[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

How does one avaoid breaking or dislocating one's shoulder when firing this thing?

[WBL 1952]

I have shot one at Demo's a number of times. The last one was so well made, it was like shooting a small bore rifle. Almost zero kick and recoil.

[Riley]

How does one avaoid breaking or dislocating one's shoulder when firing this thing?

It's not anything like as rough as one might think. The recoil comes at you kind of gradually- it is more of a long push. My .300 is worse.

[chadwimc]

It's recoil is stout. But, the muzzle blast is tremendous. You can't have innocent bystanders anywhere near the piece when its fired. Barret uses a really neat shock absorbing recoil pad filled with some liquid(mercury?) Barret's rifle is not the first of its kind. Most armies of Europe developed similar rifles during WWI. As for "...bringing down helicopters...". The Hajis had no trouble bringing down Soviet helicopters in Afghanistan. They used regular, old bolt action rifles designed a hundred years ago...

[George Smiley]

They have rather serious muzzle brakes on them which dampen the recoil considerably.

[langleyaction]

Just in general, reducing recoil is a process of "spreading" the rearward recoil impulse, which is only measured in milliseconds duration to some longer period of time by the ingenious use of springs, pads, fluidic damping, etc.
Presumably some of these techniques are used here with this slug-thrower. I once (only) fired a large caliber rifle (maybve it was something like a .458) and I did not want to fire it again.

[rellimpank]

--I don't know where you would have to go to see it but Barrett used to have a simulator at gunshows to demonstrate the recoil of the typical Barrett rifle--

[El Gato]

How does one avaoid breaking or dislocating one's shoulder when firing this thing?

They all have very large and effective muzzle brakes. Some of them modeled after those on Soviet Artillery pieces. There have even been at least a couple of handgun versions, the Maadi-Griffin and the Thunder .50.

[R. Scott]

How does one avaoid breaking or dislocating one's shoulder when firing this thing?

You tuck the butt in tight to the shoulder.