Muzzle Jump

[FW Conch]

When shooting a rifle with a lot of muzzle jump from a bench, is it best to shoot free recoil and let it jump, or take a death grip on the stock?

Of course I know I could always do both and see which gave the best groups?

[Flintlock28]

I wouldn't want to try free recoil with any heavy hitter.... Just keep it snug, but not a death-grip, since that affects accuracy. The whole idea is to not let the rifle develop Inertia which will pound you....more of a shove, rather than a punch.

[savage2]

My 308 bull barrel 20in, has big recoil,

[adammiddagh]

I do best when loading the bipod. Put off hand on rear bag or base of stock by rear sling point. And pull back and down with my firing hand. My goal is to keep the target in the scope through the shot. Pull the trigger and hold. Don't let up until the gun has settled again.

Atleast that is what I like and works for me. Most days anyway.

[m12lrs]

I like to shoot free recoil off the bench. Of course that is all dependent on the weight of the gun and the caliber.

Now with a hunting rifle. You probably will never be shooting off bags free recoil. You need to hold it.like you are going to shoot it.

[m12lrs]

I like to shoot free recoil off the bench. Of course that is all dependent on the weight of the gun and the caliber.

Now with a hunting rifle. You probably will never be shooting off bags free recoil. You need to hold it.like you are going to shoot it.

A muzzle brake will do a lot to tame recoil and muzzle jump. I am not a fan of them because of the noise. Very inconsiderate of those around you and in a hunting situation most do not wear hearing protection. That said for the magnums a brake is a good idea. You will clear the benches on either side of you and wear double ear protection in the field.

[Zero333]

With a jumpy rifle, doing anything to minimize the rifle from going every which way is what's going to get the best results.

Of off a bench,... My best groups with my hunting magnum rifles that weight around 7.5 lbs scoped, is when I use a front rest, rear bag, and force the butt of the rifle into my shoulder as hard as possible while still being able to keep the sights very stable. Utilizing my spare hand to fine tune/keep steady the elevation with the rear bag. And if possible, feed the cartridges from a magazine so I don't disturb my position much.

[LoneWolf]

If your position is not repeatable and is inconsistent you will see the same down range! Make sure the rifle is in the pocket of your shoulder and you are behind the rifle not off to the side. With bigger recoil, better recoil management is required.


"The strength of the wolf is the pack, but the strength pack is the wolf"

Proudly sponsored by Apache Gun Works

[RC20]

Worth reading, well worth reading

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2013/10/18/secrets-of-the-houston-warehouse-lessons-in-extreme-rifle-accuracy/

And get the PDF as that gets into deeper detail.


Muzzle breaks are as bad or worse on the bench as you get to enjoy the very close back blast and even with hearing protection on (plugs and muffs) they knock you sideways, at least hunting its someone you know and hopefully you got something. It does do wonders with learning how to concentrate.



A muzzle brake will do a lot to tame recoil and muzzle jump. I am not a fan of them because of the noise. Very inconsiderate of those around you and in a hunting situation most do not wear hearing protection. That said for the magnums a brake is a good idea. You will clear the benches on either side of you and wear double ear protection in the field.

[FW Conch]

^ The Wharehouse Project is an interesting read ^ But it has little to do with what I do. That was serious BR shooting, exclusively. Virgil shot free recoil, and I'm sure He had a free recoil stock. As much as a 22 PPC has recoil.

My 260Rem has serious muzzle jump. It has a 26" heavy varmint barrel, a B&C varmint stock, and an 8x32 scope. So it has considerable weight. But, I dropped the butt 3/4" to make the stock fit better, and I shoot 140grn pills. In spite of the weight of the rifle, this contributes to more muzzle jump than I would have expected.

I think I have shot the best groups with this rifle, by "controlling" the rifle. In a couple of weeks I'll be able to try it both ways, for comparison.

[Steelhead]

I wouldn't say my 260 has much muzzle jump at all.
When I'm shooting well it's almost nill.
I pull a bit into my shoulder and try to get square to the rifle.

[bodywerks]

If your position is not repeatable and is inconsistent you will see the same down range! Make sure the rifle is in the pocket of your shoulder and you are behind the rifle not off to the side. With bigger recoil, better recoil management is required.


"The strength of the wolf is the pack, but the strength pack is the wolf"

Proudly sponsored by Apache Gun Works

This. If your rifle is jumping around chances are your POI is too. Muzzle jump is caused almost entirely by an improperly supported rifle. The most that should happen is a push against your shoulder, straight back.

[Flintlock28]

In regards to the original poster....

You're probably NOT doing this; but I've seen guys at the range who rest their forearm, or barrel, on a hard wooden block, which will give major muzzle jump. After letting them use my front sandbag, virtually no muzzle jump. I've found that using front and rear sandbags that have dense sand in them, gives me better results than some of the popular sand bags filled with a lighter type of media....beads, etc.

Again, you're probably not resting the front of the rifle on a hard wooden block, but thought I'd mention it. It's very common at our Range to see this.

[FW Conch]

No wooden blocks. But I am going to take a good look at My rest surfaces.

Thanks Guys :-)

[RC20]

This. If your rifle is jumping around chances are your POI is too. Muzzle jump is caused almost entirely by an improperly supported rifle. The most that should happen is a push against your shoulder, straight back.

I am going to somewhat disagree, all the rest aside, the best most consistent shooting is done free recoil, as long as the gun doesn't crash to the ground or floor.

As near as you can come to that the better and it matters not what the muzzle jump is (bullet is gone by the time that occurs)

That said consistency is the single biggest factor, tight hold ok if you are consistent about it, just hard to do, lighter hold is easier to be consistent (so I think)

Magnums are an exception as well as the big short magnums, those have too much go pup and will pound you.

I can shoot the 06 all day 50-100 rounds with a slip on pad and am fine. The 308 has a good pad on it and don't need anything.

[LoneWolf]

Whether you consistently do it wrong or consistently do it right doesn't matter. As long as you can consistently do it the same. You'll see consistency down range.


"The strength of the wolf is the pack, but the strength pack is the wolf"

Proudly sponsored by Apache Gun Works

[Scott Evans]

Just keep in mind your technique will effect the vertical POI so zero your scope with a similar hold you will be using in the field.

[keeki]

What lone wolf said, consistency is the key