slug recoil VS shot recoil

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archerynut

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so I just took my new maverick 88 to the range to try it out. I was forced to use slugs or 00 buckshot - range rules - I had brought with me just regular number 4 target loads. So I was forced to purchase a box of rifled slugs seeing as that was all they had in stock. went ahead and started shooting, and after 5 rounds the muscles in my shoulder actually began spasming because the recoil was so intense. is this going to be the same with bird shot or 00 buck shot? I'm not a big guy, so I do feel recoil probably a little more than the next guy but this is not the first 12g. shotgun I've ever fired. I just don't remember it being this intense.
 
I find a 3 1\2" #4 2 1\4oz are the hardest kicking rounds I've ever fired threw a 12 gauge.


3" slugs are up there as well, I fired 14 of them off and I could tell i was starting to flinch so I stopped (huge black bruise the next day)

00 buck wont be as bad, bird shot is pretty tame.
 
Those mavericks are brutal for recoil!!!!!'
The wife has one,my best advice is a limbsaver recoild pad,trust me you need one.cabales and wss both have them it will be the best $40 you evet spend on that gun
 
Were the slugs 3" or 2.75"? I find that shorter slug shells are more comfortable to shoot due to the lower volume of powder behind them, this is especially handy if you want to put 15 or 20 downrange in one session.

Look for 'low recoil' 00 buck. It is usually 2.75" and has 8 or 9 Pellets per load. Very fun to shoot and your shoulder will thank you. Personally I like to fire all sorts of loads but 00 buck is about my favourite. Also look into getting a limb saver recoil pad to replace your factory one. Mossberg pads are pretty cheap and with a limb saver slugs and higher power buckshot are a lot easier to shoot.
 
mossberg buttstocks are obscenely long for some reason, and their recoil pads are like hockey pucks. A shorter LOP and a good recoil pad like a limbsaver will make all the difference in the world. For me the difference was finding 5 rds. of Federal classic 3" 1 1/4 oz. slugs uncomfortable to firing off as many as I want with no concern for recoil whatsoever. Managed recoil rds. are much more pleasant to shoot, around my way Remington MR slugs are most common and I find them to be closer to light birdshot in recoil.
 
the slugs I was shooting today were 2 3/4"

after I was finished abusing my shoulder on the firing line I cased my shotgun and looked around to see if there was much available as far as recoil pads go. another poster pointed out that the mossberg pad is nothing to write home about. this is the first firearm I have owned that has or needed a recoil pad of some sort, and looking at this one, I thought to myself "hey this thing should make shooting pretty comfortable" but boy was I wrong. so a limbsaver recoil pad looks like the next purchase for this gun. many thanks
 
I had a 590A1 spx and same thing, the recoil pad is like a hockey puck lol. Great shotgun though.

I went shooting some 2 and 3/4 slugs recently with my mossberg 500 cruiser with pistol grip lol. Those 1 oz slugs traveling over 1600 feet per second pack quite the punch. Shooting 00 buck out of the sam gun aferward was like shooting bird shot. However i will say the palm of my hand was tender as well as my tricep for a few days.
 
Don't know about the 3.5" shells (never shot one), but 3" mag slugs are not much of an issue depending on which shotgun you use.

12.5" 870 = rough.
18.5" Benelli m4 = no issue.

.308 out of my old M14 feels far worse.
 
I recommend a slip on limbsaver recoil pad. I just use mine for lining my guns up. I've had it on my 870, mossy 535, TikkaT3, Rem 700, and a mossberg 4x4. I think it was made for an 870, but fits fine on all my guns. Never use it for hunting though.
 
P90Puma said:
Don't know about the 3.5" shells (never shot one), but 3" mag slugs are not much of an issue depending on which shotgun you use.

12.5" 870 = rough.
18.5" Benelli m4 = no issue.

.308 out of my old M14 feels far worse.
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I hear semis have less recoil anyhow, probably cause some of the gas is used to operate the action im thinking.
 
Shotshell vs. slug shell. If the weight of the birdshot = the weight of the slug, and the weight of the powder in the shells is the same, and the muzzle velocity is the same, then the recoil force will be the same, simple physics.

Higher projectile weight and increased velocity always = greater recoil.
 
DVXDUDE said:
I find a 3 1\2" #4 2 1\4oz are the hardest kicking rounds I've ever fired threw a 12 gauge.
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Agreed. Actually probably the hardest kicking anything I've shot.

Slugs have more recoil than MOST sensible shot loads, but those 3 1/2" turkey loads are brutal.
 
The more of those rounds you fire the better your stance and grip will be and you find that the pounding is more and more tolerable. Make sure you have the butt stock nice and tight to your shoulder and practice!
 
diemaco said:
Agreed. Actually probably the hardest kicking anything I've shot.

Slugs have more recoil than MOST sensible shot loads, but those 3 1/2" turkey loads are brutal.
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The hot 3 1/2" heavy loads are brutal but the 3 1/2" 1450 fps Winchester 00 buckshot is out of the charts - I believe this load has a muzzle energy of over 3800 lb ft - more than 450 marlin & hot 45-70...
 
I have a plain jane Maverick 88 ... and I'm over 6' tall and under 150 lbs, so I'd say I qualify as "slight" in the build department ... Recoil with slgs is noticable for sure.

However ... #2, 4 or 6 2 3/4" or 3" lead & steel loads for Duck & Geese are very managable. We tend to run 3" #4 load for trap so we know our paterns for bird & bunn, and I can run 5 or 10 boxes of shells in an afternoon and have no more than a bit of redness to my shouler.

A limbsaver would be a benefit, as these are a airly light gun, but I find for most hunting I'm wearing a decent coat and that's plenty for me.
 
Being a smaller guy 5'4" 140 pounds I think that I could relate.
When shooting my 20ga 870 synethic compact (20 inch barrel and weighing nothing) I feel almost nothing with shot however when I switch to slugs there is a difference for sure (which would be expected). I know its a 20ga and not even the same gun so the comparison doesnt really come close.

Is it just me or does anyone else find that when shooting rifled slugs through a smooth bore barrel there is a heck of alot more kick than when your firing sabots through a rifled barrel? I recently switched to a rifles barrel and hardly feel the kick now (maybe its the change in slugs).

Still no gun I have fired comes close to my .303 Jungle Carbine in terms of recoil.
 
Speaking of recoil pads, has anyone ever hang a sandbag over their shoulder as recoil pad ?

I'm asking because the range I go to (Port Coquitlam) has many small sandbags in the shooting area, for you to rest your guns on when shooting off the bench. I thought about using them as recoil pads, but I worry the recoil will squeeze/burst the bag open, and I'll be in a cloud of sand and dust and embarrassment.
 
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