[cstadler]

I have an SKB 85TSS Sporting with 32" bbls and adjustable comb. The gun shoots very softly, virtually no felt recoil, even to my 5'-3/4" girlfriend. This gun has backbored barrels, lengthened forcing cones, and chrome lined barrels. It weights in at a hair under 9 lbs. I did not get the ported model.

My girlfriend, loves it, but it is too large for her. She is now considering an O/U in 12 ga for sporting clays and other clay games ... no hunting. My question is which factors go into making a gun shoot softly? I know that the backboring helps, so does the lengthened forcing cones and the weight. I believe the chrome-lined barrels have no affect on recoil, but they sure make cleaning a breeze. If she goes shopping for other guns, are there any of these factors that influence felt recoil more than the others? Also, where might porting fall into this array?

I'm guessing in decreasing order of importance would be weight, backbored barrels, lengthened forcing cones, then probably porting.

The problem with having her shoot a bunch of guns is availability, then her size. As she will likely have to have any stock cut to fit her. At the present, she is leaning towards an 85TSS with a fixed comb in 28" bbls and having it cut down, but that is a bit more $ than she'd like to part with.

She wants to look at the Winchester Supreme Select Sporting, but this does not appear to have lengthened forcing cones and weights a fair amount less. Is this still a soft shooter? Any other models she might want to look into?

 

[RemingtonII]

As you are well aware, it is that 9 pounds of heft that is knocking down the recoil.

A nine pound gun is VERY heavy for an average woman...very tiring.

If that is what she wants then so be it. However, I still favor gas gun like a Beretta Target (RL) Reduced length, or practically any gas gun with Wenig New American stock custom built for women. If you do most of the work yourself on these stocks they are VERY reasonable.

 

[uglydog]

Gun weight, gun fit, shot weight and velocity affect the amount of recoil. As your gun is heavy, it will kick less with any shell than a lighter gun. As your girlfriend finds the 85TSS rather heavy, going to a lighter gun would necessitate using lighter and /or slower slower loads, and having a gun that fits her relatively well is important, especially with an O/U. A good, soft recoil pas wil help also. Backboring and lengthening forcing cones does nothing to reduce the actual recoil but it may change the felt recoil, that is, how one percieves the recoil. Porting does not reduce recoil unless the ports direct the force back towards the shooter. Porting does help cut down on muzzle rise which can also be accomplished with a decent fitting stock. Using a gas operated autoloader will produce the lowest recoil but if she has her heart set on an O/U, she may not want to go there.

 

[Guest]

uglydog is right on all acounts. my suggestion is to look at beretta or the new benelli autos, like the sport II. just make sure the stock fits, put a soft pad on and have a go of it. If she is thinking about competitions the auto will not beat her up over an entire day of clays.

 

[cstadler]

Thaks to all. I was 99% sure folks were going to come in with the weight as the top consideration. As for autos, she already has a 20 ga. Benelli Montefeltro Short Stock that she loves. She would like to get a 12 ga, and she would like an O/U. In the next couple of weeks, we'll look around and see what is out there. As happy as I am with my SKB, she will likely go that route.

Thanks again!