My shoulder...

L

lunde

New member
I took three shotguns (Benelli M1 Tactical, Benelli Nova Special Purpose, and Remington 870 Police) and a bunch of slugs (Brenneke 1oz, Federal 1oz, and Federal 1.25oz -- all were 2 3/4") to the range today. I won't do that again. My shoulder is killing me after firing about 100 rounds of slugs.

The Federal 1.25oz loads were the most brutal. The Brenneke loads felt the best and also performed the best. No malfunctions of any kind were exerienced. I was getting three-inch groups at 50 yards with my Benelli M1 Tactical. The mercury recoil reducer in the Benelli Nova does help. My shoulder was very sensitive at the end.
 
OK Ken,I hope you don't run out of anti- inflammatories. Here's a bit of advice for your next bench session....

Use good form and have good stock fit.Naturally, a top quality recoil pad is a darn good idea.

Speaking of that, I like the PAST wearable recoil pad in addition to the one on the gun. Nicknamed the "Wonderbra" here, it makes a big difference.

Next, heavy up the gun.You're not carrying it hither and yon so an extra lb or three has no downside.

Here's where mag extensions and Side saddles have big benefits other than capacity.

My HD 870 with the 18" bbl and all the bells/ whistles, runs about 9 1/2 lbs. What kick?

The Deer 870 runs about 8 1/2 lbs, no Side saddle but a three shot extension instead of a two shot.

And finally, this idea came here with another poster. I haven't tried it myself, but it sounds great.

With the gun in firing position but not loaded on the bench, run a string through the front sling swivel and through the handle of a 1/2 gallon milk jug full of H2O sitting on the ground in front of the bench. Tie the string off so there's no slack. While you can move the shotgun as usual, the extra weight comes into effect when the shot is fired, adding 4 lbs or so to soak up the energy. This turns the recoil mule into a pony.

Finally,100 slugs in a bench session is overkill. Next session, cut it way down. You've probably got a flinch started and they're way easier to start than to stop.

HTH....
 
Ken,

I just recently took my benelli M1 and a friends 870 to the range for some extensive "slugging" (Remington 1oz 3", Aquila 1oz 2 3/4", Sauvestre 3", 1 1/4 oz) - no problems there. Neither of the gun had any recoil pads or extra weight.
But as Dave mentioned 100 slugs for a session might be a little too much for a start.
Maybe you might want to check your mount. In my experience this is the most common reason for hurting shoulders.
The first couple of times I went shotgunning my shoulder also hurted a little, but it went away with practicing (a lot).

Don't give up! (And by the way you have an excellent taste for guns - especially when it comes to your glocks and the benellis. :) )
 
With the gun in firing position but not loaded on the bench, run a string through the front sling swivel and through the handle of a 1/2 gallon milk jug full of H2O sitting on the ground in front of the bench. Tie the string off so there's no slack. While you can move the shotgun as usual, the extra weight comes into effect when the shot is fired, adding 4 lbs or so to soak up the energy. This turns the recoil mule into a pony.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea, but I wonder if it wouldn't damage or tear off the sling swivel on some hard recoiling guns? Unless it's a very "stretchy" string.

I have seen a few shooters using a sandbag between their shoulder and the buttpad to tame recoil when bench shooting. I personally use the PAST shoulder pad like Dave.
 
Most of the mail order places carry them, Ken. Try Gamaliels, Natchez, etc.

There's other brands out there, I know Browning makes one, but I think it's just to put in a shooting vest. Look around, lots of local shops handle stuff like this.
 
I usually shoot at the Field Sports Park Shooting Range (aka, Metcalf). I have been to the Los Altos Rod & Gun Club once, but it was a bit far for me to drive. I have never been to the Sunnyvale range. I live in the Almaden Valley portion of San Jose.
 
IMO, the Decellerators by Pachmyer are hard to beat. There's a few I haven't tried, the Gooies and Kick Eez, but folks whose opinions I value like them. The Pachs are widely available.
 
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