Mercury recoil reducers, do they work?

[Buck0317]

Hi All,

After posting the initial double gun or bolt action question in the thread, I have decided to stick with my 416 Rem Mag bolt gun. The issue I have is the rifle only weighs 8 pounds, 4 ounces which for me is a little light for cailber like the 416. I am looking at buy another HS Precision stock with a mercury recoil reducer. My question is this, does anyone in this forum have experieince with mercury recoil reducers and are they worth the money?

Thanks in advance

 

[Art Lambart II]

I have one in my 416 Rigby Ruger #1 and it works great. IMO adding the mercury recoil reducer helped the balance point of the rifle. Full disclosure, I got the gun from @tarbe with the mercury recoil reducer already installed. My #1 with the installed recoil reducer weighs a Trim 11-1/2 pounds, and it is easy to shoot but a lot to carry all day.

 

[Dawg2019]

I have used them for years with competitive shotgun shooting but never in a rifle. I suppose they would work just as well.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I had two 26 Noslers, one with an H.S. Precision stock and another with a stock I purchased direct from Bell & Carlson with a mercury reducer installed by them. I couldn't tell the difference in recoil. Have since switched to an R.A.D.

 

[RR 314]

I am not convinced they work anymore than comparable weight in another form, but the added weight does “work”. I am not Isaac Newton, but the claims of efficacy seem to make sense.

 

[DJStang]

I have one in my Ruger No. 1 Tropical in 458 Lott. As stated above, helped balance the rifle evenly between your hands, and provided some needed weight to the gun. Seemed to work fine on the bison hunt my son used it for. 500 Grain Partitions at 2300 fps felt similar to my 300 Win Mag with 200 grainers. Not bad at all.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I would go the non mercury route

 

[shootist~]

For quick and dirty on an O/U skeet gun, I filled up the stock bolt-hole with lead shot, then added a little silicone calk and compressed egg carton on the back end. Just food for thought.

IIRC I did not like how much air space the mercury recoil reducer had. This was a long time ago, btw.

I think @Philip Glass talks about the Brako recoil reducer working well in one of his threads. But that was on a Tikka 7MM Mag.

 

[BeeMaa]

I've had a few of the mercury reducers, but they are gone now. Worked fine but I wouldn't buy them again for the hazardous material considerations. There are other options for mitigating recoil that don't carry those requirements. Shock absorbers, hydraulic assist and alternative materials that are non-hazardous.

The last I had was a Blaser kickstop that uses tungsten beads in a cylinder screwed into the butt of the stock to assist with recoil on my 416RM. At the end of it, I found the rifle too heavy to comfortably carry and sold it...kickstop and all.

Much prefer my 375H&H at 7.75 lbs to hunt with. My wife has a 12 oz kickstop in her Blaser R8 and it works to add weight and mitigate recoil...at least in her opinion.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Personally I like the Edwards line of recoil reducers, they seem to really work well for myself and my wife.

 

[shootist~]

Personally I like the Edwards line of recoil reducers, they seem to really work well for myself and my wife.

The Edwards recoil reducer is what I meant to reference above. (The Brako is the mercury filled.)

 

[Buck0317]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll look into the Edwards recoil reducers as well but either way I'm looking froward to the rifle being more balanced. At 8.25 pounds the rifle is barrel heavy and tips forward.

 

[Doug3006]

I had an Edwards recoil reducer installed in a Kimber Caprivi in 458 Lott. It desperately needed something. Recoil was brisk without it. The gunsmith installed the reducer and the epoxied lead shot into the forearm barrel channel to maintain the gun’s balance. It was well-balanced to begin wit. It worked well. Recoil is more manageable now. Does it work better than just adding the equivalent weight? No way to know.

 

[Buck0317]

I have one in my Ruger No. 1 Tropical in 458 Lott. As stated above, helped balance the rifle evenly between your hands, and provided some needed weight to the gun. Seemed to work fine on the bison hunt my son used it for. 500 Grain Partitions at 2300 fps felt similar to my 300 Win Mag with 200 grainers. Not bad at all.

From 458 Lott to 300 Win mag, I would definately take that!

 

[Puddle]

I choose mercury recoil reducers every time over muzzle brakes.

 

[BeeMaa]

Muzzle brakes are not an option IMO.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Have to agree with both of the above, not a huge fan of muzzle breaks. Not that they don't work, they do! Just not my cup of tea.

 

[Buck0317]

I contacted Edwards, $67 for the MAX recoil reducer and $45 for the installation in my curent HS Precision stock. I'll take that all day compared to $600 for a new stock with a mercury recoil reducer from HS Precision. Thanks again for all of you input!

 

[colorado]

I have two 12 oz mercury recoil reducers in my CZ550 500 Jeffery. First because I'm a wimp, 2nd because it put the balance point right where I wanted it, in the middle of the magazine floor plate. It weighs 12 lbs with a Leupold 1.5-5x scope and Talley steel QR rings. I wouldn't want it any lighter.

 

[WAB]

I used a mercury recoil reducer in my Lott for a while. Honestly it just made the rifle too heavy and I took it out. The rifle is fine without it.

From a physics standpoint, a recoil reducer cannot reduce recoil any more than an equivalent weight of lead. What it can do is spread the impulse, potentially reducing felt recoil.

Personally, I don’t think they are necessary in a well fitted rifle whose weight is appropriate to the caliber.