The Hardest Kicker

[buckeyeshooter]

577 nitro express double gun

[71fan]

The most unpleasant gun I ever shot was a 329PD with the wood stocks on it, shooting full house 44 mag. My FA 454 5-1/2" was close behind, but rolled better in the hand. Those 329PDs are brutal. One cylinder and your finished.

As far as rifles, I guess the Timber 450 Marlin and the WWG Copilot 457 Magnum were both very stout at 6.5 pounds each, but still managable.

I just bought a Weatherby Mark V in 300 Wby and haven't shot it yet. Based on what I've read here, I'm betting that will top the two uber leverguns.

[Doc Hudson]

That is kinda hard to say, there are three contenders for the title.

only two guns have ever drawn blood from me when fired. One is my old Charter Arms .44 Bulldog. There is an indention on the left grip panel and if one shoots it without placing the thumb in that indention the cylinder release will bite the thumb. That is more of a design problem than a recoil problem so I guess that one is out.

The other is Big Daddy's ancient Hopkins Allen Forehand single-barreled shotgun. It was made sometime between 1902 and 1914. From the model name I'd think it came from early in that period when Hopkins Allen was using up the Forehand marked parts. It was the first shotgun I ever fired, and I'd seen it literally knock some of my older cousins flat on their backs. One morning when we'd been run in from the garden by a rain shower, I saw a flock of crows coming into the con patch. I grabbed the old Hopkins Allen, a handful of shells and took off for the corn, loading on the run. The crows, of course took off before I got into range, but I threw the gun to my shoulder, cocking on the way. That old cannon went off when the stock was about an inch and a half or two inches from my shoulder. It kicked me right square in the mouth, opened the breech and hit me in the eye with the fired shell. But I didn't fall down and I didn'tdrop the gun. i was never afraid of it again, even though it continued to kick the living shot out of me and once managed to slice my hand with the barrel latch.

When it comest to rifles the most uncomfortable I've ever shot was my Marlin Guide Gun shooting 405 gr. bullets at a chronographed 2050 fps. With a bullet that heavy at that velocity that rifle would kill on one end and cripple on the other.

EDIT:

I can't believe I forgot Jim Taylor's Bowen .475 Linebaugh! On one visit to the J Bar T I shot it. Macho made me even shoot two full cylinders of Jim's hunting load, IIRC a 375 gr bullet @ 1700 fps. The trigger guard rapped the knuckle of my index finger so badly it swelled to the point I couldn't close it for a week. Funny thin is after shooting that handcannon, I shot my M-640 in an efffort to fight off the flinchies. I let Jim shoot it and he said he didn't like it because of the recoil! I guess we were even

[Hobie]

I think it was the Ruger #3 in .45-70. Not sure of the loads used now as it was a friends gun and ammo. However, I had an immediate change of heart about wanting one of those neat looking little carbines and have passed several by over the years since. Funny thing is, a fellow that often comes in the gun shop owns one and absolutely loves it! He doesn't think it kicks at all.

[madman4570]

Ya, I think people build up a tolerance to shooting the stout stuff.
That guy that used the .505 Gibbs I shot was only about 5 foot 9" and only weighed about 170lbs.
He also had his bow weight set at 80lbs with a Full Cam.

He was the guy that got me into Bow Hunting and I will never forget getting my bow, after him having me try about 6 or 7 diffrent bows at settings around 70lbs or so(here I am this 6 foot 4" guy around 230lbs benching 420lbs)I couldn,t pull them anymore.

The owner of the shop and Pat were just laughing. He said" we love to see these big football player types
come in here and after some bow pulls they are wasted.
I didn't realize that you didn't just use your arms but pull using chest/back etc. Anyway to make a long story short I think it is what you are used to and grow into.

[Griff]

My 1970 Win 94. That checkered, flat steel buttplate simply bites. Oh sure, I can shoot 20-30 rounds before my shoulder feels it... but when compared with my custom m94 trapper, and its' gently curved buttplate... no contest; either it, any of the SRCs or the crescent buttplated rifles I have, I can shoot a full box of 50, and start on another before the plinkin' fun is over. Usually due to loss of daylight!

My B-I-L's Ruger M-77 in 7mm RemMag kicks way harder than my Rem 700 in the same caliber, with the same ammo. Luckily my synthetic stocked mdl 700 has a bull barrel so they actually weigh in the same. Interestingly, the 700PS (police special) has less muzzle jump even tho the stock ergonomics are the same... I'm guessin' it's the barrel configuration. My Browning 1886 rifle in .45-70 with anything over the 405grain pill is more than I need. Even the 325grainers that I like, can get tiresome.

If'n you ain't ready... both barrels from a 12 guage side x side will put most adult males on their kiester.

Probably the hardest kicking rifle I've ever shot was a Griffin & Howe double rifle in .404 Jeffries. Standing, offhand, it pushed me back a step.

[getitdone1]

An 8 bore double rifle.

Ray--I believe you!

As you know, there was a 4 bore but my understanding is it was used primarily as a "punt gun" mounted on a boat and used for shooting waterfowl while they were sitting on the water.

Still, I recall reading about a fellow or two, in the early days of "whites" in Africa, who used a 4 bore. Seems Selic or some name like that had a double barrel 4 bore and the gun was faulty. Both barrels went off at once and gun went flying over his shoulder. Expect someone here can enhance this some.

Don

[C. Cash]

Four bores seem to have a little push......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly140tZ4-rU

[getitdone1]

C. Cash,

Took a look at the 4 bore shooting your suggested. Several different videos of different people shooting a 4 bore. Surprised to find one video--could be more--of a guy letting several guys shoot his 26 lb 2 bore ! Can you imagine? Believe the bullet weighed 2500 grains. Is that right? Wow! No question, the very heavy weight of the gun made it possible--with shoulder pad and butt pad.

One of the 4 bore videos shows the gun getting away from the shooter and looked like the guy standing behind him may have been hit in the head with it. Big boom with this one.

Worth seeing for sure.

Don

[getitdone1]

I forgot to mention that one day a friend and I were out rabbit hunting. No luck with the hunting so I tell my friend I think I'll try both barrels of my grand dad's double 12 at once. Shooting Remington "high brass." The old gun had external hammers and hard rubber for a butt plate. Cocked'em both back and put her to my shoulder and boom. Not too bad, but didn't care for seconds. Well.....in a way since I then told him I was going to try it holding the gun along my side. Held as tight as I could but the barrel release lever skinned the web of my right hand.

I expect that was the most recoil I've ever taken. All in all it was fun. Funny though, never did it again. Now that I think about, although now have only a light weight tenite stocked dbl 16 ga., may just give it a go with this gun----for old times sake.

Don

[Blaine]

A H&R Topper 12ga with magnum 00 buck. Some of the max 45-70 loads in a #1 were mighty painful, too.

[El Chivo]

I still have a nice purple bruise from shooting my NEF Pardner 12 gauge two weekends ago. It weighs about 5 lbs, once it beat me so bad it made me nauseous.

Last get-together I fired something of Jim W's that was cut-down and light, but a fat caliber. At the shot it flipped up about 45 degrees, and almost took off out of my hands.

[Old Ironsights]

Old "high recoil" 3" Magnums out of a riot-barreled Mossberg 500 wearing a folding Wire stock.

Ow...

[Machado]

I own and every other blue moon shoot an old Win M70 in .458 Win Mag. It's the most useless gun I own. As far as handguns are concerned, the nod goes to a very stiff 310 gr. .44 mag load in a 10" Contender, indeed so stiff I sometimes think it will straighten up the rifling. In my environment this load is just as useless as the .458. But they're superb domesticators, though.
Antonio

[firefuzz]

Years ago I traded for an old original Weatherby in .460, one of the one's built on a magnum Mauser action before Roy designed his own action and before they came with a factory muzzle brake. It was a SERIOUS kicker, the first time I shot that gun it bloodied my nose, I was in no way prepared for that kind of recoil. I've owned two .458's, a Ruger #1 and a Model 77. Those guns were soft recoiling compared to that .460 Weatherby.

It became quite the quest at family get-to-gethers to see if anyone could shoot it three times with factory ammo, all it would hold, in a minute...there was a little betting going on too . My cousin Frank used to trip off both barrels of Grandad's ole 12ga for grins and giggles. He's the only one that ever managed to do it, amidst much head shaking, cursing, and a few false starts. I gladly paid him the $20 involved in the venture...but I doubt he knew where the money came from until later. He walked around for the rest of the day with a glazed look on his face and saying "Huh?" anytime anyone spoke to him.

Rob

[madman4570]

Those 12ga double barrels kick pretty good when you shoot both barrels at once.
I do this with my Stoeger 3" 12ga Uplander(double triggers) few times a year with 3" 00 Buck.
But I got to tell you that very hot loaded .505 Gibbs is a LOT worse!
I feels like a big linebacker ran up and forearmed you big time in the shoulder area!

[Adobe Walls]

Howdy.

The top two have to be a Ruger #1 in .470 Nitro that weighed in shy of 10 lbs (probably way shy) and one of those NEF single shot turkey guns shooting 3.5" 2oz 12 ga. loads. The recoil on the custom Ruger actually cracked the forend after about 10 shots and the NEF gun put a visible bruise on my cheekbone in one shot. After those two, my early 70's 1895 crescent butt Marlin .45/70 seemed much tamer. It was a bit rowdy with 400 grain Speers and a healthy dose of 748 to be sure though. I also remember getting the stuffin's beat out of me with a little 20 ga SXS Stevens gun when I was a kid of about 9 or ten though. Even my Dad commented that that little gun sure kicked a lot for it being only a 20.... Probably the typical too light for what it throws syndrome. AW