45-120 recoil?

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Just how bad is the recoil on a 45-120? I have read it is pretty bad, but then again most people that complain about recoil are not exactly “gun people”. I have fired various American standards like the 308, 30-06, 270, 12ga, 7mm Mag, and many others that I can not remember, so roughly how much more would this round kick?

[Freightman]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=10351&highlight=45%2F120 look here there is a lot more in the search feature.

[Gunlaker]

A lot of it depends on the weight of the gun. I have a reasonably heavy C. Sharps in .50-140 and the felt recoil with 650gr bullets is noticeably less than 400gr 1850fps loads from my much lighter Ruger #1 in .45-70.

I do shoot the big Sharps with some padding between the steel butt and my shoulder though.

I find the recoil in the heavier gun is much more like a hard shove than the "punch to the shoulder" hit from a lighter gun with smokeless loads.

With that said, it'd get tiresome shooting those loads all day long :-).

I should mention that the recoil is probably more than most of those you listed, although it would likey be significantly less than your 12ga.

Chris.

[calaloo]

I have a friend who several years ago ordered a .45-120 from Shiloh, waited about 5 years, received the rifle, fired it 6 times. sold it, and ordered one in .45-70. Waited more than 5 years for that one.

[cajun shooter]

If you are going to shoot at game with one or two shots then it would not be a problem. If you are going to lay on a mat and shoot 70 rds off the sticks it might be a different story. I sighted a friend of mine's guns for a African hunt back in the 80's. They were a 300 mag, 375 H&H, 458 mag and one other that I can't remember. Even after bore sighting I had to fire more than one round through each rifle. By the end of that session I was ready to quit.

[BPCR Bill]

I have a 45-110 Shiloh in a 14.5 pound rifle. #1 heavy full octagon at 34 inches. Shotgun buttstock. I feed it 550 Grain boolits over 93 grains of Swiss 1.5F. I can shoot around 70 shots over the course of a day, sighters and record shots included. I'm not sore at the end of the day, but like any match it can take alot out of you and I am pretty worn out.

If you are going to get a rifle in 120 or 110, get the heaviest rifle you can. Shiloh does offer as an option now the heavy 16 pound barrels, and this option will cost you around $700.
I know a fella in Hardin MT. that had a 16 pound gun in 50-90, shot around a 650 grain boolit, and man was that thing sweet. I may send my Shiloh in to get a heavier barrel one of these days. Kenny Wasserberger has pics posted of his new Shiloh elsewhere on this sight, and it's a heavy barrel rifle.

Regards,
Bill

[JesterGrin_1]

Recoil what Recoil those 45-120's are powder puff Guns lol. Get the 50-140 :)

But really go with a 45-70 or a 45-90. :)

[NickSS]

If you plan to shoot it a lot you will get tired of it in a hurry. I had one built on a Browning SS action back 20 years ago and it kicked the stuffing out of me but that was a light rifle. I would say that it is a lot like firing a 12 ga Shotgun slug from a bench rest. You will also get more recoil per fps if you are loading black powder than smokeless because you burn more mass in the black and it acts like a rocket motor.

[montana_charlie]

Just how bad is the recoil on a 45-120?
I have been using 7mm Rem Mag as my primary hunting caliber for decades. I started with the Remington 700, and now I use a Browning 78.
I have never been 'sensitive' to recoil, but forty rounds from a bench is enough for me. I'm not sore, but I stop 'having fun' along about round number thirty.

When I got my Sharps rifle, I went out with fifteen reloads to give it a try. By the time they were gone, I was happy there were no more. During the second session, fifteen was all I wanted, again.

I bought a shoulder pad to wear, and that made shooting comfortable enough to enjoy putting fifteen downrange. But, I didn't like the way the gun mounted, so I went looking for something else.

I put in a mercury recoil reducer...which also brought the gun up to 12 pounds, 1 ounce. I found I could shoot fifteen rounds with relative comfort, but it was not a cure-all.

I scrounged around and found a brand of shoulder pad that I like. It does a good job of protecting my bones from the steel buttplate, and the mercury unit is still in there...doing it's thing.

So now, after a good bit of adjusting to the peculiarities of a Sharps rifle, I enjoy shooting heavy charges and big bullets from my .45/90.

But, I wouldn't keep a .45/120 if you gave it to me.

CM

[Crash_Corrigan]

I shooting friend of mine has both a 45-90 and a 50-90 in Shiloh Sharps buffalo rifles. I have fired both of them about 20 times and they are both a joy to shoot.

The 45 does recoil a mite less than the 50-90. A relative of his got bitten by the BPCR bug and bought a Browning 1885 single shot in 45-70. His had a poorly cut chamber so he sprung for a custom chamber reamer and made a 45-90 out of his buffalo gun.

The price was right on the gun and the sights that it come with are pretty nice. I got to fire his rifle and I fell in love with it. He had some trigger work done on it and it has got to be the nicest trigger on any rifle I have ever fired. It was even nicer than the single set trigger on my CZ's {.22 LR and .223} and that is going some.

It shoots less than MOA at 100 yds and that is with just lubed lead boolits. I cannot wait until I get to paper patch these babies.

He promised the loan of his chamber reamer and this is a project I am looking forward to.

[LIMPINGJ]

I have a Shiloh Saddle Rifle in 45-2 7/8" that weighs about 10lb. I feel less recoil with it than with a 12 ga shooting 3" mag.

[masscaster]

Put a maxi pad, or a gel shoe insert in you vest or shirt. No problems then!
Unless your shooting with your mouth open, lol.
masscaster

[HWooldridge]

I started piddling with Sharps rifles in the late 1970's and have been fortunate to fire several different calibers. Some were mine and some belonged to friends - most were originals. I currently own a Shiloh .45-70 that I purchased new (when they were still in Farmingdale so that dates it). They also didn't have a 5 year wait back then.

At any rate, I think the .45-70 is the most practical cartridge due to case availability but the .40-90 is probably my favorite. The .40 calibers were very popular in the heyday of these rifles due to their relatively flat trajectories and the modern .40-65 is also a good choice if you shoot a lot (necked down .45-70). The .45-90 and .50-90 are also practical rounds but anything larger than these two can be a real beast with regard to recoil and powder/lead consumption. I am fairly lean in the upper body so don't have much meat to offset a steel buttplate and I wear a PAST recoil shield when I shoot off the bench - without it, I get pretty bruised and am sore for several days. I typically like to shoot 20-50 shots in a target session and even the .45-70 is punishing in a 9 lb rifle. A few shots while hunting is never a problem but steady shooting at the bench can be a painful experience. Personally, I would not own a .45-120 but everyone is entitled to their own preferences.

[cajun shooter]

It also depends on your age. If you are still young then you have that I can shoot anything mind set. When you reach your late 50's early 60's as I am then you say to yourself " WHY DO I WANT TO DO THIS AND I NO LONGER NEED TO IMPRESS" . Just finished a shooting day that included a CAS match in a open field with the temps at 95 with the same humidity. We then pulled out the Buffalo rifles. I shot 30 rds of 45-70 with full loads behind a 535 Postell some with a 525gr and several rounds out of a Shiloh 50-90. My socks were wet and pants soaked and I was ready to call it a day when my two friends agreed I was done!!! The shooting was in Natchez, Mississippi and the Buffalo shooting was 20 miles east and then you have the 130 mile drive home. 45-120 , not now or ever for me!!