shooting sticks and recoil

TripleDeuce660

TripleDeuce660

Active member
I'm still thinking about selecting my go to predator gun.

what is everyones experience with recoil on the sticks ? does it bother you ? I don't mean your shoulder but getting back on target and shooting accurately.


I use shooting sticks and find the .22 mag no problem but when i have tried my .222 off the sticks basicaly the recoil moves the gun so much i can't see the target and will probably have to re-position the gun and or sticks to get back on target. maybe practice will cure this or maybe its just because i'm shooting a light weight rifle. also the forearm is perfectly flat and doesn't cradle in the sticks very well maybe thats what the problem is.


I'm looking at maybe a cz 527 varmint which is 7.2 pounds and that will topped with weaver v-16 1.1 pounds. I'm thinking it might be heavy to carry but more stable when aiming and less recoil and muzzle jump which will keep me dialed in for a follow up. also the gun might balance better with the big scope. oh and 223 only comes in maple stock no walnut. Ammo is probably too expensive to go with the 204 but i'm thinking about it.

the cz american, american M1 , or tikka t-3 hunter are all alot lighter and I know its going to help when walking but not when shooting.

it says the M1 american has a re-designed grip ... what is different about it ? I just like the flush mag.

I carry the gun on a sling so i'm not sure another pound or two is a big deal. its not like an upland gun that is in my hand at the ready every moment while walking miles on end.
 
Get a good forward lean into the rifle when sitting or kneeling. If you don't even a light kicker like a .222 will push you back. Lean well forward with your upper body and if sitting, rest BOTH your elbows just ahead of your knees. This puts your body weight behind the rifle better to resist recoil and lets you 'fall' forward back into position naturally after the recoil pulse ends. Gravity does the work for you since your weight is already biased forward.

Most folks like to sit upright or back a bit. This does not aid in recoil recovery.
 
I agree with Colorado Pete... Your body position and the firmness you are holding the rifle will dictate your recoil and return to sight picture...

Leaning your body weight into the weapon and a nice firm placement against your shoulder will reduce the perception of muzzle jump.
 
The important thing is to do a bit of practicing with the shooting sticks before going afield. Try shooting with the sticks from various positions and make sure that the POI is the same as it was when you were sighting in from the bench.

Where you place the sticks, how you hold, where you put pressure etc.. on the rifle can influence shifts in your POI.

Most of the time it isn't drastic but shooting from sticks is a different experience than laid over a stable bench shooting from bags or a solid rest.

Good Luck!

.
 
Geeze, I happen to shoot a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 Ruger off a sitdown bipod or my home made shooting sticks and with a 3 by 9 or even the 8 by 32 set on powers under 20 I can watch the hits or better yet the misses thru the scope.

This gun with scope comes in at 8.5 pounds and seems easy to carry to coyote sets. It's actually lighter than my Ruger #1B 243 that I carried for the last five years.

The guys above are giving you some good advice. Shooting position can make quite a difference on the way the gun feels and acts during recoil. Some guns simply have enough recoil that your not going to see your hits, such as the 243. There is a way around that though, many PD hunters have their rifles ported just so they can watch their hits thru the scopes of their 22-250's, 223's and such. Take a look at what Magna-port does.

CZ527-204-2.jpg
 
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heres what I did with the 204 cz varminter. I put it in a different stock the gun now weights in at 10 lbs. I really dont mind lugging it around. notice the grooves I sanded in to the stock. this helps keep it where i want it with the shooting sticks. I also made a set of sticks for shooting with off of the bench these let me practice from the bench but I know how the recoil and the gun will react to the sticks
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CRACKER

is that a Richards micro fit stock?

it looks like there "tack Driver" silhouette style stock

Man I gotta get one of those for the 17furball
 
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Geeze, I happen to shoot a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 Ruger off a sitdown bipod or my home made shooting sticks and with a 3 by 9 or even the 8 by 32 set on powers under 20 I can watch the hits or better yet the misses thru the scope.

This gun with scope comes in at 8.5 pounds and seems easy to carry to coyote sets. It's actually lighter than my Ruger #1B 243 that I carried for the last five years.

The guys above are giving you some good advice. Shooting position can make quite a difference on the way the gun feels and acts during recoil. Some guns simply have enough recoil that your not going to see your hits, such as the 243. There is a way around that though, many PD hunters have their rifles ported just so they can watch their hits thru the scopes of their 22-250's, 223's and such. Take a look at what Magna-port does.

CZ527-204-2.jpg




hey bob is the forearm on the varmint round or flat ? I am really leaning tward the cz 527 varmint but obviously i have to go fondle them. only problem is the .223 version has a maple stock and i prefer walnut. thinking the weight is going to help the recoil and aiming. Since its always slung on my shoulder the weight shouldn't be a huge deal its only 1 pound more then the american.

I really like watching the coyote drop with my 22mag , now you see it now you don't haha !

I do like the idea of a notch in the stock for the sticks ! however I could never bring myself to do that to a walnut stock.

i think some of these tips are going to help alot ....


sometimes my sticks open up to0 wide accidently when quickly moving them and the gun. Has anyone tried a rope between the two stick to keep them from going past the width you want them ? It looks like maybe the sticks byron south uses has a rope for just that but maybe its just on there to add to the camo?
 
odagp
A Richards micro fit it is.
Tripledeuce660
I never thought I could do stuff like paint a stock or sand grooves in it but the way I look at it now is its mine and I can do whatever I want to it. I look at guns as tools made for a purpose and whatever I can do to make the job easier I will do. my dad said don't work hard, work smart.
Cracker
 
I can't imagine that the flat bottomed stock helps matters at all, when placing it in the V of shooting sticks. I would think that the gun would want to swivel/slip one way or the other. I round stocked rifle will natuarly sit in the V of the sticks much more neautral.
I use sticks all the time, and I use them to shoot runners quite often with my AR. Loosing sight picture isn't a problem. But practice with the sticks helps. One of those things that the more you do it the easier it becomes. Won't leave home without the sticks.
 
just wanted to dig this thread up because now I have practiced on the sticks and taken out a song dog.

The cz 527 .223 varmint was like the best idea ever! I carry it on a sling to and from the stands so the added weight is no problem.

The extra weight is a huge help for how steady I can hold the gun. I can see the hit every time. I like shooting at clay targets placed on the ground and i can watch them shatter. i also watched the song dog drop instantly. the shape of the stock is perfect on my sticks and wayyyyyyy better then my other gun with a flat varmint style stock. leaning forward a little as suggested also helped alot. I absolutely love my setup and its perfect in every way for shooting off the sticks. Only problem is i don't reload and it costs a small fortune to practice !
 
I don't worry about getting back on target cause when I pull the trigger the coyotes goin down /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Really I don't use shootin sticks no more. I'm still young enough to sit scrunched up with my back against something and use my knees and elbows as a rest.

t/c223encore.
 
Some of us are young enugh to sit scrunched up...its the standing back up that kills us.
I use shooting sticks these days and won't go big game hunting without them anymore. They can give you a very solid rest for those exceptionally long shots.
 
If I had a TC I wouldn't worry about losing the target in the scope either cause it's not like your gonna get another shot anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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Never any problem with losing my sight picture on the sticks with my .17's. And the biggest advantage to not losing the sight picture, and seeing your bullet impact, is in taking multiples. Knowing, for sure, that the first one is anchored and can be momentarily forgotten saves time. Maybe saves as much as a full second sometimes, in getting a new sight picture on the next coyote. That's a lot of time, when things have turned into a full blown rodeo out in front, and a big advantage in not having the 2nd or 3rd coyote be able to leave.

My partner Tim had used nothing but my .17 Predator for two whole seasons (we were filming and taking turns w/camera and rifle). This past season, he used his .243 (no filming, yay!). He commented several times how much harder it was to wheel and deal on multiples with the heavier recoiling rifle taking away his sight picture.

- DAA
 
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If I had a TC I wouldn't worry about losing the target in the scope either cause it's not like your gonna get another shot anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



That theres funny. Good one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Thats also why I only have to worry about shooting a group in one shot. And I can do it all day long, LMAO. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

t/c223encore.
 
DAA... i use a .243 ADL, i had a muzzle break put on so i can keep my scope on target...it helped tons..now its like shooting a 22mag..
 
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