first time out with DA Grizly, 12.5"

[aquadorhj]

actually, first time shooting shotgun, period.

kicks pretty hard. thought my right shoulder was going to be bruised. left one seems to take the recoil better though.


i only had target rounds, and since i never had shotgun before, i didn't know what to expect, but the spread is immense.

this is on a maybe 1 1/2' by 2 1/2' cardboard.


had some feeding issue as well. 4 rounds fit in the tube, but always the last round wouldn't feed. tsk.. little disappointed, but now i know what its like shooting 12 gauge .

 

[RickR1100]

Nah, sorry, you don't!!

"Target Loads" are like little puppies that want to lick your face...a magnum slug or buckshot load, is like a grown pitbull with your arm locked in it's jaws! And 3" and 3.5" magnum loads are even more "awesome"!

Seriously, 12 gauge shells can vary in recoil dramatically, I think ranging from about 9 ft lbs, to 56 ft lbs of recoil. That's the reason why Benelli and Beretta, along with Knoxx stocks, incorporate springs, bending polymers and so on to cushion the repeated impacts of lots of heavy hunting/magnum rounds.

I have an older unit, an 1100, which basically is like a Grizzly made by the original company, but incorporating a gas piston for semi-auto use. Probably adds about a pound or two of weight. But mine also has a longer wood foregrip, and longer barrel too, so in all it's probably roughly 2 lbs heavier. Mine also has a nice comfy recoil pad made by Limbsaver, and a rubber cheek rest by CheekEze (I think?). We were at the range one time, and watched as a young guy next to us pulled out a mag fed Grizzly, that had no recoil pad, no cheek pad, and a thin painful-looking folding stock. And he proceeded to punch 3" magnum shells through it. It was clear from the first shot that it was beating him something fierce: light gun, no recoil absorbing, poor stock design, extra recoiling shells = lots of pain.

He couldn't believe the difference when we were popping our own mild lower recoil slugs, 5 in rapid fire! And no discomfort, much less pain.

 

[kolik1]

Like Rick said, a 12ga can really punch, or can be barely felt. It really depends on the shotgun. I would expect a shorty shotty like the 12.5 or 8 inch grizzly's would recoil like crazy, there's just nothing out front to help absorb that recoil. I'd definitely look into a good recoil pad, if not an aftermarket stock (or both), especially if you want to try the "fun rounds".

I've taken my dad's Mossy 400 out and ran hot 3" slugs, and it'll knock a guy around even with a 30" barrel and a recoil pad. Pull that grizzly in tight to your shoulder and it shouldn't hit you as hard, but you'll want to throw a pad on it for sure.

As far as the spread goes, with a cylinder bore barrel, i wouldn't expect too much in the way of a tight group either.

 

[aquadorhj]

thanks guys for feedback. i got it on impulse, not thinking it thru. but it was fun. i will probably get a recoil pad and put it on. and maybe grab a used longer barrel.

if 3 inch slugs or whatevers kick harder, i would not enjoy that though. good thing i won't shoot it often.

 

[DiM]

The factory recoil pad on these things suck. It seriously can be used as a replacement hockey puck. I put a slip-on Limbsaver recoil pad on mine and it totally changed the feel on mine. I can shoot target loads all day now. You could probably get a grind to fit one but I didn't want the hassle. The only downside was that the Limbsaver did increase the LOP of the stock. I've been thinking about changing out the factory stock for a Hogue short LOP one but I don't want to give up my comfy Limbsaver lol.

I wouldn't say that my 12.5" grizzly recoils all that much more than other long barrel shotguns. At least not during slow fire. It is however substantially louder!

 

[J.P.]

shotgun recoil is hugely dependent on gun fit. There is lots of fuss made about short stocks being the cat's arse but correct gun fit will always result in the most comfort and pointability even on a shorty 870.

And if target loads beat you up.... then you need all the help you can get lol I'm only half joking here I've been bruised up a few times shooting a poor fitting double with right hand cant (I'm lefty) that had too short a length of pull for my monkey arms. A good recoil pad is nice, but honestly a stock that is the correct length for YOU makes more difference

 

[RickR1100]

I don't think the barrel length has really any real-world impact on recoil difference, on shotguns (the metal is thin compared to a heavy profile rifle barrel, for instance, where the difference is measured in pounds!). But...a short barrel would have much more muzzle blast, and can be it's own "pain" causing discomfort when shooting.

Modern semi-auto shotguns have gas systems and actions that really reduce recoil a lot, without even considering cheek pads or recoil pads. A year ago I tried a...hmm...not sure, I think it was a newer Browning maybe? Anyway, target loads in it were almost recoilless! I've also tried a Benelli SBE with a 3" magnum slug, and while it did push hard, the recoil was not even slightly painful. Both shotguns were very impressive performance.

I know that having the cheek pad is actually WAY more beneficial than most shooters realize. I've noticed that Berettas and Benellis along with some other manufacturer (Franchi?) are now starting to put rubberised cheek pieces on their factory stocks. At least on some models. Personally I think that's the wave of the future. Why have a recoil induced flinch ruin your scores when a little rubber on the cheek eliminates the issue entirely? And if the stock absorbs the recoil, but your cheek feels like you got suckerpunched at the bar all night long...then it's not doing the job fully, as it should. IMO

Keep in mind, in the real world, most of the time, police shotgun loads are not 3" magnums. And some are actually reduced recoil "tactical" loads, that feature buckshot or slugs, but with more recoil than Target loads, but less than a "Hunting" or "Magnum" load. Why? Because it's hard to keep accuracy/effectiveness high when you are super-stressed in a shootout, too much recoil could be very bad when your shooting position may be weird due to movement or hiding behind cover, too much recoil could slow followup shots, too much muzzle blast for tactical use can end up being like using stun grenades when in small rooms, distracting and stunning the police operator.