rifle recoil reduction when shooting from bench

[SpeedAKL]

I'll admit it: I hate shooting from a bench. The typical benches at the public ranges around here have me sitting like a contorted chimpanzee. I can never get truly comfortable and would always prefer to shoot prone or standing rather than sitting on these wooden expressions of ergonomic failure.

It becomes all the more worse when sighting in a powerful rifle. I was sighting in my .308 today, as well as my buddies .30-06, as well as playing with a Mosin M44 shooting 185gr heavy ball. An awkward shooting position means that the buttstock will not fit well against the shoulder, and it gets painful after 20-30 rounds. I have fired all of these rounds from a more comfortable position, and they do not really bother me (OK, the M44 can be a bit much, but that's part of the charm).

Do any of you guys notice the same problems when shooting strong rifles from the bench? And if so, what shooting techniques do you recommend to reduce the pain?

 

[briansmithwins]

I wear a pansy (recoil) pad when shooting from the benches with harsher recoiling rounds, like zeroing the shotgun. BSW

 

[SGW42]

Yeah I have the same problem.

I went and got a Past strap-on recoil pad. They make a few different models. I got the Mag Plus.

I feel like a dork wearing it but it makes recoil a non-issue, which is all that matters.

Super helpful in the summer when I'm just wearing a t-shirt and shooting steel butt-plate milsurps.

 

[SpeedAKL]

OK, a bit of a confession: I went pumping iron the previous night and had a pretty brutal chest/shoulders workout. I was already sore to begin with, the rifles just aggravated it. Still hate benches tho.

 

[Bwana John]

3 sand bags.

One tall one for under the forearm

One short one for under the buttstock/pistol grip.

One fat one for between the rifle and the shoulder.

What recoil? Pretty solid crosshairs also.

OR

Get a real Shooting Jacket like Creedmore.

 

[MMCSRET]

2 words: LEAD SLED!!!!!

 

[Zedo]

these wooden expressions of ergonomic failure.

There's a nice turn of phrase . . . and the reason you're getting beat to death.

FIT is what bench shooting is all about. The gun needs to fit you, and so does the bench.

(Just for the record, so we're all on the same page, I'm shooting a .458 Win. Mag. off the bench, 500 gr. bullet, 2161 fps., 65 ft. lbs. recoil -- as compared to 20 ft. lbs. in a typical 30-06.)

First, get an elbow pad for your strong side elbow. I often put a sandbag under my elbow -- keeps it from being hammered into the bench.

Get a bench rest that works -- needs to adjust height, windage, level (bubble level). Needs to "slot" the fore-end into the saddle bag. This is WAY more comfortable than slopping the gun over a block wrapped up in a piece of carpet. (Which is what the range offers here.)

Big, heavy sandbag works too -- The idea is to get the gun supported so that it recoils into your shoulder rather than slamming you six directions as it leaps off its support.

Get a "rabbit ear" bag for the buttstock. You squeeze this bag with your "weak hand" to micro adjust elevation.

Gun goes into the bags in the SAME POSITION for every shot. Fore-end sits in the same place on the rest. Butt fits in the same place on the rabbit ear bag.

OK -- Now . . . adjust your seating height so that you're behind the butt plate. It should sit in your shoulder pocket EXACTLY like you're shouldering the gun if you're standing. Cheek should sit on the comb as if you're standing.

I use a shoulder pad in a shooting vest for heavy rifles. It needs to fit into the shoulder pocket between you and the gun -- no bunching! Same with your shirt, jacket, coat, whatever. No bunching! Your gun needs to sit in your shoulder pocket, not deflect off your clothing. You don't want to drive a wad of clothing into your shoulder.

If you're crouching, curling up, leaning, reaching, bunching -- then you're not in position and you're going to get beat to death just as surely as if you put the butt of the gun against your bicep and pressed your eye-socket against the eyepiece on the scope.

Benches at most ranges stink . . . It helps to have a decent stool, one with adjustable height features. Elbow pad under the strong arm is crucial. Get comfortable and aligned behind the gun.

If you "fit" the bench and the gun, your experience with recoil will become manageable. And at the risk of sounding like Johnny Cochran . . . "If the bench don't fit, you're gonna quit."