The unloved rifle

Assuming an 8 lb rifle including scope and mounts and about 2850 fps from those 120 gr bullets you're around 13 ft lbs recoil. That's less than 30-30. Almost nobody uses a recoil pad on 30-30. And your 6.5 has a modern straight comb stock which greatly reduces felt recoil compared to 30-30.

Quite often the effects of recoil are more between the ears than real. It is easy to convince ourselves that certain guns kick more, or less, than they really do. As long as you believe that rifle kicks hard, it will. Once you convince yourself it doesn't kick as much as a 30-30 you'll find it isn't that bad.

The cure is to shoot it more. If it were mine I'd do that. You could use a slip on recoil pad just at the range for a while then gradually wean yourself off of it. It will lengthen LOP when installed. But for temporary use shooting at the range shouldn't be a real handicap. It might be an issue hunting when you have to make quick shots from field positions.

I do have one unloved rifle. It is an old Spanish Mauser. A guy I worked with gave it to me after I helped him pull an engine back in the 80's. He knew I wanted to hunt, & didn't have a centerfire rifle. When he gave it to me the stock was beat up & the whole thing was spray painted black. I refinished the wood (probably took off more than I should have) & cold blued the action & barrel. I talked to a gunsmith to find out what I had & bought a box of ammunition from him. I tied it to a rail, tied a string to the trigger & got behind something the first time I shot it. It didn't blow up but the iron sights are regulated for 300 meters & you can't scope it without modifying it. It isn't really worth much & I'll probably never use it as a short time after learning all of that I bought a Winchester model 70. I told someone at work about it recently & he expressed an interest in buying it. Maybe I should sell it to him. Maybe not. It is the one I started this thread about. Should I? Spanish Mauser | The High Road

Larry in wyoming said:

Mine is a 96 mauser that looks like someone sporterized back in the 60s. My ex wife bought it from a coworker who needed money for legal fees. $250 not a bad deal. It's been converted to cock on opening and the trigger is nice. I replace the barrel with a Midway short chambered a few years ago and it shoots pretty good with most ammo and really good with 120gr ballistic tips and 129gr SSTs. But the darn thing is just no fun to shoot! That plastic butt plate just HURTS when I shoot it. Whoever said the 6.5x55 was an easy recoiling round never shot one in this rifle. Over the years I've toyed with the idea of installing a recoil pad but I'd have to shorten the stock and I'd hate to chop that classic bishop walnut stock. I've toyed with getting another stock for it that I wouldn't feel bad about chopping up or a synthetic or laminated to use at the range; but I guess it's never made it to the front burner. Maybe a P.A.S.T. "sissy pad" for the range....
Anyway, do you have an "unloved gun"?View attachment 1075790 View attachment 1075792

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My version of that Mauser.... mine is actually a small ring 98 tho..... otherwise pretty much same parts.


Mine is in 257 Roberts. I'm running 115s out of it at about 2950-3000
I have a squishy pad on mine, tho I don't find it uncomfortable.




As to guns that are unloved, I don't really own those very long..... My last one was the 243 that I got for my buddy for $250, that turned into my 6.5 creedmoor long-range gun...... Everything else has been sold. If I don't find myself really liking it.

Ugly Sauce said:

I'd throw a rifle in the lake before I'd sell it to people that want to deny me ownership of any firearm, and then do unspeakable things to me after that goal was achieved.

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Let me know what lake you throw it in. And the gps location.

Larry in wyoming said:

@LoonWulf those rifles are definitely siblings. WOW!

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Yeppers.
Pretty standard set of 60-70s sporterizing bits.
Old Bishop stock, old stock 257 barrel (Most likely an A&B from Midway), buehler style Timney safety and Timney trigger. Old tasco rail, and some cheap Tasco rings.

The leupy scope, and limbsaver pad are the only parts that dont "fit the era".

Meeks36 said:

Let me know what lake you throw it in. And the gps location.

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Will do. Heck, I'll just send it to you.

I'm a fan of the Past recoil pads. They make a range trip with my 444 marlin a lot more pleasant.

One of my favorite 22s was once most definitely an unloved gun and it's a story I've always wished it would tell.

The rifle is a JC Higgins Model 28, a tube magazine semi-automatic that was only made for a very short period in 1951. In addition, the very first rifle I ever shot was a similar model that belonged to a slightly older friend (very possibly a Christmas 1951 present ordered from the Sears catalog). It's unusual since the bolt handle was on the left side and there is no way to lock the action open.

It's a joy to shoot and when I saw one for sale it brought back memories of several of us kids in the field shortly after hay baling but there is the evidence that not everyone felt as sentimental about the rifle as I.



The evidence is found on the stock.



Those teeth marks are about 20mm apart, on both sides of the stock and deep.

Not sure what made them but gotta believe it certainly didn't love this rifle.

I don't have any that I don't love, but I've sold/traded some. I would contend your felt recoil has more to do with stock geometry and fit than the lack of a recoil pad. I fire thousands of rounds per year with among others: Swiss K-31, Swedish M96, Mosin 91-30, all having steel butt plates and varying fit. The K-31 fits my proportions well and I find it's recoil mild compared to the M96 despite firing a 174gr bullet with substantially more gross recoil. The Mosins land somewhere in the middle for me. All of the above rifles are of similar gross weight

Depending on your proportions I would suggest a field expedient wrap on the comb with some smooth leather and a light padding. Try this as an experiment and see if it reduces perceived recoil. If so shop a more refined and attractive commercial "latigo" type comb riser. My guess is you are straining to see the optic properly and bad form is causing a slapping sensation. With my big square norwegian head, I would love the low comb, and hate the heavy rollover on the cheek side on your stock. I did a lot of rasping to a perfectly good Richards Microfit comb to reach correct proportions for me. You could also remove the butt plate, install a flat spacer to protect the wood(a speer or sierra bullet box makes good material for this) and a slip on leather field pad over the top.

I hate it that I don't get my dad's old Western Auto, Revelations .308 bolt gun fixed and fitted with a decent scope. It sits in my safe neglected because I've had to invest in guns as well as ammo to pass down to my boys. I might fix it up if I get some money loosened up soon.

Since I'm older and a little more recoil sensitive I wear a PAST shield when shooting my 300 Wby on the range. I don't want to replace the hard rubber Sako pad on the rifle so this is the next best thing.

My obsession with efficiency points me to if I don’t love it, I sell it.

-Stan

d2wing said:

A tip from a gunsmith friend is the use the guncase draped over your shoulder if it is fabric or leather for range shooting.

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Hmm, that's funny, I've done this exact thing. Never heard of anybody doing it but my shoulder was pretty tender one day when I was having a hell of a time getting on paper with a compact 18" 7-08 and after having been shooting other rifles before it, that nylon gun bag was looking pretty good.....

@jar are those speedloaders for the JC Higgins? I have a model 31, same left hand charger and no hold open. As I recall they were made by Hi-Standard for Sears. I think mine has a 18 round tube, so it’s like a bottomless pit, until you have to refill it.

Presumably every firearm I've purchased second-hand was unloved, at least to some extent, by the previous owner since they sold it on. Everything I own right now is loved by me. Some perhaps more than others, but there's no deadwood in my safes that I'd willingly part with at this time.

Now, some of my rifles have sat unsold on the LGS shelves for considerable periods before I bought them, so it would be fair to say they were not appreciated by others.

I bought my beautiful Wehrmannsgewehr in 8.15x46R at a virtual giveaway price because it took old weird ammo and needed a duffelcut repair.



I've also purchased a total of three smokeless centerfire Swedish rolling block rifles from Simpsons for a fraction of the going price on other rollers in similar condition, simply because 8x58Rd is another obsolete cartridge few US shooters are interested in:



Same goes for my two Swiss Vetterlis, Dutch M95, Carcano M38 in 7.35, plus some military sidearms. Right now I'm finding some decent buys (by current standards anyway) where guys who don't handload fear to tread.

Mine is a sporterized 1917 Eddystone.
Is got a 2.5x weaver scope hacked onto it. It's ugly but solid, accurate and reliable.

tmd16556 said:

@jar are those speedloaders for the JC Higgins? I have a model 31, same left hand charger and no hold open. As I recall they were made by Hi-Standard for Sears. I think mine has a 18 round tube, so it’s like a bottomless pit, until you have to refill it.

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Yes, speed loaders and also a way to store ammo in the same sheath as the gun. The 31 had lots more furniture IIRC. While the Model 28 was only made during about an 18 month period the 31 was listed all the way from mid-1953 until the middle of 1962. There was a Model 30 as well with even more furniture than the 31 that was listed from the middle of 1950 through 1953.

My 28 holds 15 + 1 rounds and a 19" barrel.

I picked up a really classy M/70 lightweight...........joy to look at, hold and carry and show off. Miserable shooting device.......it'l hold well under an inch with my stock 57 4350 under Sierra's 165's, but you sure don't want to shoot more than a couple...............Damn gun is like a good looking horse that takes a piece of meat out of your thigh, maybe like a woman that throws a boiling hot coffee pot your way.........came with a pad just like that horse did with a saddle or the woman with lipstick.............all are miserable!

Nice looking free rifle and you kept it and got rid of the wife.

What’s not to like???

If it's unloved it goes away. I'm not real smart about it though. I usually put sweat and money into trying to make it lovable before getting rid of it. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. The last two don't were an Axis and a Savage FV-SR. that I lost considerable money by trying to make them lovable. One that I managed to make a few bucks on was an Iver Johnson 22 revolver that required little effort effort on my part and no money to get looking good.

STANDARD STOCK 5" A RECOIL SUPPRESSOR : C & H RESEARCH STANDARD STOCK RECOIL SUPPRESSOR | Brownells
I believe these may help. I have heard of gunsmiths or anyone handy with a drill press can drill out the stock under the butt plate and insert one of these. I guess they thread on some stock bolts. Not sure, haven't tried it yet. I may put one in my 45-70. It has 36 pounds of recoil and it does not feel good.

The closest thing I have to an unloved rifle would be a Savage Axis and it really isn't unloved, just challenged. That Mauser it beautiful and it would be very much loved in my house. If it shoots well then have a recoil pad installed.