What is the least fun gun you have shot?

[snuffy]

My worst recoiling rifle is my 300 WSM in a 7# Browning A-bolt. In it's original configuration, that "so-called recoil pad" hurt like heck with the 180 grain factory loads. The first range session with the 20 rounds, left me with a bruised sore shoulder. I wasted no time getting a past magnum recoil shield to test some handloads. Further, I installed a kick-eeze pad on it, that helped immensely.

Another hard kicker is my H&R buffalo rifle in 45-70. It's steel curved buttplate bites into the shoulder, heavily loaded heavy boolits are no fun! I'd like a standard stock with a good pad, it would then be fun.

As for the 45-70 in a contender, I've fired three different guns, all with factory 300 grain shells. While it rares up and comes back over your shoulder, it's not all that bad! Yeah it hurts, but that bullet is really moving! Ya gets what ya paid fer!

Now comes the big Smith & Wussin. I was in the group buy for the MP grand canyon 700 HP. Loaded with those, my 500 is just plain painful! I EVEN fired it off the bench with the big HP boolit, 637 grains and a case damn near full of W-296. Wanted to see if it was fully stabilizing that big long boolit @ 100 yds. (yes it was hitting point forward.) Now-a-days, I'm loading and casting a Lyman 425 swc that is amazingly accurate. And only a bit more recoil than a full house load in a 44 mag.





Oh, that gun tore that scope apart and destroyed the rings. Believe it or not, a BSA red dot that replaced it, still hanging in there with some stouter steel rings.

[Outpost75]

Any gun which comes apart when fired. I've known several intimately.

The bigger the gun when this happens the worse the consequences.Attachment 88672

[Aunegl]

Shooting full house loads out of a TC Encore 308 - 15" barrel. The recoil of the gun would cut my index finger. After a session at the range, I'd wipe up the blood on the side of the frame. Then I would shoot a TC Contender 44 magnum, which felt like a pop gun.

[MtGun44]

S&W 329 with full power 300 gr loads. Stopped doing that. Keith
250s are plenty. Too many of those in a row and the hand hurts
for a few days due to deep bruising. It is totally a tool - self defense
against large predators when backpacking. For those that don't know
the gun, this is a 26 oz .44 Mag revolver.

Amazingly, hot factory load in a S&W 342 are not quite as brutal, but
still completely unpleasant - high velocity smack in the hand. I can do
it, but it is unpleasant. This is a 10 oz .38 Spl +P revolver. I have
turned down the opportunity to shoot a 340 with .357 magnums, which
is the same gun with a slight frame stretch, about 11 ozs ... not enough
mass in the gun. Great to carry, though.

Bill

[detox]

I once shot a single shot pistol chambered in 308 Winchester with factory load. That was most unpleasant.

My Marlin 45/70 with hot heavy loads turned my shoulder purple...never again.

[paul h]

S&W 340 with 357 mag loads. I was stupid enough to fire the entire cylinder full of loads. I've fired some very powerful handguns, but the 340 was akin to just beating my shooting hand with a 16 oz ball pein hammer.

In long guns It's a tossup between a M95 8X57 and a Nagant carbine. Both of the rifles had short stocks, steel butt plates and short barrels. There is something un-nerving about having your shooting hand sock you in the nose during recoil. Neither of those rifles should have troubled me but the bad ergonomics had them generating recoil all out of proportion to their terminal performance. Needless to say I sold both of them.

[TCFAN]

The most unpleasant handgun I ever shot was my brand new colt 1911. That thing chewed up the web of my hand something awful.Leather glove didn't help. It just chewed them up to get to my hand.Not very good for accuracy.A beaver tail grip safety and a commander hammer made it all better. Now it is one of my favorite pistols. ................Terry

[Kraschenbirn]

I once owned a couple of ol' J.D. Jones' custom T/C barrels: a 7mm JDJ #2 and a .375 JDJ. Both were 14-inchers with SSK 'Arrestor' muzzle brakes and both were 'uncomfortable', to say the least. Using J.D.'s recommended loads, muzzle blast, directed up and sideways by the brake, was considerably more than merely 'impressive' and the straight-back recoil...also a product of the brake...could approach 'ugly' by the time you got to the rams on a 40-round IHMSA match. Unloaded the .375 barrel on another IHMSA shooter whose competition motto was "more powder, bigger bullets" but kept the 7mm and shot it for steel competition until carpal tunnel caught up with me.

Bill

[ktw]

Any centerfire autoloader that makes me hunt for spent brass.

-ktw

[jaysouth]

The worst 'gun' that I ever shot was an M-1 Garand with a rifle grenade. You cannot imagine the recoil. Going from a 150 grain ball round to a two pound grenade produces recoil like getting hit by a sledge hammer. If you rested the butt on the ground and fired a rifle grenade or frag grenade from an adapter, it would break the stock at the pistol grip.

A couple of years later in Germany, we were at this training area for the summer. On the training schedule was live fire with rifle grenades from an M-14.

I volunteered for KP. The 1st Sgt said that the only time in his 27 years that any body actually volunteered for KP.

[Digital Dan]

Those aren't even fun offhand. From a bench? No way.

Curious that. I've shot a Marlin 1895 CB in .45-70 off bags with 510 gr paper patched lead at 1800 fps. It was a ***** cat. It was also incredibly accurate.

[Bret4207]

Call me a wimp, but the worst gun I ever fired was Rem 700 in 308. I think the stock was either aftermarket or ho'made, that much I remember. Steel butt plate too. Guy used to have me "sight it in" for him every fall. 180's I think. He never shot the gun himself that any one knew of. After the first 3 shots the first year I wadded up my coat between me and the gun. Next year I brought a bag of shot. The guy was the friend of my best pals dad. That's the ONLY reason I sighted it for him. He never offered to pay or anything, even drove right by me once when I was broke down 20 miles from nowhere. Funny thing is we were both in the Order of the Arrow together and he was allegedly a great guy. Not so much I think....

Anyways, I'd shot 458's, 375's, 358 Normas, etc but that stinking 308 just made my insides churn after 3-5 shots. I figure it had to be the stock. I hated that rifle.

[FergusonTO35]

My 1975 Marlin 1895 with its original curved buttplate was painful with any loads I put through it. The sharp points of the heel and toe always found my bony shoulder no matter what. I switched to a Guide Gun stock and forend and added a nice squishy recoil pad. Lots more fun now!

[Boyscout]

44 Remington Magum Blackhawk with Pachymar grips; it tore my hand up to the point of bleeding. I rented one at an indoor range years ago. I don't think single action revolvers are meant to have non-slip grips. I do just fine with stock grips on a Blackhawk now.

[Elkins45]

One of the current lightweight alloy Smiths, 5 shot, 357 Mag. I've shot some hard kicking handguns, that was the only one (so far) to actually draw blood.

I'm going to second that. I would rather shoot an entire box of 44 mag out of my Mountain Gun than five 38 +p out of my scandium J frame.

[alg3205]

TC Contender in 45 Winchester Magnum. Broke an Aimpoint off the gun and about broke my wrist, I began to understand the term Hand Cannon with that device. However, as often is the case someone wanted more than I did.

[jsheyn]

The absolute worst gun was a Springfield XDS 45 ACP. The trigger pinches the finger between the trigger guard and then trigger.

[paul h]

I suppose if I expand to rifles my 500 Jeffery would qualify. It's the only rifle I've fired where I've yet to work up from my starting load. Somehow a 600 gr cast bullet over 100 gr of RL-15 for 2200 fps seemed like enough power and I had to pick up the sand bags after each shot as it seemed to move me backwards at least a foot after each shot. I'm sure when I properly stock it, it'll be a pussycat.

I had the barrel cut with a long throat and can load 50 bmg projectiles. When a buddy asked to shoot the rifle I gave him the 690 gr ap load. He didn't ask to shoot it twice

[shredder]

My Lee Enfield No1 MkIII had the short stock and I am 6 foot 1. That rifle punched me in the face every time I touched it off. Miserable thing! Brass butt plate and poor fit made my thumb crash hard into my nose at each shot. I began to develop a major flinch!! I bought a ram line stock set and that cured it completely. Now I have a great old cast boolit rifle.

[1Shirt]

99 Sav in 358 Win. Narrow metal butt plate, and three rounds of factory brought tears to your eyes and black and blue to the shoulder. Wish I had it back!
1Shirt!