Best Recoil Pad?

[Gary L. Griffiths]

I'm in the process of gearing up for more trap and skeet shooting after a long hiatus. I've got a good Morgan pad on my Model 12 trap gun, but none on my 1400 skeet gun, and my wife's 1100 doesn't have a pad on it, either.

I've been looking at recoil pads, both slip-on and mounted, and all seem to claim orders of magnitude recoil reduction, but prices vary widely. I'm not particularly recoil-sensitive, but a favorite shoot around here is the "Iron-Man" shoot of 250 birds, which is quite a bit of pounding, even with trap/skeet loads.

I would like to ask TFL shotgunners, what has been your experience with recoil pads in terms of recoil reduction. Which ones give you the most bang (or least thump) for your buck?

Thanks, all!

[Method]

In the spring I acquired a CZ Mallard O/U (purchased for a great deal) and a Winchester 12 (passed down from my grandfather). Neither had any real recoil reduction. I purchased a Limbsaver slip on pad for each one, and I could tell a very significant difference. Since the Limbsaver I got added about 1" LOP, I ended up taking the stock pads off each weapon. In the end there was no significant in mounting or handling, but there was a dramatic reduction in felt recoil.

[Creeper]

The Limbsaver pad may be the most common and and easily found at your LGS brand there is. Not to mention... they are inexpensive and they work.

Another vote for Limbsaver as an easy, value for money, option.


Cheers,
C

[hoghunting]

I use Kick-Eez, HiViz Xcoil, and Limbsaver and they all do a great job.

[idek]

I've also had good experiences with Limbsaver. There may be lighter weight options out there though if you're concerned about affecting the gun's balance.

[TheKlawMan]

Remington now has an inexpensive pad for the 870 and 1100 that does a very good job for about $20 and fits without any grinding or adjustment - supposedly. One worked great on my recent vintage 870 synthetic, but I have seen a lot of comments that they were a terrible fit for 1100 wood stocks; overlapping the heel by more than 1/4". The problem may be if it is a recent or early model stock.

[zippy13]

I have a Kick-Eez over a JS Air Cushion. Shooting 12-ga is like a .410, and shooting .410 is like a BB gun.

[Gary L. Griffiths]

Appreciate all the replies. I got a Limbsaver slip-on at my local Wally World the other day and just love it. I replaced the original wood stock and forend on my Winchester 1400 with a black Choate stock kit, due to the original forend having split, so the gun is now considerably lighter and more muzzle-heavy, making follow-through at skeet a lot easier.

Thanks, guys!

[Slugo]

Kick-Ezz is by far the best IMO...

[JimBobTX]

I've installed several grind-to-fit pads and the Limbsavers are worthy of praise...I have been impressed with the Pachmayr pads also.

[oneounceload]

would like to ask TFL shotgunners, what has been your experience with recoil pads in terms of recoil reduction. Which ones give you the most bang (or least thump) for your buck?

Best recoil reduction? A gun that absolutely FITS
2nd best recoil reduction? The heaviest gun you can handle
3rd best recoil reduction? The lightest loads that work the gun
4th best? NOW you get to recoil reduction systems like G squared, Bumpbuster, ISIS, JS, and a plethora of others
5th best? a simple recoil pad

If you are seriously going to go to the target shooting regimen, then do 1-4 first before worrying about number 5; otherwise, you'll be looking for a release trigger due to a highly developed flinch

[M4BGRINGO]

Oneounceload hit it outta the park!

[zippy13]

To add to my friend, oneonceload's list here are some other ways to reduce felt recoil. Some are founded more in reality than others…

• A padded shooting vest/shirt.
• Barrel work: Porting. Lengthened forcing cones. Overbored barrel.
• Slower burning powders.
• A tighter grip with gloved hands.
• A smaller gauge/bore gun.
• To add wight, use a mercury filled unit in the butt stock, the mag or under the barrel.

Yes, some shooters use a special trigger to help with a flinch. IMHO, a release trigger can be a widow maker if special caution isn't exercised.

[oneounceload]

Saw a gent shooting at the local registered sporting clay event using a release trigger on a Beretta SEMI - he must have one heck of a flinch.....

[idek]

Best recoil reduction? A gun that absolutely FITS
2nd best recoil reduction? The heaviest gun you can handle
3rd best recoil reduction? The lightest loads that work the gun
4th best? NOW you get to recoil reduction systems like G squared, Bumpbuster, ISIS, JS, and a plethora of others
5th best? a simple recoil pad

I suspect this is all true, but as I think about it, a recoil pad can affect points #1, 2, and 5.

In addition to the obvious benefit of having something soft between your shoulder and the gun stock...

- Choice of recoil pad can lengthen or shorten LOP.

- The angle and shape of the recoil pad can slightly affect how high or low a stock fits against the shoulder, which can--to some extent--have an affect similar to increasing or decreasing the angle of a stock.

- The shape of a recoil pad can also mean a larger area of gun-to-shoulder contact, so the recoil is distributed over a larger area.

- A recoil pad can add a few ounces to a gun, which can reduce free recoil a tiny bit (about 3-5%)



Using a lightweight, poor-fitting gun as a starting point, take an H&R single shot...

By adding a slip-on Limbsaver pad, I increased the LOP about 3/4" inch (and the longer stock meant a slightly larger drop at the heel). Also, the shape of the pad raised the bore axis and the comb because the concave contour of the butt end is about 1/4" lower on the pad than on the original butt plate. For me, all of this improved the fit of a previously poor fitting gun. It's certainly not like having a custom fit stock, but at least it moves things in the right direction.

The pad weighs about 6 ounces. Added to a gun that weighed 100 ounces to begin with, this is a 6% increase in mass, and therefore, about a 5-6% decrease in free recoil.

A single shot is a rather extreme example, but the point is that recoil pads can serve as more than just a cushion on the end of the stock, and this is true even with guns that are heavier and better fitting to begin with.

[TheKlawMan]

Maybe this has been mentioned, and it kind of ties in with gun fit; a good mount. Per a recent visit to a stock expert, my gun fits rather well, but a horrendous mount only permitted half my recoil pad to contact my shoulder.

Still, the weird mount resulted from personal physical attributes making a proper mount impossible without dedicated shooting glasses so in a sense the mount resulted from a fit problem. Instead of gong with shooting glasses, replacing the stock with a monte carlo possibly would have allowed a proper mount.

Actually, even with shooting glasses I may not be able to drop the pad all the way down into the pocket so as to minimize recoil unless I get something like a Jones Pad and that is definitely a fit correction.

[ripnbst]

I've never heard of a release trigger before. That is interesting and sounds dangerous.

[zippy13]

There are anecdotal horror stories of release trigger disasters because of shooters getting similar looking guns mixed-up. The ATA has specific rules for release trigger use. A responsible shooter will put a "CAUTION: RELEASE TRIGGER" label on his gun.

[Denezin]

I prefer the winchester limb saver.