Any of you guys ever use one of these?

Oh boy

Tracers to indicate a need to change mags? BAD idea: Lets the bad guys know I am about to reload, and in the least gives away my position. Tracers are hard on smaller caliber weapon barrels.

Stuffing mags to the max? YOU BET. The quickest mag change is the one you DONT have to make. So why do something that doesnt have any payoff and makes me change mags more often? I was in JSOC for a decade, and before that, USSOCOM. I have never, repeat NEVER had an issue with mag springs. If you had an issue with a mag it was prob because its dirty, wasnt fully seated in the weapon or has a bent lip. Mags take a beating and is the one part of the weapon that most people dont really clean or take care of: dropping while changing mags/on the move, at the range, etc. And most folks are too lazy to take them apart and to periodically clean them, especially if its loaded.

So: I have a 30 round mag, my last mag: So I decide beforehand to load only 28 rounds (so whats the "standard" for "not stuffing"), say, a 30 rd mag? 28, 25, 15 rounds? So I have 28 rounds. Sure hope I never need those last 2 rounds

Stuffing a mag is not an issue Periodic maint. is

Back to point: Whomever said pads are for sissies, or "we didnt use them back in the day", that was YOUR choice, not others, and was most likley formed because you let the peers around you goad you into doing so because it wasnt "manly". And most likely you did the same to others. It's like saying, "I was a man and never wore ear plugs or a seat belt"

Such egos and comments are what limits folks either coming in or staying in to what we do on this forum

docmel said:

Oh boy

Tracers to indicate a need to change mags? BAD idea: Lets the bad guys know I am about to reload, and in the least gives away my position. Tracers are hard on smaller caliber weapon barrels.

Stuffing mags to the max? YOU BET. The quickest mag change is the one you DONT have to make. So why do something that doesnt have any payoff and makes me change mags more often? I was in JSOC for a decade, and before that, USSOCOM. I have never, repeat NEVER had an issue with mag springs. If you had an issue with a mag it was prob because its dirty, wasnt fully seated in the weapon or has a bent lip. Mags take a beating and is the one part of the weapon that most people dont really clean or take care of: dropping while changing mags/on the move, at the range, etc. And most folks are too lazy to take them apart and to periodically clean them, especially if its loaded.

So: I have a 30 round mag, my last mag: So I decide beforehand to load only 28 rounds (so whats the "standard" for "not stuffing"), say, a 30 rd mag? 28, 25, 15 rounds? So I have 28 rounds. Sure hope I never need those last 2 rounds

Stuffing a mag is not an issue Periodic maint. is

Back to point: Whomever said pads are for sissies, or "we didnt use them back in the day", that was YOUR choice, not others, and was most likley formed because you let the peers around you goad you into doing so because it wasnt "manly". And most likely you did the same to others. It's like saying, "I was a man and never wore ear plugs or a seat belt"

Such egos and comments are what limits folks either coming in or staying in to what we do on this forum

Click to expand...

in testing of mags it did make a difference in reliability on which side the first round was oriented on. An even 30 was good, 29 not so good, 28 Ok. As part of my "job" overseas I worked evaluating different materials, weapons, tactics etc .There was not one time that any one who used a tracer round thought it gave away their position. Once the firing started, everyone knew where they were. In examining enemy weapons, we often found the same thing being done by them. When i worked for the Govt we interviewed Russian veterans of Afghanistan. They did the same exact thing. Once the firing starts, if you are engaged in it, they know where you are! Using two or three tracers rounds hurts nothing and a reload was done in micro seconds, not minutes. It was not universal in any army, but it was a technique used some by soldiers regardless of which army they were in. The Russians said they would often use it to direct fire. Juat one mans experience!

Never seen a traditional blackpowder firearm that used magazines and fired tracers….

Rock Home Isle said:

Never seen a traditional blackpowder firearm that used magazines and fired tracers….

Click to expand...

me neither, but I have seen some stuff come out of my ML barrel a few times that looked like a tracer!!!

Hmmmm Sorry, dont agree. Once the firing started, everyone knows we were here? Yes.
But exactly where? No. But tracer fire coming out of my barrel will. But its a forum, and all input should be appreciated otherwise we would be reading empty spaces

docmel said:

Hmmmm Sorry, dont agree. Once the firing started, everyone knows we were here? Yes.
But exactly where? No. But tracer fire coming out of my barrel will. But its a forum, and all input should be appreciated otherwise we would be reading empty spaces

Click to expand...

yes, we are free to have our own opinions, but you are talking about a single tracer maybe two, and would have to be concentrated on that etc which is highly unlikely when engaged in a firefight., and the have to assume they do not move or relocate during the fight. If you were in a static position like a bunker etc, then yu would not want a constant stream of tracers giving away your position. But, in my experience overseas(NAM) the fights were close, fast, short lived etc, and it would not matter what you used. IMHO So, we will agree to disagree. besides the powers that be will get upset we are talking about his on their sacred ML site.

I have and will occasionally continue to use a recoil pad for several reasons. The first is simply because I enjoy the sport and the activity - second because at my somewhat advanced age and due to health or surgical reasons it helps me enjoy the activity without injury to already damaged tissue - third - because as an instructor many of my youth students fear what they THINK will be painful and after all isn't it our responsibility to teach and introduce the sport to the younger generations who have been lied to by so many that not only is it a terrible sport but the recoil is painful as well? Believe me it works - I have witnessed youngsters start with a .45 caliber and by the end of the day are shooting my Springfield Trapdoor 45/70 and enjoying every minute.

Rock Home Isle said:

Youth is wasted on the young

Click to expand...

Lord knows it was wasted on me!

Bullit said:

I shoot my 45/70 with hot loads all the time and don't need one, but once I had a 338 Win Mag. On sighting it in, that thing kicked the dog snot outta me. Of course I ran about two boxes of ammo through it before I decided to try something else. I bought a Paast recoil magnum pad and it sure helped. Only thing is it really kinda got in the way when shouldering the gun in a standing position. Worked great for slow benchrest shots. Never did get that gun sighted in. Found out later that Ruger (it was an M77) had a batch of bad barrels that all ended up with wandering zeros. Till I got the pad, my shoulder was black, blue, red, purple, green and yellow. I'm sure it kept me from getting a blood clot so they do have their purpose.

Click to expand...

Fascinating. I had a Ruger M77 in the same caliber and it wouldn’t shoot for squat either. Never knew about the bad barrels. I did everything in the world and couldn’t get it to shoot well. I got rid of it.

Never really fired any black powder rifle or gun that had enough recoil to warrant a pad to shoot with. Black powder gives more of a push than a snap.

Nobody85 said:

Never really fired any black powder rifle or gun that had enough recoil to warrant a pad to shoot with. Black powder gives more of a push than a snap.

Click to expand...

Shoot a 45-70 or larger (45-90, 45-110 etc.) black powder cartridge from the prone position using cross sticks as during a BPCRS match.

A pad will be in your future in a very short amount of time

Shadowalker164 said:

I was shooting a 50 cal Kentucky long rifle with 80 grains of FFG and round balls. After around ball 20 I could not find a spot on my shoulder that did not hurt. It actually beat my shoulder black and blue.

Click to expand...

I had a Kodiak double 58 cal, and shot 140 gr 2Fg with a 560 grain Minnie ball. Never got a sore shoulder!

SOLANCO said:

Lord knows it was wasted on me!

Click to expand...

Yes, there are a few things I wish I could have a "do over" on!!

My shooting vest has had a past insert from when they first came out. I have replaced it twice. I do not need one for ML's but that is not all I shoot. Pain has an effect on shooting it is called flinching. I love kicking he-man types of butts at the scoreboard every time.

Why shoot in pain unless you love it sexually is my question? Anything that makes shooting fun works for me.

Testing arms makes you use them. I remember when some said ear protection was being a pussy. They all say huh what? today.

Never needed such an item while shooting any of my muzzleloaders. I shoot from 40 caliber up to and including 54. Mostly target loads but some heavy hunting loads. Never a problem. Now I did use one while sighting in a 416 Rigby, an African stopping rifle.

It is the crescent butt plated rifles which I need some shoulder protection from when I am shooting off a bench or from the prone position . I have only started shooting of a bench about 18 months ago , before that is was all off hand for most shooting or prone for long range shooting , maybe that is why I needed a titanium shoulder .

I needed a new left shoulder. But it was not shooting-I fire off my right shoulder mostly. Right eye is 20/500 but that is another discussion.

The surgeon was talkative. Said he has never had a case of shoulder injury from recoil.

there is no replacement for placement. stands for shot placement and crescent butt plate mounting.

DuncNZ said:

It is the crescent butt plated rifles which I need some shoulder protection from when I am shooting off a bench or from the prone position . I have only started shooting of a bench about 18 months ago , before that is was all off hand for most shooting or prone for long range shooting , maybe that is why I needed a titanium shoulder .

Click to expand...

You don't mount a crescent butt plate to your shoulder.

I am 5' 9" tall, of medium build and a shooter of various calibers. About 30 years ago I was shooting an original Springfield, Trapdoor, Carbine 45-70 with 70 grains of black powder in each cartridge. A guy twice my sized asked if I would let him shoot it. I let him. He took one shot and wincing, rubbing his shoulder and almost crying he handed the gun back to me and said, "You can keep that %$#$ thing."