Recoil control is the skill that helped me the most when it came to spotting my shots. It helped me shoot better and faster when it came to follow up shots. I could actually watch my bullet’s impact and stay on target, even on large bore rifles like the .338 Lapua and .50 BMG. There are a few tips and tricks I’ll go over to improve your recoil management. One thing I know for sure is that there is not a “right way” to shooting; however, there is a wrong way. I have seen people hit at 1000 yards while they free recoil the rifle. A student in one of the RX 1000 courses was shooting with his feet because he had no arms, so there is not a right way but there is a wrong way. I will go over what I have learned and what works well for me.
Muzzle Devices
I feel the best way to start managing recoil is by reducing it where we can. Examples of devices you can use are a compensator, a muzzle break, or a silencer. Muzzle breaks can reduce recoil up to 50%. They worked extremely well and look really cool on the rifle. There are some negatives, which include increased sound to the shooter and someone shooting next to you. Muzzle breaks are extremely effective because they exhaust the gases to the side to help minimize recoil. This is helpful for follow up shots.
Adding a muzzle break will likely change your point of impact. Most muzzle breaks will remain on the rifle and not be taken on and off, so this isn’t a big deal because that will be adjusted for when you zero the rifle.
A compensator will help with a reduction in recoil, but its main purpose is to reduce muzzle rise. This is done by redirecting the gasses more upward. However, a portion of the gases are directed to the side, which will help minimize felt recoil. The negatives are similar to a muzzle brake, in that it will increase noise to the shooter and surrounding people.
My personal favorite muzzle devices are silencers. They reduce recoil, but more importantly significantly reduce the rifle’s report to hearing safe levels. In my opinion, there are more negatives to a silencer, but it doesn’t outweigh the benefits . The negative aspect is more on ownership and not usage, but I will cover that in another blog. If you ever shoot a rifle with a silencer, you will likely never shoot without one again. It reduces felt recoil, it lowers the sound, reduces noice pollution, and doesn’t scare off wildlife. But most importantly, it will save your hearing over the years of shooting. It's really nice to be able to shoot and talk to someone without yelling over the gun.
Recoil Pads
There are several really good recoil pads on the market, such as Pachmyer, Limbsaver, and Houge, While a recoil pad won’t reduce recoil, it does soften the blow. It helps ease the felt recoil on heavy recoiling magnum rifles like 300 Win Mag and .338 Lapua Magnum. So much so that shooting these caliber rifles for several hours is not big deal. On calibers such as 30.06 Springfield and 308 Winchester, a recoil pad will reduce the punch down enough that you will likely no longer have the minor sore shoulder after a full day at the range. On light recoiling calibers like .223 Remington and .243 Winchester, it absorbs most of that little push. Recoil pads are like little tactical pillows for your rifle. Or at least I like to think so. In all seriousness, they make shooting more comfortable under recoil, when loading the bipod (more on that in a minute), and while pulling the rifle into the pocket of your shoulder. They are very inexpensive and help out quit a bit.
Natural Point Of Aim
While natural point of aim is not directly related to controlling recoil, what it is doing is allowing the recoil to happen the same way every time. As a shooter, you don’t want to muscle the rifle on target. You want it to be in such a way that, on its own (or with bags or bipod) it is pointed at the target. You are essentially only pulling the trigger. With a perfect natural point of aim, you should be able to come off the rifle and get back on with the crosshairs on target and little to no movement in the gun. This means that the rifle should recoil the same way every time.
The first part of natural point of aim and recoil control, where the shooter is introducing the human aspect, is the employment of front and rear bags. The type of bags the shooter uses can have an impact on recoil. I like to use a sock filled with rice. Once the rice is compacted down under the rifle, the rice ‘locks’ into place. The front of the rifle will come up and the back will be pushed down. The rice minimizes or stops the downward motion of the butt stock, allowing it to come straight back instead of back and down. With airy or soft bags filled with little foam balls or thin padding, under recoil it gets smashed down. After recoil, you will likely have to muscle the rifle back on target. This can cause an inconsistency from shot to shot. It will also cause follow up shots to take much longer. With a combination of a stiff bag, such as a sock filled with rice, and a muzzle break or silencer, the upward movement will be minimized and the rifle will move straight back. This is much more controllable, as the rifle will always take the path or least resistance.
If the shooter is using a bipod on a bench or hard ground, this will cause a bouncing action with the muzzle rise. This can be minimized with a compensator. It can also be minimized by using a front bag. This gets rid of the contact between two hard surfaces; the bench or hard ground, and the bipod. A front bag will also aid in the recoil, pushing the rifle back instead of the energy being transported to the bipod legs and pushing the rifle upward.
Shouldering The Rifle
I’ll focus on the prone position but this still applies in other positions. However, body mechanics and minor details will change depending on the situation.
Just as a general rule, the weight of the rifle is the amount of pressure you should apply when pulling the rifle into the pocket of your shoulder. I like this rule because it gives a consistent answer. I don’t like this rule because it’s not necessarily true. A lighter rifle will recoil more, and would most likely be more comfortable to shoot, if it was pulled into the shoulder tighter. The best answer to me is, as long as it’s snug against your shoulder and done the same way every time, then you should be good. This way you have consistency, and that is what you want. The rifle should be parallel to your spine and pulled in to the shoulder so there is no gap between the butt stock before, during, or after firing. This allows the entire weight of your body to absorb the recoil. This also ensures the rifle doesn’t have room to slide back and hit you. It allows you to maintain natural point of aim, and follow up shots will become faster. If the rifle has a sharp recoil to it (this will happen with light weight rifles or magnums), then you may be more comfortable with a recoil pad. It will ease the punch of the rifle and make it more comfortable to shoot.
Let’s recap before moving on. To minimize recoil, use a muzzle device such as a muzzle brake, compensator, or silencer. Use a quality rear and/or front bag that’s stiff, not light and airy. Make sure you have a perfect natural point of aim and that the rifle is parallel to the spine. The rifle should be firmly pulled into the pocket of the shoulder, and don’t forget to focus on the fundamentals.
Loading The Bipod
If you are able to load the bipod, it’s the single best thing you can do to control recoil. Loading the bipod would take the place of pulling the gun into your shoulder, as you are going to be laying into the rifle in such a way that your body weight is pushing forward on the rifle loading the bipod. My favorite way of doing this is digging a little trench about 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep into the ground for the legs to sit in. I’ll get into the prone position like normal, but I will lift up on my elbows and move forward about an inch or two with the rifle resting in the pocket of my shoulder. As I lay down, the rifle is force forward, and the bipod legs are being loaded with my body weight. Everything else stay the same. Natural point of aim, rear bag, and focus on the fundamentals. Now, under recoil the butt stock can’t be forced down because of the rear bag. With the bipod being loaded, the muzzle rise will be extremely mitigated because of the forward pressure of your body weight, and even more so if using a muzzle device. The rifle under recoil has nowhere to go when done correctly. The cross hairs will remain on target. This is important when trying to spot your own shots, and will greatly improve your shot.
What if you are shooting on a bench, hard ground, or in a different shooting position? You are still able to load the bipod. If you are on a shooting mat, you can put the legs of the bipod into the straps of the mat. You can push the bipod into a tree branch, fence post, or gate. I carry some 550 cord in my bag just in case I ever need it. If I need to, I can tie the 550 cord around the bipod in a big loop and put it under my foot or around my waist to be able to get back and downward pressure to load the bipod. If you want to be super resourceful, pull the shoe strings out of your boots or shoes and use them. If nothing else, you may have a cool story.
“This deer came out of the tree line at 350 yards, but the grass was too tall; I couldn’t get a steady hold on him. I pulled the shoelaces out of my boots, tied them around the bipod, wrapped the lace around a branch, leaned into the rifle and shot him right through the lungs”.
Work on loading the bipod during dry fire practice, and the next time you go shooting, give it a try. Your shooting will quickly improve, you will be able to spot your own shots, and your groups will be more consistent
The Overwatch

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