Inexperienced shooters and big guns

[david s]

I'm not from a shooting family but I was always fascinated by guns and shooting. As far as I was concerned the opportunities to see firearms or actually shoot were far to few and rare. So I'm in my single digits and I'm watching a friends father and another fellow shooting a 44 magnum Blackhawk. It was the only gun they were shooting. They offered me a shot. I dont think they were trying to be mean or smart a**es, they knew I was interested and offered me the chance. Heck if it had been a 460 Weatherby pistol I'd have said yes. I'm left handed and the Blackhawk had right handed thumb rest grips. When I took the shot the two men were impressed I hit the well used target tapped to a cardboard box. What impressed me more than the recoil was the impression the ridge on those thumb rest grips made on me. So fast forward to the age 21. My first purchase was a Single Six. My second or third pistol was a Super Blackhawk. It's loaded with 44 Specials. The hammer is back and the trigger is pressed which leads to a bang. Now physics say the bullet hit the ground some where. I couldn't tell you where. Twelve or thirteen years and I hadn't forgotten those grips. It was truly one of the more spectacular flinches. It took me awhile to learn to shoot the Blackhawk. I'm not sure if there is a moral to this story or not. I still remember being given the chance to shoot the pistol fondly. If it had been wearing the factory grips my later learning curve might have been shorter or maybe not. There was a reason my Blackhawk was loaded with 44 Specials.

 

[Bill]

Back in the 70s I bought my 30-30 contender pistol from AMC for 170 dollars, I had a box of 170 grain rem core locks at home so I swung by picked them up and went to the farm, I then set up a target about 50 yards away and took a two handed rest on a corner post, I didn't know it but the fatty part of the edge of my palm was under that pewter end cap on the grip, oh boy, when that thing went off it pinched a quarter sized chunk of skin and flesh completely out of my hand and I bled all the way home, and yes I did flinch for a time after that.

Bill

 

[RBHarter]

3 of my 4 started shooting with a 12 ga . The oldest had a 20 ga , cost I guess .
I loaded a bunch of 3/4oz 1100 fps stuff to start them . They all did very well . I don't recall ever reducing a rifle load and they all went 38 targets on into 357 . Several of their friends on a number of occasions but off more than they were ready for however .

 

[Rally]

My Dad owned a Fox sxs 12 when I was around 13-15 yo. To this day I've never had a gun hurt me more than that double did. That SOB makes me hurt just thinking about it. LOL

 

[david s]

Tried to shoot a round of trap with a Winchester 97 that had a razor blade for a comb, didn't make it thru the round. Quit when my cheek began to bleed.

 

[RBHarter]

The worst black and blue whipping I ever took was from a 410 about 3" too short for me . I snapped up and swung through a cottontail squeezing with the swing ........ Thankfully it was hovering over the proper pocket and not over my collar bones or shoulder joint .

 

[RicinYakima]

My experience is not like that. My father always liked Ithaca 12 gauge SXS's. I grew up shooting 1890's shotguns, head up, pull the shotgun up and shoot. My first hunting rifle was a Winchester model 94 and my thumb hit my nose every time and it kicked like a mule. I am still a terrible shotgun shot because I never could lay my head down on the stock. Watch my target, pull the gun up, swing through it and pull the trigger. I do pretty well with a 1930's Ithaca pump in 16 gauge, nothing newer.

 

[Cadillac Jeff]

I have a hot rodded SKS with one of those adjustable side in buttstocks<< hardley ever shoot it... had it out one day & think's to myself (self try it with the stock slid all the way in) < looks short & cool like that.......
busted my lip!!!
havent shott it sence----probley won't
anyone wanta buy an SKS

Jeff

 

[dale2242]

My father started me out with low recoiling guns so I never developed a flinch at a young age.
I have shot thousands of full power loads in many different 44 mags so I am not recoil shy.
I do have one firearm that has more recoil than most seasoned shooters want shoot more than 3 times, myself included.
It is a 14" Contender in 444 Marlin that was rechambered from a 44 magnum.
With full power loads the recoil is brutal.

 

[Bret4207]

I've shot stuff up into the 358 Norma Mag and 375 H+H territory. And hot loaded 45-70's in light rifles. Impressive recoil. The worst kicking gun I ever shot was 308 with a steel buttplated custom stock. I had to bench that sucker every fall for the owner who never actually fired it as far as I know. But he wanted it "sighted" and a target for proof. Where he got it and who designed that crooked stock I don't know, but it was horrid. A 25 llbs bag of shot made life bearable. That rifle had to be the perfect combination of angles to result in what it did. Factory 180's IIRC and it would hold about 2" with open sights. Not everything about he "California Weatherby" style of stock was good IMO!

 

[Intel6]

My first handgun I owned/purchased was a Lew Horton 3" BBL round butt S&W 629 in .44 Mag. I knew what I was getting into as a buddy had the same thing and we shot it quite a bit.

 

[Winelover]

I grew up in a gun less household. What I learned about firearms was by the school of hard knocks. My first firearm purchase was a used Model 12 in 12 gauge. Never shot one, before. Wasn't too bad, recoil wise but I never mastered shotguns. Probably, why I don't reload for them.

First handgun purchase was a 6" Royal Blue Python. Started off with S&W 38 Spl +P ammo. Moved up to 357 Lawman, wondering what all the magnum hoopla was about. Next was a Browning HP, followed by a Ruger Redhawk ,when they were first introduced. Didn't purchase a 22 pistol till after the Redhawk...............also a Ruger (MK 2 Target). Been many purchases, since then. Never sold or trade any of them. Hardest recoiling one, IMO, is the 44 Special CA Bulldog.

Worst bruising I ever got was from patterning a Mossburg 835 Utility Mag. 3 1/2" twelve gauge with turkey loads. Makes 12 gauge rifle slugs seem like shooting a rimfire.

 

[Hawk]

Dad started me out with a Fox sxs 20 gauge when I was 6. Moved up to a Fox 12 gauge sxs when I was 8.
I don't remember a problem with recoil, but I was just proud to be with him.

 

[Rick]

When I was running LASC we had an Irish family on vacation stop by the range. They were in awe, handguns strictly banned in Ireland and they couldn't over guns all over, laying on benches, shooting line full. They all wanted to shoot a handgun because there was no chance they ever would at home. Hhmmm . . . The only thing I had at the range with me was my 10" FA 454 loaded down to 44 mag level. Ok why not huh? Took them to the line one by one, showed them the basics, sight alignment, grip etc. All went well until the 16 year old son, a big bruiser he was came up. Watched him shoot the first couple of rounds and he was doing as instructed, on about the 3rd round I was watching the target instead of him. He missed and I turned to look at him, he had the damnest look on his face, was holding his left hand up and there was black burn marks down his index finger, across the web of his hand and up his thumb. He had decided that it would be a steadier hold if instead of how I instructed him if would wrap his left hand around the cylinder and gap. I can't even imagine how bad that hurt but he sure was a trooper about it. Thankfully it was an FA with about a .001" gap, had that been a Ruger or something with .005" or more gap he would have been crippled.

All turned out well though, no lawsuits or medical bills. About a month later I get a package in the mail from Ireland. Was a nice letter thanking me for the incredible time they had at our range. Was also a small hand painted picture of an Irish countryside that I still have. No mention of the boy being crippled or how long that took to heal up. Inexperienced shooters can be exciting.

 

[david s]

Three 45-70 stories. Shot gophers with my model 86 420grains at about 2000 fps. Learned two things. First the 22 Hornet is a more decisive kill and after 75 rounds the steel butt plate will bruise you. Shot a T/C Contender with a fairly heavy 45-70 load when the pistol was still wearing it's sling and got face whipped by the sling. Dont shoot Contenders with slings. The worst rifle for beating me up was a Ruger No. 3 and heavy 45-70 loads. Thankfully the rifle wasn't mine and I didn't have to live with it.

 

[waco]

Worst I can remember was a buddy’s light weight Sako in .338 Mag with 250gr Bullets. Not sure of the speed but after three rounds I was done.
Ive also loaded up 405gr cast to right around 2000fps in my 45-70. This was before I have a good recoil pad installed. I don’t load those anymore.

 

[Joshua]

It’s counter intuitive, but I like my 30-06 much better with the recoil pad removed. Because now it fits me. The man who that stock was built for was likely a head taller than me. What are we always saying “Fit is King”, this goes for gunstocks and the lead bullets we use.

When I was a boy I watched a family friend, who was unfamiliar with guns and had inherited his uncles High Standard 22 pistol, get badly slide bit.
Even the lowly 22lr can hurt somebody if they don’t know what they are doing.

Josh

 

[Cherokee]

My family was not a gun family. A neighbor, Alva, offered me and another kid a chance to go shoot with him. We were pre-teen and had all the cowboy shows on TV & the movies and Alva had a real Colt 5.5" SAA...the cowboy gun. We drove out into the Everglades. When there, Alva pulled out the cowboy gun and popped off a few rounds at some target I don't remember. Then he showed us how it works, loaded with 5 rounds and handed it to me. 5 rounds of factory 45 Colt loads later, I was thrilled. We shot up the rest of the box and headed home. From that time on I was hooked. My first handgun was a Ruger SS (still have it) 22lr so I could shoot in the school shooting club. After turning 21, the number of firearms grew in variety and cartridge.

 

[Ian]

If you want a suppressed Mk 2 to be more quiet with target-velocity .22s, hold the bolt shut with your thumb. Sounds dumb but it doesn't hurt.

The one that absolutely beats me to death is a push-feed Model 70 Featherweight Deluxe in .270 Win. It has destroyed three scopes. I finally put steel pillars in it and did a stress-free pillar and skim bed, and put a new scope on it. Also bought a fresh, red rubber factory recoil pad to replace the rock-hard original but haven't installed it yet. All cleaned up, fixed up, boresighted, and I'm to chicken to even shoot it anymore. My Dad bought it new in 1982 and I killed my first deer with it, so I've been shooting it off and on since I was about ten years old, but it has always hurt me (and anyone else that shot it) and I think the rotator cuff damage to the front if my left shoulder can be attributed to that rifle. I've had the opportunity to fire several other .270 rifles and found them all to be actually pleasant to shoot, but not mine. Probably will go back to just shooting light cast bullets in it.

 

[springfield17074]

My brother grew up with my dad, I was raised by grandparents. My brother was not allowed to shoot pistols even though dad owned 5. My dad and I would go shoot them but dad never allowed my brother to shoot them. He said because my brother was such a small, tiny for his age boy. My brother weighed 120 soaking wet at 19. I disagreed with my dad but you can figure out how it went. My brother joined the navy and when he came home after a extended time at sea, he bought a 44 mag super Blackhawk. It was a fine weapon. But my brother had never learned to hold and or shoot a pistol, let alone one that can and will thump you. My brother picked up his weapon at a local dealer, came right home and we both went out to the fence row to shoot this new 44mag. By the 4th or 5th round, and after not listening to any coaching he knocked his ball cap off his head, hurt his hand from the recoil and at that point he laid the weapon down and never shot it again. In fact early the next morning I went to the bank to draw the cash out to buy that fine weapon, (way before ATM machines) at greatly reduced rate, from my brother. To this day he is still recoil shy. It can happen at any age. When we go shooting he shoots his Ruger 22, or his Ruger single six in 22lr but won’t touch any of my 45acp’s, not even my Springfield range officer operator in 45acp or the one in 9mm which has very light recoil. I have not asked him if he’d like me to bring that 44mag with me for him to shoot again in over 2 decades. He still feels as if I took advantage of the moment and “stole” that Blackhawk from him. And I did.