Mossberg 500 recoil reduction

D

Duxman

New member
Gentlemen,

I went through a 3 gun course a couple of weeks ago, and after firing my 500 mossberg about 68 times, my shoulder turned black and blue from the recoil.

Its a base pump gun with no modifications (not even a recoil pad).

What can you recommend to reduce recoil on this puppy?

Really a newbee when it comes to shotguns, and I appreciate your wisdom:

Thanks in advance. :p
 
When I was 17 or 18 or something, my dad got me a pump shotgun and the recoil seemed a bit too harsh for me. I found a 1-2lb lead weight, wrapped it in cloth and stuck it in the buttstock and found that it helped. If that's too low-tech for you, or you don't have any lead sitting around, there are a few other options.

There are alot of good recoil pads, I'm sure someone else will know more about them as I haven't had to buy one yet.

Knoxx, and Hogue make stocks that are supposed to cut felt recoil by a good amount.
 
+1 on TwoGuns suggestion - reviews and owner opinions I've read suggest the Knoxx Compstock is a big help:
http://www.knoxx.com/NewStyleKnoxx/Products/Compstock.htm

and see graph there:
Compgraph_NEW.jpg


...you can see the Compstock takes the short, high peak recoil impulse, and converts it to a longer, low peak recoil impulse, which continues past the right edge of the figure. I suspect the total area under the two curves is similar, corresponding to dissipating the same energy, but that one is a short sharp curve, and the other a longer gentler one.
 
I prefer a regular stock, but I can vouch for the Knoxx Compstock's recoil reduction. I have one on my Mossy 500, and it allows my wife to shoot the gun. She won't touch my Winny 1200 without one.
 
If you don't have the cash for a new stock, you can go to your local wallyworld and pick up one of their recoil pads for about 12 bucks. I'm not sure how well they work though.
 
Synthetic or Wood stock?

If Synthetic, change out for a wood stock with a rubber butt pad...

If wood, get a rubber butt pad...
 
Short of spending a fair amount of cash for various recoil-reducing stocks or reduction systems, there are two cheap methods.

1. Buy one of the new elastomeric polymer recoil pads as made by Limbsaver, Hogue, and Pachmayr.
Limbsaver makes a pad for Remington which Remington calls the R3.
Remington says this new pad reduced felt recoil by as much as 30%.

Limbsaver and the others all make these new technology pads to fit most brands of guns as "drop-in" fits.
Most people who've tried one of these rave about how much felt recoil they eliminate. Many people claim that with the new pad, recoil of full charge buckshot loads feel like dove and quail loads.

2. Buy the new "reduced recoil" loads.
Many police departments are issuing this ammo due to smaller cops, including women cops are having problems handling the severe recoil of buckshot loads.
The new reduced loads have either one or more fewer pellets, and/or reduced powder charges.
Remington says that their Reduced Recoil police 00 buckshot load reduces recoil by 40%, giving tighter patterns, while retaining effectiveness.

Talking to people who have gone with the recoil pad and reduced recoil buckshot and slug loads, indicates that you can shoot defense ammo with the feel of light loads, but still have totally effective performance, AND do it without spending significant money or having to make alterations to the gun.
 
Synthetic.

I am not happy with the stock though.

Might switch to an AR15 type collapsable buttstock with a pistol grip. Now that would be cool.

COMSTOCK has one of those models. Looks awesome.
 
Walmart and K-Mart both sell slip over recoil pads for a couple of bucks. I also have a leather slip over with laces on my Stoeger Coachgun because the hard plastic butt plate was a killer. Bought it through Cabelas online. You can also buy clothing with built in pads for shotgun recoil.
 
I've never shot any full power buckshot or slug loads with it, but the Limbsaver pad I had put on my 870 made 3" turkey loads no problem and ,for me, eliminated virtually all the felt recoil from 1 1/8oz target loads.
 
What Dfariswheel said. I replaced that hard rubber "thing" on mine with a Sims Vibration Limbsaver. Wowee, what a difference.

I also tried some reduced recoil loads for a day on the trap range. That helps a lot too.
 
http://www.stockshox.com/

The Stockshox is another popular M4 recoil reducing stock and has an even shorter min LOP than the new Knoxx SpecOps. Priced a hair lower too. I am debating between the two but will get one or the other. The Stockshox is available now for the Rem and Mossies. Love to see a comparison in felt recoil between the 2, better yet be able to try them out myself.
 
Minimum LOP

The SpecOps stock has a minimum LOP of 11.25" with the butt pad removed and a maximum LOP of 15.5" with the pad on. The SpecOps will be available for comparison and delivery by the end of July. Try it, you'll like it or your money back.
 
I just picked up a StockShox for my 870. It's interesting...its a Tapco collapsible M4 stock. He has added an adapter and handgrip. Appears to be well-done and is cleverly engineering. It installs very easily. I have no doubt I will like it at the range. I'll try it out this weekend and let you know.
 
Recoil...

There are two different ways that recoil is measured. The most common method is "felt recoil", the meaure of which is totally subjective and can vary widely among testers. The second and least oftened mentioned is "Net Peak Recoil" and is entirely objective and repeatable time after time with the same results. The testing is done in a laboratory using a recoil-sensing fixture and a trace oscilliscope. The chart shown above is such a test.

When Remington introduced their Limbsaver (an excellent butt pad, btw) they threw around numbers like "up to 15% reduction" which is shorthand for felt or observed recoil. There were no objective tests done or shown. The Limbsaver reduces net peak recoil by about 7 or 8%. But it is softer and does provide a noticably softer recoil signature. The rule of thumb has been that Net peak recoil (NPR) reduction is about half of the felt recoil (FR) number.

The Knoxx line of recoil-reducing stocks begin with a minimum NPR of 55% and go higher still on the SpecOps Stock. The chart above proves our stocks do what the others only claim. We cut real recoil in half or more. I have had many of our happy customers say that there isn't any recoil with our stocks. While this may be an overstatement, there is no painful felt recoil with our stocks, be they rifle or shotgun. By cutting the peak recoil level in half and extending the recoil pulse over 12 times the normal durations, the pain associated with recoil is completely removed. The tests were down by Browning Arms Laboratories in Ogden Utah.

This is revolutionary technology and I'm surprised at the ho-hum response from the posters on this group. "Buy more ammo," Get a wood stock," Use a shoulder pad," not one of those solutions deals with the problem. In fact they ignore the problem and tell the guy to toughen up. How unkind.

Take a close look at the chart and explain to me and this good fellow why he or anyone should have to deal with painfull recoil when a relatively inexpensive solution is at hand.
 
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From what I have heard, alot of guys are shooting heavy loads in the 3 gun shoots. I am hearing 3 1/2 dram 1 1/4 loads. Those are full blown duck and pheasant loads.

I would reduce the load to 3 dram 1 1/8 oz loads.

D-squared.
 
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