Does a 12guage Birdshot Kick More than a 30-06?

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Sotirios Soteropoulos

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So my dad and I are planning to get another shotgun, i haven't shot a shotgun before. We are getting a trap shotgun, we are mainly focusing to use bird shots for it. Im just curious how much it kick, does it kick more than a 30-06? I have shot multiple 30-06 rounds from my remington 700 with a 1 inch pad. Is there a much of a difference? If there is any less kick 12 guage shells for trap please let me know :)
 
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Measured in free recoil energy (ft - lbs), it kicks a LOT more - basically twice as much. But in practice, due to the low muzzle velocity it's more of a push and less of a hard hit - I'd much rather shoot 200 rds of 12ga target loads than 200 rounds of .30-06.
 
Llama Bob said:
Measured in free recoil energy (ft - lbs), it kicks a LOT more - basically twice as much. But in practice, due to the low muzzle velocity it's more of a push and less of a hard hit - I'd much rather shoot 200 rds of 12ga target loads than 200 rounds of .30-06.
Click to expand...

The low pressure "boom" of a shotgun also contributes to 12 ga trap loads being more pleasant to shoot than '06 class centerfire rounds. At least that's how I perceive it.
 
Actually, I think I over-estimated the recoil energy. It's actually something like 30% more than the classic .30-05 150gr load for a 1 1/8 target load. Not double. I converted ounces to grains wrong :D

And yes, low pressure low velocity projectiles produce subjectively more pleasant recoil than faster lighter high pressure stuff.
 
A 180 grain 30-06 bullet weighs 0.411 ounces. A 12 gauge trap load is 1 or 1.125 ounces.

Felt recoil also depends on the weight of the guns in question, and the size of their butts.
 
Regular target loads of birdshot won't kick as much as a 30-06.

That being said, if this is a light break-open single shot shotgun, birdshot will kick quite a bit more than if you're using a heavier pump or semi-auto.
 
I would say a 12 gauge trap load recoils about half as much as an average 30-06 hunting rifle. A 12 gauge 3" magnum waterfowl load or a 1 oz slug recoils about as much as an average 30-06 hunting rifle. 250 rounds of trap load in one day will leave me with a small bruise the next day. I have been shooting 12 gauge trap loads since I was like 9 years old so I would say you'll be just fine.
 
It depends.

A high brass duck's load in a 5 lb single shot compared to an '06 through a heavy gas gun like a Garand?

Or a lightweight carbon fiber mountain rifle in '06 and a birdshot shell from an 1100 gas shotgun?
 
Neither is entirely comprehensive, but it'll give you an idea of the actual ft-lbs of energy involved. First one is rifle. Neither considers the firearm other than its weight either.
A .30-06 150 grain bullet at 2910 out of an 8.0 pound rifle has 17.6 ft-lbs of energy.
A 12 gauge, 2.75" with 1 1/4 oz of shot at 1330 fps out of a 7.5 pound shotgun has 32.0 ft-lbs of energy.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
 
Well I can tell you for certain that does not tell the real story. Those numbers suggest a 12 gauge trap load has a much recoil as a 338 win mag. I can shoot a 12 gauge pump shotgun with trap loads with one hand. I've seen many many 12 year old boys and girls shoot 12 gauge trap loads with no complaints.
 
Shotguns are designed to be shot while moving, or swinging on a bird. The free recoil of a 12 ga can exceed a 30-06 by quite a bit, but since you aren't stationary and relaxed like with the rifle, it doesn't feel any where near as bad as a 30-06 can. But shoot from a bench with a single shot 12 at the same weight as a 30-06 and you'll be surprised at how hard a 12 ga CAN kick you if you let it.
 
I've never known anyone get a detached retina shooting a 30-06 but I do know a guy who did using heavy 1 1/4 oz loads at about 1300 fps. Granted that's a pretty stiff load and not a std. trap load. The fact remains that recoil from a 12 ga is substantial.

If you really want to know and you don't want to rely on someones numbers test it yourself. Fire both a 30-06 and 12 ga (not an autoloader) while standing. I think you will find that they are about the same given that the weight of the guns are close.

Long before autoloaders became popular, 9# guns were popular with waterfowl and trap shooters for one reason, to reduce the felt recoil. I had an old Greener waterfowl gun that was a tad over 9#. Even now 1 oz loads are popular with people who shoot a lot with a 8# gun. As was mentioned, if recoil is an issue get an autoloader.
 
adcoch1 said:
Shotguns are designed to be shot while moving, or swinging on a bird. The free recoil of a 12 ga can exceed a 30-06 by quite a bit, but since you aren't stationary and relaxed like with the rifle, it doesn't feel any where near as bad as a 30-06 can. But shoot from a bench with a single shot 12 at the same weight as a 30-06 and you'll be surprised at how hard a 12 ga CAN kick you if you let it.
Click to expand...

This, you just can't compare apples to apples between the two. Velocity of the shotgun shell also is huge. That fact you'll be shooting birdshot as opposed to say buckshot is irrelevant. Recoil from 1.5 ounces of birdshot and 1.5 ounces of buckshot is the same if both have the same velocity. Increase the velocity of the birdshot by 200 FPS and recoil will be considerably more. Trap guns as a rule are heavy as are all dedicated clays guns. Traditional target loads are also light, one ounce is normal are not high velocity - 1150 to 1200 FPS. I'd much rather shoot 200 rounds through a trap gun than 200 rounds with a 30-06 even standing.
 
I shoot 2 oz 12 ga turkey loads. I suspect they kick harder on paper, but it's a slow push you can rock back with. 12 ga target loads kick much less and if you can handle a 30-06 and your shotgun has a decent pad you won't have a problem.
 
If the weight of both guns are equal or near equal the .30-06 has more recoil. I'm talking fixed breach guns, no semi autos.
 
Plenty of times I've shot hundreds of rounds of trap loads or light hunting loads through a 12 ga. You might be tight or sore in your shoulder the next day if you aren't shouldering the gun properly.

Doing that with a 30-06 would be pretty punishing from my bolt gun off a bench. With a gas operated Garand? No issue.
 
bassjam said:
That being said, if this is a light break-open single shot shotgun, birdshot will kick quite a bit more than if you're using a heavier pump or semi-auto.
Click to expand...
BINGO !!! The weight of either gun is a big factor. So is the size, shape, and "hardness" of the buttplate. One of the worst kicking guns I ever fired was a single shot H&R 12 gauge marked on the barrel as a 3" chamber The thing had a hard rubber plate. It weighed about five pounds. It bruised you on the first shot. I have an 11 pound 30-06 rolling block that has a large, wide buttplate. It kicks like a 20 gauge with a light load.

There are so many factors to "factor" in when discussing recoil, seems to me that it's hard to make a blanket statement about which gun "kicks" harder.
 
There are a couple of companies that offer "low noise, low recoil" 12 gauge loads that soften up the recoil impulse. We use them in cowboy action competitions but you can use them for clayshooting as well.
 
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