Reducing Gun Recoil

1. Check your basics first. Holding/mounting the gun firmly and correctly is very important. At age 20 I had been shooting for more than 10 years.
I was Skeet shooting and my new 20 gauge Winchester 101 was badly beating up my cheek. I looked like I had been in a fight and lost.

I was about to make a big mistake and have the stock altered to fit me. Luckily a veteran shooter took me aside and showed me what "I" was doing wrong. I was mounting the gun too far out and tilting my head onto the stock. Not only did the recoil problem improve, my shooting also improved.

3. Weight? I carry a gun more than I shoot it, so I don't really like heavy guns. But! A reasonably heavy gun is better for shooting (rifle or shotgun)about 90% of the time. Weight is a simple way to reduce gun recoil. Buy a heavier gun, put weight in the stock, add a heavy scope, mount, and rings, keep the magazine full...

If you don't know what guns weigh here is a rough guide: Six pounds or less should be for light recoiling guns carried more than they're shot. Seven pounds is more common for light rifles and shotguns. Eight pounds for most scoped rifles, duck guns, target shotguns. Nine pounds or more for magnum rifles, especially rifles chambered for modern cartridges larger than .30 caliber.

4. A recoil pad can be added or replaced. I have not tried any of the new gun recoil pads, but some are said to be big improvements. Do a little research to find a good one.

Pads lengthen you stock by an inch or more. If you're big with long arms you may be able use a slip-on or screw-on pad. The extra length-of-pull could fit you better. If your under six feet tall you'll probably need your stock shortened and the pad fitted, worth it, if you get it right.

5. For less gun recoil; choose the smaller rifle calibers. You may need the newest .346 super magnum to impress your friends (I made it up!). You don't need it for whitetail. Many hunters simply buy too much gun.

Some popular deer calibers are popular (at least partially) because they get the job done with less gun recoil. If you hunt in the woods at short range the old .30-30 (or similar) will still work, and if you get longer shots most modern .24 -.27 calibers are great. Using a proper "deer bullet" and putting it in the kill zone is far more important than extra power.

6. Reduced loads! I'm sure there is a place for reduced loads; young people... Some reduced loads apparently work quite well. But some must resort too reduced loads because of #5, they bought more gun than they needed.

The gun/ammo companies do amazing things to sell stuff. I would assume these loads have a little less powder, lighter bullet, and also slower more evenly burning powder to make the "kick" more gradual, or more spread out, a less abrupt gun recoil.

There are some disadvantages to using reduced loads. Your rifle is not going to shoot as fast or flat, and will have less energy. You will need to set your sights for the load and stick with that load(always, but especially these loads). (I can't help but laugh at some who insist on a big powerful gun and then use reduced loads.

7. Semi-Auto gas or recoil operated guns can help. I seldom think of a self-loader as a hunting rifle, but many do. I see much more advantage in self-loaders as shotguns, or military weapons. I have owned and fired enough shotguns with gas and recoil systems to know they can help reduce recoil.

The gas guns bleed off some of the gas to cycle the action, and recoil guns use springs to do the same. Both can reduce the recoil. But! Many newer gun's are "locked" at ignition; they may only reduce recoil a little.

8. A muzzle brake or ported barrel. I left this till last, because it's about the last thing I'd do about gun recoil. These are usually holes in the barrel near the muzzle which direct the gas out or back. Some say they are great, and some say not.

It seems to me that they would effectively shorten your barrel to a small extent. They often increase muzzle blast (like a shorter barrel). It seems logical that the ones which divert the gas back and up would have the best effect.

They would slightly push (jet propel) the gun forward and back down just before the bullet leaves the barrel. I would think most of the recoil has already been felt, but I could be wrong.

9. There are some other ways to reduce recoil, special stocks with shock absorbers built in, mercury filled cylinders which fit in the stock, back boring for shotguns... We've covered what I can think of.

I've learned that many/most things need a reasonable "balance". Use some of the ideas mentioned here, a balanced approach of not too much gun, not too light a gun, a good recoil pad... you'll have reasonably reduced recoil.

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