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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 9, 2010 8:18:19 GMT
ok guys......I dont know why but Im recoil shy. I have a 7.62 that I shoot and doesnt matter how much I shoot it, Im still afraid of recoil. As far as shotguns go, I cant do a 12ga because its hurts like heck. I dont think its the way I shoot cause I was trained by my grandfather who was a darn good shooter (rest his soul) and I was out doing him. what do you guys do to get past this being afraid of this recoil? I'm even afraid of a .22 going off.....not because of the noise or anything.....Im just really afraid of recoil. I dont understand why Im afraid....I love shooting targets. Ugh its just annoying and I want to get rid of this being afraid of it. :lol:
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Post by whitefeathers on Dec 9, 2010 14:23:10 GMT
Another addition...... you like this gun so Relax. Because of recoil shyness you're tensing up and of course its going to hurt. Make sure the butt of the rifle is seated well in the pocket of the shoulder--no gaps/space between. Kinda let your body absorb the recoil like a shock on a vehicle. Let the recoil rock your body back gently while keeping a firm but relaxed support on the gun. What rifle is this is? is it a semi auto or a bolt action? Bolt actions feel like they recoil more because of how they're constructed. Also are you trying different shooting positions? Standing position is one that recoil is less felt. Practice more with the .22. Plus, ammo is cheaper For the shotgun, well, I've been accused of shooting a shotgun like a rifle so I won't go there :lol: Talking about shooting makes me want to go shooting but I don't want to go outside right now. its 12 degrees out there.
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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 9, 2010 20:42:20 GMT
My bolt action 7.62 is a 1891 Mauser Argintina. Ive tried multiple shooting positions. When I use the Mauser standing, I feel the recoil and it hurts my cheeck. (the stock was built with a high sitting cheeck rest thats solid wood)
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Post by whitefeathers on Dec 9, 2010 22:18:08 GMT
Is it in the military stock or is it a sporter style aftermarket stock with a high cheek piece? If its the military stock with metal butt plate = ow. Don't blame you there. I dont like the feeling of shooting rifles with those especially in just a tshirt. Recoil pad should help alot. Helps with recoil and would have a better traction on your shoulder, not all sliding around. I've paid the price on that one before. I had a slippery coat on while shooting a Mosin with a scope. I didn't have a good grip on it so it slid under the recoil and the scope scratched my glasses. As for the cheek issue, you could try having the stock adjusted by a gunsmith. It would cost a good amount of $ since it would also have to be refinished. Or put a different stock on it that has a different shape/style that would be cheaper. Does the cheek thing happen only with this gun? I just thought of another thing to try. You could try a lighter load of ammo. Lighter bullet/less powder charge should have less recoil.
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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 9, 2010 23:40:08 GMT
Yeah its only this rifle. It is Military stock. IT does have a metal butt plate but thats never bothered me. The Kick isnt much....Ive shot the thing many times and love shooting it. I dont know why Im afraid of the recoil.
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tsafa
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,309
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Post by tsafa on Dec 10, 2010 18:23:27 GMT
Are you sure the butt of the stock is pressed firmly into your chest, just inside the joint. Is your cheek staying on the stock?
Two other options, if technique is not the problem,are: One, get a padded vest. Two, reload. By reloading you can pick a receipt at will yield the lowest recoil with some experimentation.
For the 12 gauge, you can can get the Lee All shell reloader for about $42. It comes with all the accessories (bushings) you will need to reload the shells. Get Clays powder, which has a pretty light pop and some number 9 shot. The lighter the shot, the less it will push back against you.
With Rifle ammo use the minimum powder load and the seat the bullet the least amount you can. It will improve your accuracy too.
If you still have a flinching problem, make some dummy rounds and mix them in. Or rather load up mostly with dummy rounds and mix in a few live rounds. That is how I keep "untraining" myself to anticipate the recoil.
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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 11, 2010 5:10:46 GMT
Yep, I was trained just like the ww2 soldiers were. I try to be as less as a semprini as possible when it comes to shooting guns :lol: . I always laughed when people use the shoulder pads....but I went and shot like 2 months ago with my friend. My cheek does yes stay on the stock. I think I have a boney cheek or something of the sort. I may do the dummy rounds when I can land on some money for 7.62 rounds. I can reload but prefer not to because the machine I have (thanks to my grandfather) its really old, never been used, and looks to be missing afew pieces. AS for shotguns, I do my dead level best to stay away from them as I have never ever liked shotguns. I was trained on a rifle and loved the rifle ever since then. BUT we have shotguns our the butt in 12ga, 16, 20ga, and a 410.
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Post by LittleJP on Dec 11, 2010 5:14:30 GMT
Gain 30 pounds. Instant cushioning!
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 11, 2010 5:33:24 GMT
I've always counted myself fortunate as being such a uh...bulky fellow when it comes to rifle recoil. I recall, somewhat fondly, the first time I took on a larger caliber rifle, at that time a Turkish-made Mauser, in 8mm. A bunch of guys, many experienced shooters, having been doing the gun thing longer than I'd been alive, were taking turns passing this rifle around, and loading up various paddings (some had cushions, some threw a coat or two over their shoulder) to fire it. They'd come away rubbing their shoulders and half-grimacing, half smiling. Finally, my turn came around, and being the young, inexperienced kid I was, all the older guys were offering me all their paddings and support frames. Feeling my masculinity was being called to question, I opted to be an idiot and go bare. First shot was from a seated position, resting my elbows on a table/shelf/thing. Aimed down range, checked my breathing, started squeezing the trigg-BOOM OH SH*T!! ...Wait...that wasn't so bad. Dropped posture, moved arm back to work...work the...all right arm, there's a bolt over here to--yes, that one, good arm; knew you could do it. Next few shots went much smoother, and apparently the "old guys" were satisfied that I could handle the thing, as they left me alone with it for the remaining duration. I became quite familiar with, and quite fond of, this rifle. In fact, I later bought it off the owner. Still have it, but it needs some work. However...I tried to see how it felt to shoot from a standing posture. ...Yeah. HEAVY, LONG RIFLE...moderately large round...four shots and the muzzle was dropping, fifth shot I had to tuck the stock in my gut and lift the gun to my shoulder off a flick of my WHOLE BODY. Ah, I was young... Since then I have taken to my hand-me-down .30-06, which hits me about the same as the .22 magnum I started on. Well, okay it hits quite a bit harder, though I tend to feel it less, of course going to the .22 after the .30-06 is like shooting a bloody CAP GUN...but hey, .30-06 isn't cheap. I did have a lot of worry going into recoil, though. Used to scare the dickens out of me, even the .22 would catch me off guard. I find that handguns are worse than rifles, somehow, but then again, .30-06 is the biggest I've gotten to play with, (though for handguns, my favorites tend to be the 1911's in .45, though a couple "target match" or whatever .357's another fellow had were pretty fun, believe it or not my "worst" handgun, recoil-wise, is actually a little .32...hand just swallows the whole bloody thing and I can't get anything out of it but a twisted wrist...) and that's mostly been from a seated or kneeling posture, and being the six-foot-something, 220-odd pound fellow that I am...recoil from a properly seated rifle just kind of goes through me, I guess? On the other hand, I find the smaller (shorter?) rifles, like the AK-47 and Mike's Thompson (Hi Mike) I have significant trouble controlling. Every AK-47 I've shot, I thought I had properly braced...but the blasted thing almost always punched me in the jaw. The action itself, that is. The butt/stock/whatever stayed where I put it...but the rifle jumped up at me with each shot. Mike's Thompson...well...hell, I had enough trouble just holding the thing up, keeping it down on full-auto...I won't get into. :oops: All that to say...apart from the advice already given, and I see you've already done some testing of your own, all I can offer is that not only is every gun and shooter each independently different...but every combination leads its own, new differences, it seems. What might reduce recoil for me might make it worse for you, so I'll just leave you to your experiments and trust that you'll find it "one day." They do say that the greatest aspect of such things is the psychological side, and somebody has already mentioned the loading dummy rounds. I tried that once and my gun jumped just the same as if I'd fired a live round...it was the sound, or lack of, that clued me in. Did a little better once I worked that out. I guess it falls down to a subconscious thing. You may think you're not afraid of it...but you don't BELIEVE it. Or something. Heck if I know; get out there and just keep shooting. Constantly. I sure wish I could; haven't shot a gun in years. In fact, I think the last thing I shot WAS Mike's Thompson...or was his 1911 after that? Anywho... ....Yeah, I got nothing, just had to share that I'm pretty much in the same boat but only with select firearms. :x
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ghost
Member
Posts: 1,323
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Post by ghost on Dec 11, 2010 18:43:04 GMT
Ah 12 gauge shotguns are my favorite jiem You must have missed out on the high school /college random body-shots "game" with the homeboys. Random punches from everywhere I swear! The most obvious place was the shoulder, but when they missed or if you dodged - it's a dead hit to the collarbone. bleh*! Slightly surprising for that you would be recoil shy since you are a big dude. (I am big as well but not recoil shy) I guess you could train yourself to not be afraid of it -though it comes off sounding very much like "fear of heights"- phobia. Personally, my shoulder -chest /armpit area goes numb after twenty or so shells...so maybe try shooting a lot? Past a certain point you won't feel that initial jab of pain (though I do enjoy the sensation just like fallschirm said) -it's a power trip and probably not what it came out sounding like... Shoot 30-50 consecutive clay pigeons with your 12-guage regularly...but expect some bruising at first
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Post by GUEST on Dec 12, 2010 16:04:15 GMT
I use to have the type of rifle you have, does it have a straight grip stock. Problaby the reaon the stock it hitting you in the check is, you are anticipating the rifle going off you are lifting your head off the stock right when you pull the trigger. The stock comes up and hits you.
A person size as nothing to do with handling recoil have you ever seen pictures of Elmer Keith he was small. He could handle Heavy caliber double barrel rifles very well.
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 12, 2010 18:50:45 GMT
I don't know if I'd say size had NOTHING to do with it. A pretty god general rule in my experience with applied forces etc. has been that larger folk tend to fare better at higher impact levels, possibly due to the benefit of shock distribution, or maybe just the old rules about weight vs force and so on.
Granted, as in the case you mentioned, a certain level of skill and experience can bring one to compensate for nearly anything through stance, posture, et cetera.
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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 13, 2010 1:22:58 GMT
"Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday: tomorrow is your victory over lesser men." - Miyamoto Musashi...you do know that this is saying understand strategy and know how to be a soldier. today is victory over yourself of the past and tomorrow is victory over those who are below you....I dont see where that comes into play with something that has been with me since the age of six. By the way, its always the first shot....after the first shot Im fine. I think its because in my mind, the mind forgets what kind of recoil it has and makes my body fear it. Ive been shooting this gun over Id say about 6 years....and Ive been shooting rifles since the age of 6. the reason why body size matters is because bigger bodies tend to absorb more of the shock. If you have a smaller frame then it absorbs less. I know there are some ways to shoot powerful rifles to where your not blown on your butt. Fallschirmjager, you were in the military so you were probably use to shooting rifles more than I am. Not saying you were inf just becasue you were a soldier lol. Most people still shoot more than me even if their MOS isnt issued rifles.I thank everyone for their info......
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Post by ShooterMike on Dec 13, 2010 20:06:44 GMT
Jeimuzu, I've been reading through all these threads. It looks to me like you've been diligent at it. I just have one suggestion. Take your unloaded rifle in hand at home, close your eyes and relax. Mount your rifle into a shooting stance and make sure the comb of the stock is pressed as firmly into the hollow below your cheek bone/eye socket as you can. Then open your eyes while keeping the stock firmly seated up into your cheek. If you aren't seeing a good sight alignment, the rifle doesn't fit you as well as it could. What will be most likely is that you are looking through the back of the bolt, and can't see the sight without raising your head ever so slightly. If that's the case, then you are raising you head off the stock when you line up the sights and fire at a target. Doing this will "give the rifle a running start" at smacking you in the cheekbone. That hurts, no matter how tough you are. If this is a problem, try putting on an appropriate sized Cheek Eez pad to better fit the stock to your face. They are inexpensive and will make the stock much softer as well. I use these on most commercial rifles, as my cheek bones are fairly high and most rifle stocks are cut for the "average" face. Most military bolt actions are cut much lower, since they were designed to be used with gas masks in place. For instance, I had to add almost a half inch of comb riser to my Springfield M1903A1 to keep it from beating hell out of me. www.kickeezproducts.com/cheek-eez.php
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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 13, 2010 20:23:41 GMT
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Post by ShooterMike on Dec 13, 2010 21:20:16 GMT
I don't think it's all in your head. I have a 1903A1 Springfield and a Chech VZ-24 8mm Mauser. They both kick. The recoil isn't massive, but it's noticeable. I find myself doing just what you describe sometimes. Especially when I haven't shot them in a while...or when I have shot them a LOT!
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Post by Larry Jordan on Dec 14, 2010 16:45:16 GMT
Jim Johnson had some excellent advice that you try a very light cartridge (22lr). I would add that you may need to spend quite a bit of time here while you "unlearn" whatever behaviors (e.g. flinching) you've acquired when shooting cartridges with greater recoil.
A few years back I took a hunter/sniper course and the "mother hen" on one of our field exercises brought along his 6.5x55mm mauser for which he was having a custom stock made. (His barreled action was mounted in the not-quite-finished stock). The rifle fit him perfectly. He commented that the lighter recoiling 6.5mm (non-magnum) cartridges are good for recoil sensitive shooters. We we all using 308Win and some had recoil issues. (In addition to the 6.5x55mm there is the 260Rem and the 243Win or 6mmRem).
So, here is a reaffirmation of two issues already raised: (1) stock fit (Mike); (2) managing recoil (Jim). One can choose a 6mm or 6.5mm and work up to cartridges with greater felt recoil.
I spend a lot of time dry firing my military pattern long guns (7.62x54R and 8mmMauser). Develop a sense of what it feels like to execute the shot with NO recoil. This is the experience you want to bring with you when you execute the shot for real. Eyes remain open, note the sight picture when the rifle breaks, call your shot and follow through. Do this dry a few hundred times and see if you can fool yourself into thinking you're just "dry firing" next time you go out. It's the quality of the effort, not the number of rounds sent down range.
Shoot less and enjoy it more.
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Post by sam salvati on Dec 15, 2010 5:22:20 GMT
The age old cure for recoil shyness is of course, grow a pair
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Post by jeimuzu on Dec 15, 2010 5:29:45 GMT
Hmmm having to grow a pair..........well if shooting a .50 cal today didnt grow a pair I dont know what will. Not as much recoil as I thought there was but it still hurt Im getting abit better with the recoil.....I counter my mind with nonsense information in my head. Think of something else than recoil.
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Post by Larry Jordan on Dec 15, 2010 23:20:35 GMT
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