I'm shooting a fairly light Savage 11 chambered in 308. No muzzle brake or suppressor. Generally speaking the recoil is quite manageable. It being my first firearm, however, means I learned the hard way that you do have to hold onto it! Early on I went to the range with the idea that I should relax as much as possible while squeezing the trigger, so as to strain muscles as little as possible and get a consistent shot. The general idea was ok, but unfortunately I was a bit too relaxed: I was barely holding on at all, and the rifle, resting on my bag, jumped up and struck me between the eyes. Blood flowed freely.
Ever since then I've always held a sturdy grip on the stock with my non-shooting hand. That means I'm not able to do the thing where my left hand helps to adjust elevation by propping up the rear of the rifle (not sure if there is a name for this - basically, think squeezing a sock). That's too bad, though, because I feel like I could be more accurate if I let my left hand aid in the aiming process, instead of straining somewhat to hold the rifle stock. I see that a lot of guys seem to do this technique without any trouble. In some cases I see that they have heavier rifles, and/or muzzle brakes, which would tame recoil. Or they use bipods that seem to grab the shooting surface. But I suspect there is a way to make this work for me, firing off of a bag. Are there any tricks I don't know? Apart from pulling the rifle well into your shoulder and having a good grip in your trigger hand? Perhaps it's time to give it another try - hopefully no scope cuts this time.
Ever since then I've always held a sturdy grip on the stock with my non-shooting hand. That means I'm not able to do the thing where my left hand helps to adjust elevation by propping up the rear of the rifle (not sure if there is a name for this - basically, think squeezing a sock). That's too bad, though, because I feel like I could be more accurate if I let my left hand aid in the aiming process, instead of straining somewhat to hold the rifle stock. I see that a lot of guys seem to do this technique without any trouble. In some cases I see that they have heavier rifles, and/or muzzle brakes, which would tame recoil. Or they use bipods that seem to grab the shooting surface. But I suspect there is a way to make this work for me, firing off of a bag. Are there any tricks I don't know? Apart from pulling the rifle well into your shoulder and having a good grip in your trigger hand? Perhaps it's time to give it another try - hopefully no scope cuts this time.
