Recoil reduction for Rem 700?

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Chris B

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Sorry if this has been discussed but I searched and it turned up close to nothing relevent.

Anyway, I have a Remington 700 SPS in .308 and it kicks like a mule. I wouldn't consider myself "recoil sensitive"; I have no problem putting 3 inch slugs and buckshot through my 870 but the 700 beats me up. I've tried lighter bullets and whatnot but I'm shooting minute of 6 ring at 100 yards and minute of paper at 200. I've definately developed a flinch.

What, if any, recoil reducing products have you tried? Any experience with aftermarket muzzle brakes? Absorbtion pads? Links to specific products would be great.

Thank you in advance.

Chris
 
A friend has a 700 in 7mm Mag. that he had a KDF muzzle brake installed on. It in fact works and he has significant recoil reduction.
 
Shotguns with slugs or High Power Rifles can certainly give you a lesson in recoil and its control. If you are getting a lot of felt recoil and muzzle jump I would suggest you try holding your rifle in a different manner. Most people are told to hold the rifle firmly against the shoulder when firing to keep the butt from cracking your shoulder when the gun fires. This is good advice as far as it goes but it bears some detailing.

Assuming the Shooter is Right handed
1. When mounting the gun raise the Right Elbow so that the upper arm is parallel to the ground. This open up the shoulder and creates a pocket for the butt pad or plate. This will also prevent inadvertently placing the butt on the collarbone - which you will instantly regret!
2. Hold the butt against the shoulder with some pressure of your right arm but not with all your strength.
3. Put firm tension in both you arms and push forward on the forearm of the gun with the left arm - as if you are trying to pull it apart - back with the right, forward with the left.
4. Mount the gun to the face - not the face to the gun... do not dip your head to the stock.
5. When the gun fires absorb the recoil mainly with your arms... let them work like shock absorbers so that your shoulder (and face) do not get the brunt of the recoil momentum.

I have taught many lighter built people how to shoot full power 12 Guage loads with no discomfort. My exwife weighed 125 pounds and fired over 500 rounds out of a light (6.15 pound) Remington 600 .308Win in 6 days in a Gunsite Rifle Class with no bruising and no discomfort using these techniques. Your Remington weighs 7.25 pounds and has a "R3 Recoil Pad" and a synthetic stock - there is no reason it should be beating you up as badly as you are experiencing.

Work on recoil control... it is not that difficult and adds immeasurable to the enjoyment of shooting your rifle.
 
the rubber, slip on recoil pads are cheap, can be switched from gun to gun in seconds, and work great.I highly recommend them.
 
I second the recommendation of jrfoxx. The Sims Limbsaver slip on is the same thing as the R3 pad, and you can "double-up" if you must. The Limbsaver slip on has a very nice tight fit too.

How light have you gone? A 150 grain or something less is plenty for deer. Also, I don't think the 700 SPS is a super lightweight rifle, but the lighter the rifle, the more recoil you are going to feel. Here is a recoil estimator you can use http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/calculations/recoil/recoil.html

Before anyone even mentions it, don't even consider a mercury recoil reducer. I've tried it, it does add weight, but you can add weight by putting some lead in the stock much cheaper. Mercury does nothing special in my opinion.

Good luck. A .308 shouldn't be the limits of your recoil tolerance.
 
Check and see if Knoxx makes a rifle stock for it. Their shotgun stocks work very well. Kind of expensive but work better then any recoil pad. I think they have some videos on their web site.
 
I second the limbsaver recoil pad suggestion. Just added one to my 12ga and really was surprised it actually did something for recoil...more than I expected in fact. It had a nice spongy speedfeed pad on it to start with to. .308 generally is not a slobber-knocker but I've seen certain rifles that just seem to kick like a mule (usually lightweight ones) You can order it from limbsaver through your dealer for about $29.95 or through Remington parts department for about $35 & $8 shipping. Your next stop will be a muzzlebreak if you need more reduction...which would be odd for a .308 -

-I'd suggest a working load of 43gr. of H4895 with a 150gr bullet seated to crimp groove (starting load in lee book) worked great for me in my little spanish FR-8 carbine...very accurate and enjoyable. FMJ for practice Sierra prohunters (or any good 150gr SP) for Bambi. You just shouldn't need a break on a .308 IMHO. The pad and a little more practice in form should get you there. Also if you are just wearing earplugs try a good set of muffs...or muffs and plugs...sometimes that will help while working out a flinch problem. Usually it's best worked out with a good .22 bolt action and a brick on ammo though IMHO. Then go back to the .308 and start over once you upgrade the recoil pad.

Good luck and safe shooting
 
Remington makes the .308 (among other high power calipers) in their 'Managed Recoil' line of ammo. Up to 50 % less recoil and twice the bullet expansion of the full loads. I have a buddy that wanted a 300 win mag but didn't like the recoil so I got him a couple of boxes of this ammo and he loves them. Doesn't affect the zero at 100 yards and is quite effective out to 200 yards.
 
Recoil in 308

If a gun does not fit you it seems to recoil more.Remington 700's seem to be built for 5" 10' 140# Right handed guys with no neck. I took my 2 700's 243 and 308 to a good gunsmith to be fitted. A simple reasonablely priced process. A lead filled stock is a last resort but it does work. I did to a H&R 10 Ga. single shot that kick me senseless (my long suffering wife thinks around anything that bang, boom or pop I am senseless anyway). Good luck with your 308 they are wonderful guns.
 
I've always been a big fan of the Past recoil shield. Before I bought that, I would sometimes use a sandbag between the butt of my gun and my shoulder. Kind of awkward, but worthwhile If I planned on sighting in a new slug gun and planned on shooting 10 or more off the bench.

It is surprising that you are fine with the heavy shotgun loads, but getting beat up by the .308. Out of curiosity, do you usually shoot the shotgun standing while doing most of the .308 shooting either off the bench or prone? Those are generally the two positions where you get the most felt recoil and that's when I strap on the recoil protection when shooting harder kicking guns.
 
I did the mercury recoil reducer and it DOES NOT WORK anymore than any other chunk of weight. If you get a 14 ounce reducer, it does just that, adds 14 oz to the weight, therefore making your rifle kick just like it did before, except 14 oz heavier. Save the $50 and put 14 oz of lead in the stock if you need the weight!

The Gracoil and the Knoxx options are supposed the be the best for reducing up to 50% of recoil, of course you'll be out $250 or so. A muzzlebrake is going to cost you about $150. It looks cool, but you'll be deaf. So how cool will you look with hearing aids?

Weigh your options carefully.
 
I have a Marlin .45-70 and shoot handloads, 400 grain Speers very a healthy dose of Varget. Heard all the hoopla about recoil. Before I even took it home I had a Decelerator pad installed. Extremely pleasant to shoot.
 
I have a 700 VSF in .308, and compared to my old 6.5 lb Ruger - also in .308 - it is very pleasant to shoot. My issues with the rifle, particularly the first few times I shot it, were getting used to longer ergonomics compared to the Ruger, and the different cheek weld. I put a neoprene sleeve with foam inserts on the buttstock to raise the comb height. That, more than anything else, made the rifle easier to shoot. But other than that, I didn't find that it pounds me more than it ought to.
 
Heed AZ_Rebel's advice on recoil control! I have an Encore Katahdin in .45-70 that weighs about 6-6 1/4 pounds. It used to give me a good shoving, but after using the pull-the-rifle-apart technique, I now find it no more unpleasant than my old .260 Remington was. And I think finding the shoulder-pocket is also a key element.

Also, the advice about gun-fit is spot on. I'm 5' 8" and 150, so I agree that Remingtons are stocked "funny."
 
Mag-Na-Port or muzzel brake and a Pachmayer Decelerator butt pad, in concert they should take the sting right out of that rifle.
 
43gr. of H4895 with a 150gr
Click to expand...

Must agree with this as a good range load. It significantly
decreased felt recoil while shooting my 30-06 mauser off
the bench. Accuracy was good also but that may be because
it wasn't kicking me. Still, a recoil pad of some kind helps.
Especially when you're working up a load. Felt recoil can be
an accuracy variable.
 
Sam- Yes I do shoot the shotgun standing either offhand or with an improvised rest, while I strictly shoot the .308 from the bench.

Thanks for all the input everyone. I think I'm going to start with the pad since that seems to be the cheapest route, along with Rebel's technique. I'll probobly get some of that Rem managed recoil ammo too.
 
Recoil is a function of gun weight, bullet weigh, powder charge and bullet velocity. To reduce recoil, you have to address one of these four factors. I dislike muzzle brakes because they are loud - but they can reduce recoil. If 308 out of a 700 is too much, then it's probably a stock design issue. Look into a better recoil pad, or a different stock. A lighter bullet will also reduce recoil, as will less velocity.

Adding weight to a rifle does reduce recoil. There is a reason that big bores like the 458 are rarely made in 7 pound rifles. Adding 1 pound to a 7 pound rifle will reduce recoil energy by about 10%.

If 308 is really a problem, you may want to consider going to a cartridge like 7mm-08, 260 or 243.
 
Another thing I just thought of. When you are shooting off the bench, don't lean too far forward into the rifle. Doing so will reduce you're bodies ability to move with the rifle as it recoils. This will mean that you're shoulder will get beat much worse than if you are more vertical. It's the same reason why it is easier to handle recoil standing rather than prone. Basically to accomplish this, I move the rifle and sandbags about a foot closer to me and I am then able to sit up straiter. The result is my body is able to move with the rifle, and I feel less of a sting in my shoulder.
 
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