Recoil sissy can't shoot, now what

[rookhawk]

I'm a little 300lb, 6'9" tall guy so naturally I have to be a pathetic sissy when it comes to recoil.

I have a really lightweight, lovely single shot stalking rifle in 300 H&H and I tried to sight it in yesterday. I was all over the paper up and down (not left and right) at 200 yards. Manhole covers might fear me but certainly not in the X ring.

I was shooting it off a lead sled and still sucked. Any suggestions for getting this thing dialed in?

I have an identical twin gun in 7x57 and had no trouble putting 5 shots in the x and 10 ring at 200 yards so it's clearly a recoil issue with the magnum.

Any suggestions? I intend to use the 300 very infrequently but I bought it for the 200-250 yard shot on elk-kudu-giraffe-eland.

I don't know how you guys do it with big recoil stuff in light guns.

 

[Brent in Az]

At your size I wouldn't call you a sissy to your face. LOL.

Maybe the gun does not fit you right. Alot of recoil problems are also psychological. You could be anticipating the recoil and flinching. DO some dry fire exercises with a snap cap. Breath...focus...squeeze slowly.

 

[ActionBob]

First off, heavier guns sure help, as you already know. Then try visiting with @matt85 if you can get him to give you advise on something less than a .40 bore... His advice has helped me. Such as not getting carried away with padding and the sort... Just be sure to pull the gun well into the pocket of your shoulder... Have your cheek firmly into the stock, this means having the scope mounted properly. If your gun is firmly into your shoulder and cheek, it can only push you, it can't whack you... Like a person cannot punch you with no room to swing. Don't be scared of it, embrace it, pull it in close and tight, just be sure of your scope so you don't get scope eye!

Dry fire to see how bad your flinching. Take it very slow, think your way through the shot. Have a good trigger set properly. I seem to do better at about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds trigger pull. Do not have your scope turned up to high, it magnifies your little movements and makes you over correct. Fire some shots and then dry fire again.

I often fire my 505 Gibbs in a tee shirt.. It fits better that way and I don't have any bruises. If I'm in two shirts and a thick winter coat, I get bruised sometimes.

And the sure way to have zero felt recoil is to be aiming at a trophy animal!

 

[ActionBob]

Another thought, are you firing consistent ammo? If your using up odds and ends with different speed and weight, or have low quality inconsistent powder, you will get different elevations.

With my 505, zeroed for 525 grains at 2300 fps, I get 14" high hits at 100 yards by firing 600 grain loads at 2100 fps... I asked @matt85 about this and he suggested that the slower/heavier bullet leaves the barrel slower as to allow time for more barrel rise before the bullet exits. Difficult to fathom but the proof is in the pudding.

 

[rookhawk]

The ammo is nosler custom which they load to pretty high tolerances so they say. I will say some walk was surely because I wasn't resting the gun between shots and in 8 readings from my chrony I had 107 fps variance in readings with 10 observations, but it still doesn't add up.

I can tell you the test target from Dakota was 5/8" to 3/4" 3 shot group at 100 yards so that is a long way off from what I could do.

I think the advice about cheek weld could be part of it. I think I'll shoot it from bags and forget the lead sled as maybe that is causing poor fit?

I can't say enough for the 7x57 though. What's not to love about shooting something that kicks like a pellet gun that pushes a 175gr nosler partition? No wonder the boers loved that round.

Keep the good ideas coming, I'll make the necessary corrections based on your inputs.

 

[JWB300]

How many different types of ammunition or reloads did you try?

Cheers,
JWB300

 

[Brent in Az]

Scope problems could also be a possibility. One of my rifles that was normally very accurate, started flinging bullets all over the place. The scope mount had sheared off the mounting screws at the base.

 

[JimP]

I went out shooting last weekend with my African hunting partner and he was using a Lead Sled while he was shooting his 7mm Rem mag and he was all over the target at 200 yards, and we just couldn't figure it out. He took it out of the Lead Sled and he was shooting right were he should of been shooting, the Lead Sled was causing the problems for him.

So what I would do if I was you and didn't like any recoil is to pick up a 25lb bag of lead shot and shoot the rifle off of the bench with the sack of lead between the but plate and your shoulder and see what the rifle does. The sack of lead shot will absorb a lot of the felt recoil to where you should be OK shooting it off of a bench. Other than that take a friend out that isn't recoil sensitive and have him shoot it and see how he does off of a bench.

Or you can meet me half way and I'll take that 300 HH off of your hands for the price of my fuel to drive out to meet you.

 

[gizmo]

If your windage is right but your elevation varies it could be a breathing issue. Shoot in your natural respretory pause. Don't hold your breath!!!! You have a natural pause in your breathing either at the top or bottom of your breath. This pause (not hold) is when the trigger should break. Try it, it may fix the problem. If not it may be an ammo problem. If you are spot on left to right and only vary up and down I don't think it would be a recoil issue. With out watching you shoot it's hard to say.

 

[Mekaniks]

If your shooting off a lead sled and still having the same problem I would say its likely an issue with the gun. Lead sleds usually take 90% of the "human" out of the equation. That said, I have only had one rifle that would string shots vertically and the warmer the barrel got the further the shots would string. (I bought it used) Turns out it was copper fouled so badly that a gunsmith had to heat the barrel in an oven to get the copper to come loose from the rifling. Then it shot well again, and I sold it....

 

[BRICKBURN]

Operator
You actually yanking the trigger?
Flinching?
I have noticed, finally, that you have to hold the bigger calibers differently than the light ones.

Rifle
Does it like the ammo you chose at 30 yards?
Those bolts tight?

Scope/ Mounts
Is it ok? Either one.
Screws tight?

Ammo
As already stated, all the same?
Try something different and figure which one it likes, if you have not already.

 

[rookhawk]

How many different types of ammunition or reloads did you try?

Cheers,
JWB300

Just one. I had the manufacturer provide a 1 moa guarantee with this specified ammo and then I bought the same ammo. (Test target with this ammo looks awesome) I didn't have time or interest in working up loads so I went with this approach.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Just one. I had the manufacturer provide a 1 moa guarantee with this specified ammo and then I bought the same ammo. (Test target with this ammo looks awesome) I didn't have time or interest in working up loads so I went with this approach.

That's disconcerting.
Maybe it is you.

Interesting to see if the bag shooting changes anything.

Did you shoot it close in before?

 

[Bullthrower338]

Sell me the 300 H&H and I'll sell you a 243! Recoil problem solved! Lol

 

[BRICKBURN]

Sell me the 300 H&H and I'll sell you a 243! Recoil problem solved! Lol

 

[AZDAVE]

At your size I can make a safe bet that the rifle doesn't fit you. The LOP is most likely very short for you. Would have a good gunsmith check the fit and make alterations to get it to fit you. I would also ask do you have a buddy that is a good shot and has no problem with a 300's recoil. Have him shoot it and see if the rifle shoots well or not. As several folks here have mentioned check for coper fouling etc. As for recoil like Matt I have been shooting big bore for a loooong time. I have witnessed that gents that are big like you have a tougher time with recoil than small guys. A bigger man absorbs more recoil before it starts moving him back. Us Smaller guys tend to roll more with the recoil. Kinda like football where you get hit and just let the body roll with the impact. Take a set of sticks and shoot from a standing position (A couple 5 gal bucket's with a pad on top, set on the bench will also work) kinda lean into the rifle onto your front foot and lightly lift the heel of the rear foot off the ground. Then concentrate on the trigger squeeze and just let your body naturally roll back with the recoil. Do this several times to get the feel and you will develop the ability to take the recoil and before you know it you will be in the 375 class of recoil, but I warn you that is the start of joining the big bore users group

 

[ack]

I know some guys don't like 'em but I have Weatherby ultra light 06 that weighs under 6# and rises to the moon...A muzzle break solved that and the recoil for $125,,just use ear plugs at range..You can always put a cap on for hunting...I would not take anything for mine or the rifle and accuracy is very good now.....Breaks are almost a necessity on very light rifles..

 

[rookhawk]

.243 sounds great if you'll include fast acting poison bullets? Then again, if you have those bullets maybe I could just use my air rifle on DG?

I did try the gun at 50 yards first and was not shooting it enough to determine if it was a problem. I got it on paper, got it to bullseye, then moved it so it shot 1.25" high at 50, it did, and went to 200 yards.

 

[bassasdaindia]

shoot without the lead sled , this will help .

 

[rookhawk]

LOP should be good. I'm a fairly respectable wing shooter and I do gunfitting for clients so I think I have the pull and drops correct for me at about 14.5". (In a shotgun I take 15.5" and 1/4" cast off, 1-3/4 to 2-3/8 drops)

I'll go back with my torque wrench and calibrate all the talley ring screws to 20 inch pounds just to make sure nonsense isn't happening there.

Great troubleshooting guys, really appreciate the advice.