Hi, my current long range rifle is a 308 Tikka T3x superlite with a muzzle brake.
The recoil is too much for my shoulder to handle. Is a matter of time it will be dislocated. What can I do to manage the recoil?
Thanks.
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Hi, my current long range rifle is a 308 Tikka T3x superlite with a muzzle brake.
The recoil is too much for my shoulder to handle. Is a matter of time it will be dislocated. What can I do to manage the recoil?
Thanks.
Thicker softer recoil pad?
Try a suppressor rather than muzzle brake .
Bit of extra weight may help mitigate some recoil.
And be easier on everyone's hearing....
Hey sheep.
That rifle, caliber, and brake combination should be relatively mild to shoot.
First thing to check is you are using hearing protection. Suggest both ear plugs and muffs. A lot of perceived recoil is noise and concussion. With a muzzle brake you have an abundance of both.
Second Tikka's recoil pad is quite stiff. Get a limbsaver. You can buy them as a bolt on pre-sized part.
Next I would focus on shooting technique and body position both of which can significantly impact perceived recoil.
Have you got an experienced shooter than can go out for a few shots with you?
Get a heavier stock as well. That will soak up some recoil. If it's a range rifle weight shouldn't be an issue. Maybe get one of those 6.5's instead ?
Is it a factory tikka radial muzzle break? If so, I don't think they do much.
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Will get a suppressor after lockdown. Cheers.
What is the brake? A radial wont do much for you over a suppressor, a quality brake like a t2 terminator would turn it into a pussycat.
Good hearing protection is a absolute must with a brake.....a lot of "perceived " recoil is just the noise and blast.
Biggest way to reduce recoil is reduce bullet weight. Recoil pad, technique, brake etc all good recommendations. Bullet weight will make them all more effective by a lot. Maybe look at the 130gn weight? Still get you out pretty far/ with in practical 308 ranges anyway.
Buy a 'Past' recoil pad and wear it under your shirt........ I use it both at the range and in the field for calibers like the 375 H&H Magnum. Tames it right down and is comfortable to wear. I also wear a pair of electronic ear muffs when shooting big cals......
https://www.shooterssupplies.co.nz/p...apedrecoilpad/
DONT add a suppressor if you want more recoil reduction and particularly if you want light weight as you've said.
The factory brakes are average at best get a Terminator brake or similar and recoil will be less than half what your currently getting.
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its all in technique.....and noise reduction.....earplugs n muffs when using a loudener....some fellas swear by them...me ,I swear at them.
BORROW a suppressor with same thread. you arent perchance using hornady superpreformance loads???? if so DONT.
HIGHLAND/PRIVI are both mild recoil wise as is strangely enough Winchester 180grn power points....it feels less than the same in 150grn... and kills well.
I highly suggest reading link Im going to post here soon...read it three times so info sinks in...it made huge difference to my shooting and has helped a lot of others too.
https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Kno...at+Forend.html
I use springer air rifles, the hold technique is to let the front grip slide, artillery hold. Got a forwards & backwards recoil that buggers up accuracy.
Done this a few times with the 308, large pills, full Mounty loads, Wow the recoil was up there. Hold the front firm and push it back into your shoulder, the trigger hand is not as important. I use this grip even when bench rest shooting, that front hand firm helps heaps.
Just chiming in cause I don't like recoil, had torn tendons, and a shoulder op which has been not so successful, at the range I fire the odd big banger, with the right technique don't have a problem. As a young chap the 308 was too much for me.
Reload 110g Barnes ttsx and suppress ,my 10ry old shoots my .308 with this combo.
Somethings seriously wrong if your feeling like a 308 is going to break your shoulder. Smaller calibers are still good for hunting. Last thing you want to do is develop a flinch.
Have you shot a 308 before? A different rifle ? How was the recoil ? A light weight Tikka 308 without a good suppressor or brake can be a challenge for those of us who are recoil sensitive and as others have stated the muzzle blast from brake will add to felt recoil. See if you can borrow a suppressor and see if that helps. If intended use is hunting then suppressor is best option. A good brake like T2 terminator will be better at reducing recoil but not so user friendly for general hunting
Suppress and lighter loads. I run 130’s with 3 extra baffles on my dpt, shoots like a .223
My 9 yo nephew shoots out to 300m with it easy as. Even when it wasn’t suppressed and ran 180s in it it was still fairly tame but in that state i wouldn’t have got my nephew to shoot it. Loads of good advice above. Best thing I ever done was suppress it.
Or even due to your old injury you may just be super sensitive to shouldering it properly? I clean broke my collar bone playing rugby but nothing as serious as what yours sounds like. I would tend to look at your recoil management from A different perspective, some strength training for your shoulder may help? Chest back and shoulder was all I worked on when I was rebuilding from my break. Just my two cents
That's a rough deal of it mate.
If it's your collar bone giving you grief try to avoid shooting prone (lying down). You want be sitting and standing. That way the butt of the rifle isn't sitting on the collarbone and your body is also able to more easily move with the recoil rather than your body being stationary and the shoulder absorbing the recoil.
If your hunting definitely get a suppressor instead of a brake. The shoulder pad mentioned above would also be a good option as it'll spread the load across the shoulder.
There are bipod options for sitting or shooting sticks.
I'd be interested if the issue with recoil has just been during sighting/target shooting or you've experienced it hunting.
Depending where in the Waikato you are I have two suppressed .308s (one 3.2kg and the other 3.0kg) and a Tikka with a limbsaver that I could unscrew and pop on yours for you to try (it's on a .270 so you'll not want to shoot that until you figure out what's causing the issues).
Forgot to mention I have a limbsaver recoil pad on mine as well
I would take Makros offer. Some Tikkas kick like absolute bastards because of stock shape and material, you might have one of those
I use a Tikka T 3 lite 7mm rem mag with no suppressor or brake and when shooting game I don't notice recoil or noise.
I feel for you with your injury sorry to hear that.
I find holding the riffle as tight as I can into the shoulder helps but with an i jury like yours I would look at dropping down to a smaller calibre.
You would be supprised how far some of the smaller calibre riffles can shoot and yet knock over deer etc. I know a guy that only uses a 22 250 and he shoots more deer than anyone I know and it doesn't kick.
I could be out of line and slightly away from the topic saying this but if its that bad to shoot, I'd question how you can shoot accurately at long range (you say it's your long range hunting rifle). In turn if you can't shoot it accurately at long range then for ethical reasons you shouldn't be shooting animals at long range either.
Anyway... If you follow the advice here, I think you can reduce the felt recoil drastically. I think you will be surprised how much a difference a limbsaver can make, and probably your cheapest option. If that's not enough I'd go with a dpt supressor aswell. If I was in your position I'd be inclined to accept a little bit more weight in the rifle when carrying it to make the actual shooting more pleasant.
myself i would look at dpt and maybe change to a laminated or timber stock. I know what its like having a shoulder injury but lucky for me the other shoulder.
My ten year old shoots my rem mag with factory 165gr and doesn't complain about the recoil. Laminated stock and dpt
Wear a carrier harness / vest, any stiff webbing running over your shoulder spreads recoil nicely.
sell it too me.... Problem gone.
sorry couldnt resist.
On a serious note , I went through the same thing with a Niko under over 2 3/4 shotgun. After heaps of advice from here and a trip to turners sports in Feilding , a limb saver was fitted and hey presto .The recoil was absorbed. I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of duck shooting after being down and out from the shotgun hammering my shoulder black and blue.
I have a mate who has a destroyed collar bone, he can shoot his 308 with 178g no problem if sitting or standing but lying down it gives him a beating. Just the angle of where it sits in his shoulder.
For shorter range shooting (up to 150-200m), you can load the 308 with 30-30 type projectiles at 30-30 speeds, recoil is a lot less than full-power 308 loads but still drops animals very effectively.
110 barnes or 125-130grn projectiles do drop 308 recoil way down...seriously WAY down.....if you go 110grn route you are nearly turning it into a 243...... recoil should actually be less.....
decent recoil pad,the fatter the better...and hold rifle firmly,you know its going to shove,so OK its going to shove...sight picture,breathing,trigger control,breath in,half breath out..squeaze off..yeah that DIDNT hurt...do it again.
sitting on bench is better than prone for recoil as your body can move back..prone not so much.