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Effect of gun weight

7K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  Wowzer 
#1 ·
Yesterday, I shot a 100-bird sporting clays Charity event. When I was done, a shooter I know offered to let me shoot his new A400 Extreme and I accepted. I first noticed that it was about a pound and a half lighter than my Citori which I had been shooting. Then, I noticed the Kick-Off feature on the Beretta. I mentioned both of these to the owner, who said that was why he got the gun; his scores would drop during the last third of an event when using his heavier O/U.
I shot it at two pair and was amazed to find it's recoil was much more noticeable than on my Citori. A gas-operated autoloader, with a recoil device, had more felt recoil than my O/U???!!! (I used the same ammo as I had with my gun during the event)
I guess there is a lot to be said for gun weight.

(NOTE: the Citori does have a Limbsaver Airtech recoil pad on it....)
 
#3 ·
You are talking about 1 pound of added weight and also most likely, a gun that doesn't quite fit you as well as your Browning does.

Using a recoil calculator and gun weights of 8 & 9 pounds with 1oz@ 1200, the lighter gun has recoil of 16.7 and the heavier gun is 14.9; you would feel that difference, especially if the gun fit is not the same.
 
#4 ·
weight is your friend.
 
#9 ·
Won't matter if it doesn't fit.............
 
#10 ·
I had an A400 Sporting (with out a Kick Off) and it had way less felt recoil than my 686 Sporting, both 12 gauge. I also have a 686 Field model in 20 gauge that the felt recoil is about the same as my 686 12 gauge. I am assuming because it's lighter. I also have a Beretta AL-2 S/A in 12 gauge that has less felt recoil than my 686 12. I mostly shoot my 686 12 although I do like that little 20 gauge. Hell I like em all.
 
#11 ·
Felt or perceived recoil is the result of three things all of which are interrelated: They are gun weight, shooter confirmation (size and shape of the shooter), and shooting form (gun mount, head and neck posture, weight distribution and stance (foot placement).

A shotgun that is said to "fit" the shooter is one that allows him or her to use a good shooting form, which by its very nature, reduces felt recoil with a gun weight that the shooter can shoot without noticeable fatigue.

The most common cause of unacceptable recoil if a poorly fitting gun, which in turn, requires a corrupted shooting form to be used.
 
#12 ·
Rollin Oswald said:
Felt or perceived recoil is the result of three things all of which are interrelated: They are gun weight, shooter confirmation (size and shape of the shooter), and shooting form (gun mount, head and neck posture, weight distribution and stance (foot placement).
I suppose you can add in clothing, recoil pads, age / flexibility / sensitivity of the shooter, gas-operation (or not), and the number of rounds fired per hour.
 
#13 ·
If you relax your shoulder so that it is not tense and can recoil with the gun felt recoil can be greatly reduced. There is also the fact that some people just aren't very sensitive to recoil. I never even notice recoil at all unless I get my face misaligned during the shot and get bumped where it shouldn't be getting bump.

When practicing, I have no problem shooting 150, 3 dram rounds in an hour but I work on my shoulder muscle mass and relax it to absorb the recoil.
 
#15 ·
Just added a Limbsaver recoil pad onto my Citori today. Hardly felt the 1 1/8 oz 12 gauge shells.

I am amazed at what the weight difference, and the pad, has done to my felt recoil...compared to my 12 gauge 870 pump..before adding a pad onto it. Just small tweaks and each one helped.
 
#16 ·
richg99 said:
Just added a Limbsaver recoil pad onto my Citori today. Hardly felt the 1 1/8 oz 12 gauge shells.
You don't say which Limbsaver you put on your Citori.

I have Limbsaver Classics on some guns and Limbsaver AirTechs on others. I think the AirTech is even better than the Classic. It does show more wear, but I shoot SC and 5-Stand both low gun, so there is somewhat more wear.
Increased wear is a small price to pay for enhanced recoil attenuation, in my mind. :wink:
 
#17 ·
mudpack said:
A gas-operated autoloader, with a recoil device, had more felt recoil than my O/U???!!! (I used the same ammo as I had with my gun during the event)
I guess there is a lot to be said for gun weight.
The problem is that this is just one-incident reporting which doesn't mean anything. Felt recoil can be anything you say it is or think it is. It is "if you say so." You have a lot of guns to try rather than just one, and a lot of loads to try as well. A whole lot.
 
#19 ·
RandyWakeman said:
The problem is that this is just one-incident reporting which doesn't mean anything. Felt recoil can be anything you say it is or think it is. It is "if you say so." You have a lot of guns to try rather than just one, and a lot of loads to try as well. A whole lot.
It's not a problem for me, Wakeman, the light autoloader hit me harder than the heavier O/U. It's an anecdote. I'm not attempting to play expert, I just report what I experience if it's interesting.
Otherwise I try to keep my mouth shut.
 
#20 ·
When I use 1 1/8oz loads I obviously have to lead more and I find that a heavier gun makes leading much smoother than a lighter gun which kinda makes me jerk a bit.
 
#24 ·
Weight is surely a big help in attenuating recoil. I suspect it is possible to perceive a gas gun recoiling more than a fixed breach or Benelli in part because of the racket associated with the gas action. That is to say the noise is, for some, part of the 'recoil' equation.

And of course fit is huge in recoil.
 
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