12GA Recoil

Probably a gas-operated semiauto, but weight is a bigger factor.

Percieved recoil is also subjective and depends in part on how a gun fits you. I changed the stock on a rifle once and could have sworn it dramaticaly increased the recoil. The recoil was the same but the fit and the way i was absorbing it were not.

That said lightest recoiling 12s I have shot are a Browning gold and the Saiga 12. Rem 1100 are known to be be soft shooters as well.

I dont know if any of the above are the lightest but they are not harsh.

Browning auto 5's or clones are fairly soft shooting.

Assuming the shotguns are the same weight and same butt pad, the gas semi auto will have the lowest felt recoil. Probably 30 percent less than a pump or double barrell.

I can shoot my SxS coach gun with light loads from Wally Wold and they start hurting after about 6 rounds.

I can also shoot 2 20 round drums worth of the same loads on my Saiga 12 and it doesn't feel like a shot gun at all. No soreness, no "ouch!", just "damn, that was fun".

My SxS has a rubber recoil pad, my Saiga 12 has a sliding style Ar15 stock with the rubber GI pad on it.

How's the Mossberg 930?

I'd second the A5 or another recoil operated semi.

With any other gun, try some one ounce loads, (or 1 1/8 skeet or trap loads if you can use less than #7.5 shot)

In my experience, everything hurts with turkey loads.

For light recoil, get a gas operated semi-auto shotgun and add weight to the stock-bolt hole in the buttstock.

Some people use mercury filled tubes and that works well. I like to fill a couple of empty shotgun shells with lead shot and add them to the hole in the buttstock. This extra 7 ounces of weight makes a considerable difference in felt recoil.

Of course, a well fitting gun with a good recoil pad is very important too.

Pete

gas or pump has NOTHING to do with ACTUAL recoil - weight alone is that determining factor.....a gas gun will give you less "perceived" recoil due to spreading it out over a longer period of time

you can't change Newton's laws

So, dig up old Newt and lets hear his perceptions...

I've got both a short gas gun and a short pump-in 12ga. The gas gun is a real hoot: fast, fun and loud. A bit of a clean-up nightmare though. In it's own way, the pump is just as much fun!

The right fit, the right mount (grip and placement in the shoulder), and the right attitude are all that's really necessary. If you need to do it a lot-like in a class-wear a recoil pad. If you're just clearing cobwebs, a box of shells through a well fit gun gives more warm fuzzies than bruises.

Try something that is has a ported barrel. I've found that makes my 12GA much more fun to shoot.

weight alone is that determining factor

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The beginning factor of the entire equation is the weight of the projectile + the force applied to that projectile vs. the weight of the firearm, for every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so the force applied to the weight of the shot (or slug) also pushes backward on the firearm, which then transmits force to the shooter, once the inertia of the weight of the gun is overcome along with drag from gravity. At that point the actual transfer of recoil is percieved by the shooter due to the surface area of the butt of the stock where the shooter's body resists the inertia of the backward motion, which would be measured as pounds-per-square-inch against the shooter's body. Compression of a recoil pad, or the use of other devices, will add friction or lower the application of the backward motion at the point of contact with the shooter, so the actual force applied directly to the shooter is reduced over time (all though it all adds up in the end) and percieved as less "recoil".

LD

correct - you mentioned "perceived" recoil....however, when the load is the same, it will generate the same amount of energy. A lighter gun will react to that energy more so than a heavier one. Using a gas system to take advantage of that energy to operate the system spreads the energy out over a longer period of time, making it "feel" softer shooting. The energy generated hasn't changed. The gas gun, because of the gas system, is generally heavier than a comparable pump gun.

Target guns like Kolar, Krieghoff, etc. weigh 9-10 pounds because they are meant to be shot a LOT and carried very little - the weight helps to absorb, and thereby lessen, the recoil forces generated. A field gun is usually carried a lot and shot very little - most folks can handle the heavier recoil generated by just a few shots

Even if a gas gun (semi-auto) weighed the same as a pump gun, my experience tells me that the gas gun would have less PERCEIVED recoil (all else being the same).

I suppose this is because a portion of the recoil energy is used to cycle the action, compress the recoil spring, re-cock the hammer, eject the empty, feed another shell into the chamber, etc.

Also, the gas gun seems to spread the recoil out over a slightly longer time period. This makes the recoil feel like more of a push and less of a sudden jolt.

I can't give any quantitative figures for this "perceived" recoil reduction, but if I had to guess, I'd say that it FEELS like about a 25% to 30% reduction in recoil.

Pete

For any given load where shot weight and velocity are equal, recoil is dependent on the weight of the gun, so the heaviest gun will have the least recoil. That being said, the perception of the recoil changes with the various actions. A semi automatic spreads the time of the recoil impulse and therefore it feels that there is less of it. Basically a shock absorber effect.

Browning auto 5's or clones are fairly soft shooting.

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*SCREEEEECH!*

Quoi?

I thought there was a general consensus that recoil-operated shotguns like the Auto-5 reduce felt recoil far less than gas-operated designs, but someone seconded your opinion, so other people are going to have to weigh in so that I don't get caught holding the bag on this one.

Pump guns ought to kick at least a little less than a non-automatic design of similar weight and geometry, since the intertia of the slide and assembly are stopped by your shoulder at a different time than are the rest of the gun.

Yes they do. Get a gas-operated Beretta for the absolute least recoil and absolute most quality for the money.

The heaviest gas operated auto should give you the least amount of real and felt recoil.

1100's are considered by many to be "light-recoiling", more so than the lighter Beretta's or "recoil" operated autos. Felt recoil is less for gas autos because it slows down the "recoil impulse"...more of a "push" than "jab".
That's the conventional thought, but it is "felt" and some people "feel" more or less than others....

Of course, that's assuming a reasonable stock fit and holding it properly.

My buddy has a Remmy 870 with the Knox stock on it and that sucker is a shoulder's best friend!

Saiga-12 with a brownell grind to fit butt pad, very little recoil compared to other shotguns.

If recoil bothers you, get a Knoxx stock.

I recently got a Benelli 12 gauge (recoil operated). I can't tell any difference between it and gas guns like the Remington 1100. In fact, I perceive little recoil difference between a Remington 1100 in 20 gauge and the Benelli in 12 gauge.

Maybe some of ya'll need to lift some weights and eat a few more biscuits.

A 12 ga. Will only recoil as bad as the ammo you put into it.

I own a Remington 870 Express Mag chambered for 3".

I can put light 2-3/4" birdshot in it and its just a light bump on the shoulder. Put 1 round lets say, steelshot 3" magnum turkey round into it and thats the only shot you want to do all day.