my carry guns I can get through a couple magazines and have to quit. Then my wrist is sore for a couple weeks before it gets back to normal. Probably why I shoot more rifles than handguns.

[ollogger]

Yep recoil has me slowing up the speed on the 454 & the 44 mag, a fun load in the 44 is a 200 gr. cast
from a Lee mold, no pain from that one, the Ruger Alaskan 454 only shoots a lyman 293 gr. - 457 dia. bullet
sized to 454 it shoots great, i backed off the powder so it runs around 850 fps, that gun is heavy so recoil is
not that bad, 357 in the Ruger sp 101 with a 158 gr. cast at half throttle is ok, born in 55 & 23 years of running a chain saw has taken its tol




ollogger

[gcs]

My brother handed me his S&W 44 mag to try, one round later I handed it back. Most unpleasant handgun I ever tried...no thanks...lol

[COSteve]

At 76, I feel recoil more than I use to as my muscles aren't as firm and arthritis is creeping into the mix in some places. However, recoil in a revolver is felt more than in a semi-auto because of 2 things different in their designs. 1st, the bore axis of the revolver is much higher vs a semi-auto's because of the basic design of the cylinder vs the slide causing much more muzzle rise and wrist snap. And 2nd, the basic shape of a revolver's is a bit on the inverted conical side making it harder to grip vs the front and back strap on a semi-auto is usually more parallel making it easier to grip tightly.

[GunnyMack]

I used to shoot a thousand trap targets a week, now if I shoot 100 I get recoil headaches.
We are a slug/ muzzle loader state so I grew up lighting the fire on lots of 12ga slugs. Not brutal but you can really tell the difference with lots of drop in a stock!
I had a SBH in 44, shot it a bunch before trading it for a '53 K22- I got the better end of the deal!
My little Single Six 44 special gets light to medium loads and it's not terrible. After I got me BH 41 I realized it was a bit snarky and I found a brass grip frame and that really helps lower the CG . Although I still run light loads.
I'm dreading the development of 375 H&H loads...

[JimT]

Big Bore Revolvers! Me in my younger days with the .475 Linebaugh ... about 38 years ago. I didn't mind it then.

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[Walt]

The .475 Linebaugh has been around for 38 years?! Yikes! Time flies when you're having fun.....

[OldWin]

44 magnum is as far as I go. And, I don't load them hot. I also don't shoot them steady for hours on end. I run around 23gr of either IMR4227 or H110 behind a 240. I'd sworn off 357 for 20 years. Now I have more of them than anything. I shoot them more than either my 44s or my 41.
I do still enjoy 44 Special, 45acp, and 45 Colt.
I'm the same in rifles, maybe more. I've never owned a belted magnum, and most likely won't. The 30-06 and .348 are all I want to shoot as far as recoil goes.

[samsi]

30 years ago I could shoot 200 rounds of 44 mag and think nothing of it, now my 44 sessions are 40-50 rounds of medium loads with a cylinder or two of full throttle loads thrown in at the end. Even at that my hands will ache the next day.

I shot for 4 hours last Sunday, which is about 1 1/2 hours longer than I normally do. The trick was that it was all with a K38, OM Single Six and a 357 Blackhawk with medium loads. No hand discomfort afterwards, must be a lesson here somewhere.

[Ysabel Kid]

I'll be hitting 60 this year. I have to smile a bit over all the responses, having had the same journey that many of us apparently had. I was a recoil junkie in my 20's, hand loading .44 Magnum rounds for my Ruger Super Black Hawk that were more than a bit "hot". Had some loads where I had to tighten all the screws on the gun after each cylinder full.

Now Y2K is the recoil junkie. He always wants to shoot the biggest/bad-est thing available. More power to him.

It's not the years, it's the mileage...

[Scott Tschirhart]

Glad that I’m not alone.

[TedH]

I think that's pretty common as we get older (wiser?) . I used to enjoy shooting heavy 45-70's, 375 H&H, heck even 470 Nitro Express. I couldn't tell you how long it's been since I shot a Ruger level 45-70 load. It's just not the thrill it used to be to shoot the big boomers. I much prefer 38/357, 45 acp, and the old dash cartridges. My 270 is the heaviest hitting rifle I've hunted with in several years.

[RIHMFIRE]

I get my fix of recoil every weekend at the skeet range.

[Turdyturdy]

At 76 I mostly limit the hand gun to Single Six and Mark 3 22 and Blackhawk Buckeye 32 H&R . The rifle I shoot most is the model 94 32-40 at 1400 fps. Shotgun for hunting only now. Still have some boomers in the safe though.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I still have a FA 83 in .454…..but I admit that I shoot mostly with the .45 Colt cylinder.

[Grizz]

recoil? what's that?

[Bob Hatfield]

At 68, even after shooting twenty 243 Winchester cartridges with 90 grain bullets at 2850 fps, the recoil affects are a delayed reaction. I think that the recoil causes hydraulic shock to the nervous system that wasn't noticeable when I was younger.

It is for this reason I started loading my 45-70 Henry with a carbine load. 405 grain hollow base Lee bullet over 55 grains of 2f Swiss. Still though that heavy bullet traveling under 1100 fps jolts the nervous system to the point to where when you get home you feel like you have been wrestling with a bear. It doesn't hurt the shoulder but when you let the trigger go, you can feel your body having to absorb that energy. I guess soon I'll be shooting my 30-30 or 32 Special with cast boolits LOL. But that will be cool!

Bob

[Woodsloafer2]

I have toned down my loads too. I am 64 next month and still hunting with handguns, In the 45 Bowen Redhawk 10.0 of HS-6 and a 250 xtp work nicely for me. It is a heavy gun and the grips spread the recoil nicely. The Bowen 41 mag I now use 210 xtp's instead of the 265 grain cast I used to use. While the recoil is still fairly stout I feel a significant recoil difference. May be trying even a little lighter bullet. can't irons like I used to so they both wear red dots now. Extends my accurate hunting range quite a bit.

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[Woodsloafer2]

Ooop's typo on the HS-6. That should be 13.0 not 10.0....

[Grizz]

At 68, even after shooting twenty 243 Winchester cartridges with 90 grain bullets at 2850 fps, the recoil affects are a delayed reaction. I think that the recoil causes hydraulic shock to the nervous system that wasn't noticeable when I was younger.

It is for this reason I started loading my 45-70 Henry with a carbine load. 405 grain hollow base Lee bullet over 55 grains of 2f Swiss. Still though that heavy bullet traveling under 1100 fps jolts the nervous system to the point to where when you get home you feel like you have been wrestling with a bear. It doesn't hurt the shoulder but when you let the trigger go, you can feel your body having to absorb that energy. I guess soon I'll be shooting my 30-30 or 32 Special with cast boolits LOL. But that will be cool!

Bob

USN_YTL 456.jpg

Irrelevant glamor shot of a sister to the tug I took on a long fishing trip . . .

I am older than y'all are reporting, AND I have not shot my 45/70 or my 44 Redhawk, or much else either for that matter, in a while. BUT I found that a heavy bullet moving slower is LESS FELT RECOIL than a lighter bullet moving faster. Example: a 405Gr cast 44 bullet leaving the Redhawk around 950fps is equal to OR less than the recoil of a 240 grain factory load. This is true of launching 525Gr cast from a 45/70 at about 1400fps. A load that was controllable from Blaine's 10 inch BFR departing around 1310fps. I trust this load so much that if I found it uncomfortable from my guide gun I would load it to 1010 or thereabouts.

Gun shapes make a difference too. I have 4 45/70s that I have experimented with looking for best terminal performance, and they all love that 525 PileDriver . . . BUT the Marlin 1895 is OBNOXIOUS, while the others are meh in the recoil department. I once loaded Marshall's 325 Gr bullet in the 45/70 brass at reduced velocity and there was no recoil to speak of, AND it was so soft-shooting that it was "click - gong" shooting steel. A discernible space between ignition and conclusion. It was funny actually.

The OTHER fun gun that affected me was my son's 444, which treated me about the same as the 1895, something I attribute to stock geometry and barrel length. The only excuses I could think of !

I can keep shooting my favorites by keeping them fed with heavier bullets at lower velocities . . . as long as I can elevate them to my shoulder and sight plane . . . I don't reckon that transitioning down thru 35 cal then 32 cal then 30 cal to 22 cal will be all that satisfactory. I already love 22 cal, so when the rifle is too heavy I'll resort to the Ruger Automatic and the 50 cal Navy Rolling Block if I discover one in a stocking on the mantle.

grizz

[Scott Tschirhart]

I didn’t even take a big bore gun to the ranch today.

But I did shoot quite a bit of my favorite.38 loads.

Still need to shave a bit off the front sight.

[Streetstar]

[

Gun shapes make a difference too. I have 4 45/70s that I have experimented with looking for best terminal performance, and they all love that 525 PileDriver . . . BUT the Marlin 1895 is OBNOXIOUS, while the others are meh in the recoil department. I once loaded Marshall's 325 Gr bullet in the 45/70

grizz

I mostly use Hornady Leverrevolution with the 325gr pill. I disliked it immensely out of a Ruger no 1 I once owned. It was tolerable in my 1895 guide Gun for a while but after putting a box through it at the Whittington center, I came home and ultimately sold both those rifles.

I salvaged the trip by shooting my M1A pretty much the rest of the time I was there.

Later that year I had shoulder surgery to repair some old sports injuries so the already ailing shoulder probably had something to do with it.

I have yet to shoot my TC Encore with the new 45/70 barrel I procured for it last month though, hoping my shoulder can take it now or I will feel like I just threw another $400 down a dark hole (again)

[Grizz]

Hey Doug, I hope you get the Encore tuned up soon. Remember that it's OK to start with squib loads, as long as they clear the muzzle !

[AJMD429]

At 76, I feel recoil more than I use to as my muscles aren't as firm and arthritis is creeping into the mix in some places. However, recoil in a revolver is felt more than in a semi-auto because of 2 things different in their designs. 1st, the bore axis of the revolver is much higher vs a semi-auto's because of the basic design of the cylinder vs the slide causing much more muzzle rise and wrist snap. And 2nd, the basic shape of a revolver's is a bit on the inverted conical side making it harder to grip vs the front and back strap on a semi-auto is usually more parallel making it easier to grip tightly.

One reason I like 'Bisley' grips for sure ..

[COSteve]

One reason I like 'Bisley' grips for sure ..

I've tried them and while better, they still aren't as comfortable as a semi-auto's for me. One reason for me is that I got my right wrist and forearm damaged in VN and the weakened wrist is susceptible to pain with any torquing.

For instance, I've shot a friend's 6" S&W Model 29 with just factory 240grn Remington ammo. After 6 rds my wrist is sore from the torquing. I've also shot over 200 rds of my hot 200 grn 10mm in my Glock with no pain at all. I guess that makes me a 'magnum revolver wimp' as both my single action .357 and .45 Colt clones use mild loads.

Speaking of recoil sensitivity, something new for me is a recognition that I've got a bit of arthritis in my right, shooting shoulder. It's noticeable with hard, small butt-pad rifles like my leverguns. Funny thing is that if I shoot my son's M-1 or my M1A, their mass and larger butt-plate makes them still comfortable. Same with my scoped Winchester Model 88 in .308. At 9lbs 3oz fully loaded, it's a pleasure to shoot.

It's just the leverguns I have an issue with as they all have a small, narrow butt-pad with a hard, sharp edge that digs into my shoulder setting off the soreness. So, I broke down and got a Caldwell 'sissy' recoil pad for my shoulder when I shoot them. It softens the impact of the sharp edges of the butt-pad and makes shooting my leverguns fun again.

[JimT]

I would say that it's not "sissy" but the wisdom of older age. Why beat yourself up if you can avoid it? That was not always my philosophy but has become so with age. And I wouldn't be as beat up as I am if I had adopted it earlier.

[Sarge]

I didn’t even take a big bore gun to the ranch today.

But I did shoot quite a bit of my favorite.38 loads.

Still need to shave a bit off the front sight.

Component availability is pushing me pretty hard toward the 38/357 Mag. I can always get small pistol primers (Genix) locally and I run a batch of 38s, once or twice a year, for my beater 637.

[Mark in MO]

Back in my early to late 20’s I thought recoil was no big deal. We’d shoot all day long with full house .44 Magnum loads of H-110 and 240 grain bullets. I thought it was fun. Same with .357’s or .45-70’s, I felt they needed to be full house. Looking back I question why? Now days I prefer my 44 loads in the 900-950 fps range. Same with my 357, loads are more in the .38 Special range. Both are comfortable to shoot and arguably more fun.
I sometimes ask myself, have I become weaker, less hardy or simply smarter? I believe it’s the latter. At least that is what I tell myself.

[Streetstar]

It's just the leverguns I have an issue with as they all have a small, narrow butt-pad with a hard, sharp edge that digs into my shoulder setting off the soreness. So, I broke down and got a Caldwell 'sissy' recoil pad for my shoulder when I shoot them. It softens the impact of the sharp edges of the butt-pad and makes shooting my leverguns fun again.

I may try this --- i dont have an issue with my 30/30 with the flat buttplate, but the crescent buttplate on a Canadian Centennial i used to have would irritate the heck out of me . It had a full octagon 26" barrel and full mag tube - you would have thought that heavy critter would have been a real pussycat

Sold all of my irritatingly high recoiling rifles in a fit of rage almost over the course of about 2 or 3 weeks. Now 5 years later there are a couple of them i am "re-buying" as iam now shooting more

[Woodsloafer2]

One thing I do more now than before is dry fire training. I take guns out for a walk and pick targets at various distances. Doing this with pistols with red dots has taught me lots about how I grip affects my holding and follow thru. Seeing what happens when the trigger breaks has made me a better shooter. I often go for long hikes in the woods and dry fire training during it is an added joy...

[new pig hunter]

For all my big bore rifles (and my shotguns), I've always taken great pride in having used a sissy pad for 25+ years. Being pain averse, a Beartooth recoil pad has always done the job. For example:
----- one range day a few years ago: 100 rds of .30-06 bolt action and 100 rds of .444 Marlin levergun .... zero discomfort whatsoever.
----- on a very regular basis at the trap & skeet range: 175 rds of 12-gauge .... zero discomfort.

Yep, a recoil pad is most definitely one of my very best friends at the range.

[rock-steady]

I'm with y'all on the Less Recoil BandWagon. My "big" rifle these days is a 260 Remington.

Noise is also factor. In the woods or hunting, if I have to touch off a handgun round without any ear protection, I would much rather it be a 240gr 44cal at 1,000fps than a 158gr .357 at 1,400fps.

The constant ring-hum-buzz in my ears reminds me why....growing up with a Blackhawk 357. Back in the day, ear protection was unheard of (pardon the pun).

[Scott Tschirhart]

The constant ring-hum-buzz in my ears reminds me why....growing up with a Blackhawk 357. Back in the day, ear protection was unheard of (pardon the pun).

Pardon me….what did you say?

[Griff]

Until abt 1980, the only rifles I had were .30-30s. Quite adequate for deer & coyotes of Southern California. That year I was invited to replace one of a foursome who'd hunted together for several years. I was flat told that my .30-30 would be inadequate for the areas they hoped we'd be drawn for in California's draw system. They advised me to get a scoped, bolt action in a flat shooting cartridge. They told me ranges would be between 200 & 500 yards. The only cartridge besides the .30-30 I had any real experience with was the 30-06 in a Garand, & the 5.56 in an M-16. I wanted something flatter shooting than the .30-06, but still capable of a future elk hunt in Colorado. Long story short, I settle on a Remington 700 BDL in 7mmRemMag. I'd tried for a Ruger M-77, but the local fun store didn't have one. But they did have the Remington, a much more prettier rifle than examples of the Ruger I've seen. I initially tried loads for the 160 grain Soft Point, But found pretty quickly that I didn't like that recoil for load development. The 140 grain SP filled the billed. I ultimately found that 60.3 grains of IMR 4350 gave me 2950fps and dime sized groups @ 100 yards. Opened up to ~1" at 200 yards. First using a Speer 140 SP, then the Nosler Ballistic Tip in that weight accounted for a total of 6 CA deer over a 9 year period. Felt recoil was still substantial compared to my favored 150 grain .30-30 loads. I settled on a 175 grain bonded bullet for an elk load, and 55.1 grains of IMR4350 yielded 2625 fps and ¾" groups. Recoil was still heavy for my tastes, so that initial 100 box of bullets still has around 90 unfired... actually, probably 80 of them remain in the plastic box the bullets came in. This is one of several rifles I have that's never seen a factory round. The next heavy hitter is my Marlin 375, which has always been fed the Hornady 220 grain FP. A full load of RE7 pushes those 220s to ~2200fps, recoil on a par with the 7Mag, It's always only taken me 5 or 6 rounds for me to call it quits for either one. Any future loadings for either will be toned back a little. The 375 will likely only receive .38-55 level loads. Even my Browning 1886 in 45-70 generally only sees 325 grain FN cast bullets at around 1100-1200 fps. It's curved buttplate get punishing after several rounds of heavier fodder. If the Sharps in .40-90SBN didn't have a shotgun buttstock, it's 350 grains rounds at 1600 fps would prove my undoing.

I have found one aspect of shooting that substantially increases my discomfort under recoil. Sitting at a bench, firing off a rest. While getting the best accuracy, it seems to really aggravate my shoulder. I can knell, sit, stand fine, but prone or bench shooting really hurts after just a few shots, even with otherwise mundane cartridges. Wearing a pad on my elbow alleviates some of this, but not all.

[6pt-sika]

I liquidated all the belted magnum rifles and African caliber rifles a few years ago . All the lever actions have left the house . Do have a Ruger #3 in 444 that’ll probably hit Gunbroker shortly . My heaviest cartridges now are most likely the 26 Nosler , 30-06 and 8x57 . Now shotguns are another matter , anymore about all I shoot are 10’s and 12’s with a smattering of 8 gauge . But my 8 and most of my 10’s are heavy enough that they tame recoil making it more of a controlled push rather than something sharp . I’m pretty sure I’ve got a rotator cup going bad or already bad , but I’m not planning on dealing with it at the present .

[KWK]

All the lever actions have left the house .

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m loading up a thousand .38 Special loads and by the time they are gone, I might be pretty good with this little shooter.

No fast work. Just deliberate shooting for hits.