Weighing down a synthetic stock gun.

ohen cepel said:

Glaze coat in the fore end is worth a look. Best to keep some balance to it. There are recoil reducers (Edwards) that go into the butt stock to help with recoil but doesn't add a ton of weight.

May regret it if you want to hunt with it down the road. 50rds with a deer rifle is a fair amount for me in a day.

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Biggfoot44 said:

1. .270 Win isn't a particularly hard kicking round. One of its design criteria and original selling points was being a lower recoiling option to the long standard .30-06 .

2. The issue may well be the stock fit .

3. Felt recoil is much more pronounced from the bench than from standing , kneeling, sitting , etc .

4. For long bench sessions , use adaptive aides , like a shoulder worn Past recoil shield , or use some flavor of sissy bag.

5 Enough weight for meaningful recoil reduction will effect the balance of the rifle . That could be good or bad , depending upon how well the current balance suits you . ie , If currently muzzle heavy , weight added to rear will even the balance . If " just right" currently , it would make the muzzle whippy . To keep about same as current , you would have to carefully add weight in multiple locations .

6. And finally , if intended for Hunting , in the context of including walking distances with rifle slung , over terrain and/ or mountains , it's a tradeoff of shooting vs carrying .

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lazarus said:

If you are shooting off bags consider adding an inexpensive (but decent) bipod. That’ll add some weight and if used properly you can put tension in to it. That’ll all aid in how recoil is felt some. And easy enough to attach some weight to the bipod.

But when it comes down to it, a hunting rifle shouldn’t be your bench gun. What I want for hunting with a .308 or .30-06 or whatever isn’t what I want to be sitting there shooting several boxes of ammo with. Maybe my only exception would be my Howa 1500 in 6.5 Grendel. But even there, to make a GREAT bench gun, I would want a stock designed for Ben great shooting and heavier than it is. Even if at just under 8lbs with scope it works very well on a bench and the recoil is mild enough to sit and shoot 100+ rounds no worries. Even without a bipod or brake/suppressor on it.

If I wanted an all day .308, 6.5 creedmor, .270, .30-06, etc. I’d be looking at a rifle with a purpose built stock for that, a heavy barrel and probably a heavy optic tipping the scales at >10lbs and not something I’d ever want to lug in to the field.

My Sako Forester in .308 is just over 8lbs. Though it’s old, the recoil pad is nice and squishy still. It starts to be annoying after 20 rounds from the bench and starts to suck by 40. If ever I have a range session where I think I’ll shoot more than about 20 rounds I either do that with winter clothing on in the appropriate season or slip on a shoulder recoil pad.

My AR-10 also can start getting rough once you climb up there in round count. 18” fluted HBAR. 9lbs with scope. Adjustable gas system tuned low. Two boxes of ammo in and your shoulder let’s you know you’ve been a bad boy. 3-4 and your shoulder (well mine) is going to be sore the next day. Standing or sitting and it’s fine till much higher round counts. I haven’t shot it with a can yet. But I suspect that’ll tame it significantly more.

But, if I wanted it to be a bench gun I’d have gone with a bench stock and not a minimalist. That right there would make a huge difference between probably 6-8oz more, thicker recoil pad and a better cheek weld. A 20-24” heavy barrel without fluting would also be an enormous change.

I’ve got designs on a 300WSM at some point as probably my heaviest gun for it I ever get out west to hunt. I’d like to be able to shoot it from the bench occasionally and not hate myself or the gun. Threaded, suppressor and bipod are my plans for bench shooting. If needed shoulder recoil pad also. Probably won’t shoot more than 30-40 rounds in any sitting even with that.

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smokey0118 said:

You have a lot of experience with rifles? Sure it's not a technique issue? .270 shouldn't put out that much of a thump. Hunting rifles are meant to be easily carried. +1 for picking up a heavier bench rest style rifle if that's the intended application.

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pre64hunter said:

...I use a Past recoil reducer pad, the kind you wear on your shoulder. I have no problem with recoil sensitivity....

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wb3jma said:

So now that ammo is coming slowly back I went and started shooting my guns including the Mossberg Patriot in 270 Win. I found that after 50 rounds I was getting flinch considerable flinch. I'm looking to weigh the gun down, besides the scope I already have I'm going to add a bipod to it. I also noticed when I but a Limbsaver pad on it the the rear pf the stock is hollow. I figured a little more weight would tame it easier than than going to the trouble of threading the barrel and adding a compensator/brake to it.

So what might be best used in that hollow compartment? Also if I'm still not happy I think I might be swap the gun instead for another caliber like 7mm-08 or 6.5 Creedmoor. Which would you choose I might want to shoot game bigger than deer but not often.

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E.Shell said:

I have several PAST pads in two different styles and have had dozens of students use them with excellent results.

One very big part of recoil management is pulling the rifle tight back against your shoulder with your shooting hand, so both you and the gun recoil together and work as unit. Recoil discomfort is at the interface, and if a moving/recoiling rifle suddenly contacts a non-moving shoulder, it will hurt where contact is made. Pulling straight back firmly also assists with a good trigger press, due to the sympathetic motion in the shooting hand.

Stock fit is another source of discomfort under recoil. Most stocks are way too low for effective use on a scoped rifle. If your head is floating above the stock and you do not have a firm cheekweld, the rifle develops much more rearward force. If your head is firmly on the stock, its mass is added to the recoil equation, just like your upper torso weight is added when you have very firm buttstock<>shoulder contact. Do not mistake contact with the side of the chin for a real cheekweld, it's not.

With regard to adding weight, I have always used birdshot mixed with epoxy and pressed into the forend cavities and the buttstock bore.


ETA: if your rifle stock does not allow you to close your eyes, place your head in shooting position, open your shooting eye and see a full field of view, your stock simply does NOT fit. You are losing speed and precision, and experiencing more recoil than necessary.

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gtodave said:

Listen to this man

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PaFrank said:

Acraglas works great, (not the gel formula, the original) All you need to do is mix in a good handful of shot if you need extra weight..

Another thing you might consider is installing a recoil reducer. I'm not sure how you would do that in a hollow stock, but i installed one in my 375 and it tamed it down considerably.

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