Kano383
Member
A few days ago, I fired a double in .470 NE. Made in Ferlach, Austria, a good quality rifle, weighing in the 10.5-11 lbs from what I can tell. Not bad in balance, certainly better than the Krieghoff or Merkels I have handled, although not as well balanced as some old English doubles I had in my hands.
Well... That stupid thing kicked like a mule. A nasty, sharp punch in the shoulder, and lots of muzzle rise. Two rounds were all I cared for, and the next day I saw a bruise on my shoulder.
Now, before someone starts the smart comments about going to the gym, and graduating from a .22 LR to a .22 Magnum: my light rifle is a 9.3x62, and my carry rifle is a .458 Lott weighing all of 8.6 lbs empty. On a recoil calculator, no matter how many times I punch the numbers in, my Lott has more recoil than that double.
When I sight-in the Lott, or plink a few rounds, I've set a personal daily limit of 6 rounds to avoid shots becoming unpleasant (which your brain has a tendency to remember even if you're not aware of it). Never did that rifle hurt me.
So, what gives? My quick assessment is: too hard and too narrow a recoil pad, and too much slope on the stock. The Lott as a very straight comb, and a really good pad. It was built for the job: started as an off-the shelf CZ 550, then got shortened to 20", innards polished and feeding perfected, and the stock lightened by a master rifle maker till the balance was just right. A Limbsaver recoil pad was installed, and the stock trimmed and reshaped till it fitted me (that was a US-made CZ walnut stock, they're bulkier to start with than the European made stocks). That's all...
In conclusion: if you have a hard recoiling rifle, fit and details are much more important than raw weight...
Well... That stupid thing kicked like a mule. A nasty, sharp punch in the shoulder, and lots of muzzle rise. Two rounds were all I cared for, and the next day I saw a bruise on my shoulder.
Now, before someone starts the smart comments about going to the gym, and graduating from a .22 LR to a .22 Magnum: my light rifle is a 9.3x62, and my carry rifle is a .458 Lott weighing all of 8.6 lbs empty. On a recoil calculator, no matter how many times I punch the numbers in, my Lott has more recoil than that double.
When I sight-in the Lott, or plink a few rounds, I've set a personal daily limit of 6 rounds to avoid shots becoming unpleasant (which your brain has a tendency to remember even if you're not aware of it). Never did that rifle hurt me.
So, what gives? My quick assessment is: too hard and too narrow a recoil pad, and too much slope on the stock. The Lott as a very straight comb, and a really good pad. It was built for the job: started as an off-the shelf CZ 550, then got shortened to 20", innards polished and feeding perfected, and the stock lightened by a master rifle maker till the balance was just right. A Limbsaver recoil pad was installed, and the stock trimmed and reshaped till it fitted me (that was a US-made CZ walnut stock, they're bulkier to start with than the European made stocks). That's all...
In conclusion: if you have a hard recoiling rifle, fit and details are much more important than raw weight...