recoil? buck shot vs. bird shot

powernoodle

powernoodle

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I have a Remington 870 and have run some buck shot and slugs through it, but never bird shot.

My mother is considering the purchase of a shotgun for my 81y old dad, who is starting to take on the status of feeble. He has fallen twice in the last month, fracturing his sternum in the first fall.

I am dissuading her from the shotgun purchase, and I think that buck shot (or most certainly slugs) would either knock him down or tear his shoulder off.

So, does bird shot produce substantially less recoil than buck shot, or is there some alternative like an 18 gauge (?) which produces the least amount of recoil? What I'm looking for is the combo of shotgun and shot which produces the least recoil.

What I may point her toward is a .22 revolver, but lets stick to the shotgun at this point.

thanks :thumbup:
 
does bird shot produce substantially less recoil than buck shot
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Yes. 12 gauge field loads are easy on recoil. As long as he holds the stock firmly against his shoulder he'll probably be fine. Let him try it and see how he feels.

If that's too much for him, there are plenty of .410s around cheap. What does he want to shoot, burglars? A .410 loaded with birdshot is plenty powerful enough for burglars at close range -- more powerful than a magnum pistol.
 
Hey PN I know very much how it is with the, having a bad body parts problem. I had to sell ALL of anything that had a kick, because of my shoulder being VERY arthritic. (and I fell back on a chair about 4 weeks ago and now I can't lift my R arm past my shirt pocket) Oh well. OK what he May? be able to fire... I was thinkin a 28 Ga. or a 410 would do the trick, but there are also a few gun mfgs. that make single shot interchangable barrel rifle/pistol combos, that gives ya a bunch of opts, for bird shot. As a 38= a 357 mag birdshot, or other birdshot handguns that should have little kick at all. I hope that gives ya a few ideas. enjoy edgy :thumbup:
 
It depends not only on the load [ weight not shot size] but the powder charge. High velocity loads have greater recoil than target loads . For buck shot the best loads are 'reduced recoil' loads which do fine for home defense.
I would never recommend a gun for anyone who doesn't have good physical and mental ability.
 
Forget 12 ga. Even 20 ga. may be too much. In this case, I 2nd the .410. With all the interest in the Taurus Judge, the ammo makers have come out with some viable defense shells. I bought some Russian .410 buckshot that patterns 6 inches at 10 yards out of my old Iver Johnson single. That's more then good enough and recoil is light. Obviously, it won't compete with 9 00 buck, but I sure wouldn't to be on the receiving end.

Take a look at the Mossberg 500 in .410.
 
powernoodle said:
My mother is considering the purchase of a shotgun for my 81y old dad, who is starting to take on the status of feeble. He has fallen twice in the last month, fracturing his sternum in the first fall.
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If he is feeble mentally, do not give him a firearm. You are asking for all sorts of trouble here.

If he is only feeble physically, you need to really reduce the recoil. The same shot weight with the same powder load is the same recoil. It is all about physics and the laws of physics haven't changed.

A 20 guage with light buckshot loads is pretty soft.

For birdshot, there are a lot of armchair quaterbacks that say great things about it. I have shot it at stuff that is reasonable for home defense and found it to be ineffective. What I need to find is an old leather jacket that is worn out someday that I can shoot with birdshot to see how that would work. If you think birdshot is what you want, find a scrap of sheetrock, some scrap lumber, and test it for yourself. At contact distances, maybe. At longer distances, not for me. YMMV
 
All Shotguns have a fair amount of kick, I think a "Proper fitting" 12 with field loads is about as mild as your going to get. Try a load like Winchesters 2 3/4 inch Super target in that 12 ga. 870 of yours.. They are 2 3/4 dram , 1 oz of # 7 1/2 shot.
As I mentioned above "Proper fit" and his ability to mount it correctly has ALL to do with his Recoil experience. Not so much the Gauge.
 
Proper fit really does matter. An M1 Garand will knock me into next week if I don't tuck it firmly into my shoulder pocket.

Be wary of cheap 12 guage loads from big box places. They are generally loaded hot so people don't complain about wimpy loads. Quail don't need a lot of powder with birdshot to make the feathers fly. ;)
 
Yea they still might be too much. I would say if you still want a shotgun might try 20g. Still recommend 22 rifle over anything.
 
If he is not physically sound I gotta say a .410 is my pick.
If it has to be the 870, get some "light" loads by Winchester, very low recoil.
All loads have "drams" and load size, oz, go as easy as you can there.
The big box cheapies kick!
Dozier (not bob)
 
a gas operated gun like a Rem1100 is softer shooting than a pump like an 870.... if determined on getting a shotgun rather than something like a Ruger 10/22 kept ready with loaded mag and empty chamber where you need to charge it for safety.... go for one of the mentioned sorbathane recoil absorbing butt pads, and think about a 20 or better yet a 28gauge...a step up from the .410.... downside is that ammo is a little hard to find outside of a skeet range, but you could probably have someone custom load OO or #4 buck....ask around your local skeet range, most of the handloaders are using 7/8oz loads even in 12ga and if you decide on a pump gun, can really reduce the powder charge
 
bird shot at short ranges will do a more evil number to a perp than a slug - but is not as likely to penetrate 2 layers of 1/2" drywall as a slug or 00 buck.
I vote for 20 gauge due to availability and price of ammo.
+1 on the vote for a semi-auto, too.
I also suggest getting a sorbethane pad and possibly having some lead added to the stock to increase the weight of the shotgun. more weight = less felt recoil.
 
and love it. $117! It is a great little gun. The .410 is a decent little round. I put some slugs and some bird shot through it and it worked like a charm. I was amazed with the little gun. I wanted to pick it up and introduce my daughter to shooting a long gun so I put a Limbsaver on it.

No recoil to speak of and really accurate.

After putting the .22 barrel on I was totally sold. I was hitting quarter sized pieces of skeet at 15 yards with the fiber optic sights.

There will always be one of these little beauties in my truck with 100 rounds of .22 and a couple of boxes of assorted .410s from now on.

BTW the same day I shot my 870 with a Knoxx stock and even with the Knoxx the 12 would be out of the question in my opinion.

Best to you and yours,

Rick
 
powernoodle said:
My mother is considering the purchase of a shotgun for my 81y old dad, who is starting to take on the status of feeble. He has fallen twice in the last month, fracturing his sternum in the first fall.

I am dissuading her from the shotgun purchase, and I think that buck shot (or most certainly slugs) would either knock him down or tear his shoulder off.

What I may point her toward is a .22 revolver, but lets stick to the shotgun at this point.
Click to expand...

Even a 20 gauge with birdshot will kick too much for your dad. .410 double with exposed hammers would be nice, if you can find one. Mossberg used to make a .410 pump with a vertical foregrip. Saiga makes an autoloader. H&R has the Snake Charmer.

A S&W 622 would be better.
 
stealthchaser13 said:
Also, get him a knoxx or similar recoil reducing stock...
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Yeah..!! I was tryin to remember that name, so I left it off my opts list. Knoxx makes a newer mod. now that has 95% reduction. I will put up a pic later on for ya. enjoy edgy :thumbup:
Oh and the one I found was $117.00 New (I bet some others have lower sales. but if you have the 870 now, for the $117 it should be Very good.
 
Hey PN. I was looking at this catalog the night before your post and had seen this. From Knoxx. Looks like it may do the trick for ya. enjoy edgy :thumbup:
 

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Sorry to say, PW, but if he fractured his sternum he probably has no business shooting a shotgun.

You need as little recoil as possible. I'd recommend a Mossberg 500e, .410, with a really good recoil pad and running either #4 shot or 000. Whatever has less recoil. Might be light enough he could shoot it from the hip. I only recommend the Mossberg over the 870 because the safety in on the upper tang. Don't have to go looking for it and you can push it forward with your thumb as you're pulling back on the trigger if circumstances were that dire.
 
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