Gentlemen:

I have a dear friend who has undergone several surgeries for both of his bad shoulders (he's a retired carpenter who did lots of drywall work). He's thinking about joining me sometime this Fall "up Nort" to chase a few ruffed grouse but he's concerned about recoil and his surgically re-built shoulders. Since I'm completely ignorant of how a "rebuilt" shoulder actually works (or doesn't) I'd like to get some information of the subject from a few of the seasoned veterans here.

A .410 double comes immediately to mind as a solution here (& I happen to have one) but it that really a solution? This gun also has 28-gauge tubes and they seem pretty "soft" to me (w/minimal recoil) as well. Heck, even my English 16 seems pretty tame. Can anybody here speak to this subject and add a little clarity?