recommend a rifle for a recoil-phile

I agree with a 30-06 with a 180gr. bullet. Reason for this is that the 30-06 is widely considered at the calibre at which you will develop a flinch if so inclined.

416 Rigby http://www.realguns.com/archives/175.htm

I really like my 600 Overkill, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it for 200 yards. For shooting a rifle off a bench I don't think I would want anything bigger than a 460 Weatherby.

In the ordinary category: 7.62x54R Mosin Nagant, in the M44 carbine
Make sure it got the original steel butplate.
If you shoot it at dusk, you get some free fireworks too

I'm a fan of my M44.
Want a little more? Buy one with a ratty stock and throw an AIM polymer one on.

MachIVshooter said:

Hahaha! Kind of an expensive way to amuse yourself and lose friends, though. lol.



I don't know that it could handle "Marlin & Ruger loads" (nor would it be much fun with them), but I'm thinkin' it'd be a blast with some moderate hardcast loads, like 400 grainers at about 1,500-1,600 FPS.

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I don't think you could stand to shoot it even at those fairly sedate speeds

The 30-30 maybe

The 45/70 OUCH

A milsurp M95 Steyr-Mannlicher carbine. Hardest kicking milsurp I own, and I have plenty Moisin-Nagants in various lengths. I'm a big guy and I'd rather shoot my 9.3x62 all day that that M95. For added fun shoot 1930's vintage ammo that will have frequent hang-fires. Pull trigger, wait a full second, then bang!

M-95 Steyr gets my vote as well.

Hot loaded .45/70 in a NEF Handi-Rifle. Will give you all you want for a bargain price.....

Like the handi rifle idea! Course the heaviest recoil to be commonly found is 2 ounce turkey loads and 1-3/4 ounce magnum slugs through any of the 12 gauge single shots. Don't try this from a bench! A 5 pound gun puts out over 100 pounds of sharp recoil, not gentle shove there.

How about a revolver in 450 marlin https://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms/Magnum-Research-450-Marlin-Revolver-10-inch-Barrel.asp

That Uberti looks gorgeous, but probably a bit too painful in 45-70. I'm more into the 30.06 range. Something that will leave my retinas intact.

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You wuss....

If you're satisfied with 30-06 like recoil then there's a HUGE number of options for you. I'd suggest the Mosin and a couple of SPAM cans of ammo but I understand that recent laws or policies are going to make the former communist bloc ammo a little harder to find and more expensive when you can find it.

So that leaves you with just about any rifle you can get and simply move into reloading your own ammo. With reloads you can cut the cost down to around 25 to 30 cents a round for the bullet, powder and primer. And with care and the odd annealing of the neck area the cases will last well over 30 shots before they begin splitting. More if you start with a known heavy kicker and load it down to a milder velocity.

The gun weight really counts as well. A .45-70 shot from a 12lb Sharps isn't that bad. But the same cartridge shot from a light Handi Rifle or TC Encore will rock you out of your socks. But of course you can simply download the round to obtain whatever recoil level you like.

I had a .340 Weatherby once, it will let you know it's there when it lights off...

Very good ballistics/energy as well.

Of course, it does not meet the rifling nor the 200 yards criteria, but for inexpensive (less than a dollar a round) and easy to find (sold everywhere) punch (pain?) in the shoulder, the twelve gauge very basic slug is just great. It's made a .338 Winchester with a nice soft pad feel very delicate.

On the softer, rifled, longer range side of things, my Remington 760 Gamemaster in .30-06 Springfield with a metal but plate is cute. Still pleasant to shoot, but lets you know you have shot it. Noting comparable to the twelve, but it wakes you up after a hundred .22 LR shots. Like others, I will insist on the metal plate part, it just seems of importance.

M-95 Steyr gets my vote as well.

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For whatever reason, my Steyr never kicked so bad as my K31. I truly think recoil for the '06-class of rifle rounds is almost totally dependent upon stock geometry. Granted, I never shot Nazi surplus which is supposed to be slightly hotter, but that's only because it was expensive & borderline-unsafe to shoot in pressure in the first place. It's getting rebarrelled to 50 Alaskan, so I imagine my opinion of its kick will change a good deal.

TCB

Had Ruger No 1 in 45/70 and kept a box of reloads with me for the recoil junkie. 300 grain jacketed at 2400 fps. No one wanted to fire it a second time. Recoil was between 45 /50 ft lbs.

.45-70, .300 wm or wsm should work.

Ruger #1 in .30-378

Get a 416 Rem Mag, mine is a bit of a punch but tolerable. Not something that I want to shoot from a bench very often. It has a little recoil if you like that sort of thing. My 450 Marlin lever action is not much fun either.

I would say some stout 180gr 300 win mag loads rank right up there.

My candidate for this particular affliction would be my Ruger #1H (Tropical) in.416 Rigby.

I have actually loaded it (and chronographed the result!) with a Barnes 300-grain X-bullet..... at a flat 3000 feet per second.

The #1 is generally considered to be a hard-kicking rifle, and with the Barnes 300, well over 100 grains of powder, and that high muzzle speed,...... it lives up to the reputation.

One DEFINITELY does not want to have his tongue between his teeth when the hammer falls; believe me, I KNOW!

Even with the somewhat-slower 400-grain loads, it kicks.... but the higher recoil velocity with the hot 300 really makes itself felt.

The handloaded .416 Rigby will equal the .416 Weatherby, for all practical purposes. Why not? It's essentially the same cartridge.

50 BMG enough?

If your wanting recoil, 12 ga slugs will do it, tho 200 yards is getting long.
Otherwise any WW1 or 2 Milsurp will work.
But if you want something that pushes hard, and gets real busy fast when you touch one off, would .50 BMG be enough?

It's a little funny to me that people now talk about 30-06 and Mosins having heavy recoil. I think shooting Ar15s has "recalibrated" people's expectations of recoil in centerfire rifles.

How about a 45/70 with a stout handload or a 338/375 class magnum? The 45/70 lever guns are a hoot to shoot. Touch off a 338/340/375 and you'll definitely know that something big just happened.

Bigger than that, I have to go with Clint Eastwood "A man's gotta know his limitations".....

My 8mm Rem Mag is the hardest recoiling rifle I own, especially when stoked with 200gr Accubonds.