I've been able to shoot the rifle pretty well off of a rest. That's the root of the problem I think. I've always shot from a rest and, always sighted through a scope. It's offhand shooting and shooting off a mono-pod stick, where I was so disappointed. Hopefully, a bi-pod and even a tall tri-pod will provide enough support for an old fat dude to be able to shoot with confidence.
#1 Do you know what size Galco pad I need? I already have that shoulder-pad thing from Limbsaver. Just haven't used it yet. It seems the more erect I am when shooting, the less punishing the recoil is. You know, if I'm all hunched-over and leaning into the rifle, I take all of the "kick". Whereas, if I set my rest up-high, the recoil is more tolerable. I would like to be able to practice long enough at the range to start seeing results. Between the cost of the ammo and, the pounding these old shoulders were taking, practices were short!
I have been slowly replacing some of my reloading stuff since Katrina washed all of my fine old reloading equipment into oblivion! As soon as my home is rebuilt, I will have a small space to reload in, again. I just bought a "Lee Hand Press" to help offset the costs of ammunition. I should be able to put together some decent ammo with it.
#2 Is there a really good cast bullet in the 325 to 350 grain neighborhood for this cartridge?
If the recoil is manageable I would like to use a bullet somewhere in the 400 grain range.
#3 Who's bullet shoots best for y'all?