Recoil Sensitive Sporting Clay Shotgun

[Eric94]

For a while now, I have been searching for a sporting clay, trap, and skeet shotgun for the wife.

I have tried a 20ga Mossberg 500 pump.
Kicks too much.
20ga Mossberg SA-20 semi auto. Still too much recoil.
I've tried rubber recoil pads too. No go with 20 gauge.
I have some low velocity 20ga loads that I was going to try out with the Mossberg 500.
I've looked into recoil vests, but haven't tried any.
Should I try a 28 gauge?
Maybe a heavy over under.
I've read that .410 is only useful for skeet and with a good shot.
I've never tried it though.
I've thought about trying 12ga short shells.

The recoil thing is hard for me to understand because I can shoot 100 shells of 12 gauge at a time, but I am trying my best to help her enjoy the sport of busting clays.
Everybody is different though.

I appreciate any advice you all can provide.

 

[aspiringsnd]

I would 100% recommend trying a 28 gauge. From my experience 28 gauge patterns as well or better than a 20 gauge, with a significant reduction in recoil.

The biggest downside is the increased cost in factory-loaded shotgun shells. While 12 gauge and 20 gauge are similarly priced, 28 and .410 are significantly more.

 

[COOPADUP]

I've used short shells in 12 gauge and they are very low recoil. The down side is they will not cycle through a semi auto.

 

[Jaybird1980]

My wife is pretty recoil sensitive and she shoots the 28 guage with no complaints. The cost of the ammo kinda blows, but what doesn't anymore.

 

[Cameramonkey]

And understand that not every sport is right for every person. The first thing I thought of is "I like rock music but dont like really loud noises, crowds, or bright flashing lights. How do I go to a concert and enjoy it?" Well, you just rattled off everything that goes along with a concert, so maybe sitting at home with a stack of rock CDs is a better choice for you?

Or in her case, maybe bullseye shooting with a .223 or 22LR?

I had the same issue with my wife. She thought it looks fun, and enjoys doing it on our WII with the rifle gizmo. But she just couldnt get over the recoil and decided it just wasnt for her. So we find other shooting sports to enjoy together.

 

[clayshooter99]

Been shooting all types clays now for 40 years. First of all stay away from a 20ga unless an auto. 12ga is the way to go.....don't get hung up on the gauge.....it is the load itself. There is not a clay out there except some National SC shoots and Olympic trap that cannot be broken with 1 0z of shot at 1150 fps. I shoot nearly all 1 oz, my best day of trap was 490 of 500 with 1 oz loads. A gas operated auto will recoil the least!!!

 

[clayshooter99]

Go to Indiana Gun Club sometime for the best selection of different shotguns for clays in Indiana

 

[two70]

My wife had the same problem and not wanting to go entirely in for the price of a new 28 gauge shotgun just to try out, I bought some 28 gauge chamber adapters for her to try in my 12 gauge SxS and they worked very well. The recoil was significantly less and she shot it surprisingly well. You may want to go that route before committing to a new shotgun as a pair of adapters were well under $50. Of course, now I'm kicking myself for passing up a good excuse for adding a 28 gauge to my collection!

 

[2in1evtime]

custom spring loaded butt pad and ported barrel would help a lot

 

[BigMoose]

Could be worse.. Wife wanted a shotgun, and didn't want a 410, but didn't want anything big but wanted a fancy piece.. went to a place with a lot of high end shotguns. Came on this over under 32 gauge, YES 32 gauge.

I didn't even know that was a thing!

Thankfully there are commercial loads for it. Because she ended up with it.

32 Gauge Ammo

In-stock best prices for 32 Gauge Ammo | Cheap 32 Gauge Ammunition - AmmoSeek.com

ammoseek.com

 

[Cameramonkey]

Oh, and I've heard good things about these. But they have to be tuned. One side effect is they can cause the gun to rotate if its not installed right, causing the gun to smack your cheek a bit. So I guess you have to play with them a bit.

Edwards Recoil Reducer

Control recoil and barrel bounce for clay target shooting, bench rest shooting, personal defense, or hunting.

www.edwardsrecoilreducer.com

 

[thunderchicken]

12g is king especially in trap. I asked that question on a trap shooters forum almost 2yrs ago. Here is what I wad told and options I can think of.
Beretta A400 with their kick off system. Semi auto with recoil reducer.
If she likes a break open look at something with a Gracoil recoil reducer they work very well and I've seen several ladies in their mid- late 60s using them on trap guns. Also, add a few ounces of weight to help reduce recoil. A target gun will be heavier and that helps too. Also have her shoot 7/8oz loads and that will reduce recoil.
Another option to try is an Falcon Strike recoil pad. It's basically an oil filled recoil pad and it's pretty dang incredible. I put one on a model 12 and shot 1 1/8 oz heavy loads and it felt like I was shooting 7/8 ounce loads. Check it out it seems to be becoming very popular to competition trap shooters because it works. Check it out

Sorry I can't seem to attach a link to Falcon Strike

 

[John Trap]

It's been said that the Remington 1100 is the softest shooting shotgun in trap. It's a gas operated semi-auto. The gas system seems to reduce recoil on a noticeable level. If you reload, you could try 3/4 ounce loads, at 1275 fps. That combined with a micro series shotgun from Browning reduces recoil significantly, and may fit your wife perfectly.

 

[thunderchicken]

I agree with John Trap, in that fit is the absolute most important thing to mitigate recoil. Some ladies do better with a micro series (or youth length) gun but many even smaller ladies do fine with a standard size gun that has been fitted to them

 

[John Trap]

And it's getting harder to find people that can adjust a stock to a shooter. You can do a lot with an adjustable comb, and adjustable buttplate. But if the gun is slapping the shooter in the face with every shot, or otherwise beating them up, that shooter is going to lose interest fast. Another addition to the buttstock, that I've had good results from, is the R.A.D. recoil reducer. It features a hydraulic cylinder much like an automotive shock absorber, in addition to a spring that assists in returning the unit to a position where it's ready for the next shot.

 

[kennedy759]

go to walmart and buy a limbsaver slip on butt pad, they come in different sizes to match your shot gun and come in half inch or one inch thickness. also try 16 ga, I shoot it for trap, browning citori. I use the limbsaver on 16 ga single barrels for my grandkids to shoot pasture trap, no complaints

 

[Robert Richardson]

My wife loves her 70s made 20ga 1100, it's been fit to her. She hates recoil but, this one, she has no problem with.