Lead / Tungsten stock weights

G_Alan

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
88   0   0
Just curious when adding lead or tungsten weight to a rear stock for recoil mitigation. Is there a "best" location for placement? In an over under, would you try to go inline with the barrels and receiver? What about a synthetic stocked inertia semi? Hypothetically a target gun , not hunting or carried so thats not an issue.
 
I have 2 oz add to the back of my 725 sporting .it sits between a piece of carbon arrow shaft and the recoil pad the lead is contained in a 20ga hull . this for balance only .
 
Last edited:
Adding weight to the stock of a shotgun can really lighten up the barrels so you'll want to consider this before moving ahead with it. As far as placement goes, you have little choice but to put it toward the rear of the stock. It would be better for balance if you could put the weight as far forward as possible but you start to interfere with the stock bolt.
Synthetic stocks vary but some can be weighted quite easily since they are hollow and weight can be epoxied in. Synthetic stocked guns are often muzzle heavy so this might improve the balance but again, they can vary quite a bit.
 
I have used a ton of the mag tube weights over the years on the smaller gauges for balance and swing but never added anything to the stocks. If I was looking to reduce recoil I would just reload or now one can buy softer recoiling shells
Cheers
1AttveR.jpg
 
I have weighted the stocks of many guns through the years, but in most cases for balance, not recoil. Just trying to improve balance, but the extra weight will help with recoil. Falconflyer gave good advice. Just experiment until you find what feels right.
 
I have used a ton of the mag tube weights over the years on the smaller gauges for balance and swing but never added anything to the stocks. If I was looking to reduce recoil I would just reload or now one can buy softer recoiling shells
Cheers
1AttveR.jpg

I added a Briley mag tube weight to a 391 20 gauge Sporter that had too much snap. I then had to add the same amount of weight to the stock to fix the balance. Feels and shoots a lot better now that it is a pound heavier.
 
I have used Mercury filled tubes through the years on Browning BT99 guns they brought the weight and balance closer to a Beretta single trap gun. They balanced well and reduced recoil . The swishing noise takes some getting use to but the systems worked well much better than just solid dead weight metal tubes.
 
I actually like 3Macs1 advice. It;s a semi and you've got recoil issues and you are shooting clays games???? Makes me think you are using way too much of a load.
 
I actually like 3Macs1 advice. It;s a semi and you've got recoil issues and you are shooting clays games???? Makes me think you are using way too much of a load.
Thanks for the tips guys
I'm trying to balance the feel of 2 different O/U's both 32" one ported one not. The non ported one is "punchier" . Not unbearable or drastic but it feels like you shot after 150 rnds where I dont feel that from other fit feels good on both. . Basically thought about bringing them a little closer in feel, and thought this might help a bit without too much trouble. But changing the swing might be more troubling than a bit of added punch.
FWIW load is 12g 1oz with 17 grns of red dot , I dont find it recoils that bad in my main gun. But I notice it in the other. I've tried a few other factory shells and a few are a bit snappier.

The semi was just curious about after trying out a few.
 
Thanks for the tips guys
I'm trying to balance the feel of 2 different O/U's both 32" one ported one not. The non ported one is "punchier" . Not unbearable or drastic but it feels like you shot after 150 rnds where I dont feel that from other fit feels good on both. . Basically thought about bringing them a little closer in feel, and thought this might help a bit without too much trouble. But changing the swing might be more troubling than a bit of added punch.
FWIW load is 12g 1oz with 17 grns of red dot , I dont find it recoils that bad in my main gun. But I notice it in the other. I've tried a few other factory shells and a few are a bit snappier.

The semi was just curious about after trying out a few.

I would get the second ported and switch to one of the slower burning powders red dot is not. Maybe universal clays .Slow burners produced more of a soft push type of recoil as opposed to the snappy faster accelerating "fast burners". Try the powder first
Cheers
 
Thanks for the tips guys
I'm trying to balance the feel of 2 different O/U's both 32" one ported one not. The non ported one is "punchier" . Not unbearable or drastic but it feels like you shot after 150 rnds where I dont feel that from other fit feels good on both. . Basically thought about bringing them a little closer in feel, and thought this might help a bit without too much trouble. But changing the swing might be more troubling than a bit of added punch.
FWIW load is 12g 1oz with 17 grns of red dot , I dont find it recoils that bad in my main gun. But I notice it in the other. I've tried a few other factory shells and a few are a bit snappier.

The semi was just curious about after trying out a few.


I've always found Red Dot to recoil more than some other powders due to the fast burn rate so I'd start by looking for a slower powder to use.
Don't waste your money getting the barrels ported, you'll find that it won't mitigate recoil the way a lot of people think it does. Lengthening the forcing cones if you don't have chrome lined barrels will help to ease the recoil pulse a bit and can be money well spent on some guns.
 
Thanks for the tips guys
I'm trying to balance the feel of 2 different O/U's both 32" one ported one not. The non ported one is "punchier" . Not unbearable or drastic but it feels like you shot after 150 rnds where I dont feel that from other fit feels good on both. . Basically thought about bringing them a little closer in feel, and thought this might help a bit without too much trouble. But changing the swing might be more troubling than a bit of added punch.
FWIW load is 12g 1oz with 17 grns of red dot , I dont find it recoils that bad in my main gun. But I notice it in the other. I've tried a few other factory shells and a few are a bit snappier.

The semi was just curious about after trying out a few.

I get what you are trying to do, balancing the felt recoil of two similar spec guns but are they the same make and model? For instance, recoil will feel different between a similarly spec’d Beretta and Browning or between a similar Beretta 682 and 686.
 
I've always found Red Dot to recoil more than some other powders due to the fast burn rate so I'd start by looking for a slower powder to use.
Don't waste your money getting the barrels ported, you'll find that it won't mitigate recoil the way a lot of people think it does. Lengthening the forcing cones if you don't have chrome lined barrels will help to ease the recoil pulse a bit and can be money well spent on some guns.

But it helps a little and the guy is having issues with light 1oz loads hard to make them much lighter and agree on the forcing cones
Thinking back I noticed a difference but I did have both done the same time and it was 30 years ago :) a different power will help a little bit also
Cheers
 
We've had the porting discussion before 3macs1 and I've stated the reasons for my positon on them so I won't go into that again. Suffice it to say that if you look at the physics involved with shotgun porting it can reduce muzzle jump a bit if done correctly but other than that it's really difficult to believe it does anything more than create noise and most ceratinly not worth the cost in my opinion. Rifle porting or muzzle brakes are a completely different matter altogether. Of the 4 main things you can do to a shotgun barrel, it's commonly believed by people in the business of gunsmithing shotguns is that lengthening the forcing cones reduce recoil the most followed by using longer choke tubes, backboring the barrels then porting. You believe 3macs1 and I do not... the op can make up his own mind and Im good with all that.
 
We've had the porting discussion before 3macs1 and I've stated the reasons for my positon on them so I won't go into that again. Suffice it to say that if you look at the physics involved with shotgun porting it can reduce muzzle jump a bit if done correctly but other than that it's really difficult to believe it does anything more than create noise and most ceratinly not worth the cost in my opinion. Rifle porting or muzzle brakes are a completely different matter altogether. Of the 4 main things you can do to a shotgun barrel, it's commonly believed by people in the business of gunsmithing shotguns is that lengthening the forcing cones reduce recoil the most followed by using longer choke tubes, backboring the barrels then porting. You believe 3macs1 and I do not... the op can make up his own mind and Im good with all that.

It is not about believing me never got into it that deep never had to just got a gun done and forcing cones done at the same time and I seen a difference
Like I said 30 years ago and a lot has changed in firearms and methods and many would argue with you on it but not me today
He can believe this or not that red dot is NOT a soft recoil powder. THAT I know 100% and if he really wants soft buy a good semi and be done with it

fix the link
https://w ww.shootingillustrated.com/content/why-porting-a-shotgun-barrel-is-effective/
 
Last edited:
If I am translating your first sentence correctly, and I'm not certain about that, your saying that you had forcing cones lengthened and porting done at the same time, If that is the case then you cannot definitive say that porting reduced recoil since it may have been atributed to the longer forcing cones.
A lot has changed in 30 years and I certainly have better things to do today than argue on a forum!
You and I most certainly are in agreement that red dot is not a soft recoiling powder.

As for your magazine article, I don't have time to read that but I will say this, magazine writers are in the business of promoting the business they write about and not nessesarily what is correct.
 
If I am translating your first sentence correctly, and I'm not certain about that, your saying that you had forcing cones lengthened and porting done at the same time, If that is the case then you cannot definitive say that porting reduced recoil since it may have been atributed to the longer forcing cones.
A lot has changed in 30 years and I certainly have better things to do today than argue on a forum!
You and I most certainly are in agreement that red dot is not a soft recoiling powder.

As for your magazine article, I don't have time to read that but I will say this, magazine writers are in the business of promoting the business they write about and not nessesarily what is correct.

and that is what I said in both cases especially when it is 32 here and just spent 4 hours weeding :(
Take care
 
I've always found Red Dot to recoil more than some other powders due to the fast burn rate so I'd start by looking for a slower powder to use.
Don't waste your money getting the barrels ported, you'll find that it won't mitigate recoil the way a lot of people think it does. Lengthening the forcing cones if you don't have chrome lined barrels will help to ease the recoil pulse a bit and can be money well spent on some guns.

Hopefully powder will start too be available soon, all I have is Some Blue Dot I use for slugs and some H110 so way too slow for target loads.
 
I get what you are trying to do, balancing the felt recoil of two similar spec guns but are they the same make and model? For instance, recoil will feel different between a similarly spec’d Beretta and Browning or between a similar Beretta 682 and 686.

Exactly I'm thinking that they will never be the same. Just probably have to accept it and not dwell on it too much.
Thanks
 
Back
Top Bottom