Nightcrawler is in pain.

N

Nightcrawler

New member
Got my NEF Pardner 12 gauge back from the gunsmith today. I had the barrel shortened to 20". I had four boxes of ammo, five rounds each. Five 2.75" reduced recoil slugs, Five 2.75" 00 buckshot, five 3" Rottweil Brenneke slugs, and five 3" Winchester Supreme copper plated buckshot rounds.

The first round, 2.75" buck, hurt. By the time I got to the slugs, I put a bunched up towel over my shoulder, as all I was wearing for protection is an army brown t-shirt.

Ten rounds went by, and I was hurting. I could only do two of the 3" slugs and none of the 3" buck before I had to call it quits. Yowzers.

See, I learned to shoot on the M16. A pop gun. The last rifles I"ve had were an AK and a .357 Magnum lever carbine. I have a Nagant M1944, but I rarely put more than 20 rounds through it at a time, and that kicked less and hurt less with its steel buttplate than this little NEF does.

So, what do I do? I like this shotgun, I really do, and I want to be able to handle heavy recoil firearms without hurting myself. Will my shoulder toughen up, should I wear heavier clothing, anything? Advice needed. Thanks! Ow...
 
I heartily recommend a shooting vest. Surf the Winchester, Browning, Beretta web sites or catalogs. Treat yourself to something nice. When I first started shooting trap 2 years ago I thought I was a tough guy and could shoot 50 birds without a problem. I was shooting a 20 ga pump and wearing a t-shirt. About bird number 37 my shoulder was crying "no more". On one bird my finger refused to pull the trigger. I aimed and jerked the gun like it was fired but nothing happened. Don't try to beat up your body being tough. Leave that to the professionals; wrestlers, football players, paratroopers, etc. Also a nice vest will have pockets for shells, hearing protection, glasses, etc.
 
Until I can get a recoil pad or something...

You think a leather jacket will provide any protection? It always seemed to help before. (A2 flight jacket)

Hmm. Says on the box that I shouldn't fire these Brenneke slugs from a smooth barrel, and that damage may occur. *shrug* Ah, well, I only have five rounds. There's some gunk inside the barrel, but the only damage has been to my shoulder. Yeouch. There's a nice circular dent where one of the screws that holds the buttplate on embedded itself.

*sigh*
 
Hmm

Cabela's has these nice strap on recoil pads, even for lefties like me. I think I'll get myself one of those. I don't have a hundred bucks for a good shooting jacket or vest. Someday, but not now.


UPDATE:

Nope. A leather jacket, at least mine, didn't help. Oof. I'm afraid I'm going to get flinch from [EXPLETIVE DELETED]thing.

[Edited by Nightcrawler on 05-19-2001 at 06:08 PM]
 
690901001.jpg

A Pachmayr slip on recoil pad will set you back about $15 from Brownells. It won't stop the recoil 100% but it will help a bunch, plus you can easily switch it from gun to gun.

Now that your shoulder is sore it's gonna hurt no matter what you use. Give it a week to heal-up, then you leather jacket might be all you need. -- Kernel
 
Originally posted by Nightcrawler:

...the screws that holds the buttplate on...
Click to expand...

There's one of your problems right there. Have the 'smith put on a nice thick Decelerator or other good quality pad.
 
RECOIL PAD

a decelerator will work wonders. even a slip-on from wally world will help alot. i would cut out 3" shells all together. i remeber putting a box of high brass no.6s through an single sans pad. i was bruised for a month. on the next trip to wally world i picked up a slip-on. no problems with high brass no.6s again.
 
PLEASE tell me...

...that all 12ga shotguns don't kick this hard. I mean, this thing can't weigh more than five rounds, and has a plastic buttcap and no recoil pad.

My friend's mossberg 500 kicked hard too, but it didn't have the sharp pain this thing produces...

Going to go to Wally World sunday and see about a slip-on recoil pad. A THICK one.
 
I have done point shooting with 2-3/4in 1-1/4oz slugs(about 30rounds?) from a mossberg 500a. The only time it "hurt" was when I didnt fully get the butt onto my shoulder before touching the round off. Still kept on shooting though.
 
OUCH!!!

You have several problems here. The weight of the gun is very light for a 12 gauge, so it is going to kick hard. You might consider adding weight to the buttstock using lead shot in a bag placed in the hollow of the wood. You have to play with this a bit to get it right. You can also get special weights for the buttstock that use tubes filled with mercury. Weight will lessen the recoil. It is no secret that target guns weigh close to 9 pounds. Weight recuces recoil.

You need a good recoil pad, every 12 ga should have one. 'Nuff said?

Lay off the 3" shells, go to lighter loads! 3" shells in a 5 lb gun is just dumb:(

Have someone check to see if the gun stock is the proper length for you and that the stock fits properly. An ill fitting stock in a light gun with heavy loads is gonna hurt! Check the archives for threads on stockfitting.

A shoulder pad may be a good idea, normally I would not recommend them but in your case it might work. Most of the vest manufacturers offer a pad that can be worn under your clothing. A good vest might help, but some are better than others. The type with removeable pads usually offer the best protection.

A lady friend once told me that she took a couple of aspirin prior to shooting, she claimed it helped reduce pain from recoil. Since she was an LEO who was forced to shoot PD shotguns yearly she claimed it helped. I would try to alter my gun first.


Geoff Ross
 
My dad bought me a H&R Topper (same gun as yours--different name) in 12 gauge when I was 14. A good recoil pad was the first thing he put on it--even before I shot it. I was able to shoot 100 rounds of dove/quail loads in an afternoon without much pain. Using 3" magnums against dicks and geese wasn't too uncomfortable, but then the round count was low.
 
(Sadly shaking old grey head), maybe next time you'll listen, NC.....

Very first, 3" mags through a 5 lb 12 ga is overkill. Keep your practicing to very light target loads until you're accustomed to the shotgun, and have added a pad, maybe one for the gun and one for you,like the PAST pad I have.What you have is the equivalent of a 9 lb, 458 Winchester in felt recoil. Try a 2 1/2 dr, 7/8 oz skeet/trap load if you can find them, or some kindly reloading friend makes you up some. Start light, work up slowly.

In fact, I've an old recoil pad or two kicking around here, if you E me your address, I'll send you one. I know students run on tight budgets.

What you do NOT do is shoot that thing as is, or with heavy loads. The smart money says that you've already started on the road to a bad flinch, and repeating what you've done will probably affect your shotgunning for life. It may end it.

I vehemently recommend some research here, the Archives have tons of stuff on dealing with recoil.

Also, I'm a behemoth, and have survived one war, three prison riots and a couple of Cub Scout overnight camping trips. I'm big, tough and leave the area I'm in fragrant with the odor of newly made testosterone. I shoot about a case a week of trap loads, and LIKE shooting slugs.

But, it would take a SERIOUS crisis to make me fire a shotgun like yours ONCE with a heavy load and no PAST pad, recoil pad, or anti inflammatories taken in advance.

I'm going to bring up a couple of old threads that may help you....
 
I've been modifying a Topper '88 myself. I've put on a recoil pad and, taking advice from an earlier thread, stuffed the core of the stock with lead shot and old bullets to add a few pounds. I've also added an old side-saddle carrier to the stock, which adds a bit of weight when loaded. My next step will be to add a big tactical light on the barrel, which should add another pound. It should end up over seven pounds when I'm finished--quite a bit heavier than it was to start out with, yet still have a shorter barrel. I'll let you know how it shoots.
 
Pachmayr

Got a brown recoil pad from wally world today. Gonna try some light birdshot off of my non-damaged shoulder, wearing my leather jacket, later this evening. I don't want to develop a fear of this gun, so it's like falling off of a horse. You have to get right back on.
 
Update

Took 'er back out today, recoil pad and leather jacket, with 25 rounds of birdshot and 5 rounds of 00 buck, all 2.75" shells.

At first (using my undamaged right shoulder) I wanted to used the bunched up towel, but I got used to the stiff kick, and between the recoil pad and the jacket, the kick was sharp, but not painful. My shoulder is a little tender, but there was no severe pain like yesterday.

I noticed the birdshot kicked harder than the 00 buck. Weird.
 
GRH, I'm sure the results of your project will interest lots of folks here, how about a T&E,as well as work in progress? Thanks...

These type of shotguns shine for carrying lots and shooting little. I like them for that inordinately. But, high volume or high octane loads in them are flinchbuilders.

But on trap or other lighter loads, say 1150-1250 FPS with an oz of lead, they make outstanding performers. An oz of 7 1/2 shot will do fine on critters up to pheasants over a close working dog or Woodies on a canoe hunt.

NC, some shells just seem to kick more than others of equal or near equal specs. 00 runs 1 1/8 oz for a pure lead 9 pellet load and velocity's around 1300, so it's not a big jump in kick from a generic dove load.
 
Yes your shoulder will get toughter. My 30/30s use to hurt after a day at the range until I began shooting rifles and shotguns more. Shot my 30.06 bolt action today for about 40rds with no problem.
 
possible problem

*snip*
See, I learned to shoot on the M16. A pop gun.
*snip*
Click to expand...

There's already a lot of very good advice on this thread.

Your comment reminds me of some guys I saw shooting trap last spring - they were all army or NG, learned to shoot on the 16. They only had the toe of the stock on their respective shoulders....just that one little point of contact.

The one who was shooting heavy sixes took off his shirt afterwards to display a shoulder looking like hamburg.

Are there any shotgun gurus where you live or shoot? If so, have one of them check your stance.

Best of luck, hope the sholder heals, and since you are a student, good luck on exams.
 
I feel your pain.

I started shooting a 20 GA Topper, Jr. when I was maybe 7. Ow. When I was big enough to handle a 12 GA Mossberg 500 or Rem 870, I was REALLY reluctant to, because I assumed they kicked more! No way.

Lots of good advice here. Start with figuring LOP, and adding that recoil pad.
 
Another idea...

Let's face it, a 12ga has got some kick. All the
suggestions about increasing the weight are good.
My 12ga 870 has a mag extension, a side saddle,
and a Surefire forend, all of which add probably a couple
of pounds, which make it a lot more comfortable.
The other thing which helps tremendously is the Hogue
Comp Stock. This stock is essentially spring loaded
with a clever camming design. Having this comp stock
and the heavier gun makes it very comfortable. I no
longer get bruises even after shooting hundreds of
rounds, including slugs. The other thing to look
into is ammo. Estate SWAT buck is the lowest recoil
buck I've ever tried.
I have some 3" magnum buck which I have to try sometime
to see how that kicks...
The important this is, don't hurt yourself or you'll
develop some bad flinching habbits.
 
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