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Bourjaily: Do-It-Yourself Recoil Reducer
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May 11, 2009
Bourjaily: Do-It-Yourself Recoil Reducer
By Philip Bourjaily
A week ago I picked up a cool late-70s vintage 870 Wingmaster. It’s left-handed, with a 30-inch, Full-choked, 2 3/ 4-inch barrel. I found it in great shape and at the unbeatable price of $250. I didn’t really need it, but because I help coach the new trapshooting club at my son’s high school, almost any gun acquisition is now justifiable on the grounds that “one of the kids might need to shoot it.”
After a few shots I decided it kicked too much, thanks to the hockey-puck hard factory recoil pad on the end and an overall lack of weight.
I replaced the factory pad with a pre-fit Sims Limbsaver, and before I put the new pad on I dropped an Edwards recoil reducer I had lying around down the bolt hole of the stock.
Better, but the reducer made the gun butt-heavy. I looked through my shooting stuff for a solution, and in my blackpowder box I found the Knight Rifles Speed Shell Tube quick loader shown above. Unlike most quick loaders, this one looked slim enough to fit inside the magazine spring of a 12-gauge pump.
I cut off the plastic piece that connects the top to the tube, and trimmed off the fingernail tab on the cap. Then I filled with lead shot and fixed the cap firmly in place with a wrap of electrician’s tape. It now weighs four ounces and replaces the factory magazine plug almost perfectly and limits the magazine to two shells. Between the Edwards reducer and this one, I’ve added about 12 ounces of recoil-absorbing weight to the 870 without ruining its balance.
Three Speed Shell Tubes sell for $8.99, and I figure they hold roughly .25 worth of shot, so my total investment comes to $3.25.
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Comments (20)
Neat, cheap, and effective. Good idea when teaching new souls to the sport of shooting try to reduce recoil to avoid picking up bad shooting habits!
very ingenius
As my friend in Ireland would say, "Brilliant!" I've got a couple of tupperware stocked shotguns that are going to get the same treatment. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent idea!
beekeeper, "tupperware stocked" is funny stuff.
Bravo Phil,
I love inventive tips like these!
Not too bad. Not bad at all. Pretty smart of ya. I'll give ya credit... something I would never think of.
everybody check out the big brain on phil. way to go macguyver!
I thought that you were so tight you'd squeek when you walk, now you've confirmed my suspitions.
Great idea..
Phil,
Excellent idea.
I know an old guy that shoots clays with a Citori. He has 12 lb of sheet lead wrapped around the butt stock and covered with tape. Talk about a butt heavy gun. He is one of the best shots I have ever seen. He let me shoot the thing and I didn't hit anything with it but, recoil was like a .22 rifle. His name is Howard Hefly (spelling?)and he has written several books about his youth in Arkansas. His father wrapped lead on an LC Smith double when he was a kid and he has done the same with his shotguns ever since.
An unnatural fear of recoil is doing more to ruin the youth of America than meth labs.
Maybe it IS the fear of recoil that is the root cause of the 'shakes' causing their pants to slide down past the cracks of their a$$e$ and inspire the ignorant among us to think that .22 centerfires are ideal deer rifles.
LMAO
Clever idea, Phil.
Recoil is my enemy, and that of the new shooters I introduce to the sport.
Blue
Another fine example of Yankee ingenuity! Does the shotgun still shoulder well or does it affect the swing of the 870?
I'm all for reducing recoil! My shoulder could take it, but my retina could not! Years of shooting heavy-recoiling magnums, such as .416s, took their toll on my eyes, and I nearly lost sight in one eye due to a partially detached retina. Now I look for calibers and guns that can do the job with a lot less recoil. I wonder if this trick would work in a Remington 1100?
I'm kick sensitive and as a rule add wt to the butt end, therfore leaving the forearm lighter which at my age of 73 wt of l28 lbs I can now hold the gun more steady when shoting. I just add enough wt to the stock (Butt end) to get the gun at 9+ or so lbs with a Limbsaver pad and i'm ok for recoil. I as a rule I use a Auto Shotgun which has less recoil than the Dbles, but the dbles have lead added to them as well. I bought a new Rem Custom Shop 700 CDL in 06 in Walnut. I bored a hole in the rear stock and added lead to get at 8+ lbs. Then add the scope, loaded , sling, it's at 9 l/2 lbs and I can shoot well with it.(Firearm is forearm light now) Daves idea is great, bet many who read this will follow suit.Shoot-um-straight and often
Mr. B:
given your receptivity to 870s, Mossbergs and such, I think you should have a little chat with Petzal about the acceptability of affordablde guns.
Good thinking!!!! The Limbsaver pads are GREAT!
ChevJames -- The magazine tubes of 1100s and 870s contain all the same parts. This should work fine in your gun.
Edward Palumbo -- the balance isn't bad on this gun now, it's certainly better after I added the weight in the mag tube.
Jim in NC -- As long as a rifle is accurate and has a good trigger, Dave will like it no matter how much or little it costs. As for me, I will shoot inexpensive guns at waterfowl, turkeys, deer and sometimes clay targets. Upland birds, however, hate behing killed with cheap guns, and I for one won't subject them to that indignity.
Thanks for the plug We have been making Edwards for over 40 years. Guess we've been doing something right!
That's pretty sweet. I used some of the more expensive recoil reducers, but this looks like it will work just as good. Thanks for looking out for us!
Post a Comment
As my friend in Ireland would say, "Brilliant!" I've got a couple of tupperware stocked shotguns that are going to get the same treatment. Thanks for sharing!
very ingenius
everybody check out the big brain on phil. way to go macguyver!
An unnatural fear of recoil is doing more to ruin the youth of America than meth labs.
I'm kick sensitive and as a rule add wt to the butt end, therfore leaving the forearm lighter which at my age of 73 wt of l28 lbs I can now hold the gun more steady when shoting. I just add enough wt to the stock (Butt end) to get the gun at 9+ or so lbs with a Limbsaver pad and i'm ok for recoil. I as a rule I use a Auto Shotgun which has less recoil than the Dbles, but the dbles have lead added to them as well. I bought a new Rem Custom Shop 700 CDL in 06 in Walnut. I bored a hole in the rear stock and added lead to get at 8+ lbs. Then add the scope, loaded , sling, it's at 9 l/2 lbs and I can shoot well with it.(Firearm is forearm light now) Daves idea is great, bet many who read this will follow suit.Shoot-um-straight and often
ChevJames -- The magazine tubes of 1100s and 870s contain all the same parts. This should work fine in your gun.
Edward Palumbo -- the balance isn't bad on this gun now, it's certainly better after I added the weight in the mag tube.
Jim in NC -- As long as a rifle is accurate and has a good trigger, Dave will like it no matter how much or little it costs. As for me, I will shoot inexpensive guns at waterfowl, turkeys, deer and sometimes clay targets. Upland birds, however, hate behing killed with cheap guns, and I for one won't subject them to that indignity.
Neat, cheap, and effective. Good idea when teaching new souls to the sport of shooting try to reduce recoil to avoid picking up bad shooting habits!
Excellent idea!
beekeeper, "tupperware stocked" is funny stuff.
Bravo Phil,
I love inventive tips like these!
Not too bad. Not bad at all. Pretty smart of ya. I'll give ya credit... something I would never think of.
I thought that you were so tight you'd squeek when you walk, now you've confirmed my suspitions.
Great idea..
Phil,
Excellent idea.
I know an old guy that shoots clays with a Citori. He has 12 lb of sheet lead wrapped around the butt stock and covered with tape. Talk about a butt heavy gun. He is one of the best shots I have ever seen. He let me shoot the thing and I didn't hit anything with it but, recoil was like a .22 rifle. His name is Howard Hefly (spelling?)and he has written several books about his youth in Arkansas. His father wrapped lead on an LC Smith double when he was a kid and he has done the same with his shotguns ever since.
Maybe it IS the fear of recoil that is the root cause of the 'shakes' causing their pants to slide down past the cracks of their a$$e$ and inspire the ignorant among us to think that .22 centerfires are ideal deer rifles.
LMAO
Clever idea, Phil.
Recoil is my enemy, and that of the new shooters I introduce to the sport.
Blue
Another fine example of Yankee ingenuity! Does the shotgun still shoulder well or does it affect the swing of the 870?
I'm all for reducing recoil! My shoulder could take it, but my retina could not! Years of shooting heavy-recoiling magnums, such as .416s, took their toll on my eyes, and I nearly lost sight in one eye due to a partially detached retina. Now I look for calibers and guns that can do the job with a lot less recoil. I wonder if this trick would work in a Remington 1100?
Mr. B:
given your receptivity to 870s, Mossbergs and such, I think you should have a little chat with Petzal about the acceptability of affordablde guns.
Thanks for the plug We have been making Edwards for over 40 years. Guess we've been doing something right!
Good thinking!!!! The Limbsaver pads are GREAT!
That's pretty sweet. I used some of the more expensive recoil reducers, but this looks like it will work just as good. Thanks for looking out for us!
Post a Comment