Hardest Kicking Mil-surp

[M.E.Eldridge]

I was wondering what the hardest kicking military surplus rifles were. My M44 is stout and today I shot an Enfield No.4 Mk.2 rifle( I picked it up in very good condition with a bright bore for $129) and while shooting it from a bench I rested it to far on top of my shoulder bone and fired........owww. So what are your hardest kicking mil-surp rifles?

 

[MSGT9410]

My M48 is nasty when it's fed that 196gr stuff from Mitchell's

 

[jonnyc]

A friend had some Czech 7.92 cabine. What a pain! We used to make the "new guy" shoot it, sort of like an initiation.

 

[mustanger98]

IMO/E, in my misadventures with 8mm Mauser I've found the Turkish stuff is nasty for recoil. However, I've also observed that the K98k kicks harder with that load than the VZ-24 does. I found I like the 153gr Romanian loading better as far as recoil. But most everything kicks harder from the bench than it will from standing.

IMO/E, Enfields and .303 British don't kick bad at all. Unless maybe it wasn't shouldered right, and then just about anything's liable to hurt.

 

[MSGT9410]

But most everything kicks harder from the bench than it will from standing.

I'll second that

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

IMO/E, in my misadventures with 8mm Mauser I've found the Turkish stuff is nasty for recoil. However, I've also observed that the K98k kicks harder with that load than the VZ-24 does. I found I like the 153gr Romanian loading better as far as recoil. But most everything kicks harder from the bench than it will from standing.

IMO/E, Enfields and .303 British don't kick bad at all. Unless maybe it wasn't shouldered right, and then just about anything's liable to hurt.

Yah, I was leaning into it weird and the butt trap area was resting on the bone. I thought the cartridge wouldn't hurt too bad so I also didn't have it in tight.Last time I do that.

For anyone who would know, what is the kick of Springfield rifles in comparison to a Mosin or Mauser? Some people tell me the recoil is nearly uncontrollable.

 

[longhorngunman]

03, Nah. It's about like any other 30-06 bolt gun, and the Garand feels about like shooting my M4. The little Russian carbines are monsters with the right ammo. Some of the Mausers, especially witht the hot Turkish or Yugo ammo are very uncomfortable after 50rds. Don't own one yet but have heard the little Steyr-Mannlicher carbines are stout hitters.

 

[mordechaianiliewicz]

I got an M-38 that is murderous with the right kind of milsurp ammo. But I've noticed the full sized rifles regardless of manufacturer and model aren't too bad. M-38 is the only carbine I've tried though that is milsurp, and a bolt gun

 

[EVIL5LITER]

I've got a sizable collection of milsurps, and I found my K31 to be the monster of the group. Go figure.

 

[BillinNH]

Mosin Nagant model 38 with 174 grain milsurp heavy ball is very assertive. And loud. And has a great fireball.

With handloads you can make it much more manageable. The milsurp ammo is deigned for a 29" barrel whereas the model 38 is only 20". It needs faster powder.

Bill

 

[GILROY]

After shooting the big cal. milsurps with the steel "butt pads", it is obvious to me that they don't make men like they used to. Some of those WWI battles would last for days. I am 6'5" and 250 lbs, but after a few rounds, IT HURTS

 

[f4t9r]

I hate guns that kick hard , must be the old age and bad shoulder

 

[Cosmoline]

No question about it. The worst recoiling is the M-95 Hungarian straight-pull carbine shooting those unspeakable WWII surplus loads. Check these readings out:

http://members.nuvox.net/~on.melchar/8x56r/surp.html

That's THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED foot pounds of force out of a wee five pound carbine!

I can shoot any sort of Mosin or Mauser carbine without too much trouble. But I ached for days after shooting a few clips of that 8x56R surpllus out of my old M-95. It would make a great bear defense rifle if you could get better bullets for it.

 

[3rdpig]

Of the half dozen or so that I've got the 98K is the worst and the K31 is the least, at least that's how it feels to me. There's not much differencd between the 98K, the O3A3 and the 91/30, but the 98K just seems to beat me up the most.

Every time I shoot one of them I think of those men in WWI and WWII laying down flat and firing those rifles with the butt against the top of their shoulders, day after day. I guess the conditions were so terrible, and death always so close, that a beat up shoulder would be a minor problem.

 

[Huntzman]

After shooting the big cal. milsurps with the steel "butt pads", it is obvious to me that they don't make men like they used to. Some of those WWI battles would last for days. I am 6'5" and 250 lbs, but after a few rounds, IT HURTS

I don't believe we are less manly then those old WWI vet's, it's just that they had the fear of dying to offset the pain in the shoulder.

 

[GILROY]

True...True

 

[oneshooter]

I had a Martini carbine with a 18" barrel in 577/450 . Called it "Bruiser" because it left it's mark on you. Standard load of 85gr 2fg with a cast 500gr rn.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[Cosmoline]

Those big Martini/Henry rifles are notorious bruisers.

 

[texasguy]

But most everything kicks harder from the bench than it will from standing.

even my .30-30 hurts on the bench...

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

Those big Martini/Henry rifles are notorious bruisers.

For a while I was looking for one of those, but then I couldn't find any ammo.

If we count repros of old rifles, a Brown Bess musket that I had the chance to borrow from a re-enactor friend and fire a few times was the worst I've had.

How about 7.5 French, anyone shot a MAS 36. I found one at a gunshow the other day for $156 in near-mint condition(never shot, dropped once). I would have bought it, but I know of no sources for the 7.5 French ammo.

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

No question about it. The worst recoiling is the M-95 Hungarian straight-pull carbine shooting those unspeakable WWII surplus loads. Check these readings out:

http://members.nuvox.net/~on.melchar/8x56r/surp.html

That's THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED foot pounds of force out of a wee five pound carbine!

I can shoot any sort of Mosin or Mauser carbine without too much trouble. But I ached for days after shooting a few clips of that 8x56R surpllus out of my old M-95. It would make a great bear defense rifle if you could get better bullets for it.

Imagine laying down and firing it with the butt resting on the top of your shoulder. Ow. Are those M-95's still available and if so are their any weaker cartridges for it?

 

[Cosmoline]

The M-95 carbines are getting more expensive but are still pretty easy to find. I've seen a few locally for $200 or so. The long rifle versions are much more difficult to get ahold of. Ammo has been the huge problem, since the cartridge is very difficult to make yourself and the 8mm bullets are quite a bit wider than the 8mm's used in 8x57JS or 8mm Rem Mag. I've seen more reloading components on the market over the past two years though.

 

[Cosmoline]

How about 7.5 French, anyone shot a MAS 36. I found one at a gunshow the other day for $156 in near-mint condition(never shot, dropped once). I would have bought it, but I know of no sources for the 7.5 French ammo.

7.5 MAS is pretty mild, a notch less than .308. There's at least one factory making 7.5. I forget the name but it has the little legion etranger guy on the cover. The components are fairly easy to get ahold of at Grafs.

 

[Ivy Mike]

I've found the heavy ball stuff for Mosin-Nagants is worse than the more modern Czech light ball. That being said, I still think my 03A3 kicks harder than my M44 even with heavy ball. The thing that makes that M44 worse is the buttplate. Whoever designed that thing...should be shot.

 

[longhorngunman]

Wow! 3200ftlbs. Yep that settles it, I have to get one of those little buggers . And I've seen where a source has recently come available and they have that Nazi 8*56 in stock too. Also, Hornady I believe sells new non-corrosive ammo for it.