Most painful rifle kick you've personally experienced
- Thread starter TXAZ
- Start date
I just recalled an incident from my mis-spent youth, and will have to revise my answer in post #4.
I was somewhere between 10 and 12, at my uncle's farm, and for some reason the adults were gone. My cousin and I decided to shoot my uncle's single shot, break open 12 gauge. If I recall correctly it was either a winchester or savage and weighed about 5.5 pounds. My cousin said that he thought the 12 gauge really kicked. (All we had ever fired were .22's and a .410). I was up first and thinking I was wise, I hitched the hard plastic 12 gauge butt plate tightly my shoulder, and then backed my shoulder up, hard against a stout tree.
All I can say is that I was probably lucky not to break my collar bone.
I was somewhere between 10 and 12, at my uncle's farm, and for some reason the adults were gone. My cousin and I decided to shoot my uncle's single shot, break open 12 gauge. If I recall correctly it was either a winchester or savage and weighed about 5.5 pounds. My cousin said that he thought the 12 gauge really kicked. (All we had ever fired were .22's and a .410). I was up first and thinking I was wise, I hitched the hard plastic 12 gauge butt plate tightly my shoulder, and then backed my shoulder up, hard against a stout tree.
All I can say is that I was probably lucky not to break my collar bone.
Most recoil is between the ears. Lots of people convince themselves that certain guns kick a lot more or less than they really do. I've shot 300, 338, 8mm, 375, and 416 magnums and didn't find any of them objectionable. The worst rifle recoil came from one of the 1970's era Marlin 1895's in 45-70 with near 458 mag level re-loads. Those only weigh about 7 lbs and came with a curved butt plate with no pad.
Some stock designs make recoil feel a lot worse. While I wouldn't call it unpleasant any lever action in 30-30 or 44 mag hurts a lot more than the numbers say it should. When you start shooting hot 45-70's in that stock design it is no longer fun.
The absolute worst recoil was from 12 ga 3.5" turkey loads from a Remington 870 Supermag.
Some stock designs make recoil feel a lot worse. While I wouldn't call it unpleasant any lever action in 30-30 or 44 mag hurts a lot more than the numbers say it should. When you start shooting hot 45-70's in that stock design it is no longer fun.
The absolute worst recoil was from 12 ga 3.5" turkey loads from a Remington 870 Supermag.
most painful kick you have personally experienced
Ma Duce was hell for e to control and the one at Basic with shoulder stirrups left red sores for weeks.
A.45 CColt bear load 360 grain hard lead, in older Ruger Vaaquero. Load similar to Casul loading.
Bruised my hand an thumbs of both hands.
My Weatherby recoil doesn't bother me but I'e had to replace Leupold steel scope mounts because recoil caused the scope to cut the eye of two or three others. Eye Relief is proper for me and I'm pretty good size.
Remington 1100 with load of buck with one hand. Really messed up my wrist for a while.
M14 with duplex loads or2 bullets in same cartridge, on auto. Bruised my shoulder very badly. Steel checkered flat buttplate.
.44magnum Ruger with Hornady 300 grain bullets loaded to max and seated out to second thingamagig. Minds somewhere resting.
Recoil with Pacymer rubber grips leaves rubber on your hand and recoil isa bout like shooting my Rem 600 in 308 with one hand.
Ma Duce was hell for e to control and the one at Basic with shoulder stirrups left red sores for weeks.
A.45 CColt bear load 360 grain hard lead, in older Ruger Vaaquero. Load similar to Casul loading.
Bruised my hand an thumbs of both hands.
My Weatherby recoil doesn't bother me but I'e had to replace Leupold steel scope mounts because recoil caused the scope to cut the eye of two or three others. Eye Relief is proper for me and I'm pretty good size.
Remington 1100 with load of buck with one hand. Really messed up my wrist for a while.
M14 with duplex loads or2 bullets in same cartridge, on auto. Bruised my shoulder very badly. Steel checkered flat buttplate.
.44magnum Ruger with Hornady 300 grain bullets loaded to max and seated out to second thingamagig. Minds somewhere resting.
Recoil with Pacymer rubber grips leaves rubber on your hand and recoil isa bout like shooting my Rem 600 in 308 with one hand.
mikejonestkd
New member
It looks like we have a winner - Wyosmith, that is both awesome and awful at the same time...
My personal worst experience is 3.5" turkey loads out of a light weight mossberg 535 pump off the bench. After 10 rounds of trying to zero a red dot on it I called it ' good enough for gov't work '.
A close second would be a light weight TC encore in 375 H&H. The cartridge is painful, the stock design makes it even more so.
My personal worst experience is 3.5" turkey loads out of a light weight mossberg 535 pump off the bench. After 10 rounds of trying to zero a red dot on it I called it ' good enough for gov't work '.
A close second would be a light weight TC encore in 375 H&H. The cartridge is painful, the stock design makes it even more so.
I had a Ithaca Single shot 12 ga when I was eleven. Thing would flat slap me down, literally. Ended up on my back in a duck blind one time after shooting it. My stepfather laughed that I needed to suck it up.
Then one Sunday we were squirrel hunting and my stepfather fell in a creek. He built a fire and was drying his clothes while I was relieving myself. My stepfather saw a squirrel and my shotgun was closest so he picked it up and took aim. When he shot, it spun him around.
That Christmas I had a Rem 870 20 gauge pump under the tree.
As far as rifles, I can shoot my 300 Weatherby about 6-7 rounds and I'm done.
Then one Sunday we were squirrel hunting and my stepfather fell in a creek. He built a fire and was drying his clothes while I was relieving myself. My stepfather saw a squirrel and my shotgun was closest so he picked it up and took aim. When he shot, it spun him around.
That Christmas I had a Rem 870 20 gauge pump under the tree.
As far as rifles, I can shoot my 300 Weatherby about 6-7 rounds and I'm done.
Last edited:
reynolds357
New member
The hardest recoiling gun I have ever shot was a Mossberg pump 3 1/2" magnum. The hardest recoiling rifle I have shot is one particular Rem 700 BDL in .300 Win mag. There is just something about that rifle that hurts. I have shot .458 Win mag. with no brake. .416 Rigby without brake. .460 wby, and none of them hurt anything like that one particular .300 Win.
For me it was a Hot loaded Siamese Mauser in 45-70. I'm not recoil sensitive and disdain recoil pads and this thing had about three inches of pad on it. I think I even sneered when he handed it to me. Three shots was all I wanted. I don't even want to think about how it would have felt with no pad. He was wearing a shooting jacket and putting a bag of lead shot between it and his shoulder and he wouldn't shoot it but three times.
Three shots was all I wanted. I don't even want to think about how it would have felt with no pad. He was wearing a shooting jacket and putting a bag of lead shot between it and his shoulder and he wouldn't shoot it but three times.Saltydog235
New member
.378Wby Mag.
2damnold4this
New member
Not a rifle but I had the bright idea of toting a cheap, lightweight single shot 12 gauge for turkey season. The little Chinese made 12 has no recoil pad and one hot turkey load fired for patterning was enough to change my mind.
Of the guns I have owned, a 7600 35 Whelen with no recoil pad and a Marlin 1895G 45-70 with maxed out 405s were the hardest kickers, but they were bearable for a range session. I shot a qualifying course with a Winchester M70 375 H&H and didn't find it too uncomfortable. The most punishment I ever took was Remington 870s in a 20 or 25 round qualifying course. We were required to wear our type 3 life jackets and the gun kept sliding off of the life jacket and well out onto my shoulder. I bruised every time I shot that course.
There's more to the equation than foot pounds of recoil, but this might interest some of you.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_recoil_table.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_recoil_table.htm