What would you do?

[OXN939]

Get out of magnum town. Sell or rebarrel and move to non-mag short action. 7-08, 6.5cm or 308. Elk fall down just fine with any of those.

+1. I spent some time as a precision shooting instructor. Know who almost always flinched the worst when we'd run snap cap drills to practice following through the shot and resetting the trigger? Guys who personally owned or shot magnum deer rifles. It is a very hard habit to break once you've got it. If thinking about shooting your rifle makes you wince, the smart money is that you will also flinch when you've got a ton of adrenaline going and are trying to cleanly break a shot on an animal.

 

[treillw]

Didn't read the whole thread.

I have a 5" TBAC Ultra. Cooper Model 92 300 win, 215 bergers. Recoil is pretty mild with the terminator brake on it, but like you said loud. 110 pound wife shoots it very accurately with no flinching; killed multiple animals with it. Got a muley at 450 yards this year with it.

I wanted to use the 5" can for hunting, but:
1. It changed my pet load from .5 moa to 2 moa and I didn't fell like going through load development and trajectory validation again before the season.
2. The recoil increased pretty substantially over the brake. I cant imagine it is nearly as bad as shooting with a bare muzzle, but the 5" can definitely isn't as effective as a brake. When I was shooting it, laying prone, really relaxed, trying to shoot good groups, I felt like the scope was getting pretty close to my eye. Last thing I need it have my wife be afraid of the gun and scope herself while shooting at an animal in an awkward position.

I scanned the thread and saw that you live near TBAC and I assume you got a TBAC can. Try to talk them into letting you test fire one. See how it changes the recoil on your gun, with your hunting bullet. Don't shoot somebody elses gun. I did that before buying my 5" and shot it on a cadex chassis rifle that weighs a good bit more than my M92. Big difference in recoil.

I haven't shot it a ton, but I think the brake recoil is more sharp and quick and the recoil with the can on is more of a long push.

Hope that helps.

 

[Str8shtr]

Rebarrel the tikka to a 7 saum. Good ballistics and less recoil.

 

[Rob5589]

I can shoot my 7 mag T3 all day without issue. I owned a Browning Stalker in 300 wm year's ago and sold it in less than 50 rounds. My daughter uses a T3 in 7/08 and I love that gun. It is plenty for what we use it for. I really wish I had bought two of them.

 

[Eltigreblanco]

I'm in the market if you decide to bail on it

 

[Maverick1]

Have you thought about purchasing some reduced recoil rounds for it? Would help to reduce the recoil issues while at the range, help to develop good shooting form and habits, and - if you use "full" loads in a hunting situation in the field - you likely wouldn't notice the full recoil for that ONE shot at an animal in the field, anyhow. (You don't have to handload for this ammunition; in "normal" times it is readily available from a couple of different manufacturers and calibers, although these are not normal times....)

 

[TheGDog]

RE: hearing - I have substantial loss of the higher frequencies in one ear due to a trauma that happened years ago. Also for several years before beginning hunting I was running 1200 Watts RMS in my car stereo setup with the volume turned up to "Destroy the Earth!!!" as my stress-relief chamber!

I'm usually ambush hunting. But due to the thickness in the area, and how/where I have to hide, it's not like I see them a long ways off before they get there. So I HAVE to be able to be listening for the leaves rustling from their footsteps before they come into view so I can snap to and ninja quite bring the weapon to bare. Whther rifle or bow.

So... I have been doing it without hearing protection. And even though it's only 1 shot, I know that's no bueno. Very much didn't like it with .308 Win. .223 Rem is no problemo. .30-30 actually doesn't bother me much at all either. But I know it's still hurting the ears... so I finally got the Walker's Silencer R600 in-ear buds. (Because unfortunately I have to wear glasses now, AND I wear full concealment gear, so muffs are out of the question.)

I've been pleasantly surprised by these earbuds! My biggest concern was losing directionality of detecting where the sound is coming from. It's a little less than without protection... but not that bad though actually. And.. I can independently adjust the volume so the bad ear I can crank it up and the good ear I can crank it to just barely amplified. And they really do help in terms of hearing the rustling leaves! Things seem so quiet after a whole day on the stand with those things in my ears. They're really cool at the range too! They're fairly comfortable to wear too! I've been surprised by that, since, for example, I don't really wear things like necklaces because having something touching me like that will cause a tension headache. Almost always had to cut the tags of any shirt/t-shirt all thru growing up, etc. cause it'd drive me crazy. Just so you get where I'm coming from in terms of how surprisingly comfortable they turned out to be.

So anyhoo... definitely give those earbuds a listen.

 

[Deadspace]

Oh I’ve read every freaking page. Let’s see...Caron 6 20” barrel in 6.5prc threaded for my tbac dominus, Mesa precision or wildcat stock...sound familiar?

Very! Pretty much exactly what I’m building except with an axial precision stock.

 

[Taprack9]

I suppose you can wait until you put the can on but I think it’s still gonna be a punch.

If it was me I’d sell it and get a .270. With a limb saver pad it won’t be bad, even in a mountain style lightweight rifle. Shooting 130 or 150 mono bullets would be more than enough.

Confidence in your gun and your ability to shoot it makes a world of difference when you’re in the field. You can’t have any negative thoughts in your head when you’ve got the crosshairs on game.

 

[zion zig zag]

I have significant hearing loss already. Much more and I won’t be able to hear an elk bugle and if that happens someone needs to take me out back behind the shed! I tell myself to put in my plugs before shooting. Then an animal jumps up at 100 yards and...BANG BANG BANG!!! No plugs of course.

I'm 46 and feel like I still hear far off sounds ok in the outdoors, but my tinnitus has gotten bad this year. I would never do a brake either.

 

[TheGDog]

I'm 46 and feel like I still hear far off sounds ok in the outdoors, but my tinnitus has gotten bad this year. I would never do a brake either.

HELPFUL NOTE: tinnitus is also a symptom on hypertension (aka high blood pressure). So please start checking your BP and if high-ish... mention it to your Doc.

I'm hypertensive, got that diagnosis at 22yo. Some people... it just so happen in their kidneys they produce a lot of angiotensin... and that binds to the cells in smooth-walled muscle fibers... (the ones you don't control by your will) such as the walls of your arteries and veins... and it results in them being tense and rigid.. thus when the heart squeezes to push new blood into the arteries.. the walls of those tubes... being rigid... they don't flex and give outwardly as much as other peoples... hence "the pipe" it flows thru remains more narrow in diameter, hence higher pressure within it.

 

[hereinaz]

I second the 7 saum barrel and a TBAC 7, IF you need over 700 yards.

Otherwise, get a 30-06/270 or better a 280ai. You can shoot a 280 ai with 168 grain and beat a 3006 in the same weight and match or beat the 270 at long range trajectory. Inside 500 a 6.5 creed, 260, or 308 is plenty.

 

[43.6N]

Interesting situation.
I am in a similar situation with an heirloom 300wby. Wont sell it, don’t love shooting it, etc.

My solution was to hand load reduced recoil loads that fall between 3006 and 300winmag for recoil.

 

[Lawnboi]

Does the range your shooting require a magnum? If no get rid of it and get something you can shoot. Atleast that’s what I did. Maybe one day if I’m comfortable at taking 500+ yard shots at elk I’ll get a magnum. Until then I’m happy burning 41 grains or less of powder at a time.

I was brought up shooting magnums and am still getting my mind right in regards to blast and recoil. A suppressor helps, but it also has a very different feeling recoil. Personally I’m more prone to flinch from a blasty brake or really loud gun than something with some recoil.

 

[Fatcamp]

What do you wear when you shoot? A heavy coat and strap on shoulder pads have toned down our .300. Not real fun, but my wife is able to shoot a couple boxes per range visit if she wants. Rifle is around 8#.

Easy solution for us. When she bought it paper plates at 100 yards were safe. Whoever had it before never even fired it enough to sight it in. Probably because of recoil.

I will say, forget the recoil mitigation supplies and it sucks to shoot. Kicks like a mule. With them it's not a big deal.

 

[rootacres]

Does the 30-06 shoot well? You could thread it and get a new stock for that rifle? That would give you a mild 30 cal with a can.

Or get rid of the tikka and pick up a one of the many awesome 308 options that comes threaded and in a decent stock.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Sell it and go with a more forgiving round. 270 Win, 7mm-08, 280 AI, etc all will serve you well.

 

[bsnedeker]

What do you wear when you shoot? A heavy coat and strap on shoulder pads have toned down our .300. Not real fun, but my wife is able to shoot a couple boxes per range visit if she wants. Rifle is around 8#.

Easy solution for us. When she bought it paper plates at 100 yards were safe. Whoever had it before never even fired it enough to sight it in. Probably because of recoil.

I will say, forget the recoil mitigation supplies and it sucks to shoot. Kicks like a mule. With them it's not a big deal.

I second this. I have the t3x lite in 300 so it's a few ounces heavier but the recoil was causing me to develop a flinch. I got the Caldwell shoulder pad and now I can shoot for hours with no problems. I also double up on earpro.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Packin_packout]

Before you go down the rebarreling path bear in mind that if you want to switch to a 280 Ackley improved you need a different Bolt. Tikka bolts are hard to find and they are expensive probably $300 plus. If you go with the 7 short action Ultra Mag you can use your existing setup for rebarreling and will be able to load long and heavy bullets and it will be less kick than the 300 you have currently. The 280 AI has a hang up at when you try to load long heavy for caliber bullets they may not fit in the magazine.

I don't know which can you were planning to use I have been using thunderbeast with an area 419 mount. The mount I have is 5/8 by 24 and so I had to shorten the barrel up a couple of inches to get enough meat on it to do the threading and have a good shoulder.

 

[FatCampzWife]

Pad up. Make SURE your scope is scoping & you're actually hitting where you should. Find the right load your 300wm likes. Took me a few tries to find mine. I have a 6.5 creed tikka, BUT I KNOW my 300wm will dead anything I connect with, without fail, up to at least 500 yards. (Had a bad experience with a .223...) So, I stubbornly drag my 300wm on all my hunts. Maybe I'll break down & get my 6.5 up & going for next year. I will say I DO NOT wear padding on the hunt (other than normal clothes). I don't even feel it kick. At tge range, I feel like I need a chiro after a dozen rounds or so. I guess it's all about what you're willing to give up or invest (time, or otherwise). If you have no confidence in the gun, either fix it, or boot it down the road for something you DO have confidence in. Life's entirely too short to drag around a gun that won't hit what you aim at, regardless of tge reasons why that may be so.