Recoil reducing devices

[penpusher]

1.Do mercury recoil reducers work.

2.What the dangers of using them in case of a leak

3.Are they better than recoil reducers using weight and spring in a tube.

4.How effective are the above two in comparison to just adding weight to the gun.

5.Are hydraulic recoil reducers better/more effective

6.Would a person get better results with a good quality recoil pad designed for heavy recoiling rifles rather than adding weights or using recoil reducers.

7.Which is the most effective recoil pad in the mkt.

8.Is import of recoil pads legal.Can they be imported through post ?Know of anybody who imports them or has any.

Take care,
penpusher

[mehulkamdar]

penpusher,

Mercury recoil reducers do work. I have never heard of one breaking ior leaking. Many believe that they work by just adding weight to a gun - I am not an expert and you could post on the Accurate Reloading Forums to get more information. Those guys shoot guns that could seriously injure people if they didn't do their job right and they would explain the various issues to you. I have never heard of spring type (like shock absorbers actually) recoil reducers being used on rifles. They are mostly used on trap or skeet guns.

There are several good recoil pads - the Limbsaver, the Sorbothane Kick-Eze etc. Check out the websites of the various companies and pick one you like. All of them work very well - in a competitive market like the US, something that didn;t work well wouldn't last long.

Cheers,

Mehul

[Vikram]

penpusher,

Mercury bars are one way of adding weight to the gun. Depends how you want your gun balances. For a shotgun shooter the balance may be more important. How do you intend to add weight to your gun/rifle other than mercury bars? So far, I never come across anyone posting on the leakage of mercury. At the end of it, weight is the best counter to recoil. However, recoil pads help lessen the felt recoil. Also, especially in case of shotguns, gun fit is paramount. Shorter/longer guns both make you feel uncomfortable, cheek slap etc.Our Astra SXS always slapped my cheek as it is way short for me. Correct fit is imp. Adding a meatier recoil pad may increase the LOP on a shotgun and may bring in ?fit? issues. A properly fitting shotgun may not need something like this. And I never heard of anyone using mercury rods with a shotgun.

With a rifle, while fit is important too, reduced recoil helps definitely in not developing a flinch and hence contributing to enhanced/steady accuracy. They say that the recoil of a 12 bore and a 30/06 rifle are about same and both are not really hard hitting. So, depends on what calibre you are thinking of. Both limb-saver and Kick-Eze are well known brands and are said to help reduce felt recoil. Being just a piece of rubber, plastic, importing them should not be a problem.

Hope this helps. Also, most of this is gathered from the readings on the net and any mistakes here are totally mine. I am sure our experts will chip in.

Best- Vikram

[Grumpy]

Mercury recoil reducers work on the principle of inertia although the extra mass added aids in the suppression of felt recoil. I`ve only tried one rifle fitted with the system - a Weatherby .460 Mag ( number one on my pet list of most detestable calibres ) - and it undoubtedly did ease the recoil.....though not hugely and the sensation was most peculiar.
The spring/piston types of recoil reducing device can also be very effective in reducing felt recoil but they are only really suitable for shotguns used in pre-mounted disciplines such as trap as the extra mass doesn`t exactly aid handling.
As Vikram says, the best way to make a badly recoiling shotgun much more comfortable is to have it properly fitted to you - the drop, cast and length of pull all all need to be optimum. A properly fitted gun is a joy to shoot - and considerable improves ones` shooting.
The length of pull and height of the comb on a rifle should also be correctly adjusted to ensure optimum comfort.
As far as recoil pads are concerned I like Pachmyers` `Kick Eze` ....... Horrible name but the most effective recoil pad ( for both rifle and shotgun ) in my opinion.

[Grumpy]

Um.......yeah. Honest guv, I didn`t touch anything - it just kept chucking this `Failed Email` `Debug Mode` message at me.
Er, I seem to have made my point anyway.......Five times over !

[Grumpy]

I GIVE UP !

[mehulkamdar]

Grumpy,

Must be some bug in the software. I've deleted the repeated posts. Abhijeet is the expert here. He should fix this soon.

Cheers,

Mehul

[eljefe]

penpusher,
What caliber do you have in mind?
best
Axx

[HSharief]

Also look at the various sliding comb recoil reducers. I feel that these are more "appropriate" as the cheek of the shooter stays put on the comb while the rest of the gun recoils under the comb.

There are a few sliding combs that I know of : G-Squared, Clyde Slide, Hydeal, Stock Lock and the PFS. I'm not sure if the PFS is a sliding comb stock. The Stock Lock by Dawson Enterprises is the most expensive and most beautiful of them I think as they make the entire stock, not just modify your existing stock.

I don't know if these are used on rifles, but I'm thinking, they can be, only with stronger recoiling mechanisms.

Here are some pictures I found of a few of them.

Hydeal



G-Squared


PFS



Stock Lock

[mehulkamdar]

Sharief,

A rifle needs to be aimed and to have a consistent position on the shooter's shoulder and in his hands - I am guessing that these gadgets would detract from it because of the movement of the pad on the springs. Yes, recoil pads also move somewhat, but I would think that something like this would make the rifle move back and forth more than an inch, making it impossible to get a consistent hold on it.

In any case, we have one of the world's top authorities on big bore guns, Nick who posts under the ID "Stripes" as a member here. I would hope that he notices this thread and gives us some expert advice whenever he finds time.

I hate recoil myself and my way of avoiding it is to avoid heavyr ecoiling rifles.

Cheers,

Mehul

[Vikram]

Reading Mehul's post on rifle's movement and accuracy, I remembered this.

While the .303 Enfields that I shot during the NCC days always gave a sharp whack, the Bren light machine gun firing the same rounds was a purring, if a bit loudly, feline. Of course the weight of the Bren and the bipod considerably lessened the recoil, the butt was spring mounted and there in deed is a play like that of a shock-absorber. Wonder what effect it had on accuracy. But, it never was intended to use like a precision shooting instrument. It had a beaten zone than a precise point of aim. And this may be the reason, we , at least I, haven't seen a spring mounted recoil reducing mechanism on a hunting or a competition rifle. It will be interesting to read our experts.

Best-

Vikram

[penpusher]

Thanks for all the replies.The reason why I asked is a recent session with the Greener GP shotgun firing IOF Magna cartridges.It took my shoulder 2 days to recover.Sorry if I gave the impression that I was talking about a rifle,my mistake.The shotgun has a fossilised Greener recoil pad and too short a stock for me.Will switch over to 2.5 inch shells and see if it makes a difference.Was thinking of going to the US and getting some shooting related stuff while there along with getting my father's pistol and my shotgun repaired,but have dropped the idea.Have i)a beard , ii) tie a turban and am iii) Asian(a strip search would be mandatory considering my looks). Don't want any unpleasant experience/s. Will go somewhere else.

Vikram

Auto rifles have less recoil and in case you fire the same cartridge from a LMG the recoil would be even less.Try a MMG.Very pleasant to shoot but try carrying it Incidentally saw a water cooled MG with the BSF some years ago. For the life of me can't remember the calibre though.


Take care,
penpusher

[Vikram]

penpusher,

Not trying to play Mr Knows All, but my humble suggestion.

Try finding the best fit for you.

Length of pull... When you mount the gun you should have an inch or inch and a half distance from your nose to your trigger hand's thumb. Depending on this, you can make adjustments.

Comb... When you mount the gun your shooting eye should be lined up with the rib of the shotgun.You can adjust the comb by taking wood off the comb or adding material.

I agree with you Re Auto guns having less felt recoil. Apart from the LMG, I did shoot the whole bunch of infantry small arms, including the MMG, while spending a month with the 4 Assam Rifles during an Army Attachment . The reason why I mentioned the Bren was, it has a distinct movement in the stock much like that of a shock-absorber. This was to link it to Mehul's observation.

The 2 1/2" shells may still pack a bit of wallop. I shot a few with 391 Urika of a friend of mine here.

Best-

Vikram

[mehulkamdar]

penpusher,

I have long hair and a beard - I don't wear a turban though. Believe me, all of the scare mongering is nothing more than pure, undiluted horse manure. I was warned by the resident idiots in my family that I would never get my green card because of my looks. I got in in 15 minutes. I have travelled through several airports in the US within the country as well as on overseas trips - never had to endure any BS.

Just make sure that you have the right paperwork if you're bringing your guns here for repairs and then bring them over following the required procedures. I can assure you that you won't have a problem at this end, at least. As an Indian, I am sorry t0o say that I cannot assure you that you would not have problems on your return to India.

Mehul

[kanwar76]

Have i)a beard , ii) tie a turban and am iii) Asian(a strip search would be mandatory considering my looks).
Take care,
penpusher

That's my biggewst worry now days

I will get a visa...

I won't get a visa....

I will get a visa...

I won't get a visa....

I will get a visa...

I won't get a visa....



Inder