Dampen recoil/bruised shoulder syndrome: target shooting

[lazarus]

I have recently take. Up the obsession, sport I mean, of shooting. I am also getting in to hunting. Currently I am only shooting a .50 CVA wolf muzzleloader. The recoil on that thing is pretty good. First time out I ran through 48 rounds in 2 hours and my shoulder hurt for a week and a half and it looked frankly gangrenous. Last time I put 19 rounds though and I have a mild bruise on my collar bone, but it was only sore the day after.

So I am looking to help that out. Hunting I'll be doing it in a season where I am wearing more than a T-shirt which will pad. On top of that, 2-3 rounds is nothing. It isn't even mildly uncomfortable. It isn't until I get up around 10 rounds or so that I start feeling it in my shoulder pocket.

A couple of layers and jacket/FLC for padding isn't an option at the range when it is 90+F outside. The two options I was looking at was a limbsaver small/medium airtech slip-on recoil pad. It adds only 1/2" LOP and right now I think the LOP on the rifle is about perfect, especially with the size sling I have (claw sling). Much longer and I can use that sling to pull the rifle in to my shoulder, only as a carrying strap. It would be nice because I could "set it and forget it" and I wouldn't mind having the extra cushion out hunting (but don't need it).

The other option I was looking at is a limbsaver protective recoil pad (90102) that goes over my shoulder. Upside is it is thinner, 1/8", as decent reviews also and any stocked gun I get can benefit from it. Then I don't need to upgrade the recoil pads on any heavier recoiling pads if the stock ones aren't sufficient for a couple of hours at the range. It is a bit more expensive and it is something extra to have to remember to leave in my range box. It also probably doesn't dampen recoil as much as the 1/2" thick slip-on pad. Though I don't know that I necessarily need all THAT much more to make shooting a much more pleasant experience.

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[SRD]

Lead Sled

 

[jimbobborg]

How much powder are you putting in this rifle? And my personal suggestion is a bag of lead shot.

 

[lazarus]

100gr of pyrodex RS and 250gr XTP. Looking to switch to triple 7, but still have a bit over a pound of pyrodex left.

 

[Augie]

I shoot a lot of heavy recoiling rifles, when I'm shooting from the bench I use one of these.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/699899/past-super-mag-plus-recoil-pad-shield-ambidextrous

works great.

 

[mike_in_md]

What immediately came to mind is that you are not burying the stock tightly to your shoulder when you pull the trigger.

 

[lazarus]

First time around I probably wasn't. This time around I was using the sling to tension it in to my shoulder. The reason why I was looking at the two first mentioned products is so that I'd have something I can use for bench shooting as well as different shooting poses for extended target practice.

I think part of my issue is (maybe I am making it up) is that I have a very muscular upper body with very little body fat there. I mean, I could stand to lose 10lbs, but it is all midsection weight, no natural padding in my shoulders :-)

 

[Blacksmith101]

The more you shoot the less it will bother you. Shoot regularly and your body will build resistance to the impact.

 

[Erno86]

You have to bring that rifle deep into your shoulder pocket. The outside of the shoulder pocket does have pain points. Usually, if you get a bruise/hepatoma on your shoulder...you are holding the rifle or shotgun the wrong way. You have to "get into the gun" in order to control that recoil.

I have bought several shemagh scarfs that I can tuck behind the buttstock on my shoulder --- They are stylish, but otherwise...I just buy a bag of colored "Bag of Rags" at the auto store and tuck them under shirt by my shoulder.

You can push pull method to mitigate recoil...buy pushing the forearm outwards with your reaction hand while bringing the buttstock tightly into your shoulder with your firing hand.

 

[Gunlawyer]

I can no longer tolerate heavy/sharp recoil and on potentially heavy recoiling guns, I always install a mercury recoil reducer or two. They work amazingly well!

You can hear the mercury sloshing around when you shake your gun. Pretty cool.

Anyway, here is where I get mine from: http://www.mercuryrecoil.com

Just stick it into the buttstock. I secure them in place, if needed, with a little dab of silicone. If there is no hole in the stock for you to use (remove the recoil pad and check), then you can very carefully drill your own with a big wood bit.

Done it a few times and it works perfectly. It does of course make your gun heavier but you are not a weenie are you? No you are not. Manly gun men don't mind a bit of extra weight in order to be able to get better hits with their rifle.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

As an example, here is a Savage 10 MLB TSS-II smokeless powder muzzleloader that I run some pretty fast stepping loads through. I have about 4 pounds of mercury it the buttstock and as a result the recoil is soft and gentle. Even with Bambi smashing insano fast velocity smokeless powder loads.

 

[Uncle Duke]

The CVA Wolf is a 6.25 pound muzzleloader. With 100 grains of RS, yeah...you're taking some recoil all right, especially off a bench during extended range sessions of 50 rounds. Damn betcha! Be glad that rifle doesn't have the traditional steel or brass half moon butt plate. They'll magnify your perceived recoil fun even more!

No substitute for mounting that rifle properly as mentioned. I also personally don't hesitate to use a recoil shield for extended sessions, especially with slug guns and heavy recoiling rifles. Forget the macho man crap. The name of the game is being able to hit what you're shooting at. What you don't want to do is to develop a flinch, where both recoil and muzzle blast are something you're anticipating. Your shooting performance will reflect it if it exists, and it's oftentimes a malady that takes considerable time and effort to correct.

 

[outrider58]

Lead Sled

I vote against a lead sled. They totally change the shot dynamic. They are OK for developing loads for the rifle but, I do not recommend them for rifle sighting-in or developing good shooting form. My .02 worth.

 

[outrider58]

I shoot a lot of heavy recoiling rifles, when I'm shooting from the bench I use one of these.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/699899/past-super-mag-plus-recoil-pad-shield-ambidextrous

works great.

They can help with beginners like you.(not an insult).

What immediately came to mind is that you are not burying the stock tightly to your shoulder when you pull the trigger.

The more gap in your mount, the more momentum the rifle has to punch you.

The more you shoot the less it will bother you. Shoot regularly and your body will build resistance to the impact.

Exactly! Muzzle loaders do NOT have sharp recoils. They have more of a shove than a jolt. Get used to it. As far as recoil goes, HLs ain't that bad.

The CVA Wolf is a 6.25 pound muzzleloader. With 100 grains of RS, yeah...you're taking some recoil all right, especially off a bench during extended range sessions of 50 rounds. Damn betcha! Be glad that rifle doesn't have the traditional steel or brass half moon butt plate. They'll magnify your perceived recoil fun even more!

No substitute for mounting that rifle properly as mentioned. I also personally don't hesitate to use a recoil shield for extended sessions, especially with slug guns and heavy recoiling rifles. Forget the macho man crap. The name of the game is being able to hit what you're shooting at. What you don't want to do is to develop a flinch, where both recoil and muzzle blast are something you're anticipating. Your shooting performance will reflect it if it exists, and it's oftentimes a malady that takes considerable time and effort to correct.

Listen to these fellas. MLs, in the grand scheme of things, don't have that sharp a recoil. If it is hurting you, then stop for a while and recover(you don't want to develop any deep bruising). I'd buy a cheap .22 or something to practice mechanics but, ultimately, your shoulder will develop a resistance to the recoil. It just takes time as a new shooter.

 

[Dmacri25]

You definitely build up shoulder muscle from it being bruised. One of my first guns was a mosin nagant 91/30. At first it beat me up, 20 rounds sucked. Now, let it be proper posture/ holding or bulit up shoulder muscle i can shoot 150 rounds and feel fine.

Magnum slugs from my 870 still suck though.

 

[Erno86]

A lot depends on different BP components and configuration. Goex FF will have less recoil than FFF Goex, because FF has bigger powder granules.

 

[lazarus]

Sold on the shemagh. Just a bit of padding I suspect will go a very long way and I can use it as a scarf when it gets really cold hunting too! Thanks!

.22 wanted. Wife opposed until hunting season is over with . Deciding between Marlin .22 795 and Savage 93R .22wmr. Former has the advantage of cheaper ammo and semiauto fun. Later seems like users find them slightly more accurate and I'd prefer .22wmr for hunting (rabbit, turkey when allowed and coyotes if I ever have the chance). Ideally down the road is own both.

 

[Erno86]

The shemagh goes a long way in blocking heart beat pulse while shooting in the offhand/standing position --- by draping a small part of it around the back of your neck, going down to the ribcage area where I sometimes relax my reaction hand down to where my rear arm and elbow is braced against my ribcage; with my shemagh in between them.