My shotgun beats my face
- Thread starter rugerdude
- Start date
First of all your mount is wrong. For this to happen you are mounting the gun to your shoulder and then placing your face on the stock. This is the bass-ackwards way to mount a shotgun......
First the gun comes up, then to your face, then back into your shoulder.
The gun may not fit you. You must first mount it correctly to see if it fits or not.....
First the gun comes up, then to your face, then back into your shoulder.
The gun may not fit you. You must first mount it correctly to see if it fits or not.....
Edward429451
Moderator
Swollen from skeet loads? HSmith's right then. Sounds like the stocks too long for you. I can walk away from an extended shooting session from slugs & heavy hunting loads with a slightly tender cheek but not outright painful or swollen.
Blackhawk sells a ammo pouch / cheek pad thing that velcros to the stock. It's top of the line and works well, especially the cheek pad. Try one of those and see if it helps. It worked for me.
It seems to me from watching others shoot shotguns, that the one's who have problems with recoil, are thr ones who brick wall the recoil and try to stop it. Wont happen. Go with the flow and recoil rearwards with the gun. Technique has as much to do with it as fit I think. The experts may disagree with me, but this is what I've found from personal experiance & obseration.
I think I've seen more big guys have trouble with 12 ga recoil than little guys. Suck it up tight to your shoulder and say to your stock...with this cheek I thee wed...
Blackhawk sells a ammo pouch / cheek pad thing that velcros to the stock. It's top of the line and works well, especially the cheek pad. Try one of those and see if it helps. It worked for me.
It seems to me from watching others shoot shotguns, that the one's who have problems with recoil, are thr ones who brick wall the recoil and try to stop it. Wont happen. Go with the flow and recoil rearwards with the gun. Technique has as much to do with it as fit I think. The experts may disagree with me, but this is what I've found from personal experiance & obseration.
I think I've seen more big guys have trouble with 12 ga recoil than little guys. Suck it up tight to your shoulder and say to your stock...with this cheek I thee wed...
perception
New member
I dont know the problem, but I have to second that the gun probably just doesn't fit you. I have had days where I go shoot 2 or 3 hundred rounds, and I have never noticed my face being hurt at all. My shoulder may be a little sore, but my face is fine. As far as the way I mount the gun, gun is on shoulder, gun swings up, face against stock, then press firmly back into shoulder, then pull trigger.
Well now my face is bruised. My shotgun did not do this before. It is because of the way I have been shooting it lately where my head is really low on the stock. I fired both my shotgun (mossy 500 knockoff called the maverick 88) and a rem. 870 20 guage and it did the same thing. As for trying to "brick wall" the recoil, I usually don't but I have changed my stance a little and I lean forward more, I guess this somehow transfers the recoil to my cheek so I'll try changing my stance.
Will holding the shotgun's stock higher or lower on my shoulder help me any?
Thanks,
rugerdude
Will holding the shotgun's stock higher or lower on my shoulder help me any?
Thanks,
rugerdude
Here's alittle secret, get the stock cut down for you (or added to, depending).
With most of your high $$ shotguns, they match the stock to the person and then charge really big $$$$$ for this service (and call it part of their service). With all my shotguns, I have taken them to shotgunners who are also shot gun smiths to have the length of my arms measured and the stock cut, or added to fit me (like you would do to make a rifle "youth sized".). I just had the same done on my 30-40 Krag (had the crown redone and since I was there
).
It may help. On my rifles and shotguns I usually have the gun built around me instead of trying to build myself around the guns.
Wayne
With most of your high $$ shotguns, they match the stock to the person and then charge really big $$$$$ for this service (and call it part of their service). With all my shotguns, I have taken them to shotgunners who are also shot gun smiths to have the length of my arms measured and the stock cut, or added to fit me (like you would do to make a rifle "youth sized".). I just had the same done on my 30-40 Krag (had the crown redone and since I was there
).It may help. On my rifles and shotguns I usually have the gun built around me instead of trying to build myself around the guns.
Wayne
Skeetin'870
New member
rugerdudes mossberg fits him just fine but he has mounted it differently he is now shooting rifle style adding to his face pains. his face is noticably bruised. He tried my remington 870 20ga and it beat the hell out his face too.
RugerOldArmy
New member
I would have leaned towards gun fit, and still consider it a possibility. Any height/weight and build clues?
I have a BP double SxS that beats me up the same way, and it looks like I took a good left hook after a day shooting clays. Then again I have a flint fowler, Rem 870, and a Win. pump that don't even tweak it.
But as one poster said, you don't aim 'em like a rifle, you 'point' a shotgun. It is a different skill.
I'm still betting on the fit of the gun.
I have a BP double SxS that beats me up the same way, and it looks like I took a good left hook after a day shooting clays. Then again I have a flint fowler, Rem 870, and a Win. pump that don't even tweak it.
But as one poster said, you don't aim 'em like a rifle, you 'point' a shotgun. It is a different skill.
I'm still betting on the fit of the gun.
Rugerdude:
Since this was not previously a problem, I believe that you have answered your own question. By changing your stance and taking a more aggressive lean forward the comb of your stock is now against your cheek bone where the skin of your face is thin, hence the brusing.
If I may suggest, try keeping your head upright (don't lean into the stock) and place the comb snugly against the fleshy part of your cheek beneath the cheek bone. Also, make certain that the gun is coming up under your master eye (this will help assure proper placment of the stock's butt in the shoulder pocket). Since a change in stance can lead to multiple problems, you may want to have a competent shooting instructor check it out and make corrections as necessary.
Hope this helps.
Good luck, and good shooting!
Since this was not previously a problem, I believe that you have answered your own question. By changing your stance and taking a more aggressive lean forward the comb of your stock is now against your cheek bone where the skin of your face is thin, hence the brusing.
If I may suggest, try keeping your head upright (don't lean into the stock) and place the comb snugly against the fleshy part of your cheek beneath the cheek bone. Also, make certain that the gun is coming up under your master eye (this will help assure proper placment of the stock's butt in the shoulder pocket). Since a change in stance can lead to multiple problems, you may want to have a competent shooting instructor check it out and make corrections as necessary.
Hope this helps.
Good luck, and good shooting!
Mossy's are famous for this. Take your shotgun and set it on the butt next to a wall topside towards the wall. Look and you'll see the barrel angles away from the wall. Now if you can cut the butstock at an angle so that barrel runs about parallel to the wall and re-install a better recoil pad your cheek will thank you. Also if your having to crane your neck down to get on the stock you can add a stick on cheekeze pad which also helps, they are in Brownells. When you shoot make sure you don't let you shoulder move back with the recoil, let your whole upper body soack it up.
Ross
Ross
Are you leaving your elbow low? A higher elbow hold helps some, gets the butt a little higher so you aren't leaning down on it. I usually shoot with my elbow almost at shoulder level.
As someone said, changing the buttplate angle for a slightly shorter toe (bottom as you hold it) changes the recoil angle some.
Some guns also have too much drop in the comb (top as you hold it, where your cheek sets) and when fired tend to rise up in recoil. The comb should be fairly neutral, not rising much toward the front of the comb. Some stocks have the comb angled so it is lowering (going away from your face)as the gun recoils.
As someone said, changing the buttplate angle for a slightly shorter toe (bottom as you hold it) changes the recoil angle some.
Some guns also have too much drop in the comb (top as you hold it, where your cheek sets) and when fired tend to rise up in recoil. The comb should be fairly neutral, not rising much toward the front of the comb. Some stocks have the comb angled so it is lowering (going away from your face)as the gun recoils.