Recoil Reduction

[Sphawley]

I do a lot of trap shooting, and somtimes bring my dad along but he will usually only do one round because the recoil. So he stops at that, Hes only 47. So he's not super old.

He uses a Winchester 1200, what could I do to reduce the recoil? Or is this old mule just gonna kick all day?

[SigfanP220]

I like the 2 3/4 Dram Eq loads in 12ga. They have low recoil and will still break clays just the same. Give those a try. Otherwise "low recoil" loads are available.

[kozak6]

You could add weight to the shotgun, install a better recoil pad, and they also make recoil pads that strap to the shoulder.

If you got into reloading, it would be fairly easy to load some low recoil shells.

[BigJimP]

47 is way young .....

What can you do to reduce recoil -- recoil is primarily a function of the weight of the gun, velocity of the shell in fps and weight of the payload ( in ounces of shot ) ....

Add weight to the gun: Adding 1 lb to a pump gun is easy / without screwing up the balance. You can only load 1 shell in chamber / 1 in mag - so fill a spent shell with shot so it weighs about 8 oz and put it in the mag. Fill a 2nd shell with shot / 8 oz and take off recoil pad / and put it inside the stock ( tape it in ) and adjust it so the gun balances at the same point ( check the balance point before hand ). The 1 lb will reduce the recoil close to 25%.

Shoot a different shell: if he's shooting high velocity loads over 1200 fps / back off on the velocity. If he is shooting 1 1/8 oz of shot --- back off on the shot. Shooting 7/8 oz of shot or 1 oz of shot at 1150 fps / or even 1200 fps will shave off another 20% of the recoil.

If the gun is smacking him in the face / the weight and shell change may help - but its a "fit" issue. The gun is recoiling up into his cheek bone / instead of moving back and forth under the bone. You can put a stick on pad on the comb / maybe put an adj recoil pad on the gun ... but it gets more complicated. Start with the weight and the shells and see how he likes that ....

It could be some fundamental mount issues too ... not getting gun into his shoulder correctly etc .... there are lots of drills at home to fix some of this / or maybe buy him a lesson from a certified instructor at your club if you have one. A good lesson might cost you $ 200 / but he should learn a lot and it might really help him out ....

[inSight-NEO]

Using "true" low recoil loads (or at least lower velocity loads) would probably be a good place to start and I imagine, the easiest and least expensive option at this point.

[oneounceload]

There are TWO forms of recoil - ACTUAL, which is a mathematical calculation based on weight of the gun, velocity of the payload and the mass of the ejecta (shot/wad/powder)

Then there is PERCEIVED, or FELT recoil which is a function of gun fit, softening agents like pads and action types. Using a good recoil pad, a gas gun, and one that fits will let him FEEL less recoil.

Actual recoil is reduced by using the heaviest gun (typically from 8-12#), with the lightest load (typically 7/8 in 12 gauge)

A pump gun is one of the WORST guns to use because they tend to be very light and they never seem to perfectly fit anyone.

Next time out, talk to some of the the veterans at your club and see if your dad can borrow, or at least rent, some various trap guns and have him try them. ask them what they use and why they use those particular guns. They don't have to be $15,000 guns, but they DO need to fit.

Good luck on getting this resolved...........

[kozak6]

You could also see if your range has loaner guns. Semiautomatics tend to have less felt recoil.

[zippy13]

Have someone who knows what he's doing check your dad for a proper stock fit.

How to reduce felt recoil (kick):
Proper gun fit
A heaver gun
Lighter loads
Recoil reduction devices (Ported barrel, gas operated semi-auto, hi-tech recoil pads, recoil buffers in the stock)

[LanceOregon]

Of all of the methods of reducing felt recoil, by far the best is switching to a gas-operating semiautomatic shotgun. Shotguns from either Browning or Beretta will be far more pleasant to shoot.

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[noyes]

Beware of the Weight of some of those semi's ( some are light weight ) and will hurt more.

[zippy13]

Originally Posted by LanceOregon

Of all of the methods of reducing felt recoil, by far the best is switching to a gas-operating semiautomatic shotgun.

I beg to differ about the "best" way to reduce kick. Lance may not be familiar with air-cushion recoil reduction systems. Of the various ones available, I'm very satisfied with the JS unit on my skeet gun and the Shockmaster on my trap gun. Both have significantly less kick than a gas auto.

[LanceOregon]

I beg to differ about the "best" way to reduce kick. Lance may not be familiar with air-cushion recoil reduction systems. Of the various ones available, I'm very satisfied with the JS unit on my skeet gun and the Shockmaster on my trap gun. Both have significantly less kick than a gas auto.

Those are pretty exotic solutions that are hardly mainstream. The Shockmaster sells for well over $1,000 and the JS folks are so unprofessional that they don't have any details at all about their products on their website.

For very serious and dedicated high volume trap or skeet shooter, then yes, they may have a place.

But that is not at all the situation here for Sphawley's Dad. So recommending products like these is quite inappropriate.

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[LanceOregon]

Beware of the Weight of some of those semi's ( some are light weight ) and will hurt more.

That is certainly not true in all cases, especially with regard to the latest gas auto shotguns from Beretta and Browning.

It does not sound like Sphawley's Dad does a high volume of shooting. He says that he only sometimes comes along, and has been shooting only 25 shells an outing. Maybe his Dad is more into shotgun hunting, than he is target shooting. If that was the scenario that one was looking at, then a heavy shotgun would have a drawback, if it was to also be used as a field gun for hunting as well.

There have been numerous reports that both the new Browning Maxxus ( only 7 lbs ) and the new Beretta XPLOR UNICO ( 6 2/3 lbs ) have very low recoil indeed, despite their light weight.

Sphawley may just be looking for ways to modify the Winchester 1200. And there is only so much that can be done with such guns, unless one wants to go with one of these expensive exotic air cushioned stocks.

Any of these expensive options from these fancy stocks to a new gas operated shotgun may be well more money than what they want to spend.

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[oneounceload]

the JS folks

That one gentleman has been making his JS system for quite some time. I have seen a few when I lived out West, very neat system, not cheap, and he tends to match the original stock very well

especially with regard to the latest gas auto shotguns from Beretta

The new X-plor weighs 6.5# - you'd think it would beat the snot out of you, but shooting target loads through it with its KO system, the recoil is VERY soft. It cycles everything from 7/8 oz target loads to 3-1/2 inch goose loads as well........

[zippy13]

Originally Posted by LanceOregon

For very serious and dedicated high volume trap or skeet shooter, then yes, they may have a place.
But that is not at all the situation here for Sphawley's Dad. So recommending products like these is quite inappropriate.

I wasn't recommending an air cushion unit for the OP's dad. I've already posted what I think is the most reasonable approach in this situation:

Have someone who knows what he's doing check your dad for a proper stock fit.

How to reduce felt recoil (kick):
Proper gun fit
A heaver gun
Lighter loads
Recoil reduction devices

Lance,
Recoil devices are at the bottom on my list. I was rebutting your unmodified use of all and best in your:

Of all of the methods of reducing felt recoil, by far the best is switching to a gas-operating semiautomatic shotgun. (emphasis added)

You mentioned the cost of the Shockmaster (yes, they aren't free, but less than a JS) and the JS web site (yes, it's not finished). Neither of these factors relate to recoil reduction, why mention them? I'm not saying the Shockmaster and JS systems are the best; yet, in my experience they have significantly less felt recoil than the gas guns I've used. A new gas gun (as you recommend) is the last resort, checking gun fit is a more appropriate first step.

[oneounceload]

I'm in agreement with Zippy as far as FIT goes..NOTHING beats reducing recoil like gun fit. I just recently bought the S&W Elite Gold, and its stock FITS me - it has a checkered wood butt plate, and with standard loads, I can shoot 6 -7 boxes at 5-stand without any pain or issues........................ because this gun fits.............

Once you get to that point and THEN add the gas action, recoil reduction systems, (sorry Zippy, NOT porting), and light loads.........you'll have a 12 gauge that shoots like a .22

[LanceOregon]

Neither of these factors relate to recoil reduction, why mention them?

Because I was responding in context to the post from the OP, and not going off on a tangent irrelevant to their potential needs.

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