Shot 12ga slugs for the first time this weekend

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SpeedAKL

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Holy recoil, Batman! After those things I was more than happy to go back to shooting the Mosin M44. I was wearing a polo shirt at the time, and the kick left the fabric weave pattern burned into my shoulder. It was fun, but I can't imagine shooting these things often, nor can I see that it would b pleasant to run a whole bunch of slugs through at once. The gun was a Mossberg 500.
 
I often use a PAST recoil pad, or something similar if I'm shooting slugs from the bench.
Offhand the recoil isn't as bad.
I shot slugs and buckshot in a three gun match in August and didn't even feel it.
 
I bought a 12 guage 500 recently and put 20 slugs through it 2 weekends in a row. They do pack a punch (hurt the shoulder and the wallet).
Fit seems to play a big part of it as I don't remember my winchester 1300 being that brutal with slugs, although I never really shot it from a bench. I'm going to have to do some tinkering with this thing though since I bought it just for slugs.
 
Did you shoot them standing offhand? Yes, they kick hard (1600-fps from a 1-oz slug) but your upper body can smoothly recoil with the gun which minimizes the punishing recoil. Keeping the strong (trigger) arm held high also helps mitigate the recoil. Pull the gun in tight, lean a little bit forward and let it rock you back a bit.

What REALLY recoils, to the point of pain, is trying to rest the gun on some sort of bench to check for accuracy. Your torso is leaning so far forward that the recoil drives down into your collar bone, and your torso cannot move with the recoil force to help absorb the recoil.

Even shooting slugs sitting on the ground with your feet apart lets you rock back when you shoot. Crossing your feet makes you lean forward too much, similar to shooting off a bench or over the hood of a vehicle.

Hope this helps.
 
A good recoil pad helps quite a bit. Switching to one of the reduced-recoil loads helps quite a bit as well.
 
I did slugs for the first time a week ago too. My teeth would chatter with each shot it was great. I also saw my M-44's recoil much less after thoes slugs.
 
an ounce of lead is an ounce of lead...any increased recoil felt was probably due to a hotter load of powder...just FYI.
 
if your a shotgun purist and have no rifles slugs are a important tool.

hunt down the best price on em and buy a few 100,shoot some to see what your gun does on paper at various distances,,,,

or get a rifle and save the scattergun for buckshot and etc,,,:D
 
slugs out of a single shot or a pump tend to be harsh....especially 12 gauge 3" mags. luckily most people don't fire very many of them. I always wondered how the recoil of a slug compared to a big bore rifle....
 
The big 1 3/8 oz Super Brenekke fired from a 7 lb shotgun has about the same kick as the 300 gr, 375 H&H Magnum fired from a 9 lb rifle.

Most 375s run closer to 10 lbs if that's a clue.

IOW, it'll tear you a new one.

Along with the good advice given so far.....

My two slug shooters run over 8 lbs. One's closer to 9. Both have good pads, and I wear a pad also at the bench. An erect posture helps.

Adding weight to your 500 at the bench will help tremendously.

An anti-inflammatory taken in advance helps also.
 
I'm a bit confused over shotgun recoil. Rifle/pistol recoil is pretty easy to grasp, but for example what makes a slug kick that much harder than, say, the 1 1/8-oz sport loads that we have stashed up here that we use for skeet shooting, often out of the same pump-action Mossberg? I'm really not bothered by those at all, and in terms of pure weight the sport loads are a heavier mass being launched, albeit at a considerably lower velocity.
 
Originally posted by Dave McCracken

Adding weight to your 500 at the bench will help tremendously.
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I'll second that.

I once made the terrible mistake of accepting a 3" Magnum buckshot round from a buddy who wanted to see how it patterned on his 50' target. Without thinking I shucked it into my pump shotgun and casually pulled the trigger.

DAYUMMMMM!

I tried to coax him into doing the same thing, but he declined. Maybe it was because my eyeglasses were pushed half way around my face and I had that look of "WTH just happened?".

Then we loaded the 6-shot magazine plum full of those rounds and tried shooting one more. The recoil was much more acceptable because there was well over a pound more weight in the magazine tube, which helped absorb the punishing recoil.

If I were to decide to pattern 3" magnum buckshot from my pump gun, I would bring a 25-lb bag of shot with me and place it between my body and the shotgun.
 
I'm a bit confused over shotgun recoil. Rifle/pistol recoil is pretty easy to grasp, but for example what makes a slug kick that much harder than, say, the 1 1/8-oz sport loads that we have stashed up here that we use for skeet shooting, often out of the same pump-action Mossberg?
Click to expand...

It's a hotter load, there technically should be no difference between 1 ounce of a slug and 1 ounce of tiny pellets, all things considered. Target loads are generally reduced recoil for easy follow up shots and long shooting.
 
I'm a bit confused over shotgun recoil. Rifle/pistol recoil is pretty easy to grasp, but for example what makes a slug kick that much harder than, say, the 1 1/8-oz sport loads that we have stashed up here that we use for skeet shooting, often out of the same pump-action Mossberg? I'm really not bothered by those at all, and in terms of pure weight the sport loads are a heavier mass being launched, albeit at a considerably lower velocity.
Click to expand...

Velocity means a lot. Your 1.125oz target load is running 1200FPS. The average 12 gauge slug is 1oz at 1600FPS. For a comparison, look at a .30-30 with a 170 grain bullet and a .30-06 with a 150 grain bullet. Even though the .30-06 is driving a moderately smaller bullet it generates more recoil energy due to the higher velocity.

Also, when you are shooting a target load it is generally at clays, where you move with the gun when it recoils. Most slug shooting is trying to hold the gun on target like a rifle, which tends to cause it to slam back into the shoulder. If you try shooting a target load like a rifle at a stationary target you will likely notice the recoil much more.
 
Wait until you launch a few dozen rounds of 1.25 Oz, 3" Nitro-Mags. I think my spine is still vibrating from the ones I fired in 1993.
 
:)

Don't look at me, some around here have been suggesting Gun Fit, sharing Rule of 96 and such for sometime now.

Lady friend got a LNIB 1974 Win Super X Model 1
*GRIN*

Her Pet is a 870 20 ga.

I just snag what is handy, and of late, with some folks, snagging a 1400 in 20 , Deluxe Walnut.

Now I am a bit rusty , still it was not uncommon to shoot 100 rds, or even 200+ slugs or 00 buck at one time.
Many times after shooting 4 boxes of Skeet.


Recently Lady friend, myself burned through over 200 rds of slugs and buckshot, and most through the SX1 and 870.
I guess I ran 30 or so slugs through the 1400, checking something out.

NO recoil pad on the 1400, it is the softest shooting semi auto.

Original pad on SX1, a Pach Decel is in the works, just I gotta play with this SX1 .
870 fits her, and has a Pach Decel, she has great form and basics down.
She has run 50 - 100 slugs/buckshot at one time, many times, no problem.


You shake my cage and you rattle my brains
Goodness! Gracious! Great Balls of Fire! - "The Killer" Jerry Lee Lewis

;)
 
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