Shooting/Rifle Question

James in Idaho · 09-05-2003, 12:54 PM

Bubzilla:

Do the "cs" thing that I do, stick 25 lbs of shot between you and the rifle. That is about the only way I can stand to shoot my .35 Whelen from the bench. Really slows the rifle down, and having the recoil spread around a 25 lb shot sack is not bad at all. Just watch creeping up, a scope to the forehead will bleed, alot. Don't ask how I know that.

salmurai · 09-05-2003, 05:58 PM

Bubzilla, James has the right idea. I did that a lot when I used to sight in rifles for people. I never could understand why someone would want a 300 Weatherby. They look really nice but can they ever KICK! Keep it in the rack, if you want to keep it, and go find something that you can shoot comfortably. If you need the power, get a .338. They don't have near the recoil or muzzle blast. If not, pick up the old 30/06. The critters will be just as dead and your shoulder won't hurt and you will still be able to hear the huntin' stories..... Good Luck on your hunting......

Fish Hawg · 09-05-2003, 06:10 PM

Get rid of the muzzle brake

. We had one put on a custom built 300 ultra mag and after the first shot out hunting and the non-stop ringing of the ears was a enough so had a gun smith machine it off and put a recessed target crown on the Snyder barrel. Now when I shoot it out hunting I don�t have to wear ear plugs. :grin:

KingFisher85 · 09-05-2003, 07:17 PM

Last half a dozen deer that I have shot I've never even heard or felt the gun go off.

Bubzilla · 09-05-2003, 11:21 PM

I have a new (got it late last fall) rifle this season. It's a .300 Wby Mark V Ultralight. Needless to say, it came with a pretty hefty kick, and shooting from a bench was a pain. So, I sent it back to Weatherby for a muzzle break. Now, it doesn't kick nearly as bad, but it is way to loud to shoot without hearing protection.

I have two choices: carry ear plugs or get a game ear type product; or, take off the break to hunt. Frankly, I'm leaning toward the latter. Weatherby includes a nut to replace the break and protect the threads, so taking off the break is easy. My concern is this, though: does anyone know whether taking the break off will affect my point of impact? I don't know why it would, and all my logic says there's no way it could, but....

I know, I could just go down to the range and then know for sure, but I would REALLY rather not shoot that thing without the break from a bench again. It's going to give me a flinch. And if you add that on to the twitch I naturally get each fall, I could be in terrible shape!

Maddie'sDaddy · 09-06-2003, 07:26 PM

I agree with kingfisher , it just seems when you got a critter in your sights the last thing i notice is the sound of my rifle. must be the adrenaline. But when i sight it in if i forget my ear plugs the ringing in my ears lasts all day. Go figure

SeanD · 09-06-2003, 08:02 PM

It's true that when you kill game in the field you will never feel the recoil of your rifle. Its also true that if you are scared to shoot the thing without the brake, then you probably will develop a flinch, the mind is a powerful thing. I would try a 25lb shot bag as suggested earlier and shoot it without the brake and see if the point of impact changes. I wouldnt think it would but you never know. Either that, or get a sissy pad, or better yet, get someone else to shoot it that is less recoil sensitive.

I wouldnt hunt with hearing protection, but i wouldnt own a braked rifle either. A 300 weatherby in a light rifle is obviously gonna have some serious recoil, but you already own the rifle, so i doubt you want to sell it and get a more comfortable shooting rifle. What i would do is shoot your rifle a lot more and get accustomed to the recoil. Stay off the bench for a while and shoot from some field positions, thats the skill that really matters anyway. You will find your rifle seems to kick you a lot less when you arent sitting at the bench and i wouldnt be suprised if over time your tolerence increases to the point where you can shoot at the bench without the brake without thinking about how much its gonna hurt when you pull the trigger.

SeanD · 09-06-2003, 08:08 PM

Quote:

But when i sight it in if i forget my ear plugs the ringing in my ears lasts all day. Go figure

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Ouch! If i go to sight in and i forget my earplugs, i wouldnt shoot at all. Not worth it. Hunting rifles are waaay to loud. I did forget the plugs once and substituted tissue paper, and that didnt work at all. I prefer plugs and muffs together! I find that the muzzle blast (noise) bothers me more than the recoil, so for me id MUCH rather shoot a 300 mag with hearing protection than a 308 win without. I think muzzle blast is a large contributor to fliching, at least it has been in my experience.

Bait Bucket · 09-06-2003, 08:56 PM

Way back a long time ago when me and some of my old buddies played around with really big guns, .460, .458, 416 Gibbs, and even the .378, we always sighted the guns in on a "stand up" bench. That is, a bench built high enough to shoot off sand bags while standing up rather than sitting down behind a low bench. Try that. You will notice a lot less recoil.

[ 09-06-2003, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Bait Bucket ]

pdxkevin · 09-07-2003, 07:21 AM

I have considered a mussle brake for my 300 win mag too.

If you get one don't turn it off for hunting after you have practiced with it on all the rest of the time. You may find your self trying to over come a flinch from the shock of the 'new' kick the gun is giving.

Personally, I use a set of electronic ears. Not to hear more while out there but to save my hearing. The adrenhilin may block your brain processing the sound but the membranes in your ear will not.

Zippy · 09-08-2003, 02:49 PM

my 300 win. mag has a pacmayer (sp) decelerator recoil pad installed on it that helped alot with it's recoil. Please don't shoot that cannon with out the appropriate hearing protection. Those ears like your eyes have to last you a lifetime.Good luck to you.

MarlinMark · 09-08-2003, 07:54 PM

It sounds like recoil and muzzle blast are just not your thing. Some people just can't get around recoil. Sell the rifle and get a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. You will be a better shot with practice and it really is all about bullet placement anyhow.

Good luck,

Mark

Flatfish · 09-08-2003, 08:04 PM

I have lost enough of my hearing to have a valid opinion.

If you NEED a brake to keep the recoil in check, you NEED a heavier rifle. Or a lighter recoiling cartridge.

In the lower 48 states, there is no animal that requires more power than a 30-06. If you want flat shooting, get a .270 or a small Weatherby magnum.

If it is the rifle you like( and not the chambering) then sell yours and buy another ultralight in a smaller chambering. Your ears will thank you for it.

NOTHING is worth losing your hearing for. Now, I can nardly hear the wind slipping thru a ducks wings when they are in close. Part of my hearing loss is a limited exposure to a braked gun without hearing protection.

What is a "Limited Exposure"? Less than 10 rounds without muffs and/or plugs.

Mark and the 52 grains of 4064 dog.

Bubzilla · 09-10-2003, 02:41 PM

Thanks for all the good advice--I'm going to try the bag of shot trick this weekend.

The strange thing about this rifle is that it kicks MUCH harder than my .340, and a lot more than my standard Mark V .300 ever did. Of course, it's an even 8 lbs. with the scope too. It was simply just too uncomfortable to shoot as much as I wanted to in order to work up good loads and get a feel for the rifle, so I had the break added. Even with the break, believe it or not, it kicks about as hard as most 7mm Remingtons I've shot. It is amazingly accurate, though--sub MOA with factory ammo, and awesome groups with handloads. And what's not to love about packing 8 lbs. instead of 12 lbs. all day long? Now my GPS and radio, and all the other junk I seemed to used to get by without but now "must" have, can take up the extra four pounds! :grin:

For most of the rifle hunting I do, it would be no big deal at all to just carry some ear plugs and put them in when the stalk was over. But I'm going to be in broken country this year, and that extra time may be a luxury I won't have. So, no break. I'll let everyone know if taking it off has any effect.

Don Becker · 09-10-2003, 03:29 PM

I've never shot a Weatherby . . . 'any reason you can't work-up a handload that you and the rifle both like? I load three different loads for my .308 Norma Magnum (130gr hollowpoint, 165gr boattails, and 200gn Grand Slams). With all three, I am loading to the top of the chart and it's a pleasure to shoot . . . I routinely use hearing protection at the range but, the truth is, this rifle is easier on my ears than my 7mm.06.

However, a friend gave me some 180gr JHP's that I had no other use for, other than to shoot-up. The load I selected for them made the "Norma" kick like I've never been kicked before . . . 'not even so much into my shoulder but up into my cheekbone.

'Just my two cents.

Don

[ 09-10-2003, 04:31 PM: Message edited by: Don Becker ]

Loosepin · 09-11-2003, 09:18 PM

I bought a new 340 Weatherby myself a couple of years ago. My brother had one with a muzzle break on it. I shot his and it had considerably less recoil than mine. I sent mine to an authorized Weatherby gunsmith and installed the muzzlebreak also. I had the same concern as you did about the sighting your gun in with the muzzle break and then removing the muzzle break for hunting. By doing this, would it effect the sighting of the gun. My brother told me that he test fired his 340 Weatherby with the muzzlebreak off and was still right on the money. That was good enough for me. I have shot my gun numerous times in the field hunting the last couple of years and I feel no recoil at all when shooting. We both have had some long shot kills the last couple of years with them rifles. I would sight it in with the muzzle break and then take the muzzle break off for hunting. You will be just fine. Good Luck.

Bubzilla · 09-12-2003, 08:18 AM

Thanks Loosepin!

outdoor.spec.ops · 09-12-2003, 08:34 AM

You might try a Past Shooting Pad for the recoil, it seems to help when at the bench with my magnums. It still is uncomfortable at times, but tollerable.

All Wet · 09-15-2003, 04:37 PM

I have a larger chest and shorter arms. My magnum felt like it was heavy in the front. I went to a gunsmith and he shortened my stock, changed the angle where it butts into my shoulder and put on a fairly thick recoil pad. Now it feels like Im shooting a 270. Much less felt recoil.

ScottD · 09-15-2003, 04:57 PM

I think that there is a good possibility that the POI will change when you remove the muzzle break. I think you should leave the break on and use ear plugs or the game ear while hunting. (I hope you hunt alone, because your hunting partners will not want to be near you when you start shooting.)