Dealing with recoil....

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Dave McC

Staff In Memoriam
Since I started coming to this BB I've seen lots of posts about,directly or indirectly, dealing with recoil. And, I'm the first to admit it can get painful. But, there's a few things one can do besides a $200 Vang bbl job or porting,etc. Most of those things are relatively inexpensive.

And, excess recoil can lead to a bad case of the flinches, and you cannot hit while flinching very well.

BTW, for those who don't know, I'm retired from the Md Dept of Public Safety, where my duties included teaching hundreds of rookies to shoot,including with our duty shotgun, the 870 Remington.

First, the "generic" HD or hunting pump gun or semi-auto that comprises the bulk of our inventories runs from 6 12-8 lbs, depending on make,model and options. The heavier the piece is, the less "FELT" recoil.

Say you're benching your slug gun because you've lost your zero. Benching a slug gun can hurt,so rig the thing this way...

The more it weighs, the less you feel the recoil.So, add some weight, for benching where you're not toting the piece across hill and dale, the extra weight won't matter.

My first 870, bought by Pop around 1956, had a solid steel magazine plug. With it in place, recoil was gentle. I doubt they're still available, but a good hand with pipes or a lathe could make up a mess of 'em PDQ.

BTW,extended mags,and sidesaddles work too, the 2 rd Choate extension adds about 7 oz w/o ammo.

So adding weight reduces bite. Next...

Say it's your clays gun and the last 20 or so rounds in a long day hurt. Or maybe the last 90. An extended mag,sidesaddle,etc may not fit you style, so....

Reduce the payload. If you're shooting reloads, try dropping the velocity a skosh, or maybe going for a 1 1/16 oz load instead of 1 1/8 or both.For factory ammo, try the 1 oz,or light loads. The difference may be just enough to help by itself.

Or add a discreet amount of weight. I know an oldtime trapshooter that would add melted lead to the mag tube cap of his 870 to just add an oz or two, and balance it with a lead slug under the recoil pad to keep the piece swinging well.

Next, stock fit. While going to the lengths the Brits do where each and every stock is fitted to the shooter,most folks could benefit from a little stock fitting. less felt recoi8l, better chance of hitting. And, I find that most folks could shoot a straighter stock and be better off,and straight stocks seem to feel like they kick less.

Recoil pads:
The Pachmayr Decelarator type works well. Most other types have too sharp a toe that will dig in on shooters of barrel chest or of the female persuasion. Round it off a bit so it doesn't dig into flesh.

Wearable recoil pads:
The one here gets called the Wonderbra, and it works fine for bench work, not so fine on clay targets or doves. Try one, it may be what you need.

Gunsmithing:

The Vang custom work is probably excellent, I've seen no adverse comments from disgruntled customers. A simpler, cheaper approach(which helps but maybe not as much) is a simple forcing cone lengthening. It shortens the pressure spike and drops recoil while keeping the pellets a bit rounder and in the pattern.

And finally, where I shoulda started from, FORM....

Back to basics, mount your shotgun, and break your front knee forward.For you martial arts types, this helps focus the body towards the adversary. Lean into the shot,so you almost feel like you're falling forward. This acts almost like a shock absorber,and you ride the recoil out instead of taking the kick straight back.Keep your non trigger hand well forward, and grasp the piece firmly while welding your cheek properly to the wood
.

Remember, during the excitement of a hunt or during an A-S scenario, you' won;t feel the kick, but it'll still be there,so a combination of technique and technology like the steps above will help.

Any questions, comments, donations?
 
I'm curious...

During your career as an instructor, did you ever have any students who simply couldn't (wouldn't?) get comfortable with a shotgun?

How demanding were the qualification standards?

Finally, what would you suggest for someone who wants to use a shotgun for home defense but can't find a range that will allow the use of a shotgun against ground targets with non-slug ammo? This seems to be a fairly common situation.
 
Matt.. take your yellow pages out and explain at each range you'd like to PATTERN your shotgun (ie see where it shoots with various loads) Many ranges have a target set aside for this express purpose.That way while you can't blast bullseye targets with buckshot... you can get an idea of pettrn size and spread with a variety of loads.

Dr.Rob
 
Matt, quite a few of our rookies were unmotivated about the shotgun, some were simply after the paycheck. I didn't hire them, retain them or take them off probation, but I had to live with the wishes of the administration.

That rant over, few of our rookies came from hunting backgrounds,most were inner city types. Relatively few at that point in time were vets, way different from when I started.

However, all but a few were coached,tutored, etc, until they could pass the course, 5 shots at 15 yards,5 shots at 25, using the tombstone target and getting 70% hits. With our 9 pellet 00 duty load, that meant the target had to have 63 holes in it.Time limit was generous, but most folks could finish the stage in under 10 seconds. Starting from a loaded chamber with 3 in the mag, fire four, speed reload one by throwing it through the loading/ejection port,and firing that.

Few rookies that didn't shoot a shotgun recreationally moved past minimum proficiency.They were able to load, fire,reload and make safe and that was about it. Few cared enough to practice with anything,even the handgun.

If you've been around this bb for long,you may have seen my warnings about using a shotgun for HD if you don't like shooting a shotgun.Much as I like mine,Wife and Daughter won't use a shotgun,so there's alternatives for HD for them.

As for ranges, Dr Rob's advice is excellent. Patterning is essential,and practice, even just shooting a few handthrown clays,is also.
KNOW your weapon.

Hope this helps....
 
Matt...most clays ranges have a frame or steel plate set up to test point of impact and/or patterning. Buy some target loads like the wall mart Federal special loads (shot size 7 1/2 is best) and tell the range owner you want to pattern your gun.

With the steel plate you will have to coat the plate with paint or whitewash and then shoot at the hole in the center, the impact of the shot pattern in the paint will tell you where your gun shoots.

If the range has a framework to test patterns, buy a roll of butcher paper or kraft paper. The paper should be at least 36" wide (wider is better as the commercial says) Cut off a piece that is square, staple it to the frame and mark a line or circle in the center to use as an aiming point (I have started using the orange stick on circles as a center target). Shoot at the paper using your normal stance and aim, this will tell you a lot about how your gun fits an where it shoots. Be prepared to find out your gun doesn't shoot the pattern on center. Perhaps you will be able to correct the point of impact by lengthning/ shortening the stock or adding moleskin. If not you should consult a gunfitter who is familiar with shotguns to get help.

Most of the shotgun "Gurus" recommend patterning your guns. An excellent book on the subject is "Shotgunning, the Art and the Science" by Bob Brister. This book will tell you everything you didn't want to know about shotguns.

Remember, most clays ranges restrict you to shot no larger than 7 1/2 due to safety reasons. If you are unsure about my comments above, ask the range people for help.

My $.02 as usual
Geoff Ross
 
One small addition to Geoff's fine advice. Most pumps and semis can be tweaked to pattern where it's wanted by using a small shim made from aluminum foil. Place it so it changes the drop or cant of the stock.For instance, placing it on the underside of the stock bolt reduces drop. My bird and deer 870s have about 1/4-1/2" less drop from using this method.

To change the cant(Cast on or off) of the stock, place the shim to the left or right of the bolt.
 
Thanks for good list of ways to reduce recoil dave. I will look into pachmayr pad, thought about it in past but forgot until I saw your mention of it. Im primarily interested in lowering recoil to speed up next target accusition.
Another way to help with recoil though extreme for some is to take up heavy weight training for chest and front deltoid. Military press, bechpress and a few front raises should do it. It will add more beef to that area not to mention gaining a little weight which helps with recoil. I know all about both methods unfortunatly I went a little overbord on the latter.
 
Hey Dave, novice shooter here but I do love my shotgun. I have Remington 870 Marine 6+1, four on a side saddle. Shot in a three gun match over the weekend. Had gone out a few days before to practice with rifled slugs. I took twenty rounds to practice with. Needless to say, I stopped practice at ten. Recoil intimidated me. But when the match time came, I totally forgot about recoil, so intent on hitting the targets (two stage-10 rifled slugs,then eight shot shell). Everything came together, proper shouldering, sight, and action. I did miss two rifled slug shots, but other were decent. And I kept thinking to myself. What happened to the recoil? I know it was there, but wasn't.
 
Never felt recoil in a hunting or defensive situation, Ned. Sometimes when adrenaline pumped in younger days, could shoot fast scenarios at the range and not feel anything until the next day.

John Gierach, the fishing writer and philosopher, writes of a park ranger who had been attacked by a Grizzly bear he had to subdue with his service revolver. From his hospital bed, said ranger stated he never heard a round go off but he sure heard the hammer click on an empty chamber(G)...
 
Thanks, all, for the information on patterning. I patterned my Mossberg 500 about four years ago but it's probably time to refresh my memory.

Dave, when I get the chance, I think I'll see if I can pass that qualification course.
 
You're very welcome, Matt, hope we've cleared up some things for you.

You could try this course for fun and practice, if a range will allow same....

Set up 5 targets, B-34s or tombstones will do, from 10 to 25 yards and at least one target width apart. Start off with weapon shouldered, one in chamber, 4 in mag,safety on. Have someone time it. From their signal, fire one round into each target,going any sequence you prefer, left to right, long to close, etc. A good score will be around 4-5 seconds,anything under say, 8,will work. Hits should run 70%,so count holes.

Next, do the course samesame, AFTER running in place long enough for you to FEEL your pulse and be a little out of breath. Compare your performances.

Enjoy....
 
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