[ACP]

Why are after-market recoil pads so poorly fitted? Or is it the shotgun stock? I'm trying to find a replacement for the hard plastic 'recoil pad' on my Mossberg 500. All I can say is, wow, what a pain in the butt. Anyone have any luck with slip-ons, such as Galco's leather model or a plain rubber device?

[romulus]

Poorly fitted in what sense? By whoever it is that installs them? Or are you referring to the fact that they are oversized out of the box?

In all cases (I guess with the exception of the new pre-fitted kind) they have to be taken down to match the contour of the buttstock with either hand or power tools...

[9mmMike]

Pachmayr makes a prefit that is pretty close on the synthetic stocks.
I use these on my wood stocks and they still require some fitting. They are really great pads though.
Mike
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jhtml?id=0012755221101a&navAction=jump&navCount=0&indexId=&podId=0012755&catalogCode=ID&parentId=&parentType=&rid=

[ACP]

Thanks for the replies.

[Dave McCracken]

Slip ons can be a pain in the butt, but they can stop the pain from the butt(G).

Preemium pads like the Decellerator, KickEez, and Gooey do a better job, and most smiths will fit same for less than $50. Worth it,IMO.

Or someone handy with tools and able to access a belt sander can do a good job. Brownell's has some tips that may help.

Or, get a top pad, screw it on, and forget about trimming it. it's look a bit funny, but the larger area will tame the kick mule down to a pony.

HTH...