Question about shooting position and recoil

[bigalexe]

Ok i could test this manually but i think someone may know the answer and id rather they tell me then i go injure my shoulder in a field experiment.

Im wondering if shooting from different positions makes a significant difference in the amount of recoil one can withstand from a long-gun. Im not talking necessarily about how comfortable or accurate your are so much as the potential for injury be it repeated stress (150 rounds of 3 1/2" 12-Gauge in a day) or a single dislocation of your shoulder (a small guy firing a .50 Caliber Bolt Action).

It seems to me in theory that you would be able to withstand alot of recoil in the prone position because your body is most in-line with the firearm in that position compared to standing or sitting. However on the other hand im thinking that stress may be transmitted right through the shoulder into the spine where you could potentially injure your back instead of your shoulder. Anyway im just curious what peoples opinions are on the subject.

 

[jbkebert]

It seems to me in theory that you would be able to withstand alot of recoil in the prone position because your body is most in-line with the firearm in that position compared to standing or sitting

It is really quite the opposite. The lower to the ground that you are and the more stable your position the less your body gives. On the other hand the lower you are to the ground the more accurate you become. With less give in your position it allows you to hold the gun very still. Don't shoot standing if you can shoot sitting don't shoot sitting if you can shoot prone. Along with that the more stable you are the more punishment you will take.

 

[bigalexe]

Thanks, you may very well have just saved me from injuring myself by thinking i could shoot a .308 bolt from prone without injury.

Let me just get this right, the more stable you are then you are more prone to injury from recoil because your body cannot give.

 

[06]

Recoil is not great enough to injure you unless firing some cannon loaded hot. I am a skinny 6'2" 140#s and have fired all day when shooting comp. I did wear a sweatshirt and padded shooting jacket but you will be just fine with normal clothes. If you use your strap encirling your arm or just tightly pulled across your arm and find your shoulder "pocket" you can hold your rifle tightly there and fire away from any position. Don't let that rifle scare you into flinching(one of the worst habits destroying accuracy). Have someone to load for you and when "hit" and empty watch for trigger jerk and flinching as you anticipate the shot. You will greatly increase your consistency using this method. Let the shot "surprise" you instead of anticipating it. Soon you will be "calling" your shots. Enjoy the sport, enjoy plinking, but learn from every shot-hey, we may need each other some time, wc

 

[Jim Watson]

The .308 is not going to injure a healthy person from any ordinary position, prone or bench included.
I wear a strapon RAND pad to protect my rather bony shoulder against brusing.
I am usually stiff and achy after shooting prone for any length of time, but that is the position acting on my arthritis, not the recoil, and occurs with any caliber, even .22.

 

[aka108]

Shooting off a bench in a sitting down position using a front rest will let you feel the recoil. If you tend to be recoil sensetive and avoid any sholder bruises try using a Past recoil pad. You can wear it under your shirt if you think you buds might call you a wuss. The recoil pad really works and you can shoot all day in total comfort.

 

[Pistol Toter]

In days of old when knights were bold; and I was whole lot younger it was not at all uncommon to go afield and fire 12ga. 2.75 and 3" magnums all day long. This was done without the use of any recoil reducing accesory. As I got older some light brusing began to appear; this got progressively worse. The last time I fired a shotgun it was a .410 and it brused me some. I never was bothered by recoil; if I could shoulder it, I FIRED it. But I began to also notice that I brused easier anyway. If I banged my arm into someting solid, I brused, and so forth. I think that as I got older the blood vessels get/got thinner and it was easier to bruse. I was never brused by a rifle of any kind or calibre. With the onset of old arthur... in my hands, wrist and elbows, I can withstand a moderate amount of pistol fire but if I over-do-it my hands will be tender a day or two. I don't think recoil has as much to do with it as age. At one time a lot of us could run faster than a speeding bullet, leap tall buildings in a single bound, stop freight trains pulled by four steam chest, steam mallet.... Those days are over for some, and thats me included. The human body is very resilient and can take a tremendious amout of punishment. Unless you are very frail, weak, or sick; I doubt your .308 will break your arm. In my case, I got to be concerned that the brusing would case some type cardio problem, maybe like an embolism. (spelling) I have given up on shooting anything like that, just for that reason. If I needed to for some emergency reason, I'd still pick a 12 ga double and bust both barrels at the same time. I don't look for that event to happen. Just my thougth on the matter. P.T.

 

[mljdeckard]

There's a difference between a bit of a bruise and injury. To me at least. I will GLADLY come home with a bruise if it means I got to shoot all day.

 

[eye5600]

Technique counts too. If you don't seat the butt tight against the shoulder, the gun gets up some speed in recoil and gives you a punch instead of a push.

 

[jnyork]

If your rifle fits you properly and you use correct positions, you should have nothing to fear in prone, sitting or offhand. You will notlce less recoil in offhand.

 

[andre73]

Lean Forward

Make sure you lean forward...


Right Way


Wrong Way

 

[Pistol Toter]

Technique counts too. If you don't seat the butt tight against the shoulder, the gun gets up some speed in recoil and gives you a punch instead of a push.

You are absolutely correct, sir. I started to bring that point out in my post and forgot it. That's something else that occurs with age;:banghead: and might I add it seems to be worsening at an expontentially velocity. A lose gun on the shoulder or an improper fitting stock is a problem that many over look. There are many techniques and rules and helps to handleing long arms especially those with significant power.

In the end I was coming home with no discomfort I might add but later on in the evening when showering I would have a quite blue shoulder, not arm, but shoulder. Age just caught up with me. DANG IT!!!

 

[alemonkey]

Standing offhand is pretty much always going to mitigate recoil the best, as it allows your whole body to rock backwards with the gun and absorb it. No way are you going to injure yourself with .308 recoil unless you have osteoporosis. In fact, it's going to be pretty hard to injure yourself with the recoil of any rifle, unless you're talking about some crazy magnum in a light gun.

Also, don't just put the butt on your shoulder. Get it in tight, on the pectoral muscle. That helps a lot.

 

[trgrcntrl]

The only injury from shooting that I can think of, other than minor bruising, is the "scope eyebrow". While leaning forward is a good idea, do not push your head too far forward, even with a light recoiling rifle.

Another not too common one, you don't forget this one, do not put anything behind the slide of a semi-auto. You cannot aim better with a pistol closer to your eye, trust me.

 

[Ned Kelly]

Guns that you would preferably not want to shoot prone unless necessary (hunting or self defence) would be a 12 guage slug, big bore muzzleloader, or a .577 Tyrannosaur .

You can easily crack a collar bone.

prone is good for getting under the wind when its blowing roughly.

I would never shoot a 3 and a half inch 12 guage shell or a 10 guage shell from the prone position.

I have never fired a .50 caliber barret before and I have no idea how they can shoot it as often as they do from the prone without injury.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I shoot my .308 from the prone position all the time, I don't find the recoil bad at all, can put 30 rounds downrange and I'm still doing fine. My handloads are fairly warm, 168 grain SMK at 2650 fps.

 

[Cannonball888]

Don't shoot standing if you can shoot sitting don't shoot sitting if you can shoot prone.

And don't shoot prone if you can shoot from underground
(shooting from a foxhole using a sandbag rest). Excellent results.

 

[lions]

(a small guy firing a .50 Caliber Bolt Action).

I have noticed that smaller guys seem to actually have less trouble with recoil. Their bodies rock back under recoil while larger guys stay mostly in place and directly absorb more recoil.

 

[bigalexe]

Wow i checked back to see if this thread terminated and ended up gaining some more insight. The reason i ask about injury is because of my bodyweight and general build, which i believe ive discussed in other threads. Anyway im 5'7" and 80-85 lbs. So basically a shotgun on my shoulder is sitting on bone. What im worried about mostly however is putting myself in a position where the recoil compresses my spine because i have 6 bolts and 3 rods holding it together.

I have a friend who is within an inch of my height and also under 100 lbs. and shoots .308, 20-gauge, and 12-gauge but hes a little more crazy than i am and doesnt have as much back hardware.

 

[Ned Kelly]

For your situation when target shooting I would strongly advise shooting from the bench. Prone shooting may not be helpful for your situation.

 

[jnyork]

Have you had a conference with the physician who put all the hardware in your back? Seems to me he would be a much better source of correct information than some guys you met on the internet?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

in the old days, when we shot real guns at matches, the proper prone position placed the body at about a 30 to 45 degree angle to the line of fire and included hiking up the right leg and digging in the edge of the right foot.

Recoil, especially in rapid fire, would tend to rotate the body clockwise -- just enough to take your natural sight position off target -- and the shooter would readjust his position with his right foot.

 

[bigalexe]

The doctor would tell me to protect my back as much as possible. He would tell me i shouldn't have replaced the axle half-shaft in my car, work in the machine shop at school, carry hydraulic cylinders in my automation class, and definitely not shoot guns. Also the doctor isnt exactly available a whole lot. Lookup Dr. Boachie.

 

[Wolfeye]

Sounds like this is a bit of a challenge, then. Beyond good form, other easy ways of helping with recoil are to use a shoulder pad or a high-quality buttstock pad. Automatic rifles tend to spread the perceived recoil out a bit, too, so it's not as sharp; might be worth looking into if you normally fire something different.

Might also want to experiment with calibers too to see what you're comfortable with. I've always had a "pick just enough caliber to get the job done" attitude. If one caliber is so big that the body thinks it's getting hurt, it will make you flinch. Pick the calibers that let you shoot with good form.

Weightlifting can do a lot to help out with the body's resistance to injury. I'm not talking bodybuilding here, just proper training to make the body fit. Best talk to your doc about it.