Recoil from Benelli Super Vinci vs. Over/Under (12 gauge)

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Hello all,

I have Benelli Super Vinci shotgun but now would like to get an Over/Under instead as I like trap and skeet shooting only (no hunting).
Found a very nice Bettinsoli Model X-8 Plus Sporting 12 gauge for a very reasonable price (with high rib and adjustable comb).
But I had a shoulder injury before and I’ve found too much shooting with bad recoil aggravates it.
I can handle Super Vinci’s recoil well as it has very nice ConfortTech Plus kick-off system and I can handle my friend’s Beretta A400 without KO (both 12 gauge).
How much more recoil should I expect from O/U?
Should I get 20 gauge instead to reduce it? Or get a O/U with kick-off (like Beretta SV10 Perennia I KO 12 gauge as well)?

Appreciate your input
 
The recoil energy is the recoil energy, no getting away from it. The difference with the various systems is the time it takes to get to your shoulder. The Berettas are gas guns so yo get the full instant recoil pulse moderated by the butt pad and anything else they put into the gun like the ComforTech stock. Benellis are different as they are actually blow back (they call it inertial but if you push a cleaning rod down the barrel the bolt moves… its blowback!?) so at the time of ignition you don't get the recoil pulse, you get it all at buffing of the bolt which is also the second pulse in the gas gun's system. In the gas gun this second pulse can be lower and can also be adjusted. (And voila this is why the blow back gun is sensitive to load.)

All that to say you are already "taking up" the energy over some time period. If the recoil systems you are using (gel-pad, Kick-off, ComforTech stock) work then you need to see something similar on your O/U. The one other thing you need to consider is "felt" or "perceived" recoil and this is as much the torque or pivoting upwards of the gun at firing as the actual energy transfer. Here a good stock fit, and with something like the X-8 high rib you can really lower the barrels, to lift the stock up at the cheekpiece will make a big difference. With a good Gelpad and reasonable loads for target work I'd suggest you go try out the Bettinsoli and see how it feels to you. Most decent, serious shotgun dealers should have a demo gun available for exactly this reason and those should be the folks you are talking to. If the stock is fitted and you are breaking targets, then it is to you to determine if the geometry, load, and pad is enough recoil attenuation.

One other thing about 20 gauge and recoil: Recoil is F=ma where Recoil Force = mass * acceleration and this happens two ways: the shot column, wad and gasses go out creating the recoil and this recoil energy is transferred to the gun and then the shooter. The energy transferred from the shot is fixed so the acceleration varies inversely to the mass. Most 20s are quite a bit lighter so they can often hit you a bit harder than you expect. At our Ladies Day's at the Range we find most women prefer a 12 gauge to a lighter 20 for exactly this reason, the heavier gun doesn't get as much of a push at them. If you can get a 20 built on a 12 ga frame, you win both ways and will significantly reduce recoil acceleration but this is not as common as you might hope. Hope this is helpful and again if you are spending $2000+ for a shotgun and you have concerns, you want to be able to try something very close before you buy.
 
Gas guns tend to spread the recoil over a greater period of time so the maximum pulse is a bit less, if you think of total recoil as a curve the gas gun and O/U have the same area under the curve but the O/U has a curve shaped like a traffic cone and the gas gun will be smoother with a longer pulse and less of a peak recoil . Having said this I find the fit and design of the stock plays a major role in felt recoil, I hunt with a 6lb 12 gauge O/U using 11/4 and 13/8 oz loads for pheasant and find the recoil tolerable due to a good stock fit. My buddy's SBE11 is painful to me as the stock is too long and comb too low.
 
Without getting technical. I have an m2 that when shooting trap loads is noticeably softer and faster to recover than my father's citori. Someone can explain the physics to you any way they like and I've thought about it too but more often than not there are unaccounted for variables at play and really the best thing to do is see if you can go shoot a few at your local range.
 
Gun fit is the key to recoil reduction. O/Us are obviously more problematic because they do not have any recoil absorbed through the cycling of the gun. Different guns have different stock dimensions ... depending on how that gun fits you will make the difference on whether or not the gun beats you up.

Try different guns and see which one kicks you the least. Then you can tweak that gun to fit you better. A good recoil pad can make a big difference as lots of guns have old or cheap pads on them.

I would not recommend a 20 gauge as 12 gauge allows so many more options for stocks and shells.

Light target loads are more readily available in 12 gauge. Less lead = less recoil. Many folks shoot a 1 oz. 12 gauge load with very good results. There are also 7/8 oz. shells available, which work fine for 16 yard trap and skeet.
 
Felt recoil is a funny thing, it is different from individual to individual. Gun Fit, Gun Weight, Action and Shell Choice as going to be your principal contributors. A well fitted light fixed action gun firing a 1 1/2Oz 12ga load may have less felt recoil than an ill fitting heavy gas gun firing a 1Oz load to the same person. Case in point, I have 2 H&R Pardner single shots(1 Gardner Mass, 1 Illion, NY), both are 12ga, both have identical stock configurations, one has a 32" barrel and 7 1/4Lbs, the other sports a 28" Barrel and weighs 7Lbs. The shorter one will leave me with a sore jaw for a week if I shoot more than 2 rounds of Trap with it, I can shoot the 32" all day long and never notice the recoil using the same light 1OZ reload. The shorter gun has more muzzle jump, the weight matters in this equation but not a great detail, weight balance has the most impact. All things considered a semi, more specifically a gas operated semi will have less felt recoil than a fixed action because the action absorbs some of the energy from the shot. The faster and heavier the payload of your ammo, the more energy it contains to produce recoil, light loads recoil less without sacrificing target performance. If your still shooting that 1 1/8oz Handicap load, switch to a light 1Oz load, your shoulder will thank you and scores won't hurt a bit, they may actually even improve because your flinching less. Try to shoot several models to find feels best to you, make sure the gun fits you before you buy it.
 
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