High recoil guns

[Jolr]

I have owned an Ithaca Mag-10 and found the recoil to be tolerable. I bought a CZ 550 in .416 Rigby. I replaced the factory recoil pad with a Limbsaver. The English language does not have the words to describe the recoil from this gun. It was like having Mike Tyson hitting me in the shoulder with a sledgehammer! The gun is beautiful and the sound of the gun brings the range to a stop, but the recoil is not tolerable. I am afraid that gun will cause physical damage to my shoulder or detach a retina. Would a muzzlebrake significantly reduce the recoil?

[Coal Dragger]

Yes a muzzle brake will significantly reduce recoil, while significantly increasing noise. Still worth it for some firearms. Just double up on hearing protection.

The more surface area the muzzle brake has for gasses to act on, the more effective it will be. So the large tank/artillery style brakes are more effective if ugly.

[VIP3R 237]

I've has the pleasure(unpleasure) of shooting a 416 Rigby before and i've felt your pain. I would highly recommend getting a muzzle break on that monster.

[Jolr]

I've has the pleasure(unpleasure) of shooting a 416 Rigby before and i've felt your pain. I would highly recommend getting a muzzle break on that monster.

My brother has a .340 Weatherby with a BOSS brake. I could shoot that gun all day from the bench, but the Rigby is a significant step up in power. I would never consider shooting it from a bench! Maybe I'm just a wuss! Lol!

[gaijin]

Stock design/drop at heel have a lot to do with perceived recoil, as does the weight of the firearm.

I have a .450 Alaskan (.45 cal, 400/500 gr. bullet at 2400/2200 FPS) built on a mod. 71 Winchester, which is a modernized '86 Winchester.
The old school stock design has a boat load of drop- which accentuates recoil.
Shooting this gun standing is not much of a problem, load development and dialing in from the bench was a bad dream. After 3 rds. it was all I could do to NOT anticipate recoil and milk the shot low.

[crusader377]

Although there are clearly exceptions to this, I would generally categorize high recoil guns as the following:

Pistols: Anything over .357 magnum/10mm auto, ie .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, etc..
Rifles: Anything above a .30-06 for your standard hunting rifle (7 to 8lb range)
Shotguns: I find 12 gauge very reasonable to shoot with a standard 7-8lb shotgun but going to a lighter weight with 12 gauge or going to a 10 gauge seems to be much less enjoyable.

[City Rat]

I own a Marlin 1895 guide gun in 45-70 government. I find if I hold her like a girl I brought to the dance who I don't want to get away, recoil really isn't much with the standard 405gr deer load. If I chamber a bear load round of 430gr or more she will let me know quickly that I must not want her to come home with me since I wasn't holding her like I meant it.lol.

[HKGuns]

.460 S&W pistol. Tooth rattler.

[T2C]

Adding a good muzzle brake or adding weight to the buttstock will reduce recoil by a noticeable amount. If you are going to carry the rifle long distances on hunts, you may not want to add weight.

[glocktogo]

My dad had a Mag-10 and it was softer when compared to my Marlin Super Goose 10ga. It was the heaviest recoil I'd experienced until I shot Buffalo Bore in my unported Guide Gun. That made me decide I didn't need anything harder hitting than that.

Snappiest was .357 Mag 125 JHP out of a scandium J Frame. That made my .44 Mag Mountain Gun feel like a target gun!

Oh, a brake or porting will definitely help tame recoil, but it will be a lot less pleasant at the ears. A mercury recoil reducer in the stock would help too, but at the expense of extra weight. No such thing as a free lunch! :(

[Watrdawg]

I've got a ported 1895 Marlin Guide Gun and shooting full load Buffalo Bore ammo just plain hurts. The make a low recoil load for it that isn't too bad.

[tmwtrfwler]

I put a break on my 300 win mag for using a suppressor (Crux ARK30). While the can was in NFA jail I shot the gun with just the break. It helped tremendously. Not that a 300 win mag is a 416 but i'm sure the effects are similar. takes the bite out of it.

[pinzgauer]

Rifles: Anything above a .30-06 for your standard hunting rifle (7 to 8lb range)
Shotguns: I find 12 gauge very reasonable to shoot with a standard 7-8lb shotgun but going to a lighter weight with 12 gauge or going to a 10 gauge seems to be much less enjoyable.

Weight is the big deal... I used to shoot a Citori Upland 12g O/U for everything, skeet, dove, etc. But I reached a point it became intolerable. Can shoot my Beretta Outlander all day.

Same for super light bolt actions in hot .280 or similar, no fun at all on the bench. Even one of my 308s is a pain to dial in though great to hunt with.

These are clearly not in the same class as the African magnums, but just point out even a pound of weight difference can completely change recoil characteristics.

[cdmiller]

Are you shooting from the bench or standing? Heavy dangerous game rifles (basically anything above 9.3x74R/.375H&H) should not be shot from the bench as the position and resultant recoil direction can cause injury. They are designed to be shot standing where the body can roll backward with the recoil. Most people do this from some type of shooting stick/tripod/standing rest setup. I have had the pleasure of meeting a couple members of a private range in Houston (that I frequent as a guest) who both occasionally bring out what one calls "the big guns" for practice. Both hunt around the world regularly. One's heavy rifle is a .458 Lott that he shoots from a v rest atop a tripod. The other has .416 Rigby and a double rifle in .500 Nitro Express (iirc) and shoots them from a wooden framed standing rest.

I am glad I have no desire to hunt anything that requires more than a ~.375 as the noise alone is brutal. When the .500NE fires, the concussion wave reminds me of being too close to a couple of explosions in my younger days. All of them are gorgeous rifles, however. The Lott is a custom rifle while the other two are a Blaser and a Kreighoff.

[Krazykarl]

Stock design, overall weight, and technique is all one needs to safely and effectively utilize big bore rifles. Low drop stocks with thick palm swell, wide recoil pads, and cheek rests that are low enough to keep the bore line even with your shoulder and to minimize cheek slap. 12 pounds of overall mass to help soak up energy. Place the buttstock more in your chest than on your shoulder, hold firm pressure, rock with the recoil like dancing with the big bore. Be smart about things! Prone shooting? NO! Bench? Maybe. Place a small sandbag over your shoulder to spread out the recoil and to add more mass. Kind of like a lead sled....

My experience???
510 Wells
416 Remington
375 HH