7mm recoil help

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undercover

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I have a Ruger 7mm that’s been a tack driving fool, only one problem starting to rear its head, noticeable recoil. I shoot 140 grain anything as it never deviated from anything I put through it. I am 53, shoulder arthritis just past early stage, and yes, I will admit, losing meat/fat in this region. The gun itself has a beautiful wood stock with love marks that have memories. Anyway, my wife has a synthetic 7mm-08 which is considerable less recoil, also shooting 139 grain. Outside of spending $$$$ on a new rifle I’m leaning towards a slip on limbsaver. The website says up to 60% less recoil. Even if I get 30% I think it would be near the 7mm-08. Need opinions from some who went down this road of you have a moment. Thanks in advance

Blessings

Brian
 
Witt Machining makes a clamp on style brake. Kind of hokey, but they do work
 
Definitely try upgrading the recoil pad. It’s just a personal thing, I hate the way the slip ons look but a good fitted pad (decelerator or kick eez) can make a huge difference. Depending on the stock adding weight may also help.

One of the worst recoiling rifles I ever had was an m77 30-06 with that black boat paddle stock. Some stocks just don’t channel recoil to the shooter very well
 
I'm sure you can get a direct-fit limb saver it will look better.
If your gun is not listed print off their patterns and find the one that fits.
Did you ever hear of a dead mule? They are used in the stock of your gun, many shotguners use them. I put one inside my REM 700 8mm rem mag.
GREAT improvement.
 
If you're not planning on hunting with ear pro on, i'd strongly suggest avoiding brakes.

That said, because of brakes i've done some hunting with electronic ear pro on and actually had my hunting enhanced by hearing things I otherwise wouldn't have with a naked ear.

Other thing you could do is find a custom load service to load you some reduced recoil ammo.
 
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I replaced the stock Tikka recoil pad on my 7mm Mag and went with a Limbsaver. I'd say the 60% reduction of felt recoil is closer than not. It went from mildly uncomfortable to shoot (160-168gr bullets), to much closer to a .308 with similar weight bullets.
 
My M77 Mark II 7mm Rem mag was less than enjoyable to shoot with the hard factory pad.
I purchased a direct fit by Limbsaver and the recoil reduction was noticeable. Don't know if they make a direct fit for the American or not.
 
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I would:
1)start with a pad replacement and move to a 120 grain bullet if not a handloader
2)build reduced recoil loads if you are
3)thread for can...I guess

For the price of a pad, messing around with new loads, and buying a can/stamp you could just buy a Tikka .243 and have another nice rifle.
 
Try pad, if that doesn’t work try reduced recoil loads, suppressor or rebarrel. Only the pad is cheap.
 
I've had Limbsaver pads on several of my rifles for many years. The last couple of pads that I put on were Hogue. They are a little less expensive than Limsaver, they don't get the "gummieness" like some Limbsaver pads do, and I can't see any difference in recoil between them.

I think that a 60% reduction in felt recoil from a different recoil pad is a gross exaggeration! That's more in line with the recoil reduction of a muzzle brake.

I also have Dead Mule or other mechanical or mercury in-stock recoil reducers in several of my shotguns and in my .375 RUM and the fancy walnut stock of my .300 Weatherby. I also have KDF brakes on both of those rifles.

Because I have about 100 hours of fitting, finishing, and checkering work on the fancy walnut stock of my .300 Wby, last summer I fitted a Weatherby Griptonite "foul weather" stock for it. I put a Hogue recoil pad on it. I used that rifle on a Canadian moose hunt last week. When I took a couple of "sight-in" shots, lying prone and off my backpack, my guide said the brake kicked up a lot of dust, but I hardly felt the recoil.

Stock fit is also important in managing recoil. I put my Rem 700, 7 mm Rem mag in a Weatherby Griptonite stock THAT FITS ME, has a Hogue pad, and it's felt recoil is not bad shooting off a bench or prone.
 
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undercover said:
I have a Ruger 7mm that’s been a tack driving fool, only one problem starting to rear its head, noticeable recoil. I shoot 140 grain anything as it never deviated from anything I put through it. I am 53, shoulder arthritis just past early stage, and yes, I will admit, losing meat/fat in this region. The gun itself has a beautiful wood stock with love marks that have memories. Anyway, my wife has a synthetic 7mm-08 which is considerable less recoil, also shooting 139 grain. Outside of spending $$$$ on a new rifle I’m leaning towards a slip on limbsaver. The website says up to 60% less recoil. Even if I get 30% I think it would be near the 7mm-08. Need opinions from some who went down this road of you have a moment. Thanks in advance

Blessings

Brian
Click to expand...
I had a 7mm mag years ago. Recoil was brutal for me. Went from it to a 338 mag and recoil just got worse. Finally got a Ruger 77 when they first came out in 7x57 and recoil seemed to go away. Strange thing about that 7x57, it killed everything just as dead and just as quick with a proper shot as the 7mm mag and the 338 mag! My big gun today is a 1903 springfield in 30-06, compared to those magnums it's about like shooting a 223! have never shot a 7mm-08 but suspect it's about like the 7x57! If you go to the 7mm-08 you'll find that if you can't kill it well with the 7mm-08 them you won't kill it well with anything. Been several year's since shooting my 30-06 as about all I shoot today are 6.5's and won't touch a magnum!
 
I put a muzzle brake on my 7MM RM Browning X-Bolt. It's a dream to shoot. You can watch the bullet impact through the scope, the recoil is so light.
 
The only ways to actually reduce recoil are lighter loads, a muzzle brake or increased rifle weight. A standard 120gr load is fairly pleasant for most men, but it's not light compared to the truly light recoil deer capable cartridges. You'll have to see it to believe it if you're used to 7mm mag, but the cartridges above the line below all work just fine for deer with appropriate bullets.

This list is percent difference of recoil from 243 assuming all rifles are 7.5#.

60gr 223 -65%
170gr 357 -55%
60gr 22-250 -41%
123gr 6.5 Grendel -29%
-----------------------------------------------
100gr 257 Roberts -6%
100gr 243 0%
150gr 30-30 3%
240gr .44mag 16%
120gr 6.5 Creedmoor 17%
 
A butt pad will help a little. But I'm not seeing 60%.

A muzzle brake will significantly lower recoil. It's doesn't make the gun louder. But it redirects the sound just as it does the gasses.

The mercury recoil reducers work fairly well. But they add weight to the back of the rifle. Possibly throwing off the balance.

Everything is a trade off.

Personally, in your situation I'd be looking for a 7mm-08 of my own.
 
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