Holy cow! My first time shooting a 12 gauge...

The Knoxx recoil reducing stock is amazingly effective, I really recommend it. I can
shoot slugs all day and it does not bother me with this on my 870.

I did a shotgun combat course using a Mossberg 500 12ga 18.5" with pistol grips on both ends last summer and used Federal Truball Rifled Slugs. The recoil was wicked but I needed 200 rounds and they were the cheapest I could find, like $4 a box. Sore arms, wrist and back to save a buck or two.

Welcome to the world of the 12 gauge..it is a fun one indeed. I must say, however, that Ive never considered the "buck, roar and recoil" of the 12 ga. to be all that intimidating (slugs, 00 Buck or whatnot). Compared to the likes of the .44 magnum, well, it seems relatively docile IMHO.

inSight-NEO said:

Welcome to the world of the 12 gauge..it is a fun one indeed. I must say, however, that Ive never considered the "buck, roar and recoil" of the 12 ga. to be all that intimidating (slugs, 00 Buck or whatnot). Compared to the likes of the .44 magnum, well, it seems relatively docile IMHO.

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You know, it's funny, I'm just the opposite. Heavy 12 ga. loads don't bother me, but it's not as though I don't notice the punch. Now I've never shot .44mag., so maybe it'll rock my world someday, but I have shot some .357mag. and to be honest, I was sort of underwhelmed. It didn't bother me at all. Like I said, it's no .44mag., but still... However, the first time I shot some 3.5" 12ga. shells (18 pellet 00 buck) out of my 7.5lb. 870, I thought holy shniekies, anybody hunting deer with these has got to be out of his gol-derned mind (not EXACTLY those words, but this is considerably more "High Road")! I didn't get a bruise, but I sure felt it in the shoulder for the next few days. For years I'd been shooting all the hardest hitting loads I could find in 2 3/4", but that 3.5" stuff kicks on a whole different scale. In response to that, I refined my stock placement farther onto my pectoral muscle, and it made a world of difference in both recoil tolerance and sustained accuracy when shooting really potent shells. I'm glad I had the experience because I had sort of been getting away with sloppy form for a long time probably just because I'm young and in fair shape. The recoil of the 3.5s took away that luxury, and forced me to shoulder the gun more solidly, and it has helped my performance even when just breaking clays. I still shoot 3.5s for fun (when I can afford it), but only in moderation. Moral of the story: form and stock mounting count BIGTIME. If you're just getting started in 12ga., do yourself a favor and consistently pay attention to proper form. Get somebody who really knows shotguns to help you if you need it. Unfortunately, I never had such coaching, and as a result the learning curve has occasionally been pretty steep over the years.

All depends on the load

I load 7/8oz skeet loads for my over under and the recoil is very mild. Did get the chance this summer to try out an 870 magnum sbs cut off even with the stock mag tube, with some 3" magnum 00 load and that just about dislocated my shoulder!

+1 on the 3.5 Inch OO Buck. I still cant hold on to the forend of my SBE when I touch one of those off.

I got one for you guys, I was at the range a couple weeks ago and I haven't shot buckshot in a while so I grab a #00 shell loaded it up and shot, forgot to hold it tight and the butt jacked me right in the jaw. Made me laugh, so i loaded up three more and went quick pump mode. That wooden door i was aiming at was toast hahaha. But im not small person at all 6'0 and about 250 so it wasn't horrible. My friend took one buckshot shell loaded it up pulled the trigger and didn't want to shoot the shotgun anymore that day. hes only like 180 so it wacked him somthing fierce.

I got one for you guys, I was at the range a couple weeks ago and I haven't shot buckshot in a while so I grab a #00 shell loaded it up and shot, forgot to hold it tight and the butt jacked me right in the jaw. Made me laugh, so i loaded up three more and went quick pump mode. That wooden door i was aiming at was toast hahaha. But im not small person at all 6'0 and about 250 so it wasn't horrible. My friend took one buckshot shell loaded it up pulled the trigger and didn't want to shoot the shotgun anymore that day. hes only like 180 so it wacked him somthing fierce.

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Size and weight don't count as much as gun fit - if it doesn't fit properly, it will smack you hard. Personally, I have NO need for major recoil - I prefer to shoot all day and still be able to hoist a beer afterwards

Pulling in a shotgun tight to your shoulder pocket and cheek so it doesn't have a chance to get a run at you takes care of most of the percieved recoil.

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Yes.

Also, don't shoot it from the bench!

SteveCase said:

My friend took one buckshot shell loaded it up pulled the trigger and didn't want to shoot the shotgun anymore that day. hes only like 180 so it wacked him somthing fierce.

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Like oneounceload said, I don't think size/weight has that much to do with it as long as the gun fits the shooter. Keeping the gun tucked in tight and shouldering it properly is 90% of the battle. I'm 6' and only 165lbs. and I regularly practice with buck/slugs in 2 3/4" and occasionally in the longer shells (3 and 3.5") out of an 870. Conversely, I've got a buddy who doesn't shoot the shotgun much (more of a rifle guy) who is 6'3"/250lbs. and he really doesn't like the recoil of the heavy shells. He can deal with the "multipurpose" 1 1/8oz. 3DR shells I break clays with, but that's about the limit of what he enjoys shooting out of the 12ga.

Now get a double and touch off both barrels.

Now it's time to graduate to 3 1/2" Turkey Loads. They can't be anywhere near as bad as slugs.

I say Turkey loads because it's wiser to shoot them (over buckshot) from a super full turkey choke. And yes, the amount of constriction does make a difference.

Wyman

Been a shotgun shooter for 20years, never found a combo that kicked more than my 870 with a Xtra Full Turkey Choke and 2oz Winchester Turkey loads. I shoot the hottest and heavies slugs out there, but that damn 2oz of 5 shot being squeezed by that choke hits you hard...

Also, don't shoot it from the bench!

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Absolutely! Save the money for the ammo & just lay down on your back, and have a friend drop a 40 lb bar bell on your arm.

As for the recoil, it has a lot to do with what you are shooting. I can shoot 12gage field loads all day long from a gas auto, but will be done after 80 rounds from a lightweight recoil operated 20. Wierd though it may sound, I can handle 12 gage field loads all day from an O/U if it fits well enough. 3" loads from an 18" HD pump? Not fun at all.

Now get a double and touch off both barrels.

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That was my first experience with a shotgun when I was 13-14 years old. I went out in the woods with some friends and an old SxS. I was firearm-naive at the time and they convinced me to pop off both barrels. YEEEOOOCH!!

Took me around 15 years to get over the fear of a 12-gauge, but now I've got a few in the safe and shoot clays quite often.

OP, try a little 1 oz birdshot...its much more pleasant.

First time shotgun

If you really want to feel recoil, try the Browning Auto 5. Its recoil operated. First you get the recoil from the bang then that barrel comes back about 8 inches and gives you a double shot. Its the worst Ive ever shot.

In the 1950's I shot .22 target in university. After a lapse of 50 years, I bought a Remington 870 Express 12-gauge with the 2 barrels - one rifled for slugs and the other smooth bore with a choke. I took it to the range two weeks ago on a day they had a slug gun competition, but was told that the first shot would count, so I had no practice first. I, too, was amazed at the sheer power and recoil of that first shot. The bruise on my upper arm has gone down now!

there's recoil, then there is shotgun recoil... then there is Mosin recoil

there's recoil, then there is shotgun recoil... then there is Mosin recoil

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Then there is a double rifle in an elephant cartridge recoil......

Several years ago I had a Weatherby Orion 12 Gauge Over/Under 2 3/4".
I had some low brass and some 2 3/4" magnums and went down in my woods. I shot something with the low brass, then said "oh, that was nothing."

So, I loaded two magnum loads. A crow was flying over and at 12:00 High, I pulled the trigger. BIG MISTAKE! I was going backwards, losing my balance. The gun recoiled back, and then just as it started coming forward after the recoil, my finger must have touched the trigger and nearly instantaneously, the second barrel went off. I just about landed on my rear.

I thought "MAN, THOSE MAGNUMS SURE ARE POWERFUL, I'll NEVER shoot them again. Then I broke open the gun and saw that both magnums fired! I thought there must be something wrong with the gun!

Then I got to thinking about how the gun was just coming forward from the recoil and my finger was still resting on the trigger, so naturally I pulled the trigger a second time, all within a fraction of a second of the first shot! It literally sounded like one big bang, not two separate bangs!

I came out of the woods, and my neighbor across the street asked if that was me, and when I told him about both barrels going off, he said the sound was kind of odd.

Traded that gun last year and don't miss it.

Oh, and yes, I did land the crow and it was crow season.

"Then there is a double rifle in an elephant cartridge recoil"

Can you shoot both barrels at once? Id pay serious money.....

Then there is a double rifle in an elephant cartridge recoil......

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F.C. Selous used a 6.5x53 on elephants. You get that in a double rifle and I'll shoot both barrels at once. Honestly though, the 9.3x74R barrels on my Valmet 412 instead of the 12ga barrels makes a noticable difference in recoil. Even thoguht the shot barrels weigh alot less than the rifle barrels, the 9.3 is actually kinda painfull to shoot alot. Mostly it's the stock though. It doesn't recoil anymore than a lightweight .338 WinMag.

Now try a coach gun with super heavy slugs and pull both triggers

Now try a coach gun with super heavy slugs and pull both triggers

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Can I watch? Oh, better yet, videotape it and put it on YouTube. The shooter will be a star.

I had to get out my Rossi Coach Gun and tried to imagine touching off a pair of 3" Lightfield Hybrid-Elites simultaneously.

Can I just go and kick that 1500lb. bull in the shins instead?