Lowest kick 12 Gauge?

W

won-a-glock

New member
A friend is considering buying a 12 gauge, but wanted one with a low recoil.
I suggested he get a 16 or 20 gauge if that was an issue.

Is anyone aware of a 12 gauge that has relatively low recoil? I'm assuming most have pretty similar kicks.
Thanks.
 
Anything by Benelli with a Comfortech stock will be low recoil, even better an autoloader, best yet is the Vinci.
 
Well, its more of the round that determines how much recoil. But the heaver the gun the more force it will take to move the gun and the less felt recoil there will be.

From my experience, longer barrels like my Winchester (28") kick back more, whereas shorter barrels like my 870 (10") kick up more. Both are equally annoying imo.


fwiw just get a heavy gun. An 870 is a good candidate, the solid steel construction makes them much heavier than the gun with aluminum receivers like Winchesters.

Knoxx makes a stock that absorbs recoil, I have the folding version. Does it work? Sure it works fine, but it causes the gun to have even more muzzle flip. A big recoil pad would probably work just as well.

In terms of what kind of 12 gauge? I'd say pump, lets you shoot mixed loads, very reliable. I think the only kind to stay away from would be the inertia operated ones, they tend to kick a little harder.
 
The least recoil in a 12 gauge would be in a gas operated semiauto; those seem to have the least felt recoil- the inertia operated Benellis are generally considered to kick a bit harder than the gas guns.
 
Since you friend is considering a 16-ga or 20-ga, have him get a 12-ga gas auto as recommended, and some 16 or 20-ga equivalent loads (7/8-oz or 1-oz) 12-ga loads. After the gun is adjusted to fit him properly, he'll have a gun that will recoil less than a 16 or 20 and he'll have the option of shooting heavy 12-ga loads should he want.
 
All else equal, a gas auto will have less FELT recoil. But things are never equal.

A heavier gun will kick less. A lighter load, same deal. A lighter load in a heavier gun, even less.

My main clays gun weighs 8 lbs. I use mostly 7/8 oz, 1200 FPS reloads in it. Felt recoil, AKA kick, runs about like a 243.

My turkey gun weighs about 7 lbs. An occasional 1 1/4 slug has about the same kick as a 375 H&H magnum in a 9 lb rifle.

For the least kick, use the lightest load that will do the job in the heaviest gun you can handle.....
 
Is anyone aware of a 12 gauge that has relatively low recoil? I'm assuming most have pretty similar kicks
Click to expand...

A heavy gun with the lightest loads and a stock that FITS will have both the lightest ACTUAL and FELT recoil. Action type, like the gas mentioned, also aid in reducing FELT recoil, as does a nice pad. However, if the gun doesn't fit, is light, and you insist on shooting uber-hot loads, it is going to smart some.

16 and 20 gauge guns are typically lighter than the average 12, so their recoil will NOT be necessarily any less.

If a 12, 16, and 20 all weigh the same, and the loads being shot have the same mass and velocity, the recoil will be the same.
 
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Target loads in my Beretta 390 has very little felt recoil compared to any pump gun. You can get one for about $600 from Wal Mart.
 
Like others said - a 16ga or 20ga may not be less recoil than a 12ga... Its a common mistake to assume a 20ga has less recoil than a 12ga ....

Recoil formula is made up of 3 things:
a. Weight of the gun
b. Weight of the shot in the shell ( 1 1/8oz, 1 oz, 7/8 oz etc )
c. Velocity of the load ( 1150 fps, 1200 fps, 1300 fps )

A gas operated semi-auto in a 12ga will have less recoil than most other options ( Beretta 390/391 series .... Browning Silver series ...Remington 1100 or 11-87, etc )...but all of the gas operated semi-autos require more maintenance than a typical pump gun or Over Under...
 
The least recoiling shotgun I have is a 12 gauge, Mossberg 500 pump, with all the lead that would fit in the stock mounting hole, a soft recoil pad, (like a Limbsaver or Kickeeze), and low recoil ammo that all the manufacturers are making.
I like the 12 gauge, Winchester Low Noise, Low Recoil brand - approx 7/8 oz of shot at approx 1100 ft/sec, about the same as 20 gauge target loads.
There's some brands even lighter.
All in all, it's reliable and comfortable to shoot and seems to work on all targets just fine.
Cheap, too.
 
About 3 weeks ago, I used my father-in-law's old Rem 870 12 ga to take a shot at Trap shooting. I did 2 rounds which is 50 shells. The next day my shoulder was pretty sore.

I had so much fun though, I wanted to go buy a cheap shotgun just for Trap and 5-stand shooting.

I got the Rem 887 Nitro Mag 12 ga and took it this past sunday to try it out. I shot 4 rounds, 100 shells, and I didn't feel a thing. It was a blast to shoot.


(Yes, the two puns were intended, lol)
 
I like the 12 gauge, Winchester Low Noise, Low Recoil brand - approx 7/8 oz of shot at approx 1100 ft/sec, about the same as 20 gauge target loads.
Click to expand...

And if you reload, drop your payload to 3/4oz and you'll reduce recoil about 25%.
 
How much recoil the gun has ...has nothing to do with who made the gun ...or how much or how little it costs. Its purely a mathematical equation...

"Felt recoil" can be reduced by proper "fit", better fundamentals on mount, a better recoil pad, etc ....especially on a fixed action gun. If the gun doesn't "Fit" right --- even with light loads ---it may make you feel like a tackling dummy ....

A pump gun, is a fixed action gun - the bolt is locked until you move the action after you fire the gun.) ....same thing on an Over Under ( its a fixed action ) ...its locked when you fire it ...just like a pump gun... It doesn't make any difference who makes it ...they will all give you the same recoil --- if ....the guns weigh the same, and you shoot the same shell in terms of payload, at the same velocity .... its a mathematical equation.

That's why I cringe when I see some shooters trying to shoot these 6 lb guns ... even in a 20ga ....you're going to get a lot of recoil.

A 7/8 oz load ( at 1200 fps ) whether its out of a 12ga or a 20ga --- are equal in terms of the recoil formula / and balistically for that matter. 7/8oz of shot going down range at 1200 fps hits just the same, at range, out of a 12ga or a 20ga ( no difference). And if you shoot that load out of an ... 8 lb gun its about 20% less recoil than shooting it out of a 7 lb gun... and it makes no difference if they're both 20ga's / or one is a 12ga and one is a 20ga / or if they're both 12ga's ....a change of 1 lb in the gun goes into the formula ...and that's the difference ( if the loads in the shell are identical ).

That's why OneOunce and others are suggesting dropping the loads down to 7/8 oz or 3/4 oz and dropping velocity down to 1150 fps ...and shooting the heaviest gun you can handle ....if you're recoil sensitive. But its a compromise ....not everyone wants to shoot an 8 lb, or 8 1/2 lb gun ....let alone a 10 lb gun.

Sometimes I like to shoot a 7 1/2 lb gun ... but I won't like shooting it ....if I grab a box of Remington Nitro's at 1 1/8 oz and 1300 fps ...unless I just want to clear my sinus congestion for some reason ....
 
Echoing some of Jim's comments - I recently bought a 20 gauge SxS that has a wood buttstock (NO pad of any kind). The gun weighs approximately 6.5 pounds. By dropping my normal, light 7/8 oz reload to 3/4, the gun is a lot of fun to shoot - I have gone 6 rounds of 5-stand without feeling any discomfort. Besides the recoil reduction, that also became a reloading cost reduction - every 7th reload has "free" shot in it.

Shooting a 3/4 oz load in my 8-1/4# Browning is great, and I can tell when I have factory 1oz or even my light 7/8 oz reloads - the reduction IS that noticeable
 
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