12 Gauge Kicked My A$@

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dbhn

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Went to sight in my deer gun over the weekend prior to Bambi season and it totally kicked my ass. It is an older 12 gauge Ithaca 37 pump with synthetic stock and shorter barrel. It kicks more than anything else I've ever shot.

This was the first time I had put more than a handful of rounds through it at any one time. Fired 20 1-oz Remington Slugger slugs off the bench and standing.

After just a couple of shots my shoulder was killing me. After six or seven I was wincing after each shot. It is tough to not anticipate the shot when it FREAKIN kills each time.

I left the range with my shoulder/chest area visibly swollen and in some good pain. Next day I had a nasty 5-6" round bruise in the area. The bruise is still nasty and the area still really sore. Worst bruise I've ever had as I don't bruise very easily.


I am kind of ashamed to admit all this but I wanted to get some others take on it. Is it the gun? Is it how I am holding it? Is it normal? WTF? My Remington 870 12 or rifles have never bothered me.


I think I am moving to a 20-gauge next year. I am not that much of a puss, I swear.
 
You can try to get a new/different pad on the stock. They make some that have triangle like spaces to help with the recoil.
 
Does it have a decent recoil pad on it? A good recoil pad can make a world of difference.

You can also get one of those PAST shouldermapad things that you wear over your jacket.


-Mike
 
Recoil pads help enormously. That said, I shot skeet for most of the summer with a model 37 fitted with a steel butt plate. I bruised a little also.
 
Pick up a Saiga-12, I shot about 50 slugs out of mine at the Pumpkin Shoot and another 200rds of birdshot with no bruising or soreness what-so-ever [wink]
 
I have a limbsaver recoil pad on the gun and wear a shoulder pad as well. I take some ribbing about wearing a 'pussy pad' on my shoulder, but it sure feels better.
 
I bought a Benelli M4 earlier this year and when I first shot that (12ga) - it left me with a bit of bruise too.

One thing to keep in mind is technique - make sure you have the butt of the stock pulled tight into your shoulder - if the stock is kicking back into you at all it is going to hurt even worse.
 
Pump guns hurt when shooting slugs. Even with a good stock and shoulder pad. Sighting in a pump gun for hunting season is the worst.
 
I have the Knoxx stock on a Remington 870, and it makes all the difference. I really do not like to shoot a pump shotgun with slugs without some kind of recoil pad and preferably a shoulder pad as well.

If I were buying a new shotgun, I'd probably get a semi-automatic.
 
the 37 is called a feather light for a reason. I have 2 37's and my dad has 4 of them. I love them But when you sight it in with slugs we slip another pad over that one.
it does kick like a mule.
 
one-eyed Jack said:
Don't worry about it. If you use it for hunting, you won't feel the recoil or even hear the shots when you blast away at a deer. Jack.
Click to expand...

The hard part, however, is siting it in. I know it won't hurt when I'm hunting. But unless I site it in properly, I won't hit what I'm shooting at.
 
TheIglu said:
It's the gun. I have the same exact gun and it is brutal.
Click to expand...

Yup, the Ithaca Model 37 is dubbed the "Featherlight" for a reason, and all things being equal lighter guns will recoil faster, i.e., the velocity of the firearm against your shoulder will be greater. In the equation for calculating free recoil, firearm velocity is a squared term, so seemingly minor differences in weight can make a big difference in how your shoulder feels.

A small sandbag between the stock and your shoulder can help greatly for bench sessions - the weight of the bag is added to the weight of the gun for recoil purposes and the greater surface area spreads the blow better. And as Jack said, if you ever do get a shot at a deer you won't feel or hear a thing.
 
Also, in the old model 37's , you can hold the trigger and just pump it, if the deer where to charge at you trying to commit suicide!
 
atmay said:
True that. After shooting my shotgun, yours actually felt good to shoot.
Click to expand...
I've always said it if wasn't semi-auto and magazine fed it would be boring to shoot [laugh]

Don't worry about getting any ribbing for wearing a shoulder pad or using a recoil reducer. When I was a mechanic I would always wear mechanics gloves with tools and rubber gloves with fluids and would get slack for it all the time. I always went home with clean hands and never have to worry about cancer scares though [wink]
 
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NWanner said:
Pick up a Saiga-12, I shot about 50 slugs out of mine at the Pumpkin Shoot and another 200rds of birdshot with no bruising or soreness what-so-ever [wink]
Click to expand...


I could shoot the Wolf Surplus birdshot out of my Saiga with no issue, but Remington Slugger kicked my ass. Is your Saiga still the stock configuration?
 
DCR said:
I could shoot the Wolf Surplus birdshot out of my Saiga with no issue, but Remington Slugger kicked my ass. Is your Saiga still the stock configuration?
Click to expand...

Birdshot has a lot less recoil than slugs. That is true of any shotgun.
 
Shotgun recoil? I don't notice it much anymore... that is unless I am shooting 3" mags from a pistol grip.

And yes I still have the 1/2 scar from the car shoot this year, but that is what you get from basically shooting 12GA and 54R for 5+ hours with out really breaking unless the gun was way to hot to touch...[wink]
 
Were you shooting while standing or from the bench? I find it hurts a whole lot more when shooting from the bench.
 
Sissy.... [laugh2]


When shooting a light slug gun like my walking gun, I will put an extra pad between me and the gun for sighting in. Not much else you can do if you don't want to increase the weight of the gun itself.
 
I have a stoeger uplander double bbl 12ga. It has no recoil pad and the high brass loads hurt like a bitch after a few. More than 3 or 4 shots and i wake up the next day with a well bruised shoulder. IMO, it's the joy of shotgunning. I shot my buddy's gun that had a recoil pad (don't remember what it was) and I thought it just seemed kind of gay. No pain no gain.

Now my old New England Firearms break action single shot 12ga with 3" magnum slugs was murder to shoot. In that case, too much pain to shoot more than a few shots. Took that out to the sand pit one day to destroy a non functional 37" crt TV and my arm was f*cked for a few days after. It was still fun though[wink]
 
dbhn said:
I think I am moving to a 20-gauge next year. I am not that much of a puss, I swear.
Click to expand...


I went through the same thing last week trying to sight in a new scope on my Mossberg 500 12 gauge. It kicks like the proverbial mule. I also have a 20 gauge Rem. 870 with open sights that I use when still hunting. I'm afraid to say I think it kicks every bit as hard. It's a good deal lighter than the 12 so the smaller load is a trade off. For hunting, as others said, I don't notice, but they're just not much fun at the range.
 
You need a pussy pad.

i use one to shoot my 1100. When the season starts i dont notice the recoil because of all the clothing i wear.
 

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