Bring the pain!

[noahmercy]

I've fired cartridges from 22 CB up to 585 Nyati, and firearms from the ultra light to "bring a gun-bearer" categories. None of them has been as uncomfortable to shoot as my 300 Win Mag M77 Mark II All Weather with the infamous "paddle" stock! Did the guy who designed this thing have a beef with Ruger? Was he a sadist? Want to know what it's like to be socked in the jaw by Mike Tyson?...fire off one of the old 220 grain Silver Tip loads in this eargeshplittenloudenkaboomer!

That being said, it is magnificently accurate, stout, smooth, and reliable. I put a Timney trigger in it, so the pull is about two pounds and crisp. The scope is a 6X42mm Leupold Mk4, which is perfect for the generally open hunting terrain here in northern Wyoming. It shoots everything from reduced loads with 110 grain SJHPs designed for the 30 Carbine up to maximum-effort 180 grain hunting slugs with equal aplomb. Squirrel to moose...pretty close to a universal tool for North America.

And yeah, I could put a different stock on it, but it's a unique look, the gun works great the way it is, and I'm a frugal dude. (Plus, it is kinda' fun to hand it to a friend at the range and see how fast he or she gives it back after only one shot while trying to mutter about how nice it is through gritted teeth! )

P.S. It really is more punishing than the same gun in 338 Win Mag...

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I am like you, have fired the full range from 22 to 50 BMG. The one I have that kicks the worst is a Winchester 1895 Carbine in 30-06. The steel butt plate really hurts.
As an aside I have 6 other 30-06's and I do not even notice recoil from them (no steel).
The close second is an old Ruger 77 in 338 WM with a Ramline plastic stock. I have the red pad stock but it is like new and I take this rifle on all my hunts and do not want the wood messed up.

 

[Rumrunner]

I like the skeleton stock rifles, but only in 308 or less. They do generate some recoil. But the only gun that has knocked the snot out of my nose was a Mossberg 500 with 3-inch Turkey loads.

 

[WendyZXZ]

The only one I have fired that we have and was enough for me to shoot a few times and then not care to again is the Marlin .450 we have. A 7.5 pound rifle firing a .45 caliber 350 grain bullet at 2200 FPS what could possibly go wrong?

Now the .45-70 pictured on top is much more manageable.

 

[SteveRuger]

The only one I don't enjoy shooting is my Ruger No.3 in 45-70 it rocked my world.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

My brother has the same gun as in the first post.
He has killed quite a few animals with it , but it is not a fun gun to shoot.

 

[BearBiologist]

My worst was a 375 H & H from Sako. More than my 458 Win by Ruger. I shoot a 300 Win Mag Howa with a B & C stock. My 338 Win Mag Weatherby is also nice to shoot (with a KDF). I use the 300 for everything from ground squirrels to elk.

 

[The Preacher]

My most brutal thumper was a 3 inch 12 gauge H&R Single Shot. Likely weighed about 5 1/2 lbs. Was to be my turkey gun. Took four shots with Federal 3" Premium 6 shot to pattern it only to find that the bbl. was slightly bent down. Gunsmith straightened it out and I took one more shot to pattern. After that I figured the only time I'd pull the trigger on that beast was if the bead was on a turkey's head. Every shot felt like I was getting hit in the face and shoulder with a 2x4. Sold it not too long after that....

The Preacher

 

[noahmercy]

The only one I have fired that we have and was enough for me to shoot a few times and then not care to again is the Marlin .450 we have. A 7.5 pound rifle firing a .45 caliber 350 grain bullet at 2200 FPS what could possibly go wrong?


Now the .45-70 pictured on top is much more manageable.

The 450 Marlin is actually a reboot of an old wildcat with a lengthened belt. Back in 1962 Frank Barnes cut down the 458 Win Mag case to 2", creating the 458 X 2 American, which he reckoned was less overkill on North American game than the 45 caliber magnums of the time. This was before the hot-rodded 45-70s and ballistics are virtually identical to those and the 450 Marlin.

 

[Biggfoot44]

Within a significant range of recoil , stock fit and proper stance are a bigger factor than actual calculated recoil .

Since we're talking long guns rather than the usual handguns , I've got to think for a second .

1980's H&R E. Nickel 18.5 in single 12ga 3 in . My shooting buddies nicknamed it the " Deercharmer " in reference to the then popular original Snakecharmer .410 single . Weighed less than 5 lb .

Sighting in with slugs , the first two were touching @ 50 yds , exactly at my preferred POI . I decided that those two sufficiently established the accuracy and sighting , and there really wasn't any need to do a 3 shot group .

 

[Heliman]

I got punished the other day by my 75- series 77 chambered in 7mm Mag. It has a custom ultra-light barrel and kicks like a mule! I have a 4" diameter bruise on my upper arm/shoulder to prove it!

 

[gewehrfreund]

There aren't too many normal people who enjoy harsh recoil, and I'm not one of them.
I have slowly pared down my collection of Ruger No. Ones in the big boomers (458WM, 375H&H, 338WM and 300WM); mostly because of their big appetite for powder and lead, but also due to recoil. I don't hunt anymore and even if I did, the magnums are overkill here in the northeast. Plus, almost all of my shooting is from the bench (=more perceived recoil)
I enjoy shooting the milder cartridges and aim for accuracy(precision) versus impact energy at the target. ;-)
The only belted magnum I have left is a 1S 7mm Mag, and its days are numbered unless I can come up with some good reduced loads.
The 30-06 kicks plenty hard for me from the bench with normal loads and medium- to lightweight rifles. But I also have several 45-70s and 38-55s that can be loaded to painful levels in strong rifles!

 

[Mauser9]

Always thought that paddle stock was a pretty unusual design. What was the purpose anyway? Looks super light anyway.

 

[Enigma]

The worst one that I have owned was an M44 Mosin-Nagant carbine, in 7.62X54mm Rimmed. With that short, skinny stock and (relatively) sharp comb, firing milsurp Heavy Ball ammo in that gun was like taking a beating! Just five rounds would give me what the Brits called 'gun headache!' I really tried to like that gun, but it went down the road. This was before the ready availability of boxer-primed brass, and I wasn't interested in pulling bullets and reducing the powder charge, then reseating the bullet.

 

[NetNathan]

My Springfield Armory M1903 30-06 has quite a kick.
Straight stock direct into the shoulder.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I've never shot one of those boat paddle stock 77s. They look uncomfortable. I've shot some heavy rifles, including a . 500 BPE double, big Sharps rounds, .375 H&H, and hot-rodded 45-70s, but my kicking champion is my Mossberg 835 12 gauge 3.5" with 2 oz. turkey loads. First time I shot it with that load (patterning), I thought, " that can't have been that bad. I must have not been holding my gun right. " so I pulled it in right and squeezed off another one. Yep. It was that bad. 3.5" Dead Coyote loads are almost as bad.
I did have a Ruger 77 in . 338 Win mag once that was kinda rough. The recoil itself wasn't so bad but the bolt handle rapped my right index finger HARD every time I shot it. I never could figure out how to hold it to prevent that.

 

[buckeyeshooter]

The only one I have fired that we have and was enough for me to shoot a few times and then not care to again is the Marlin .450 we have. A 7.5 pound rifle firing a .45 caliber 350 grain bullet at 2200 FPS what could possibly go wrong?

Now the .45-70 pictured on top is much more manageable.

Would you like to try my 50 Alaskan Marlin Cowboy ? Would make your 450 feel like a pussycat. 535 grain Woodleigh at 2000 fps.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Would you like to try my 50 Alaskan Marlin Cowboy ? Would make your 450 feel like a pussycat. 535 grain Woodleigh at 2000 fps.

Not for me but my husband would just be thinking: Sounds like a real kick!

 

[seasterl]

How heavy is the paddle stock model? I used to want one in 338WinMag years ago. I suppose it's light weight to carry on a rainy hunt, but probably not fun punching paper at the range. I know I never would have taken any of my wood-stocked Classic Rugers I've owned in the past (Magnum bolt-action 416 or any of the No 1) on the type of bad-weather hunts the paddle stock was made for.

 

[Aqualung]

I have to laugh. I can't imagine some of those heavy hitters mentioned, but I've had my share, though.

When I was young and reckless and a NJ hunter, I thought I'd be badazz and mount a scope on my Winchester 120 pump gun and sight it in for 3" magnum slugs...got the old bloody eyebrow, of course...2 3/4" for me after that...

But my best memory is the day I had at the range a few years ago. I'd brought a few rifles to shoot and there were some other guys on the range as well. I was shooting my AR556 and my M1 Carbine. Then, I laid my other, short rifle case on the picnic table and started strapping on my PAST shoulder pad. I got a couple smirks from the other shooters, like "you pansy"...

Then, I opened the third case and pulled out my No5MK1 Enfield Jungle Carbine...the looks all changed to "I'll allow it..."

They'd probably never even seen one before, but talk about a rifle with a bad reputation...I mean, it's got a rubber buttpad

Joking aside, that *rubber* buttpad was reportedly ineffective back in 1946 when the rifle was made, but mine's (like all the others I've encountered) been petrified after nearly 75 years. I can shoot a couple rounds out of it with hunting clothes on, but during a range session with just a T-shirt or light jacket, that PAST pad outweighs any smirks...


Aqualung