I've never shot K guns much, using a Perazzi to compete and the 687 for doves, so never noticed the heavy top lever spring you speak of.
One interesting note for first time planners to Cordoba. The weight of the gun is a two edged sword. A heavy gun will certainly moderate recoil, but will kill your arm muscles lifting it thousands of times a day, according to some I've shot with. Conversely, a light gun will not bother you mounting all day but will pound you more. Personally, the weight of the 30" 687 20 gauge is just right for me. I've never had any recoil issues nor had any fatigue at lifting it at the end of the day. I do use a Kick-Killer leather lace on pad, for lengthening the pull by 1/2", but it has the added benefit of spreading the recoil area of the butt over a larger area than the factory recoil pad.
Could not agree more !
In theory, a heavy 12 gauge clays gun with 24gr shells would be the best choice, but only a weigh lifter could mount and swing it thousands of times for several days in a row.
As far as bruising, some things help: Layers are good, a couple of t-shirts and a vest, or/and a recoil reducer will help a lot.
I've seen a few ugly examples, most of them related to poor gun mount and not having proper protection.
A lot of people with gun mounting issues are only aware of it when shooting the kind of volume that SA has, as "normal" shooting back home in one season is only a fraction of what they experience in a few days in Argentina
