• Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.

    We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.

    Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103

Any of you guys ever use one of these?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
“ Good accuracy will be found much lighter. Try it, you'll like it!”
And my powder will last longer! I will do that, I found my Kentucky pistol is most accurate at 20-25 grain! I just liked the clean holes 80 grains left in the target 😃
 
I was shooting a 50 cal Kentucky long rifle with 80 grains of FFG and round balls. After around ball 20 I could not find a spot on my shoulder that did not hurt. It actually beat my shoulder black and blue.
I believe I DO mount shot guns incorrectly but will tell ya my "goose load" in my old Pedorseli 10ga DBLBR was shot the first time on target and the second time with yer eyes closed and teeth gritted. Bout like a 12GA 3.5 turkey shell. I dont mind reasonable recoil but I dont have dental insurance and cant have any retina detachments n stuff.

Try bigger gr. I LOVE my .58 with 120 gr 1F. Much easier to handle than even 85gr 2f and groups way better. 20 GA also patterns much better with 1F. Let yer gun consume everything and watch what makes it happy.

I did shoot a .58 conical with 120 gr 3F ONCE.
 
Got the homemade version of a "sissy' pad. A marine friend called it a woosy pad. Sewed a narrow pocket inside one my shooting shirts. A piece of foam rubber,a folded up hand towel or even a maxi pad,etc.Something in the pocket really helps. Those narrow curved brass butt plates do bite and bruise after a dozen shots.
 
Wow, we’re all over the board with replies to this one. I don’t think your powder charge is too heavy. I land in the “you may need to adjust your mount” camp, but that doesn’t really matter. Some folks are just more sensitive to recoil than others and that’s ok. If we were all the same the world would be mighty boring. That strap on recoil pad will help. If that’s what it takes to make you comfortable then by all means use it.
 
Check out how Bob McBride says to 'shoulder' a traditional arm. I shoot sometimes obscene amounts of powder from very much traditionally shaped butt plate fitted rifles and smoothbores and find no discomfort. The last rendezvous I attended gave me the name of Ivan the Terrible because of my powder charge and muzzle blast. I had fun. Fun starts at 100 grs ffg.
 
Wonderful to see how many different ways shooters have to solve this problem. I don't use anything for recoil when hunting as I'm planning on it being a 1 shot day (OK maybe 2). At the range that's a different situation. I use the same charge , 80gr 3F at the range as when I'm hunting. I want to know how my rifle can perform in the field not the tiniest possible group on paper. Yes it's a pounding and my back and neck haven't been able to take it for decades. That's why I went to a Lead Sled many years ago. BTW I usually shoot less than 20 shots at the range.
 
For range work I used a P.A.S.T. magnum recoil shield, have for years because I am at the bench with various loads and unmentionables most of a given day with a light shirt on. For hunting I don't because I don't feel the recoil anyway...and I have more clothes on. In fact, shooting is the most fun I have ever had with my clothes on 😁
 
Until I got on this forum I didn't even pay attention as to how I shouldered a rifle.
My uncle had taught my brothers and I how to handle a rifle, and I just do it that way. Apparently, I was taught the basic schuetzen style hold. The only time I ever modified my hold was with heavier recoil rifles and shotguns, and this was only a slightly different placement of the butt on shoulder/bicep area. I have not used padding on and of the BP firearms, however I did use padding on some of the mule kick "catridge" guns over the years.
 
Shooting from the bench is different than offhand.

Bench your usually leaning forward and your shoulder takes more recoil, this is a good time to use a slip on recoil pad on the gun (works well for prone as well).

Off hand a larger part of your body can recoil with the gun and if you hold the gun properly (See posts above) very hard recoiling rifles are manageable with out a pad.
 
Sorry about this thing above, not azmntman, but my fat fingers!
French Colonial, I thing you, and the other wise monks of the SmokePole here offer sage advice! I have never tried the discharge my Kentucky off hand. Will do so next time out, and also try lighter loads
 
One thing that has been left out of this discussion is the shooter size, body mass and the natural padding that they possess. I am a bony type, with plenty of muscle but little body fat in my shoulders, my 12ga fowler flintlock loaded with a max turkey load kicks my @%%, I use a thick PAST recoil pad and don't feel a thing, I don't flinch and can enjoy shooing my fowler as well as my big bore flintlock deer rifles.

I have also had reconstructive surgery on my right shoulder, lots of variables on whether to use a recoil pad or not, some of us need one to keep on shooting.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top