doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Short chambers and recoil?

All elements kept equal but chamber length, is there any reason a shotgun would have more recoil when firing a 2 &3/4" shell in a shorter chamber? Thanks for the replies!

Ben, I don't know the scientific answer but can tell you after shooting tens of thousands 2 3/4" shells in both 2 1/2" and 2 5/8" chambers I can't tell any difference in recoil.

I've heard anecdotal reports of increased recoil, even with British shells especially designed for guns with 2 1/2" chambers (but in slightly longer cases), on a few very old guns with short and sharply-angled forcing cones. Seems to be more a function of the cone than it does chamber length. Like Joe, I've shot a lot of 2 3/4" shells, reloaded to appropriately low pressures, in guns with short chambers, without any significant increase in recoil. Sherman Bell, in his "Finding Out for Myself" series in DGJ, did report a slight increase in pressure with some 2 3/4" shells in 2 1/2" chambers. But a pressure increase does not necessarily equate to a recoil increase.

Dad's Fox AE 20 2.5 chamber shot many cases of 2.75 shells and is still sound but it did go through 3 stocks. In my experience it a stock splitter.
bill

Thanks to all for your replies. You confirm my thinking that the situation would not effect recoil. Thanks again.

Actual recoil is only a function of gun weight, weight of shot and velocity of that shot.
Felt recoil is a subjective quantity and you find 'theories' and I use the term 'theory' loosely, all over the place but mostly concerns what is technically called 'impulse' or how the force applied acts over time. Shooting a 2&3/4" shell in a 2&1/2" chamber may cause other problems but not recoil related.-Dick

If the shooter is sensing buttstock acceleration as felt recoil, as opposed to total recoil, then there could be the following issue. The payload is constant in weight, so the rearward acceleration of the gun will be basically (neglecting the powder gas portion of the acceleration) proportional to the forward acceleration of the payload. Acceleration will be basically proportional to pressure except that there may be a slight additional acceleration in the forcing cone if it is sized and shaped such as to have some venturi effect on the shot charge. Also, per Bell, there might be enough pressure rise to increas acceleration enough for a shooter very sensitive to acceleration to sense it as increased recoil.

I would not totally discount the possibility, but would add that my experience, which seems to match general experience, is that it is not a factor for me.

One of these years at a large event perhaps a blind firing test of felt recoil could be set up and put an end to the endless discussions of felt recoil, perceived recoil and actual recoil as relates to velocity, short chambers, short and long forcing cones pressures.

Bill, I'd be more inclined to blame it on the game loads you were probably shooting than them being 2-3/4". The same thing would happen with 2-1/2" high velocity, high pressure loads.
Now a Parker would handle it a little better. "wink"

My 3" chamber Uggy is a kicker. Someone in the past saw to a recoil pad (no wonder about why, at least) and a tiny crack is developing up next to the tang.
All I've ever fired are 2 3/4 1 1/8th oz trap loads, it still bites me.
A few others have reported the Uggies hit them hard. Mine has tight bores and chokes, maybe forcing cones as well. I'll have some sense put into it via Mike Orlan when I have some spare coin, hope it helps.


Best,
Ted