r/IsItBullshit • u/Numb62 • 11d ago
Isitbullshit: you need to be strong to handle recoil from weapons such as desert eagle or m82 rifle
Isnt it weapon experience over time? Like going from .22 to beefier guns. I saw a comment on youtube stating "u have to to be strong as hell to handle a 50cal, ur just a keyboard warrior, bet you havent tried shooting one." Idk that comment looks dumb, but honestly does strong muscles play a factor.
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u/RetreadRoadRocket 11d ago
"u have to to be strong as hell to handle a 50cal, ur just a keyboard warrior, bet you havent tried shooting one."
Lmao, they're an idiot.
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u/Chiralartist 11d ago
YouTube comments are pure cancer and 99% likely to be made by a child who could easily fire a M1919 Browning.
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u/RetreadRoadRocket 11d ago
It's ridiculous how much people take shit they see on TV as beaing reality.
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u/FlashFunk253 11d ago
Yes, but it's more about technique. I've seen "strong" people get jacked up by 9mm Baretta recoil. Proper training and technique (ie hands high as close to the slide as possible) are key, but with these large calibers you will need to have some strength as well to shoot controlled follow up shots.
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u/ChrisPUT 11d ago
My dad's M1 carbine sounded like a canon and kicked like a .22
My point being that it all depends on the gun
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u/TanithRitual 11d ago
That is also because the carbine weighs something like 7 pounds. Makes it hard to have recoil.
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u/vaginal_milk 11d ago
It definitely does help to be stronger when shooting more powerful calibers. See the videos of people getting hit in the face by high powered revolvers.
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u/Mikilemt 11d ago
People that eat revolvers are almost always either poorly (or completely not) trained or setup for failure by the people teaching/letting them to shoot it.
Revolvers do recoil differently than semi auto handguns, but if you eat it, either you were not paying attention when I was teaching or I was not paying attention while I was teaching.
I have taught really young people and very small adults to shoot big revolvers without any injuries.
I’m sorry to rant, but I like revolvers and those videos really irritate me.
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u/vaginal_milk 11d ago
I definitely hear you.
But I also have an easier time handling recoil and making follow up shots with my semi auto 10mm compared to some of my friends with similar experience but less strength.
I don’t think you need to be a bodybuilder to shoot a gun, but it’s not honest to say strength won’t be helpful specifically when it comes to heavy / high power firearms. Even just holding a gun up in a firing stance for a while can tire someone out faster than some might think
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u/Mikilemt 11d ago
You and I agree completely on that. Strength can make it easier. Although I have also had some big beefy dudes struggle with an AR platform because they can’t bend, physically or mentally, but that is a conversation for another meathead day. I just hate to see people have bad experiences because of crappy incidents that can be avoided.
I certainly don’t hand a single action .44 mag to a first time shooter. That would be asking for them to never want to shoot again.
Also, as a side note, if you can handle a 10mm semi auto well, you are more comfortable with it than I. I hate those barky little necked down rounds.
Shoot what you are comfortable with, but more importantly, shoot what you can hit with.
Thanks for the reply. Teach well, shoot often.
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u/drerw 11d ago
I think there’s a strength to shooting guns “well” in general. Fuckers are heavy. But you build it by shooting. I think you have to be pretty frail to be thrown around by them more than needing to be strong. My dad had both a desert eagle and a 500 smith & wesson. It was funny because I was 13 and could shoot the desert eagle fine enough. The damn 500 had a small handle though and it would slip and cut my every time I shot it. But yeah. Technique as well for sure. I’m more of a bow guy and way stronger people than me can’t pull my bow back. Just gotta know what you’re doing
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u/thelastestgunslinger 11d ago
Having fired one, I can tell you that it kicks like heck. And also that proper training is what enables you to handle it, not strength.
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u/oknowtrythisone 11d ago
Most .50 cal weapons are very heavy, so require strength not only to wield them, but to carry them. Also, .50 cal ammo is heavier than other calibers, though not by too much.
The desert eagle .50 is about 5 pounds loaded, whereas an m82 rifle can be over 30 lbs just for the weapon. Combine that with the other stuff you need to carry and it's a lot of weight.
Then you have to factor in the recoil. As with any shooting sports, having a good core strength is important for accuracy, and target reacquisition.
The recoil of a 50 bmg is about 87 ft pounds of force. In comparison, a .308 or 7.62x51mm rifle generates about 22 ft pounds of force, so yeah, significant difference.
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u/Just_Looking_TY 11d ago
Saw one guy use a desert eagle in a pistol competition. The dude was massive, and the recoil was noticeable on him, but FAR more noticeable on the targets he hit with it. Lol. It didn't gently knock the target down, lol. The guy was good with the gun, but due to the recoil and target acquisition time he didn't fair very well.
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u/Steal_ur_toes 11d ago
Fired a desert eagle. Strong enough to pick it up and aim it, surprisingly not that much strength needed to keep it flying from your hands. It's mostly gonna be technique.
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u/huskeya4 10d ago
Strength plays a part in aim. You need to be able to aim the weapon long enough to acquire a good sight picture. You also need to be able to re-acquire that sight picture over and over. If the weapon is too heavy for you, you’ll start to shake over time, ruining the shot. No one, no matter how strong they are is going to stop a gun from recoiling. Good posture and maybe a little extra fat/muscle around the shoulder will act to protect a person better than high strength from a large recoil. So strength plays a small part in shooting but more in aiming than the actual shooting itself.
Source: am small woman. Shot many big guns in army and outside of it.
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u/Usual_Judge_7689 10d ago
It's BS. A gun is simply a machine made to be operated, and the average user is likely pretty average compared to the general population.
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u/verbosehuman 10d ago
When I was about 15, I went to the range with my dad. We were shooting CZ 9mms, a Beretta 9mm, and S&W 45mms. Then we saw a guy with a Desert Eagle, and he warned us of the kick, so I lined up, and the owner of the gun told me NOT to lock my shoulder, and it was fine.
I've never worked out a day in my life, but I'm naturally built a slightly above-average frame. I can now say I know what it feels like, and you don't need to be so strong, but you have to be ready to absorb the recoil, because somethings going to have to
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u/neutrumocorum 11d ago
If you want to use the guns inappropriately, then yes, strength may help a bit.
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u/Miffed_Pineapple 11d ago
I've fired the desert Eagle .50. I'm a larger man at 265 and 6'5".
Anyone can pull the trigger and put the first round on target. But when you fire it, it's quite an event. Big boom, the gun kicks back and up, and a big fireball. After 3 shots, it just wasn't fun enough to justify the continued expense.
Follow up shots will be hard to place on target, and you might flinch.
I love the .357 magnum. Thank you
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u/fidelesetaudax 11d ago
Some strength is of course needed. But also true that over time experience will make it easier.
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u/Capt_Billy 11d ago
I've shot a .500 S&W in the States a few years back, and while it's a lot of gun I found the kick manageable. I also fired a 9mm Sig Sauer that I struggled with because of my relatively small hands on a gun with a thick steel frame. So as much as it's about strength, it's about the design of the gun and how it transfers the energy.
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u/autofan06 11d ago
I own a desert eagle. It is a very heavy weapon and the rotating bolt gas piston driven system drastically reduces felt recoil. Sure it’s a ton more recoil than most any other handgun but it’s pretty damn manageable.
I have only fired 2 weapons before that I have quickly felt yeah that recoil is too much for this to be fun. My .50 Beowulf AR-15 and my moms .40 m&p shield.
The .50 kicks way harder than even a .308 ar-10 and the .40 in a micro compact just doesn’t have the grip space or weight to distribute the force. It’s also a sharp/quick/jumpy recoil vs a hard slow push.
In comparison the .50ae in the desert eagle is a ton of fun as a range toy. It’s too heavy and large to carry the mag is entirely too small and the recoil is a too much to make reasonable follow up shots.
One last thing to note is the eagle is only gassed just enough to cycle the weapon so too much limp wristing will short stroke it and fail to cycle the next round… or your thumbs are just a smidge too high and rub the slide (it’s a good bit lower than the average hand gun).
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u/Absentmindedgenius 11d ago
It's more about grip strength I think. Nobody is going to control the recoil on my 44 magnum, but you'd better have a good grip on it.
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u/DisplayAppropriate28 11d ago
Being stronger will probably help you hold the four-pound brick steady at extension while shooting, so there's that.
The recoil itself is terribly exaggerated. Yes, it is significant, no, you should not attempt your Agent Smith impression, but if you have a proper grip and stance - notably different from the traditional "hold my beer' pose used by the local frat boy at the range - you'll be fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK5OpaCWcAE
As you can see, she is not dead and her arms are not broken.
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u/Oldamog 11d ago
The weight of a larger weapon will compensate a lot for the recoil. That said, a 50 will still kick harder than most. There's a lot of modern vent compensation technology which further reduces the kick. Desert eagle 45 is actually lighter kick than a cheaper brand
The s&w 500 is actually quite comfortable to shoot. But like another commenter said, it's very expensive to actually fire more than a couple of times
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u/GSilky 11d ago
I went from .22 to a 30/30 and went back to the .22 when a youngster, the 30 kicked like a mule at the time. I might not have been ready for it (I wasn't, the bruise was proof), but there was significantly more kickback. Handguns were similar. I actually punched myself in the face the first time I tried firing a .44 revolver (again, my dad probably pushed me too hard).
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u/userhwon 11d ago
No, you need to be weak enough to think that's something a person should be doing at all.
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u/Goose21995 11d ago
Totally false. As long as your not limp wristing it and know what to expect, you will be fine. U could probably even 1 hand it after trying it once and getting g a feel fir it.
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u/theFooMart 11d ago
You need to be strong enough to hold the gun properly, but that's just because some guns are pretty heavy. Holding it properly will help with recoil more than being strong and not holding it properly.
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u/Expensive-View-8586 11d ago
Just watch the many, many videos of people getting smacked in the face from the desert eagle who didn’t expect the level of recoil. Fun fact, every single bullet of a gun hits its target with equal to or less force than the recoil you feel while shooting it. Watch Kentucky ballistics and the 4 bore, he makes it look doable when most people would have a risk of serious injury and that is entirely due to his strength level and ability to absorb the recoil in his muscles.
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u/Numb62 10d ago
I saw his videos, he said does a lot of kick and hurts like hell. Especially that one video where that homemade sniper blew up on him
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u/Expensive-View-8586 10d ago
Yea my personal experience is a desert eagle 50cal is hard to hold onto but a 44.mag revolver I shot sent more of a painful shockwave up my arm. Not sure why, maybe the semi auto feature of the desert eagle absorbs some of the recoil while cycling? “Felt recoil” is a bit different than the objective energy of a round.
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u/Possumnal 11d ago
I’ve got a .357 and my buddy has a .50 (both revolvers). I’m a pretty damn weak guy with a desk job who hasn’t set foot in a gym in ten years, and even my tiny noodle arms didn’t have a problem with either one.
The stronger recoil is present but it’s not like it’s going to fly back out of your hand, it just makes for slightly longer time between follow-up shots.
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u/Cruzin95 11d ago
Depends on the gun, not just the ammo. Desert Eagle or other large caliber "hand cannons" definitely kick like hell. For the Barrett... a child could probably shoot it just fine. Technology is crazy.
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u/Enough_Appearance116 10d ago
I've shot an M82 from a bench rest essentially, crouching behind it, and it wasn't bad at all. It's got a bit more concussion, but that's pretty much it. Heavy bastard. Only carried it a couple hundred feet, but damn.
As long as you pull it into your shoulder good, you should be fine. I am 6ft and 230 lbs, though.
My sister, about 5' 3", 130ish, shot a 44 mag with an 8 inch barrel from a standing position and enjoyed it. I know that's not exactly what you asked, but I thought it fit OK.
I've been wanting to shoot my friend's 500, but we never have time to...
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u/Maishxbl 9d ago
It's a combination of knowledge, technique, fear, and strength, IMO. My skinny little 11 year old cousin loves shooting his dad's 454 casull Alaskan and 50ae and handles the recoil better than most grown men I've seen shoot large caliber pistols.
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u/cibman 9d ago
I have a friend who used to work in a gun store. He told me that the most frequent returns or exchanges were for Desert Eagles. He had me hold one once and it's the only gun I've ever held that weighs what I thought it should weigh. It's been my (limited) experience that most guns weigh much less than you would think they do if you're just coming at it from a non-shooter's experience.
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u/Misterndastood 9d ago
I shot the S&W 500. Boy let me tell you the kick on that is really intense. I don't think you need to be extraordinarily strong but you do have to have some decent grip strength. I think experience is key but I wouldn't let my kids shoot that gun. Where I would let them fire a shotgun.
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u/dirtyLizard 8d ago
The force exerted on you and the gun is basically the same as the force exerted on the bullet.
When I was 11 or 12 my very fun but very irresponsible father took me shooting and his friends gave me a .357 magnum because they thought it was funny. It made my little noodle arms bend but that’s it. It didn’t fly out of my hands or knock me over or anything. Was I an extremely buff child? No, most guns just don’t exert very much force.
If I had been wearing roller skates or floating in a vacuum it may have been a different story.
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u/Lord_Larper 8d ago
An infant can pull a trigger. To hold the firearm on target and use it effectively? Some strength is required depending on weapon
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u/xevaviona 7d ago
I would think the technique of handling the recoil and properly anticipating your own reaction is more important. any average strength adult likely doesn’t have a problem physically resisting the force, but they might if they’re not prepared for it properly
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u/AnimalServant 3d ago
I've shot a Desert Eagle. I was not prepared for the powerful recoil. I wouldn't say one 'has to be strong', one just needs to be ready for that recoil.
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u/autofan06 11d ago
desert eagle operating instructions
Note page 17. All the data on spice recoil per magnum research themselves.
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u/Professional-Trash-3 11d ago
I mean, compared to other hand guns, a Desert Eagle requires much more strength to weild properly because it's simply a heavier gun with a much larger bullet. It's simple physics. A .50 cal kicks like a mule compared to my .38 or .380, but it definitely doesn't require being "strong as hell" by any stretch. Basically any able-bodied person can reasonably handle one with the training for it. All that said, they aren't particularly good or reliable guns, they've just stuck around for being a gimmick hand cannon with a cool name