Well, I'm sure the lighter 12s do have a bit more recoil but...in older Damascus guns I simply don't push them very hard. RST 7/8 ounce lightweights are more the rule, with the occational 1-ounce load used in the left barrel and nothing very fast ( 1,040-1,100 fps stuff), the birds don't seem to notice.
Lloyd, the "lighter 12s" don't have "more" recoil. It has nothing to do with the gauge. What matters is the weight of the gun, the weight of the ejecta and the speed the ejecta is accelerated to. Physics doesn't care what gauge you are shooting.
A 6 pound 12, a 6 pound 16 and a 6 pound 20 will have the same recoil if they are shooting the same load to the same speed. The difference between them should be ballistics,,,,,,with the larger bore producing the better pattern, theoretically.
This discussion that relates recoil to gauge is nuts......it's recoil to gun weight, load and speed you should be talking about.
