20 gauge reduced recoil ammo
- Thread starter wannabe
- Start date
That's because felt recoil is a result of the weight of the gun divided by the mass of shot being accelerated. Small, lightweight guns are actually MORE punishing to young shooters (and yourself, as you discovered) than full sized guns.
But, you may say, my son is too small to handle a full sized shotgun. Not to worry, if you look at the formula above, you'll see that there are several ways to mitigate the problem.
First - the amount of shot. All else being equal, a 1 1/4 ounce load will kick much harder than a 7/8 ounce load. Buy the lightest loads you can find (Don't worry about the number of pellets in the shell. Good shooting depends on the shooter's ability and the density of the pattern at the target distance, not the amount of lead in the air. Try to have the right choke for the distance, or adjust the distance to the choke you have.)
Secondly - the weight of the gun. All else being equal, a sub-gauge gun will always kick harder than a full scale 12 ga. So, what you can do is to add weight to the gun. The best scenario is to add weight equally to both ends of the gun in order to maintain proper balance. But, to do so in this case would make the gun just as heavy as a full sized gun and difficult for your son to manage. This is a rare instance where adding weight to the gun is more important than maintaining balance. In my opinion, the weight should be added to the butt stock, where it will be well supported and not make swinging the gun more difficult for him. Filling the through-bolt hole with a small sack of lead pellets would work, for example. Even a side-saddle shell holder on the butt stock can provide a little relief. The loss of balance won't mess up his shooting as much as the sharp recoil does.
As you probably already know, once one's shoulder gets beat up, every subsequent shot can be painful. Conversely, though, if you avoid bruising the shoulder, shots that would be painful to a bruised shoulder won't be a problem. The idea, then, is to start slow and gradually increase the numbers of shots taken at one outing. It might be hard at first to quit shooting after only one box of shells but, if you can be disciplined in this way, his shoulder will become tougher without getting to the bruised stage, and he'll be able to handle hours of shooting at a go later on when his shoulder is accustomed to the workout. (Depending on the recoil, even just one full box can be too much shooting at first.) ETA: Adequately padding his shoulder (without adding too much bulk) will help keep it from bruising easily, too.
Making target shooting easy at first and gradually adding difficulty can build confidence and, once hooked, he'll never look back. Consider throwing only straight-aways at first, then add angles and more speed, if you have the option. Most of all, make it fun. My son got beat up by the gun when he was starting out. He hasn't shot for years. My daughter got beat up at first, too. But she's a different personality - she just gets tougher in the face of adversity. Last year she won the Alberta "B" Class championship in International Trap.
But, you may say, my son is too small to handle a full sized shotgun. Not to worry, if you look at the formula above, you'll see that there are several ways to mitigate the problem.
First - the amount of shot. All else being equal, a 1 1/4 ounce load will kick much harder than a 7/8 ounce load. Buy the lightest loads you can find (Don't worry about the number of pellets in the shell. Good shooting depends on the shooter's ability and the density of the pattern at the target distance, not the amount of lead in the air. Try to have the right choke for the distance, or adjust the distance to the choke you have.)
Secondly - the weight of the gun. All else being equal, a sub-gauge gun will always kick harder than a full scale 12 ga. So, what you can do is to add weight to the gun. The best scenario is to add weight equally to both ends of the gun in order to maintain proper balance. But, to do so in this case would make the gun just as heavy as a full sized gun and difficult for your son to manage. This is a rare instance where adding weight to the gun is more important than maintaining balance. In my opinion, the weight should be added to the butt stock, where it will be well supported and not make swinging the gun more difficult for him. Filling the through-bolt hole with a small sack of lead pellets would work, for example. Even a side-saddle shell holder on the butt stock can provide a little relief. The loss of balance won't mess up his shooting as much as the sharp recoil does.
As you probably already know, once one's shoulder gets beat up, every subsequent shot can be painful. Conversely, though, if you avoid bruising the shoulder, shots that would be painful to a bruised shoulder won't be a problem. The idea, then, is to start slow and gradually increase the numbers of shots taken at one outing. It might be hard at first to quit shooting after only one box of shells but, if you can be disciplined in this way, his shoulder will become tougher without getting to the bruised stage, and he'll be able to handle hours of shooting at a go later on when his shoulder is accustomed to the workout. (Depending on the recoil, even just one full box can be too much shooting at first.) ETA: Adequately padding his shoulder (without adding too much bulk) will help keep it from bruising easily, too.
Making target shooting easy at first and gradually adding difficulty can build confidence and, once hooked, he'll never look back. Consider throwing only straight-aways at first, then add angles and more speed, if you have the option. Most of all, make it fun. My son got beat up by the gun when he was starting out. He hasn't shot for years. My daughter got beat up at first, too. But she's a different personality - she just gets tougher in the face of adversity. Last year she won the Alberta "B" Class championship in International Trap.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
In followup to strightshooter's excellent info, I just read the label on the Winchester ammo I mentioned. They are in fact, a 7/8 ounce load.
Cheers!
Edit: In referance to 7 1/2 shot I notice many shotgun ranges have rather strict rules on allowable shot size.
And showing up with a smaller shot number could save someone some time/gas/embarassment.
perhaps
Cheers!
Edit: In referance to 7 1/2 shot I notice many shotgun ranges have rather strict rules on allowable shot size.
And showing up with a smaller shot number could save someone some time/gas/embarassment.
perhaps
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I'll back straightshooter's advice! I'll also add that if you know someone that reloads then you can get them to whip you up a load of 5/8oz or 3/4oz #8 shot at 950-1100fps. These loads pattern beautifully from most modified chokes, kick very little and crush targets surprisingly well out to 35yds.
I've noticed a huge difference between guns when using the exact same ammo...
For example, in my Dominion Arms Grizzly, 00Buck kicks like a mule! In fact, I give this to guys at the range AFTER shooting other stuff, BECAUSE they want to try something that REALLY kicks!
Use the same 00Buck in my Kel-Tec KSG & the recoil is quite managable, a noticable difference!
Cheers
Jay
For example, in my Dominion Arms Grizzly, 00Buck kicks like a mule! In fact, I give this to guys at the range AFTER shooting other stuff, BECAUSE they want to try something that REALLY kicks!
Use the same 00Buck in my Kel-Tec KSG & the recoil is quite managable, a noticable difference!
Cheers
Jay
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
The stuff you can buy at Walmart and Canadian tire is pretty high pressured stuff, it recoils harder than my 7/8oz loads i use in my lightweight 12 bore and 16 bore field.
That factory stuff i the bulk pack is 1200FPS , so it is still going to recoil hard.
There are reduced recoil loads available, but if you know a hand loader, he can set you up.
My buddy has two sons and has a couple of those lightweight Mossbergs.
I loaded a bunch of lightweight twenty's for him than the kids love it
One is 6 and the other 9 years old, and they are tiny guys!
Cat
To add to straightshooter's comments: another way to avoid bruising the shoulder while the shooter is getting used to recoil is to use something like a PAST strap-on shoulder pad. Can either put it on over the clothes, or else under the shirt/jacket if the shooter feels self-conscious about using such items (I've used one off and on for years and have no shame whatsoever myself about being seen wearing it). Actually, a lot of shotgun shooting vests have pads like that built right into the shoulders.
Alternatively, a recoil pad on the shotgun or rifle itself can make a big difference. A lot of people on CGN swear by either Limbsaver or Pachmayr fitted pads. However, even the cheap slip-on rubber pads from places like CT can work well.
Alternatively, a recoil pad on the shotgun or rifle itself can make a big difference. A lot of people on CGN swear by either Limbsaver or Pachmayr fitted pads. However, even the cheap slip-on rubber pads from places like CT can work well.
R&R Rancher
CGN Regular
- Location
- Manitoba's Interlake
I second the light reload advice. It can really tame down recoil. Trouble is not a lot of people reload 20 gauge due to the economics of it.
I'm on my phone, so it doesn't show where the OP is in case someone can help out with some special low recoil loads
