Depending on the load and the amount of trigger pulls it can be stout turning your shoulder to jello.

I have my Grand Pappy's Winchester 1894 30WCF built in 1898 which was his favorite rifle and shot out the barrel. When he handed it down to my father, he wanted it for his saddle rifle and had it bored to 32Special. Now I have it but my youngest daughter is trying to take it over as she can't keep her paws off it.

A few years ago I sent 18 factory loads down the tube and my shoulder turned every shade of black and blue you can imagine. And the muscle tissue felt like jello. To remedy the brutality I had Levergun make a butt cuff for it. Levergun Leather Works is a supporting vendor here at MO. You can view some of his work here:

• Levergun Leather Works

Limbsaver sells recoil pad material in sheets, I purchased a couple for less than $30. Then cut two pieces in the shape of the butt plate and stuffed the inside of the butt cuff. Laced it on and it not only looks great but makes for one heck of a recoil pad.

Below is a picture of my youngest daughter shooting a couple boxes down range.

Click pic to enlarge and then click again to enlarge more

Hope this helps,

Jack

 

it's tolerable, pace yourself at the range, learn your own limitations, everyone will be a little different

 

LOL, HCS, I paced myself and that didn't help. I'm not recoil sensitive but the upper edge of the steal crescent digs in to your shoulder. Same spot over and over began making my shoulder a tad sore around the 15th or 16th round. But I was enjoying it so a couple more. It wasn't until the third day or so that I noticed the bruising and when I felt the spot where the upper edge of the crescent repeatedly dug into my shoulder, well, jello comes to mind. :flute: :biggrin:

Jack

 

Never have figured out why the gun manufacturers of that era thought the crescent was a good idea. At least not for the average shooter.

But there again, I can't stand pistol grip stocks either.

 

There's some good info here. I had a possible deal for a Win 1886 Short Rifle that I thought could be a good mountains gun, I think I'll stick with the 1895G. Thank you guys.

 

Sorry, double posted.

 

I have the Browning 1886 in 45-70 with the crescent buttplate. As far as the crescent goes, it's mostly a matter of where you place it on your shoulder as far as comfort. It's designed to be placed a bit farther out on the shoulder, so the bottom point nestles under your armpit, not digging into your shoulder. The idea was to help support the weight of the rifle and keep it from slipping off your shoulder. This was prior to the day of the recoil pad. Used, properly, it's no worse than a straight buttplate without a recoil pad.

I started out with the Browning using what I thought were cowboy or trapdoor level loads. They weren't. They were 300 grain loads at 2100 fps and they hurt, even with the almost 9 pounds of weight in the Browning. I dropped down to typical 45-70 deer and black bear hunting ammo using a 300 grain bullet at 1850 fps. Those are tolerable for me, but for range work, I do use a sissy bag between my shoulder and the gun. Recoil does not have to be an issue in the 45-70, anyway, given that you can load it mild to wild.

By the way, these Browning/Winchester Miroku made 1886 guns are awesomely accurate. I set the gun up with a Skinner barrel mount peep, since there is no option for a receiver peep on this gun. This is my 100 yard sight in target with the Skinner peep.

 

Everybody is different I suppose when it comes to this, and I know more than one person has told me over the years that my 30-30 kicks them harder than my 30-06... no recoil pad on the 30-30; and I think that '06 is even lighter too? Perceived recoil I guess, and rifle/stock design probably plays a part too. The only rifles I've been "bothered" with so to say, and not really enjoying shooting them, is a couple of those "magnum" caliber rifles some friends of mine have had. Probably why I've never owned any, but never felt under-gunned as it were either, LOL!

 

The recoil is the same with steel curved butt plate and the standard modern butt plate.

But I sure feel it a lot more with the curved steel one! Even 44 mag is uncomfortable. Much worse than my 45-70 firing much heavier loads.

 

I sure feel it a lot more with the curved steel one! Even 44 mag is uncomfortable.

From a bench my .44 mag Rossi is painful.
Shooting off hand it's a kitty cat.

Vooch

 

Depends on how close the curve fits your shoulder.
If the fit is good the recoil is not too bad.
If it doesn't, especially with thumper ammo like Buffalo Bore, or Garrett you feel the pain.
My 1886 Extra Light has a wide, straight shotgun style butt plate that is easy in the shoulder even though the rifle weighs only 7 1/2 pounds.
My 8 1/2 pound full length Chiappa 1886 with the conventional curved butt plate (that doesn't fit my shoulder) really hits me with thumper ammo while I could fire the 7 1/2 pound Extra Light with the same ammo all day even though it is a pound lighter than the Chiappa.
That shotgun style butt plate is a lot easier on the shoulder.

 

I have the Browning 86 SRC and shoot the 325 Hornandy gummy points out of it. There is no pain with that loading. But, that's the hottest load I fired out of it.:beerglass:

 

Sorry to breathe life into an older thread, but........my 45-90 came with the crescent butt and I was smart enough to come up with an easy way to convert it to a flat butt and fit a kickeez pad to the stock. Yes, it no longer "looks" traditional but it sure is nicer to the shoulder. You remove the steel buttplate, and then cut just enough wood from the butt to get it flat across the back. You still wind up with a notch on top where the top of the steel butt attaches but that get cut flush with the wood and then screwed back onto the butt. You fill the void in it with bondo, or jb weld, and then attach the recoil pad and sand everything smooth. It stayed that way until I bought a replacement stock, which was wider and helped spread recoil out even better. 425gr BTB's at 2200 do shove back a bit.
Trapr

 

I have found that when shooting a steel buttplate (straight or cresent) to pull the piece "snug" into my shoulder. I don't leave any slack there for the recoil to smack me.

Ain't saying that it will work for everybody, but it makes quite a difference for me. JMTC.

Smoke Ratchet

 

I have a couple rifles with crescent butt plates and my perceived recoil is significantly more with the crescents than with my other rifles firing the same cartridges.

North country gal, Thanks for the very interesting information regarding the purpose of crescent butt plates! The next time I shoulder one of mine, I'll try to use it correctly.

T.S.

 

An 1886 is an heavy rifle - 8-1/2 lbs. This alone makes it easier to shoot than a 6-1/2 lb Marlin. The bottom of the butt plate should be high and tight under your armpit. You get a lot more recoil shooting from a bench, probably because you're leaning into it, sitting, and can't rock back. I bought a couple of shoulder pads that go over your shirt. One's thick and spongy, the other is thin and stiff. Both work well to distribute the force. Without the pad, I developed a huge hematoma (the doctor called it a "hematomato") that eventually made a bruise down my arm and side. With the pad, I experienced no lasting discomfort, and no "hematomato."

These stocks have a lot of drop, more like a shotgun than a modern rifle. They're meant to be fired with your head fairly erect, no cheek weld. If you place the butt higher on your shoulder to get a cheek weld, the curved butt is going to punish you.

 

Curved buttplates don't go on the shoulder. They go outward on the arm muscle nestled up tight with the toe of the crescent in the arm pit. Its a hold over from long barreled muzzleloaders that were often held across the chest (i.e. your off hand shoulder faced the target, your chest was perpendicular to the target) for a fifth point of contact.

 

Cool, learned something today. I found the recoil a little stouter than my Marlin however it seems I was holding it wrong! I did soften it considerably with a butt cover made by one of our own!

 

try a past recoil shield , you wear it over your shirt, takes the bite out, also there is a standard and magnum your pick.

 

Big giant beer gut gives a 6th point of of contact with a crescent rifle across the chest. Durn near like havin a bench rest!!!!

 

I have a 1886 extra light rifle and it's a little uncomfortable with the hornady 325grn lever evolution.It is down right painful with the hsm bear loads with a 430grn gchc at 1781 and it is a joy to shoot with the winchester 300grn ballistic silver tips at 1880fps.