Bringing Out The Big Guns - Preparing For Heavy Recoil
If you’ve ever had the chance to shoot a big-bore revolver, you know how powerful it can feel. While heavy recoil tends to be associated with larger calibers, powerful hunting or defense rounds out of small, lightweight firearms can kick too. If you’re planning to shoot any of these, hopefully, you’ve had the chance to prepare for significant recoil to make it a positive experience. If not, or if you’re interested in shooting more powerful firearms, here are my tips for success with revolvers and ammo that pack a punch.
Foundation Building
When we think about making a successful shot, it starts with the fundamentals of grip, stance sight alignment, and trigger control. Getting into a good stance and having a secure grip on the handgun is critical to your success. When I know I will be contending with more recoil, I’m much more aggressive with my stance. I spread my feet so they are wider than my shoulders and as a right-handed shooter, I move my right foot back much more than I would when shooting softer loads. I also lean forward, bending at the waist to help my body absorb recoil better.
Where you can easily adjust your stance, getting a proper grip can be more complicated. A small AirWeight® J-frame has a tiny grip compared to the generous grip size of a Smith & Wesson® 460XVR™ or S&W500™. For someone with smaller hands, the J-frame may be easier to grasp than the larger X-frame; add in grip features like finger grooves, and it might be harder to achieve an ideal grip. Grip material can also come into play when it comes to shooting comfort. As much as wood or G-10 grips may look nice or provide additional checkering, rubber grips are often preferred by those who shoot hotter ammo. When it comes down to it, the softer rubber adds more cushion in the hand and disperses the recoil more evenly.
As with any pistol shooting, your goal should be to eliminate any space between your hands in your two-handed grip while still being able to reach the trigger. The larger the grip, the more challenging this can be. Pay extra attention to your support hand thumb, keeping it away from the revolver’s cylinder to avoid a potential burn and discomfort. This is what makes the thumb-over-thumb grip technique for revolvers so popular. It prevents potential injury.
Take the time to practice both grip and aggressive stance in dry fire. It may feel silly, but the more you practice trigger control with the ideal grip and stance, the more successful you’ll be when you’re ready to take the shot. If you’re practicing with a heavy revolver, it might call for a shooting rest, sandbag, or shooting sticks. Your stance will change for these options, but you’ll still want to lean into the gun to put as much mass behind it as possible to control the recoil.
If the revolver has an external hammer, it’s a good idea to dry fire both double-action and single-action pulls. Even if you only intend to shoot single action, focusing on a smooth pull in double action will improve your overall trigger control. That improvement will carry over to every firearm you shoot.
Shot anticipation can be a tough issue to overcome. When we anticipate something uncomfortable, it’s normal to try to counteract it and even worse, the expectation can cause a natural flinch reflex. This is why dry fire is so helpful, it allows you to focus on the shot process without the distraction of recoil. It builds confidence through familiarity. You’ll feel more prepared because you have spent time learning the best way to hold the handgun, the position your body should be in to control recoil, and knowledge of how the trigger feels when you press it.
Ready for the Range
Ideally, plan a range session with a smaller caliber revolver first, starting with the softest loads and building up. For example, shooting a revolver in .38 Special with target loads will help you prepare to shoot hotter +P ammo or magnum loads. When you feel ready to fire a big bore, opt for softer loads instead of the most powerful options.
Set up an easy, close target with a defined aiming point. Dry fire the handgun a few times to feel the trigger in your ideal grip and stance, focusing on proper technique. When you feel ready, load it with a single round. This ensures the revolver cannot fire another round and makes it safe so that you can put it down if you need to. Repeat the same focus on the fundamentals, set your sights on the aiming point, and press.
Congratulations! Once you’ve taken that first shot, take the time to reflect, not just on the power or recoil, but on the steps, you took to prepare for it as well. Now that you know what to expect, you can improve and make new goals.
Julie Golob
Information Systems Professional
2wI shot the Smith and Wesson .500 Mag. My friend gave me a 350 grain round, and a 500 grain round. Thankfully, the amount of engineering used to develop this fine work of art paid off. I could fire that all day and no pain, thanks to the factory grips. Thank you, Smith and Wesson for continuing to lead the charge on the finest revolvers ever constructed.
Ricezione-Accettazione-Conto lavoro Reparto Materia Agrati Group at Agrati Group Fastening Systems
3wInteressante
NNA Certified Notary Signing Agent
3wNothing like the kick of a 6.5 inch barreled .44 Magnum to make my day. I do apologize. I didn't even think about how that was going to sound. Oh well, if you're going to screw up, do it so everyone can enjoy it!