Best way to reduce recoil?

[TFin04]

I dusted off an old single shot 12ga that has been kicking around for a while at my grandfathers home and shot it today. I was shooting fairly light 2 3/4" shells and even after 5 shots had about enough.

The gun has no recoil pad at all, and with its lightweight is pretty brutal to shoot.

What do you guys think? Should I try to set up a recoil pad to make this gun more manageable or should I just look into a different firearm?

[Ohen Cepel]

If you like it and want to keep it/use it then a recoil reducer (I like Edward's Reducers) and a pad won't set you back too much. Cheaper than buying a new gun and you'll have one that's been in the family, that's always worth something.

[jmburton]

get a limb saver, i've been out alot latley shooting and have taken friends whos arms are blue and red after 4 rounds and my shoulder is alittle tired from holding the gun no markings...

best 30 dollars i ever spent. i blew off 125 yesterday and 100 this afternoon, i could go for days. i've only been shooting for a month now and i'm a buck 55 at best.

[TFin04]

I do like the gun, and I was going to shoot trap with it a bit at a friends house.

I actually don't own a shotgun of my own, but my grandpa said I could keep this one if I liked it.

I'll look into the pads and limb savers, thanks.

[bpisler]

Limbsaver recoil pads are great,firing Rem
reduced recoil 00 buck thru my 500A is like
shooting a AR-15.

[dmarbell]

TF,

What's your definition of "fairly light?"

I have a spreadsheet that calculates recoil for different loads, developed from the Hodgdon reloading manual on p. 46. Math is a hobby of mine, sort of.

Remington STS Light Target loads in 1 1/8 oz of shot with 3 dram eq. of powder recoils about 21 ft-lbs. Remington has a Managed-Recoil Target load with 7/8 oz and 2 3/4 dram eq. with a recoil of just over 12 fl-lbs. That 21 ft-lb recoil is 175% more "hard kicking" vs. the other load, and it's considered a light target load. Spend a couple of extra bucks on some "really" light loads, and put some padding on your shoulder before you decide that it's the gun. If you're dead set on shooting that gun, weigh it, and if it's under 8 lbs., add some lead tape to it (if you're going to shoot trap).

By decreasing the shot load, using moderate powder load, and increasing the weight of the gun, you can control the recoil.

Based on some good advice I got here, I reloaded some light load 7/8 oz. shells and they are like powder puffs when compared to the duck loads I used to shoot!

Danny

[Dave McCracken]

Heavy up the gun, lighten up the load, and use a good pad or two.

Two? One on the gun, one of you. PAST makes a good wearable pad. So does Bob Allen.

Instead of using 1 1/8 oz loads, try 1 oz or even the 7/8 oz loads now getting popular. I bust clays all day long with a 7/8 oz load at 1250 FPS and could go slower.

[theCZ]

Adding weight is a great way to reduce kick, you'll have to experiment on where to add it for the best effect. If you have a pump or auto (or any other gun that tends to be nose heavy) you can usually put some weight inside the buttstock in the cavity. Lead tape for the front if you want to add a lot of weight and balance it too.

[TFin04]

I enjoy the lightweight of the gun, it just makes recoil felt more. It weighs about 6 lbs, it's just a break action single shot.

The loads I was shooting were some cheapo Fiocchi 2/34" shells w/ 1 1/8oz load (was the lightest I could find). It's 7 1/2 shot, velocity listed as 1250 on the box.

I'll invest in a limbsaver and maybe a wearable pad as well.

[marksman13]

+1 on the Limbsaver Recoil pad. Makes my Mossberg 835 almost pleasant to shoot with 3 in shells, and very tolerable even with 3 1/2 steel shot. Best $30 I ever spent on a firearm accessory.

[dmarbell]

Cheapo Fiocchi, that's a good one!! On the Fiocchi web site, it lists 1 1/8 oz. loads at 1250 fps with handicap dram eq. powder, which is probably 3.25 dram eq. or more. Costs about $7.00 per box?? I don't know, just guessing.

Anyway, look for 1 oz. loads and dram equivalents in the 2 3/4 range. Get a pad, but a six pound twelve-gauge is going to kick the living crap out of you. If you can't add weight, you might want to consider a display case for the heirloom and buy yourself a cheap gun. (Joke follows, if you're new to THR, don't be offended!) For someone who thinks Fiocchi is el cheapo, I would suggest a nice, moderately priced Kreighoff or Kolar. Stick to the lower grades at first, like Grade V or Grade VI.

Danny

[October]

Math is a hobby of mine, sort of.

Remington STS Light Target loads in 1 1/8 oz of shot with 3 dram eq. of powder recoils about 21 ft-lbs. Remington has a Managed-Recoil Target load with 7/8 oz and 2 3/4 dram eq. with a recoil of just over 12 fl-lbs. That 21 ft-lb recoil is 175% more "hard kicking" vs. the other load...

You may want to brush up on that hobby of yours - 21 is 75%, not 175%, more than 12.

;)

[Calliope]

I am brand new to shooting and I have shot a Remington 1100, Mossberg something, winchester 1400 and 3200 and haven't been kicked once by any of them. The SO says it's because he loads 1oz loads for me and when I shoulder the gun, I tend to pull the gun towards me into my shoulder. I was warned that I would be black and blue at first, but so far, it's hasn't happened.

Just my .02 worth.

[dmarbell]

You may want to brush up on that hobby of yours - 21 is 75%, not 175%, more than 12.

October, you're right. The semantics always get me, if not the maff.

How about 21 fl-lbs will kick 175% as hard as 12 ft-lbs, or 75% more?

I actually knew better, but the "math is a hobby of mine..." lead-in was going to assure a screw-up of some kind.

Boo Boo

[Zach S]

Or you could go with what I call the "stupid route," which, oddly enough, is what I did. Two or three boxes of (25) 3" magnums in one range session. My mossberg's recoil hasn't bothered me since.

I dont reccomend it, but it worked for me.

[October]

Too funny, dmarbell! And I know what you mean about the semantics. I frequently say, "I know what I meant, even if that's not what I said!"

That recoil spreadsheet sounds pretty interesting. Is it something you wouldn't mind sharing with us? I'm sure I could learn a thing or two from it.

[TFin04]

For someone who thinks Fiocchi is el cheapo, I would suggest a nice, moderately priced Kreighoff or Kolar. Stick to the lower grades at first, like Grade V or Grade VI.


If you can't tell by now, I'm pretty new to shotgunning. Fiocchi was the absolute cheapest shells at the store, which is why I labeled them that way. Are they seen as a quality round in the shotgun world? I know my 9mm's never really liked Fiocchi.

I may look into a bigger gun, I would like to shoot this one a bit more though.

[dmarbell]

October and others,

Here is the spreadsheet I use. I have tried to make it user friendly. It is a work in progress, so any corrections or comments are appreciated.

Danny

[dmarbell]

TF,

I know you're new, TF. The humor was meant for the whole group. I started shooting with a trap grade pump gun I paid $250 for.

You will get some good information here, as long as you weed out the extraneous information and occasional barbs.

By the way, some good advice might be to get a pad, add some weight and shoot for a while to make sure you like shooting and will stick to it. Then you can commit some dollars and buy stuff.

Welcome.

Danny

[TFin04]

By the way, some good advice might be to get a pad, add some weight and shoot for a while to make sure you like shooting and will stick to it. Then you can commit some dollars and buy stuff.


I own more pistols and rifles than I care to calculate, and have been busting clays with my grandpa's shotguns for years, I just never had a need to buy one of my own until recently.

I'm going to keep the single shot and try out a Limbsaver pad for it. I'm also picking up a Mossy 500 locally for a killer deal, that should be a better clay bustin gun anyway.

Thanks for the help.

[jmburton]

this story is strange, best of luck with the limbsaver

[Bogart]

As said get a Good Pad I also like the Remington reduced Recoil Loads. And for any one with a modern pump gun get a Knox stock I love mine