My son, who is new skeet/clay/trap shooter on high school team, and I are sitting here watching Olympic shooting and other YouTube videos. And he ask, why do those O/Us have no recoil? Good question. He loves his Citori, but it has more kick than his buddies 391. He wants to stay with an o/u so I’m determined to help him. Where should I start? New gun? Loads, set up, 1 oz?... I’m willing to get him a new gun but need a starting point.

Thanks jed

Things that mitigate recoil and associated muzzle flip:

Gun weight. Heavier guns have more inertia and thus react with less rearward movement than lighter ones.

Gun fit/Gun mount/Stance. Probably the most important factor of all because a properly fitted and mounted gun makes a huge difference to felt recoil and muzzle flip. Ben Husthwaite has a good vid on Youtube dealing with gun fit/mount.

Shells. Olympic trap is shot with 24gm loads. It's better to shoot lighter/slower loads than to lose targets due to recoil.

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with shooting a S/A, especially for newer shooters smaller in stature. Their recoil is much less, and can be made to fit via shims. Have him take a look at Joe Fanizzi. Many very successful shooters started with semis.

1 oz loads at 1180 fps more or less is all he needs. As said above, even lighter loads can be effective. But the 1 oz at 1180 is a good all-around standard. If he is mounting properly, recoil should not be a problem with a sporting model o/u gun weighing at least 7.5 lb. Now if his gun is a 6 lb field model, that is another story.

Who’s coaching the HS team, if anyone? Some programs are parent coached, others have a dedicated coach?

If possible, consider getting him in front of a qualified coach or instructor to help with these all important first moves.

Joe Morales I think is his name or Roy out of Florida. He has coached before and there 3 other coaches. Other guy has won a few and owner of gun club and sporting clays course. We heavy on coach side I believe... no parent coaching at home until were home... ha ... I am a firearms instructor on police side and just learning the clay shooting stuff. My son is very thick for his age. The gun doesn’t really bother him shooting clays.... we just gathering info to make it better. He shoots 3 1/4 - 1 1/4 in dove filed with another O/U .... he’s pretty solid kid... about 190lbs. Just trying to decide on another gun. He does not want an auto loader for this sport

Good deal. Regardless of size/strength, I’d look at anything that can lessen felt recoil. Often overlooked is pitch. This can make the exact same gun feel completely different in recoil. Both good and bad.

Good luck, sounds you two are having fun with this, and that’s always the best part.

I'm not sure why you think the O/Us you see people on YouTube shoot have no recoil.

Oh yeah. We having much fun... got our first competition shoot tomor and I’m sure he will be enlightened when he sees the other 700 hundred shooters ..... I’m in serious trouble if they have a pro shop that is open with guns in stock. He was eying some on way to school.

I'd say try and find an instructor who can give him tips on stance / gun mount that will mitigate recoil.

Using 1 oz loads will certainly help, especially under 1250 FPS.

If he changes his mind about wanting to stick with an O/U, a Semiauto will definitely allow him to use 1-1/8 oz loads with a lot less recoil right off the bat. However, learning proper stance and mount to where the gun is not punching the shooter is the most important thing.