Taming Recoil on sharps carbine

[indian joe]

i hear ya IJ, you like what ya have and just wanna tame recoil. you've added the weight, now add a good butt pad and be done with her, mate.

I reckon I be ok from here on - I made a little vest with a nice sheepskin / suede leather pad sewed on the shoulder it soaks a fair bit of it up and the job on the butt has got the buttplate area up almost double what it was - hopin for a bit of half decent weather tomorrow for a tryout
While I have yr attention .....tapping the barrel for that ""null point" I get a change in tone about 3 to 5 inches from the muzzle - an area about two inches long - the barrle has been cut - only 26 inches long so not ringing really like a long tube would -- does that make sense - I have not shot this off sticks - our target LR match is shot rifle club style - they truss emselves up like the christmas turkey in fancy slings and tight laced coats but no little sticks up front. At home I shoot off a padded Vee rest under the forearm - standing bench -

[Grapeshot]

Guys - I am shooting a IAB carbine style sharps and have a SPECIFIC question about adding weight to it - dont need to be told its a piece of junk that I should replace ! (for the record it has never broken, been worked over by a top riflesmith, and has an accurate barrel) Problem is it weighs in just a whisker over eight pounds and with a 500 grain boolit shot prone it hurts - I need to get it up to 12 pound - to that end I have added two pounds of lead to the butt end - Question is ---I am considering making a LEAD forend to replace the wood - that would get me most of the weight - the wood attaches by two screws that engage dovetails set in the barrel - my concern is 1) is the lead forend gonna hold against recoil without deforming OR pulling the screws / dovetail out 2) is it gonna damp the barrel out and cause inconsistent accurracy-----open to any thoughts here
(dont need advice on kick pads and stuff for the rear end at this point thank you)

Try using a 405 grain bullet and a charge of powder, light, that doesn't kick like a mule. Carbine loads used by the US Cavalry was 55 grains of 2FG Black Powder with a 405 grain boolit. I've shot this load and it is accurate and mild. My Lyman manual says 13 grains of Unique is a nice load.

[indian joe]

Try using a 405 grain bullet and a charge of powder, light, that doesn't kick like a mule. Carbine loads used by the US Cavalry was 55 grains of 2FG Black Powder with a 405 grain boolit. I've shot this load and it is accurate and mild. My Lyman manual says 13 grains of Unique is a nice load.

Thanks for the reply Grapeshot ---- I am working on this for a 500yard match dont think the carbine load would hack it - but you right - that 405 grainer even with my normal 65 grains FFFG is quite comfortable - I have the rifle up to 10 pounds now and is much better (tolerable now with heavy boolits) - the lead forend idea went out the window - too much trouble. Not interested in smokeless loads for this one - I dont hunt with it - proly end up rebarreling it to 40-82 one day but thats a long term plan at this point - low priority.

[Lead pot]

I shot a Shiloh .45-110 as light as yours build especially for hunting. When this fellow handed me this short finger sized barreled rifle and said try this once I just about handed it back to him. He has a full sized Elk plate elk set up around 700 yards and I took a off hand shot and heard that clang come back. I looked at him and asked what did you do to this? he said I put 3 mercury recoil reducer in the butt stock. Now I don't know if he used the Graco BreaKO mercury recoil reducer or the C&H but the felt recoil I would compare to my 1893 Marlin .30-30.

You can also tame recoil shooting sitting and sitting at a angle behind the rifle and relax letting your body roll with the recoil. You can pull the rifle in the pocket tight but stay loose so the recoil will push your body.

[rfd]

what works for me with a light longarm and a stiff charge is to make sure the butt stock is pushed and held tight to the shoulder, and let the body roll with the punch. anything less and the shoulder will get a smacking bruise.

i used a mercury tube in a handi .45-70 buff classic and it helped quite a bit with stiff smokeless aa5744 and 540 grain greasers.

but the best for me has been the kick killer butt pads.

it's all good if it works good.

[country gent]

Anything that spreads the recoil out over a bigger area lessens the sensation of the recoil but its still there and after a days match will show up in the lower back and neck. As has been said above build a solid bone supported position ( tensed muscles take more of a beating than relaxed do) hold the rifle up and roll with the recoil letting it push you. This is easiest in offhand next is sitting kneeling and last is prone. Let the rifle recoil and work on it doing the same way every time. I have used the kick killer pads, past recoil shields, and heavy vests to reduce felt recoil. The easiest way to truly reduce recoil is by adding weight to the gun. The mercury reducers work and are effective but you may have to frill into the buttstock to add them.

[indian joe]

Updating
I looked at drilling the stock for lead but its skinny - hesitant about that
Had a chunk of lead the right size and shape hanging around so I made that into a lead buttplate that added two pound - also increased the area of the buttplate by heaps
Then I put a chunk of wood on top to increase comb height
After that it looked like something despicable outa the scrap yard so I made a leather cover to hold it all in place
Gun is now noticeably tail heavy - the balance point for carry is right at the rear edge of the action
Much improved - can now get my cheek on the comb at longer ranges instead of daylight there - its quite comfortable to shoot offhand (surprisingly) - buttplate area increased -weight increased - recoil much reduced - not hurting anymore .

[country gent]

If the looks are a problem make a tracing of the stock both lengthwise and butt plate end and check with stock makers about having a new one made to your dimensions.

[MT Chambers]

People will laugh at you with that pink stock.

[indian joe]

People will laugh at you with that pink stock.

It will distract em from their shooting enough to get me an edge

[Lead pot]

Hmmmmm will have to suggest this to the rule commity to add this to keep other shooters getting a edge over me.............

[indian joe]

Hmmmmm will have to suggest this to the rule commity to add this to keep other shooters getting a edge over me.............

Dang it! just when a bloke gets a plan someone puts a spoke in the wheel................................