recoil reducers

[walt cowan]

anyone here make thier own recoil reducers? so far as i've read, 3/4 inch copper pipe cut to lenght and filled with lead or lead shot. also alcohol and grease. could just buy one but, i'm cheap. ;D any pointers or sujestions?

[MarkKw]

Stay away from anything liquid unless you don't mind getting crapped up at the wrong time. I also don't care for anything that moves as in shot. I assume you're going to install it in the hole bored in the stock for the attachment bolt. In this case, I've yet to find anything to fit these holes snugly but 3/4 copper tube is usually close, a few wraps of duct tape around the center will usually snug it up so there is no slop. Cut the tube length so it's about 1/2" shorter than the bored hole. Filled completely with lead you're going to add a good deal of weight so I usually start with a half fill. Since the solder-on caps won't fit in the stock hole, clamp the tube vertically in a vise so that one end sits tight on the vise arm so it won't leak. Oh, scuff the inside as best you can and apply some flux so the lead sticks and won't slop inside the tube. Bend piece of steel wire into a U shape putting a J bend on each of the free ends, make it 1/4" longer than the tube from the J's to the U. This will cast into the lead and give you a loop to pull the snubber out with. Set the wire inside the tube and pour your lead and let cool then wash with soap and water to remove any residual flux so it does not harm the gun.

Don't make the fit to the stock real tight, you just want it snug so it does not move on it's own. Be sure to seat it tight against the bolt/screw head and place a piece of rubber between the wire pull hook and the buttplate to prevent so it applies a small amount of pressure against the wire to ensure there is no movement. Be careful not to crack a plastic plate doing this! If the half tube of lead don't do the trick, add another 1/4 and try again filling completely if you need to.

These work well as long as you don't mind adding the weight.

[walt cowan]

thats just what i was looking for. thanks.

[bubba]

just curious, wouldnt PVC piping work too?

[MarkKw]

PVC will melt long before the lead cools and when it gets cold it will shatter like glass.

[Rifleman]

I have used pvc with lead shot and plugged the ends with pig putty, works great,is fast, and holds.

[Blue-Dot-37.5]

I went a different route. But, unless you have access to a lathe, it's more expensive! ;D I made my own air charged shock absorber, installed it in the stock along with making a movable comb. The comb is attached to the buttpad, and stays in place on your cheek. The gun moves rearward under the comb for approx 3/4"-7/8" upon recoil, then the charged shock pushes the gun back forward. It doesn't "remove" recoil, it just spreads it out over a longer time so the perceived recoil is WAY less.

Blue-Dot-37.5

[easydave]

I went to the farm supply store and bought a piece of gas line pipe the same diameter (almost) as the hole in my stock. They also had these neoprene plugs that that fit in the end of the pipe real tight. If you don't have some kind of plug make something to act as a bumber between the bolt that holds the stock on the gun, and the recoil reducer. Cut the recoil pipe to length so it will fit in the stock about one-eighth inch short of the buttplate. Put the recoil reducer in a vice and fill it with lead shot. Heat it with a torch to melt the lead. You will have to add lead until it almost reaches the top.
You may have to put a piece or two of duct tape on the reducer to make it fit in the stock snug. Before you put the reducer in the stock, drill a small hole in the very end of it that a small wood screw will fit through. Put the reducer in the stock. Drill a small pilot hole inside the hole you just drilled in the reducer, and into your stock. Now put in a wood screw to hold you reducer in place in the stock. The screw will keep your reducer from moving up and back. You will be surprised the difference this weight will make. I hope you underrstood these directions. Have fun. Dave

[huntermike]

Does all this weight really throw the balance off? My slug gun with scope and ammo is already over ten pounds I think.

[MarkKw]

I prefer a little more weight in the stock than up front. Most shotguns will balance pretty good when empty yet when you stuff 'em full of heavy loads, you end up with more weight in front of the balance point. I know my Mossburg 500 is like this, she's quite good feeling empty yet when you put a 3" 2 ounce load in the pipe and two more in the tube, she's no longer the smooth feeling gun anymore. The additional weight, even slightly forward of the balance point is enough to mess up your shooting. The muzzle will tend to go down as you swing and 99% of people will shoot under game because of this. If you put more weight in the stock, most every over the counter gun will tend to feel and flow better...even rifles and especially those with moderate weight barrels. Try holding a sight picture on a target off hand and see how long it takes before you start moving around. Then do the same thing but add some weight near the butt and see how much easier it is to hold steady for a longer time. The butt is the anchor and the more it resists movement, the less work you need to do with your forearm hand. There are only two ways to effectively quell recoil; one is by adding a muzzle break that works and the other is by adding weight. Some people don't like the added weigh so this is one of those things you have to tailor to your needs and likes. Easiest way to try is by filling an old shot bag or the like with some shot or sand and suspend it off a string loop you can slide onto the stock and just allow the bag to hang. You can adjust the weight and position of the bag very easy and see if it helps or not before going through a lot of work making a weight for the stock.

[retrieverman]

The best recoil reducer that I have found is a Simms Limbsaver recoil pad. I have one on my Benelli and all my rifles. They have worked wondes for me.