Proper mounting vs recoil pads

[WeedWhacker]

I've heard all the stories: "get the fit right on your long gun and pull it into your shoulder properly, and you won't have a problem with recoil". Well, I don't buy that anymore.

I'm a wimp. I shoot a lot of .308 from a heavy AK-style rifle, and I'm a bit sore for a few days even after only 250 rounds. Then I bought a gas-operated) 12 gauge shotgun despite its reputation for being heavy on the recoil, even with the gas action.

The first day out shooting, I shot ~200 8oz bird loads, and my shoulder felt a little worse than a day shooting .308. The next time, I'd brought along not only a recoil pad for the buttstock, but also a cheap-y pad to wear over my shoulder.

Short version: I blasted over 200 rounds of 2 3/4" full-power ammo out of the thing, from buckshot to slugs, rapid-fire, and sometimes with a crappy mount, too. No soreness. Not. One. Bit. Not then, not the next day, and had zero failures (except for a single light round when the gas setting was set for magnum rounds).

So, to heck with agonizing over a long gun purchase if the stock doesn't fit perfectly. Grab a pair of recoil pads and go nuts, I say!

 

[Mooseman]

I just put a slip on recoil pad on my 91/30. Accepting pain when you don't have to is goofy.

 

[pcf]

I've heard all the stories: "get the fit right on your long gun and pull it into your shoulder properly, and you won't have a problem with recoil". Well, I don't buy that anymore.

So what does that tell you about how much shooting people do, when they write things like this?

 

[WeedWhacker]

That they're gluttons for punishment, or have nothing but scar tissue left in one of the the upper quarters of their torso?

 

[Fred Fuller]

Nothing says you can't use both a proper gun mount and a properly fitted recoil pad. Only problem with stacking stuff between you and the gun (slip-on recoil pads, wearable recoil pads etc) is that you effectively lengthen the stock and increase the LOP (length of pull). That promotes more problems in lots of cases than it solves.

Most of us hereabouts harangue endlessly on proper gun fit. Most of the time that centers around stock length as much as any other aspect (cast on, cast off, drop etc). It is much easier to shoot a shotgun with a stock that is too short (once you learn to keep your shooting hand thumb away from your nose) than one that is too long. Get your gun fitted to you, install a good recoil pad, learn good form, adopt lighter loads or/and a gas-operated design if necessary and enjoy shooting your shotgun without dreading recoil.

lpl/nc

 

[PCGS65]

For me shooting in the summer with just a t-shirt a little soreness is always a factor. Usually by the time I get home and put the guns away I forget about it. So it is minimal but noticeable while shooting. I usually shoot 100 12ga rounds minimum. My favorite is my early 1900's double without a recoil pad. The recoil is very impressive. I've thought about a recoil pad for it but it fits me good and I don't want to make the stock length too long. Like you said Lee. My accuracy is about 90%. So I can't see much room for improvement. But I might try one just to see.

 

[BozemanMT]

Well, I'll shoot 200+ every time I go to the range.
And I shoot a SxS and from low gun (not pre-mounted)
My wife, shoots an O/u and she shoots that many rounds too.
not a big deal when teh gun fits you.

It sounds to me like your gun is too short and you are using the recoil pad to lengthen it and get it in the right place.

When you first start shooting shotguns, it hurts, because it's not a common position (how often do you shoot your AK style rifle off hand? not 200+ rounds probably). I see some people get started with HUGE recoil pads, then they slowly shed them as they get used to it.

however, recoil is cumulative, moving to lighter loads makes a big difference in how tired you are at the end of the day and of course combining with rifle practice adds a lot of recoil hits to your shoulder.

if it works for you, i say go for it.

 

[Preacherman]

Following two major back surgeries, I have to use as much recoil reduction as I can get, for safety's sake. I've gone to the Kick-Eez pads, with Limbsavers as a very good second choice. I find that the Kick-Eez pads take out at least 50% more recoil than the standard pads, and I'm slowly but surely retrofitting them to every long gun I own (well, OK, not the rimfires! ). Highly recommended.

 

[TaxPhd]

A gun that is fitted properly, using loads that conform to the rule of 96, should not be painful to shoot. Even with several hundred rounds.



Scott

 

[sm]

Nevermind

 

[444]

"I've heard all the stories: "get the fit right on your long gun and pull it into your shoulder properly, and you won't have a problem with recoil".
I am one of those guys that you are talking about, who is telling you all that.

First of all, let's think about this for a second: how is it that one person can shoot a lot using a heavy recoiling gun while someone else can't ?
Surely you realize it is technique. It is mounting the gun properly. There is no such thing as getting used to it or having caluses.

Several years ago I decided to take a couple defensive type shotgun classes. I took one class at Frontsight that was four days long and I took another one at Gunsight that was five days long. Those days consisted of firing a 12 guage shotgun pretty much all day, every day using slugs and buckshot. I know that I fired hundreds of slugs in each one. In those classes we had all types of people including petite women. No one that I know of used any kind of pad to reduce recoil.
We not only had no problem finishing the class but enjoyed it. And I was really worried about this prior to the class. Shotgun slugs pack a wallop on both ends.
The reason is because in both classes we were taught the correct way to mount the gun. At Gunsite Louis Awerbuck made a big deal about the fact that the class was long, if you injure yourself or get sore at the beginning it will be a long miserable time. So, make sure the gun is mounted correctly every time. If it isn't, don't take the shot just to keep up with the rest of the class or to meet some time parameter.

Outside of these classes I rarely see anyone mount a long gun correctly. They have the butt of the stock way too low on their shoulder instead of having the toe of the stock in the "pocket". They also do not get into a good aggressive fighting stance when they shoot. Then they don't have the weapon pulled firmly back into the pocket, they hold the gun loosely so it gets a good running start at them. Lastly they have their bodies bladed away at almost a 90 degree angle to the target. An easy way to spot people using incorrect technique is to see people craneing their head down to see the sights. If they had mounted the gun correctly, the gun would be in front of their eyes and the head would not have to move. Picture this in your mind: let's say you are an offensive lineman in football. The defensive players are blitzing the quarterback. You are going to be hit head on by a big guy and your goal is to NOT be knocked off balance. You have to square off to that guy and be balanced or you are going to get knocked to the ground and the quarterback is going to be sacked. Yet, when firing a heavy recoiling shotgun or rifle, most people stand almost 90 degrees to this position and wonder why they have trouble absorbing that force coming straight at them. This football stance is instinctive: I bet without discussing this with a young kid, he would automatically assume the correct stance because you can feel it: but put a rifle or shotgun in their hand and they mimic what they have seen before and get into a position that totally defies instinct and common sense.
Picture a fighting stance in boxing or the martial arts. That is a good solid balanced position.
What about if you were in a tug of war. Stand wrong and you fall over. This time you are pulling instead of "pushing" but the stance is the same: for the same reasons.

Note that I haven't said anything about having the gun fitted to you. The only thing I have to say on that front is that most people use stocks that are way to long. The reason they use stocks that are way too long is because they are standing incorrectly in the first place. If you were squared off to the target in a good solid, balanced postion that looks like someone who is ready to be hit straight on by a force, the stock would be way too long for you.

By buying these recoil pads like the PAST pad, you are using hardware to mask a software problem. These pads allow you to get away with incorrect technique. Is this bad ? Maybe not. It allows you to accomplish the same thing either way: correct technique vs. incorrect techniqe with the negative effect masked.

This all needs to be the same when firing the weapon off a rest. The toe of the stock needs to be in the pocket and you need to be behind the gun. A common problem is people firing the gun prone off a rest or from a bench. They allow the stock to rest up on top of the shoulder where you have buttstock on bone. And it hurts like hell.

 

[Dave McCracken]

I shot off a couple pigeon loads the other day. These are 1 1/4 oz thumpers with quite a whack at either end. They went into Number 6, which has a good but not top end Rempad and weighs about 7 lbs.

No pain, no major kick. The combination of good form and fit means comfort.

A rookie built like me would have gotten kicked. He'd not have the butt in the right place, pulled in hard nor leant into the shot. a rookie who didn't fit the shotgun would have gotten hammered.

My shooters are all 870s. Pads on them include a Limbsaver on Frankenstein, which gets the heaviest loads. The TB has a Kickeez Magnum mounted on a Jones adjustable plate that is cast and dropped to match my shoulder.

Fit and form are Yin/Yang. Pads aid comfort. Good fit, form and a top end pad all help.