Need Lighter Recoil Shotgun

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cottontoptexan

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I had neck surgery this spring. I am planning on hunting grouse in Idaho this fall. I need a shotgun with little recoil. What about a 20 or 28 guage Stoeger side by side. Being on a budget I just wondered are these guns of high enough quality for an occassional hunt. I presently own a Remington Express in 12 guage which has been a fine piece of machinery. I also own an H & R single barrel in 12 guage. Would going to an auto of some type and smaller guage help with recoil? Are there recoil reducers you can put in the buttstock? Any replies would be appreciated.
 
Supposedly, the lightest recoiling shotgun now made is the new Winchester MX series (either 2 or 3). They have a very efficient gas recoil system that really soaks up recoil and is much easier to clean than other gas operated systems.
 
The heaviest gun you can shoot, coupled with the lightest load possible, will give you the least amount of actual recoil. Your perceived, or felt recoil, can be adjusted by using a gas action, good recoil pad, and proper FIT.

I cannot stress FIT enough - it is the primary component to reducing felt recoil. Depending on whether you reload or not, you can reload a 12 or 20 down to 28 gauge levels. When shot in a 12 gauge gun, the actual and felt recoil will be very little (I just dropped my 7/8 oz to 3/4 for testing - so far, so good)
 
Greetings cottontoptexan and welcome aboard,

If you're on a budget, why consider a new gun? Try some reduced loads in conjunction with a little added weight to your 870 Express and a properly fit hi-tech butt pad. Yes, there are recoil reducers that are designed to fit in the hole of the stock bolt screw.
 
I have an 870 Remington. I broke my back years ago in a car accident and have trouble with the recoil also. I purchased some Winchester reduced recoil shells at Pro Bass last week and will be trying them out at our outdoor range sometime this month. I hope they are truly reduced recoil. If they are, you might want to look into that as an inexpensive option.
 
If the budget would bear it, an 1100 in 28 gauge might be ideal.

20 gauge guns are not automatically good solutions here. I bought a 20 for one of my boys as an introduction to shotgunning. We found out that a ~6.5 pound 20 gauge recoils just about the same, with target loads, as a ~7.5 pound 12 gauge.
 
You don't say what kind of budget, a Model 11-87 Sportsman Synthetic with 28" barrels are under $700, and a lot of your recoil is eaten up by the semi-auto action.

My Winchester 12 gauge semi-auto shooting 3" shells with #3 shot isn't much worse than my 20 gauge pump shooting 2 3/4" shells with #4 shot so it does make a difference. If you don't care about new there are always used ones for half the price out there.

The biggest thing is making sure the stock fits you because if it doesn't the recoil will be just that much worse. Bad back and old shoulders plus rotator cuff surgery made me think about things like that after ignoring it for 60 years.
 
Yes a 28ga is good for grouse. A 7/8 or 1oz load from a 28 will do fine. Should be about #7 shot.

Just ask the guy behind the counter for grouse shot.
 
Is a 28-ga enough gun for Idaho grouse? Twenty-eights are gaining popularity in my area, but for dove.
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Yes a 28ga is good for grouse. A 7/8 or 1oz load from a 28 will do fine. Should be about #7 shot.
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Sorry, I should have have been more specific, I was thinking of a typical 3/4-oz 28-ga load. (The only data I have for my AA 28-ga hulls are for 3/4-oz loads.) If you go with 7/8-oz or 1-oz you might as well shoot a heavier 20-ga, 16-ga or 12-ga gun and use cheaper ammo. And, there's significant kick from a typical 28-ga shooting 1-oz, too.
 
The heaviest gun you can shoot, coupled with the lightest load possible...
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An older 12 ga. Rem. 1100 might be the ticket. They're fairly heavy,gas operated and with lighter loads felt recoil is very minimal. Depending on your area and condition of gun, as a rule, cost can range from $300-$450.

To reduce cost, another option would be offer your Express as a trade-in.
 
Stay with the 12ga and go down to 7/8oz ....and you'll be better off.

Adding a little weight to the gun ( even 1 lb ) will reduce the recoil at least 20% on top of changing the loads.

The Stoeger is a very poor option in my opinion / I don't think you'll be happy with the gun in the long run and it won't hold its value - so its not money well spent in my opinion.
 
BigJimP said:
The Stoeger is a very poor option in my opinion / I don't think you'll be happy with the gun in the long run and it won't hold its value - so its not money well spent in my opinion.
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+1
 
Here's a calculator:

http://10xshooters.com/calculators/Shotgun_Recoil_Calculator.htm

I put in a load and only changed the weight of the shot -
1oz had 12.39 ft-lbs
7/8 dropped to 9.67
3/4 dropped to 7.29

Dropping the shot weight alone dropped actual recoil over 20% each time. Shooting what amounts to a 28 gauge load (3/4) in a 12 gauge target gun would be your best bet; otherwise, getting 28 gauge sub tubes (which will add almost a pound) and shooting 28 ammo will really drop the recoil.

Recoil damage is cumulative over time and can be very debilitating - don't over do it!
 
Read a recent article - I believe it was the Safari magazine - that did a pattern and recoil comparison on the shotguns. A 12 gauge had a 30 inch spread, 20 gauge a 26 inch, 28 gauge a 24 inch, and .410 a 17 inch. Based on that, the 28 only lost 2 inches compared to the 20 gauge.

As for recoil, a 6.5 pound 20 gauge with a 3/4 ounce load at 1200 fps has a recoil of about 20 ft lbs, while the 28 gauge of same size and velocity only has about 13.

Their conclusion was that for a reduced recoil shotgun, a 28 gauge was just as effective as a 20 gauge just with less recoil.
 
Simple Physics

The gauge of the gun will make little or no difference.
It's the payload, the velocity, and the weight of the gun that affects the amount of recoil.

Shotgun velocities are all approx. the same. Gauge makes no difference. Of course all the gauges can be loaded to differing velocities, but velocities are pretty close across the different gauges.

Of course an autoloader by design will reduce recoil, but that is true across the board regardless of gauge.

A ten gauge would produce the least recoil, simply because it is likely to be heavier. Given that the payload is indeed the same 3/4 oz. load.

It's pretty simple if you really think about it.

There are also plenty of recoil reducers available, just look at companies that specialize in clay target sports where a few hundred rounds per day are fired. Graco comes to mind, there are plenty of others.
 
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low recoil

I have to agree with Shortwave. The Remington 1100 or 11-87 has markedly less recoil than any pump, O/U or SXS. I can't speak to any other 12 ga. semiautos. The gas system really makes a difference. I compared an 1100 with a Beretta O/U using target loads on skeet and sporting clays courses at the Homestead, and at the end of the day, the 1100 was much more comfortable. Slugs with the 1100 are not particularly unpleasant, although I wouldn't want to shoot a long range session.
 
Don't get the Stoeger. If you are on a budget, you would be far better off with a pump.

What is your budgetary limit?
 
Listen to Big Jim:

The problem with 20 and 28 guage guns is that the guns are very light and will kick harder than a light loaded 12. You can shoot 12 loads in a heavy 12 semi-auto that duplicate 20 guage loads performance, with much less recoil.

Worst mistake many folks make is giving a kid an new 410, single shot that weighs 5 lbs. It kicks the snot out of them and they can't hit anything with it.
 
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