I shot 50 rounds with my new 6.5 lb gun shooting 7/8 oz and I don't remember getting beat up that bad since my mother beat me as a kid.I was thinking I would like to shoot at the Vintagers shoot but I don't think I could last over 100 rounds.It has a wooden but stock maybe I need a rubber stick on.It could be that it is the first time I shot a clay too but I know it is a lot different than that 9 lb Perazzi. What do you do?
Monty

monty, sumpin's wrong. Most of my shotguns are under 7 pounds and the ones I shoot most are about 6 1/4 pounds and I often shoot 1 oz loads.

I can shoot all day - hundreds of rounds - in my shirtsleeves and not get beaten up and I'm 70 yrs old.

How long have you been shooting and technically speaking, how good is your form? Then, how good is the fit of the gun?

It sounds to me that your shooting form is at fault and that, coincidentally, the gun fit is very poor.

This just shouldn't happen.

It happened to me just once, about 15 years ago when I shot a borrowed gun that was just silly regarding fit.

Them main problem with them is most were built to fit someone else (sometimes with weird dimensions) and not "Joe Avg." The newly made to order ones are priced at levels no mortal man can afford unless they steal money in legal manner. I suspect that is why mass produced Beretta O/U have such appeal among English shooters.

Maybe it is because it is my first day out.I shoot trap and usually 300 is my limit.Seemed to fit pretty good once I figured out how to shoot a s/s at trap.I'll have to start shooting it more I guess.I know It kicks way more that the Perazzi....for sure!

Given equal weight O/U will have less felt recoil then SxS. The vertical gun is far superior weapon imo. I suspect that is why top competitors use them instead of archaic SxS guns.

One easy solution to try is a $30 slip on rubber boot recoil pad. It will also add about 3/4" to LOP, which may help you.

Buy a broken stocked English and get it restocked for you...best of both worlds..I'm just having a lovely 1907 Grant being restocked to fit me...can't wait

T

Get the torches and pitchforks. 'might load a silver ball or two, as well.

Jagermeister, you just threw in the gauntlet. Let the battle begin.

Here ya' go Chuckster

What is the muzzle velocity of those 7/8 oz loads? 7/8 ounce can still rough you up in a light gun if the velocity is high enough.

Did you premount the gun? What are the dimensions?

Last week I shot skeet and trap low gun with a 6-4 16 gauge that I seldom shoot, 1 ounce hand loads, 3" of drop. Beat the snot out of my shoulder. But I noticed my cheek did not have the usual numbness that I have after shooting a high stocked 8.5 pound pre-mounted target gun. Also it took awhile to get my mount worked out with the new gun.

Best,

Mike

If it's unpleasant to shoot, you won't shoot it well.

Back off on payload, slow the loads down, use a recoil pad. The vest inserts from Browning work, as do others.

There's a reason target guns are heavy.

I agree with all,especially Shotgunjones.
Get a pad if there's not one, check your gun fit, hold it nice n firm...but I think slowing down the load will do the most, as your down to 7/8ths already
franc

Have your gunsmith check the head space on your gun relative to the thickness of the heads on your shells. Excessive head space is a common cause of heavy recoil.

Betcha it's all in the fit of the Jeweler's gun. Also I'd consider going to RST's or Polywad Vintagers or even Winchester AA Featherlites.

Watch that nasty talk...

Last Sunday I shot 122 pigeons and a crow with a Henry Egg hammer gun. Using Winchester Western 32g No.6 and Game Bore Pure Gold 28g No.5 shells - 294 in all between 11.00 and 16.00.

Felt a bit kicked around by the end as the gun is short for me at 14 1/4". Generally not too bad though. Your problem is poor gun fit and/or mount.

Dig,

I know you're quite a fan of wood pigeon hunting in the U.K. Since we don't have that species here in the USA, I was curious as to if they are hunted similar to American dove? Do they taste like dove? Do they eat sunflower seeds?

If so, you have 122 filet mignon medallions on your hands. Very jealous!

I've put over 50 rounds of RST 1 oz "Maxi-Lites" through a pair of 6 1/4# Brit guns at the UP SxS Classic, in 2 1/2 minutes. That would make me feel beat up, if I were going to get that feeling. Did not. My usual target load was my own 7/8 oz reloads at low pressure and moderate velocity (around 1150 fps). Those were fine too. Hunted pheasants with those guns. Game Bore Pure Gold 1 1/16 oz in the R barrel, my own 1 1/8 oz reloads in the L. Of course we're talking a 3 bird limit in "American rough shooting", so I was not burning up all that many shells. But those were fine too. Target shooting is definitely more comfortable with my 7 3/4# Parker and the same loads I shot through the Brit guns, but then the extra 1 1/2# of weight, plus a recoil pad, make a lot of difference. The latter is pretty much like no kick at all; the former, kick but very tolerable.

Roy,
Please explain how "Excessive head space is a common cause of heavy recoil."

Woodie shooting in Europe is a great sport anybody can enjoy and w/o having "deep pockets". Fav recipes are 'Spagetti Pigeonnaise' and 'Pigeons Napoleon'. Please note French and Italian culinary lineage.

Steve,I should have said,"excessive head space is a possible cause for excessive recoil."
In answer to your question; I would refer you to the, "Gun Book,"by Gough Thomas, pages 243 --247.The chapter is entitled ,"shotgun head space and excessive recoil." Thomas states that the maximum clearance between the head surface of the shell and the breech face of a British gun shoud not exceed.016 inches. Higher amounts lead to increased recoil due to the release of kinetic energy as the shell moves to contact the breech face; this resultant force translates into an increase in recoil.The article details a simple experiment,that eliminated the excessive recoil on a problem gun. Aluminum foil was glued to the heads of 10 cartridges to reduce head clearance to the allowed limit.These shells were test fired in the problem gun.The result being; recoil reduced to acceptable levels.

Lesse if we can translate "The King's/Queen's speech here" 5 hours and about 1 dead bird for every three shells fired in an Eggbeater Limey hammer gun. Back when John Olin tested his new M21 with those 2000 blue pill over loads, assuming 1000 rds. per each tube- which of all the fine doubles made in the World was the first to "give up the ghost"-- Not a Parker, not a AH Fox, not an Ithaca NID-- British guns are made for light loads, when I go after barn pigeons and crows, I use AA 12 Trap loads of 1 & 1/8" oz. no. 8 shot-- and I can shoot 'em all day long in 7 lb. 4 to 12 ounce weight American shotguns- But would not want to try that with the lightweight Limey guns often with overhoned and extra thin walled tubes--But, if you go with Nash Buckingham's "The Dove" taking one bird for three shells pass shooting with a wind factoring in, not too shabby a performance. Pip[ Pip and Cheerios, Olde Boy!!!

Far from the madding Crowd, Trafalgar Square 1937 perhaps? Sure ain't Dublin in front of Davey Bryne's waterhole.

Nice photo. Don't tell me, Madison, Wisconsin, Circa 2/20/2011?

I think I need some rubber on the butt of the stock. The wood has no give and I am tinder today. I can't imagine shooting 300 rounds for two or three days.I do think the the 7/8 oz loads were 1200 fps.Of course I could always get a precision fit stock with the Hydraulic recoil reducer.I am sure that that would be a first.

Roy,
Can someone explain to me how that notion is consistent with Newton's Third Law of Motion?

It's a G.T Garwood thing. He spreads it kinda thick in places.

Run with the Fox, that Winchester test was fine and he stated how good the Winchester 21 was because it didn't give up the ghost when a Purdey soon did. Bit like testing a John Deere tractor against an Aston Martin by driving them both across a ploughed field to see which went farthest and the tractor coming out tops in the test therefore being acclaimed the better vehicle.

I would go with the bad fit and headspace being the likely problem. Curiously though, a change of cartridge may be a solution. I can recall the old Gevelot Club cartridge. No matter what gun I used after six shots I had a throbbing headache and ten shots would have had me done. That was with a 1 1/8th. ounce load. I put it down to the frequency of the vibrations they caused which was not compatible with whatever was inside my head.

Wood pigeon shooting is just about the best and most testing sport. A good consistant shot with those will find everything else easy. I'm crow shooting tonight, then wood pigeon Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday and will hope to squeeze another day in between if I can. Lagopus.....