What's the nastiest gun you've ever had the (dis)pleasure of firing?

[DistalRadius]

I actually think the M44 Mosin fired prone was my most uncomfortable shooting experience. My single shot BMG is really not bad at all, the weight kills the recoil. 50 Beo has quite a smack to it. Never fired any Nitro Express style big game rifles but they sure do look unpleasant.

Lots of votes for shotguns. I think this is going to come down to a specific ratio of weight-versus-ammunition. Hot-assed loads in a lightweight shotgun (like an NEF) will always be brutal.

Here is what I bring out to separate the limp-wristers from the recoil-junkies. :devil

[/url]DSC07131 by E P, on Flickr[/IMG]

Recoil is not bad at all with target loads. With buckshot and slugs you need to be sure to keep your cheek off the stock.

3.5" shells however, are like riding a flaming jackhammer. One 5rd mag is usually plenty.

 

[Loco]

... I find the HK UMP to have one of the most unpleasant and abrupt recoil impulses out there. Iould have made a gun with worse firing characteristics if they had actively tried...

Agree 100%. Those are quite unpleasant, almost annoying to shoot.

In the 1980s I ordered a rifle fired flare and fired it from a AR15 holding it to my shoulder one of those things I only did once I lost hair eyebrows hearing and the flash so bright I did not get to see much of it . and every one was shouting do it again .

Ouch. That might win the thread, LMAO. Reminds me of my neighbor from childhood, who'd try any weapon once.

 

[slimshady]

If you want a thread winner:

I don't remember the guy's name, but the story was in one of the gun magazines many moons ago. Professional hunter in Africa had a couple 4 bore black powder caplock guns. 4 bore means it shot a 1/4 lb round lead ball!. The hunter had a local guy as a gun bearer/loader and was apparently not too good with the English language. SOP was to load both guns then when a herd of elephants was found he would fire one, exchange it for the other one and fire again while the local guy was rapidly reloading, repeat as necessary. Until the one day he had a dud cap and got a click instead of a bang. He quickly passes it to his guy and says "Re-cap this!" and went on about his business of lining up a shot at an elephant with the second rifle.

However the local guy had no idea what "re-cap" meant, so did his usual ritual of dropping in a huge pile of powder and topping it off with a 1/4 lb lead ball, finishing it off with a fresh cap on the nipple. We now have a full 1/2 lb of lead in the bore and a double charge of powder. Hunter finally got his shot and exchanged rifles. Unfortunately for him this was a good cap and it went off. He stated he didn't believe the second charge went off as it would have likely blown the gun up, but with a combined projectile weight of over a half pound (the second powder charge would have been a part of the projectile weight) it was a wonder he didn't dislocate his shoulder at least. Instead he said he awoke several minutes later across the clearing with a very concerned gun bearer standing over him. And that he developed a flinch he couldn't overcome...

And yes, they did make 2 bore guns that shot half pound lead balls! I'm not sure at what bore size the stock is replaced with a cannon carriage, but those old timers apparently were made of some tough stuff...

 

[xdamagedx]

I actually think the M44 Mosin fired prone was my most uncomfortable shooting experience. My single shot BMG is really not bad at all, the weight kills the recoil. 50 Beo has quite a smack to it. Never fired any Nitro Express style big game rifles but they sure do look unpleasant.

Lots of votes for shotguns. I think this is going to come down to a specific ratio of weight-versus-ammunition. Hot-assed loads in a lightweight shotgun (like an NEF) will always be brutal.

Here is what I bring out to separate the limp-wristers from the recoil-junkies. :devil

[/url]DSC07131 by E P, on Flickr[/IMG]

Recoil is not bad at all with target loads. With buckshot and slugs you need to be sure to keep your cheek off the stock.

3.5" shells however, are like riding a flaming jackhammer. One 5rd mag is usually plenty.

I didn't know the Saiga could handle 3.5"... I'd love to try that!

 

[Rob1928]

17lb 4-bore, 2133 grain bullet (4 7/8 ounces), 383 grains of Goex 2F.

Won't repeat.

1500 grain round balls at 1500 fps with blue dot are stiff but fun. 1500 grain balls at 700 is a fun all day plinking load, kids can shoot them, and no one drops the gun. Even a few congressmen tried those out last year and no one had a problem.

 

[DistalRadius]

I didn't know the Saiga could handle 3.5"... I'd love to try that!

Whoops! Misquote, I meant 3". :abused

But I would buy a 3.5" if they made it.

 

[Loco]

17lb 4-bore, 2133 grain bullet (4 7/8 ounces), 383 grains of Goex 2F.

Won't repeat.

1500 grain round balls at 1500 fps with blue dot are stiff but fun. 1500 grain balls at 700 is a fun all day plinking load, kids can shoot them, and no one drops the gun. Even a few congressmen tried those out last year and no one had a problem.

This is insane!

 

[fortyfive1911a1]

Largest recoiling - S&W 500. Massive, but not unbearable due to the size/weight of the revolver.

Nastiest - Bond Arms 410 Derringer. Just gross and unpleasant. I want to like these because they’re produced just down the road from me in Granbury Texas. Very well made, but No thanks. I much prefer the beer that comes out of Granbury (revolver brewing) to their nasty little derringers.

 

[Roaster72]

Nastiest shotgun is my High Standard 10B. The recoil is mild but your cheek weld is on the receiver. The sensation is disconcerting.

Nastiest handgun was some compact Star in 45. I was offered it for $250 and passed. It had an uncomfortable grip and in recoil it wanted to slip and slam your finger into the trigger guard.

Nastiest rifle is any number of whatever uber magnum cartridge in a 6 lbs rifle with a plastic stock. Every owner has told me they needed that super duper magnum to round to drop those tough whitetails. Maybe the worst was an ultralight 300 rum. It's amazing how deer have almost become immune to 243, 270, 30/30, 308, and 30.06.

Nastiest full auto for me is the M14 with the G3 as a close second. I have neighbor who has one and whenever he's shooting one of my autos he offers me a mag in that damn M14. I pass every time.

 

[Villafuego]

I'm not necessarily a "small" guy, and have lit off a fair amount of unpleasant cartridges...…

Most huge caliber guns are dampened by huge weight...….I don't mind firing .50 BMG rifles, or large bore express rifles.

The one I had that caused the most hilarity was an 1892 Berthier artillery carbine.....when I bought it, about the only ammo you could find was French "Balle N" for Hotchkiss machine guns loaded on feed strips....

Combine a 17" barrel, big drop in the stock, light weight, and a heavy ass bullet propelled by degraded powder, and it was hideous....

Almost every round was a hangfire, followed by a ball of flame the size of a chest freezer.....and acrid black smoke......recoil was sharp, painful, and totally focused onto a small, flat, steel buttplate…...

It was the one gun everybody wanted to shoot.....once

The short barreled Moroccan Mauser carbines in .30-06 were a close second.....

 

[ole442]

Another is a Freedom Arms mini revolver

 

[glockman]

I actually think the M44 Mosin fired prone was my most uncomfortable shooting experience. My single shot BMG is really not bad at all, the weight kills the recoil. 50 Beo has quite a smack to it. Never fired any Nitro Express style big game rifles but they sure do look unpleasant.

Lots of votes for shotguns. I think this is going to come down to a specific ratio of weight-versus-ammunition. Hot-assed loads in a lightweight shotgun (like an NEF) will always be brutal.

Here is what I bring out to separate the limp-wristers from the recoil-junkies. :devil

[/url]DSC07131 by E P, on Flickr[/IMG]

Recoil is not bad at all with target loads. With buckshot and slugs you need to be sure to keep your cheek off the stock.

3.5" shells however, are like riding a flaming jackhammer. One 5rd mag is usually plenty.

How do you get a 3.5" shell into a magazine that will barely hold the 3" shells??? And then get it to seat and cycle? You might be able to jam one in the chamber and fire it, (although I wouldn't recommend it, it is only rated for 2-3/4" and 3") but I would like to see a magazine that would function with 3.5" shells. I own a VEPR12 and 3" are stout, but quite manageable. No way you could put a 3.5" shell in the magazine though.

 

[SSBiggun]

I found my buddies No.V Jungle Carbine to be very unpleasant. way worse than a normal SMLE. Another +1 for the 500 Smith. I own 1 and haven't found a decent recipe for down loading it.

 

[nklf]

Another is a Freedom Arms mini revolver in 22 LR like the one that comes in the belt buckle set-up. A buddy of mine bought one and that little thing is nasty and wants to flip backwards in your hand. It wouldn't be too bad with 22 Shorts but it's only listed as 22 LR.! Love to be able to shoot 22 shorts in it and see if it's any more controllable and accurate. In 22 LR it's not very accurate!

I never thought the 22 LR was that uncomfortable. The 22 WMR is very hard to keep from flipping backwards. I don't think anyone wants to shoot a brick in a weekend with either one.

 

[glockman]

I never thought the 22 LR was that uncomfortable. The 22 WMR is very hard to keep from flipping backwards. I don't think anyone wants to shoot a brick in a weekend with either one.

I have the NAA WASP in .22 WMR, and when I got it, it was wearing the grips in pic1. I agree, she was hard to hold onto. I bought the grip holster for it and it is a different gun. Much better. If you look around, you can get the model that I did that comes with both the .22lr and the .22 WMR cylinders. .22 short is a no go. They do make a special run model that only fires the .22 short though.

 

[Mackjack]

I have the NAAA WASP in .22 WMR, and when I got it, it was wearing the grips in pic1. I agree, she was hard to hold onto. I bought the grip holster for it and it is a different gun. Much better. If you look around, you can get the model that I did that comes with both the .22lr and the .22 WMR cylinders.

View attachment 35251View attachment 35252View attachment 35253

I had the tiniest one in 22lr with wood birdshead grip. Sounded cool in my head.... until I shot it. Sucked ass. Felt like I was gonna shoot myself with it cause you could only get 2 fingers on the grip maybe. Needless to say... it's long since sold

 

[Marcus99]

A buddy has an SBS double barrel coach style 12 gauge. I’d be surprised if the barrel was even 8 inches. That’s probably the nastiest thing I’ve shot with 00 buck.

 

[fortyfive1911a1]

A buddy has an SBS double barrel coach style 12 gauge. I’d be surprised if the barrel was even 8 inches. That’s probably the nastiest thing I’ve shot with 00 buck.

That reminds me of another vicious experience. Ithaca Deerslayer SBS with 00 buck. The metal tabs that hold the front grip strap on sliced my hand open pretty good. That being said I want to shoot it again, just because it looks cool. Maybe next time with bird shot, though.

Spas 12 is another shotgun that had much more recoil than I anticipated, but again, every time I see Jurassic Park I want to shoot one....

 

[TexTenn59]

S&W 500. Hung onto it. Owner bloodied up his hand hanging onto it. No interest in owning one.

 

[anm2_man]

Worst 1 round recoil would have been one of three.
1) Boys anti tank rifle
2) 20mm Lahti <-------- THIS
3) 700 Nitro Express

Worst recoil from one continuous shooting session would be one of three. These were all when I was working at Interarms in the 1990s. All rounds were shot as fast as I could until I finished the ammo. I had 3 or 4 guys loading magazines as I shot.
1)5000 rounds out of a Walther P99.
2)2000 rounds out of a 10mm Star MegeStar.
3)2000 rounds out of a Star Firestar in 40 S&W.

Yes for me a Lahti - shoulder mounted 20mm anti-tank gun - That did HURT !