# 12ga.



## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

I was wondering if a 12ga. would be too much gun for me? I guess I am a pretty good sized guy and the 16ga. that I have doesnt seem to have any kick to it at all but I know that a 12ga. has more power so I was wondering what you guys thought. I will get a chance to shoot one my dads but not until we go to my grandmas at Thanksgiving. :sniper:


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

I've shot 20 gauges that kicked harder than a 12 gauge. All depends on load fired, gun fit and recoil pad installed. Remember felt recoil is just that....felt and it is different for each shooter. Any gun can be made to feel a little less in the recoil department by a simple adjustment of a few parameters.

Actually I have a little Rossi single shot 410 youth model that weighs around 3.5- 4 pounds that I had intended to give to my son-in-law for my grand daughter to shoot. After I fired off a few 3 inch mag loads in it I changed my mind real fast. That little gun slaps the fire out of you and I know of nothing to discourage a young shooter more than a hard kicking gun.


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

Ya at the hunter education course I took we shot skeet with a 20ga youth single shot and that little thing would buck pretty good.


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

I saw a 12ga. winchester ranger 1300 speed pump for $243 at walmart. Is that a good price?


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

It was a walnut field not a ranger and it has been there for at least a year, any suggestions :huh:


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## woodcanoeguy (Oct 8, 2005)

If you have a nice 16 ga. it will pattern 1 oz of lead shot better than any 12 ga load....shoot it and enjoy a lighter gun to carry.


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

Will a 12 get better range or be more effective in thick cover? because this one spot I hunt rabbit and pheasant has thick cover that rabbits run through and the pheasants seemed to flush a little to far for a 16.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

I would go with a 20 ga , however in the long run a 12 ga will be better. Dont worry you can handle a 12 ga if you want to. shotguns all kick pretty good just suck it up and next thing you know it does not bother you! I have been using a 12 ga well ever since I was 12. The barrel of the gun used to be as hight as my shoulder and I shot it all the time, used to have a big ole black and blue shoulder but I lived and so will you.


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

No you don't have to suck it up and you don't have to live with a bruised shoulder. Any shotgun can be fitted to be a pleasant shooting firearm and if anyone tells you different, just chalk it up as someone that never learned the proper way to set their gun up.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Allright Gohan tell him how to set up his 6lb shotgun that recoils like a 458 win mag with buckshot, so its nice and easy on his widdow shoulder. :lol:


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

Would a heavier 12ga. have less kick than a lighter one and is a 26 or a 28 inch barrel better?


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

I read that the mossberg 835 12ga. is over bored almost to 10ga. dimensions to reduce muzle climb and felt recoil. Any body got one?


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

Bore, in the first place most shotguns weigh 7 plus pounds, not 6 pounds. Second, perceived or felt recoil is just that. Each person perceives recoil different than the next person even when shooting the same gun. The gun that made you cry and have to suck it up may have been a ***** cat to a 110 pound woman standing next to you. The 450 Winchester Mag will produce a average of 62.3 FPE calculated recoil. The average 12 gauge shotgun shooting a 2.75 inch 1 ounce load will produce 17.3 fpe. It goes up from there to as much as 45.0 fpe for the 2.75 inch 1.5 ounce load. This is all with a 7.5 pound gun which is the norm for shotguns. The 3 inch and 3.5 inch shells can reach as high as 54.0 fpe in the 12 gauge depending on load. All of these factors can be dramatically reduced with proper stock fit, quality recoil pads and recoil reducers being installed. And to think all this time you have had to suck it up just because you didn't know how reduce the kick from your shotgun. Me, well I shot three boxes of shells just this morning in my Remington 12 gauge auto and never once had to suck it up.....


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

Does any one know of a good affordable double barrel shotgun, preferibly with double trigger?


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Check our Rossi guns they have a cowboy action double barrel that looks good for cheap! Just dont forget to get the proper stock fit, Quality recoil pads and install recoil reducers. oke:


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

See..................... you learned something. And it was actually painless huh.......... :wink:


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

I recently switched from a 16 gauge to a 12 gauge, and I'm a tiny girl. If my whopping 109 lbs. can take the kick, I think you could too!

:wink:


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

Ya I think I'm just a tad heavier than 109 lbs.:lol:


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## greenheadfallon (Oct 19, 2005)

Try someone elses 12g then make your choice.


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

I think thats what I am going to do this thanksgiving I am going to shoot my dads 12ga. It is light though will that make a difference? I think my 870 16ga wieghs more.


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

At Scheel's, I had trouble deciding between the Winch 1300 12 or 20 gauges, I just didn't know. The 12 ga was about two and a half inches longer in the barrel, and weighed more too. With the 20 ga, I could hold all of the weight of the gun with my back hand on the gun; with the 12 ga, I had my back hand supporting weight _and_ my front hand supporting weight on the pump. If I were to be shooting at clay pigeons all day, yes, I would have chosen the 20 ga, but I'm not, so I got the 12 ga. Yeah, it's heavier, but I get more lead out with that. Scheel's actually has a thing where you can try out a gun for 30 days, if you don't like it, you can exchange it for another gun. I ended up like mine enough to keep it.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Ranger_Compact , What are you doing using, a picture of me under yer screen name!?


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

^I don't know...what was I _thinking_?!^


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

Does shotgun weight affect kick?


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

Yes, but not in a bad way! Guns like the Remington Express-really light-kick really hard, the gun has no weight to absorb the shock. But my heavier Winchester 1300 12 gauge absorbs more of the kick. Trust me, as long as you don't get gun-shy, you'll be fine. My dad says my gun kicks harder than his 12 gauge, which is also a Winch 1300. So I'm guessing the more stock a gun has the easier the kick is? What shotguns are you considering? I don't know if you've ever shot a Benelli, but they are too heavy for even the biggest guys I know. They just weigh too much! I wouldn't suggest getting one of those. Everyone I know that has owned one, sold it within a year of buying it.


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

the weight makes it "feel" like less kick because a light gun has a very sharp bite instead of a hard push like with the heavier gun. if ur lookin for a double (which id recommend to anyone) then maybe u should look at the baikal o/u 12ga . i have an IZH-27EM. beautiful and really nice to shoot. its got the 28" barrels and it has a little more girth to it for bigger guys like me 

i also have an old (but an excellent swinger) stevens 335 sxs 12ga that will snap ur collar bone if u shoot those high speed steel shells outta it!!! it only weighs 1 lb less than the o/u but its the difference in stock length and drop that hurts me. my thumb smashes my nose when i shoot high brass in it haha

the baikal has only one trigger but its much easier to shoot than double triggers, especially for a beginner

and its very affordable


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## Colonel Sanders (Sep 24, 2005)

I was thinking of going with the spartan spr220 double trigger in 12ga. but I dont know if I will get it right away I might go with a pump like the winchester 1300 walnut field or something like that. Are side by sides hard to get used to?


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

it takes time to get used to any gun. sxs's are nice to shoot once u learn how to do it. if ur shooting to the right, put the bird over the left barrel. opposite for left swing. its not exact, but neither is a scattergun. an old sxs isnt going to pattern as nice as a new one.


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

So did you ever decide on a shotgun???


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Recoil is percieved differently by each individual. The factors (shotgun weight, gauge, fit, load, shooter size, facial structure, experience, etc) are almost too many too list.

A big factor is experience & comfort . The more you shoot, particularly firearms that do have substantial recoil, the less you pay it any notice.
With experience and practice, you will learn how to anticipate & control the recoil. It's a learned skill, kind of like driving. Also bear in mind the majority of wingshooting is done from a relaxed standing position, so the shooter rolls with recoil, and it is felt less.

Fit is very important as well. If your weapon fits you well, it will impart less felt recoil. I personally feel many shotguns are made with too long of LOP (14"+) for the average shooter. Go to a gunshop and shoulder a few different makes & models, you will soon see which ones feel "right" when you bring them up.

Bear in mind there's no two ways around it, firearms recoil, and as performance increases, so too does recoil. You want a certain level of performance, it comes with a commensurate level of recoil.

I take it from your posts you are an entry level hunter looking for his first shotgun. Here's my suggestion. Go look at a Winchester 1300 Black Shadow 12 gauge. The 13.75" LOP is very comfortable for the average guy, they are well built & easy to maintain, practically indestructable, and can be had new for around $230. The 3" 12 gauge chambering allows you a wide selection of ammo options, from light target/dove loads to 3" magnum goose loads.

Talk to you later, CS, I'm off for a weekend of pheasant hunting!

Lastly, recoil is a part of shooting


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