12 gauge recoil

[Magungo1066]

How much does a 12 gauge fowler recoil? Especially with roundball? Comparable to a 12 gauge centerfire? A 30-06?

 

[Carbon 6]

Felt recoil is difficult to objectively measure, but I will definitely say that muzzleloaders tend to kick much less than their modern counterparts.
Muzzleloaders also have the advantage that you can load them down easily.

Round balls in fowlers though, tend to like to be driven fast for accuracy, this adds to recoil especially in some styles.

The lighter a gun is and the straighter the stock is, the more they seem to recoil. Benching a gun or shooting prone can also increase felt recoil.

There are other factors that affect recoil too.

 

[Brokennock]

Not really comparable to a 30-06, maybe if you seriously overload it with a very heavy shot load.

As Carbon6 said, you can easily download to your comfort level.

While roundballs in a smoothbore do tend to want to be driven fast, the felt recoil is still not really comparable to a centerfire. Of course stock design, gun weight, and gun fit/body shape of the shooter all come into play.

In my 20 gauge smoothbores I find my turkey loads to kick harder than my roundball loads. Generally with these loads our shot load by volume weighs more on a scale than our roundball for that gauge. Almost anything that adds pressure will increase felt recoil. A tighter load, tighter wads, more projectile weight. I notice a slight increase in felt recoil, nothing huge or disconcerting, when I add the lube soaked cushion wad of the Skychief load to the same load of powder/shot.

None of these equate to the teeth rattle brain fog inducing kick of modern 12 gauge magnum turkey loads, or heavy bullet hot loads in a lightweight 30-06 rifle.

 

[jerrywh]

The architecture of the stock has more to do with recoil you feel than the load or the gauge. A gun with to little of drop or the wrong pitch will kick the heck out of you. The same gun with the right drop, cast off or on and the right pitch will be very mild. Technically the recoil is the same but the recoil is not transferred to the shooter

 

[Eterry]

I agree with Jerrywh, the design of the gun and stock makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE. Maybe it's just me, but a stout load in a FDC smacks me in the face similar to my 416. My friend has a custom built 10 bore i have shot over 50 times in one afternoon with no problem.

 

[Brokennock]

The last two posts bring up a good point about stock design and recoil. An odd catch 22. Too straight of a stock hits your shoulder harder, too much drop, or too early of a drop at the comb will will bring the stock into your face without a perfect cheek weld. And sometimes even with a perfect cheek weld.

 

[SDSmlf]

You may not control the length of pull, the weight, shape of the butt or the drop of a particular fowler, but you do control the amount powder and shot, and the amount of powder under a ball. Call it an interactive activity.

 

[Belleville]

Had a cut down BB in years past. Hunted rabbits with it some. The pattern was awful and the kick caused head aches. Someone else owns it today. Just my experience, I'll stick with my 20 ga.

 

[TNGhost]

I'd say the recoil of my CVA double, is about the same that of my Fox SXS double in 16ga. maybe a little more push. BP tends to push back, and not slam back, so much, like smokeless.

However as others have said, lots of variables, the amount of powder and weight of projectile(s). The weight of the gun, how the gun fits and how you hold it.

Free recoil is easy to measure technically it just takes into account the weight and velocity of the projectile and the weight of what it was fired from. Simple physics. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Perceived or "felt" recoil is a whole 'nother ballgame and very subjective and is where how the gun fits, how you hold it and even your personal anatomy and psychology come into play.

Most people that have issues with recoil are simply not holding the gun properly.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Instead of a round ball in my 10 gauge, I drop down 3 36 caliber balls that make a triangle. Then I drop a 54 caliber ball on top of the triangle and put a stiff card on top. Works pretty well.

 

[robschweppie]

Instead of a round ball in my 10 gauge, I drop down 3 36 caliber balls that make a triangle. Then I drop a 54 caliber ball on top of the triangle and put a stiff card on top. Works pretty well.

A BUCK AND BALL

 

[smo]

Great info by All.
The Shooters condition / form has a lot to do with perceived recoil..
Shooting fg powder will also lessen felt recoil.
Less Lead will as well.

 

[Gun Tramp]

a 12 gauge centerfire? A 30-06?

What are these things you speak of?

 

[LawrenceA]

What are these things you speak of?

HERESY!
It is heresy I say!!
Next there will be talk of horseless carriages and other such nonsense

 

[Eric Krewson]

My 12 ga fowler with a turkey load will jack my jaw, because of this I wear a Past recoil pad when I am shooting in the yard. With a 690 patched ball and 100 gr of 1F it is about like a 2 3/4" slug round in a modern 12 ga single shot.

 

[oldwood]

Friend of mine got of a new Lehigh .50 cal rifle and was having trouble w/ the rifle smacking him in the face shooting from the bench. He learned to shoot m-16"s in the military and was using the same principles on the Lehigh. He jammed the Lehigh's stock back into his shoulder and pushed the stock cheek piece into his face.
The fix , he stopped trying to hold the gun w/his face, ,and used more of a trap shooting face to cheek technique. Many high power rifles are sighted by simply laying your face on the cheek rest just enough to seethe sights , then follow through w/the shot . Success......oldwood

 

[Sam squanch]

When you pull the trigger on that buck, or Tom turkey, you won’t feel the recoil. I notice recoil more when target shooting, then actually hunting.just me I guess

 

[Griz44Mag]

When you pull the trigger on that buck, or Tom turkey, you won’t feel the recoil. I notice recoil more when target shooting, then actually hunting.just me I guess

You and EVERY hunter out here.....

 

[RB POWELL]

My brother had a 20 gauge. I shot it a lot one day: one day only. Worst kicking gun I've ever handled, except, maybe, for some USSR unmentionables I've got. It had to be the design. My shoulder was not in good shape after that outing.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

How much does a 12 gauge fowler recoil? Especially with roundball? Comparable to a 12 gauge centerfire?

As others have mentioned, perceived recoil is different than actual recoil. Some of it may be in your mind based on what you are used to shooting. IF all you've ever shot is a .22 LR cartridge then yes muzzleloaders kick more.

So a 12 gauge centerfire is a rather broad area when it comes to recoil. The gun itself recoils more when you shoot a 1⁵⁄₈ load of shot vs. a 1 ounce load, providing the powder charges are the same. The 1 ounce load will likely recoil even less as in a 12 gauge as that amount of shot is often found in moderate upland bird loads, while 1⁵⁄₈ ounces of shot tends to be found in hot waterfowl or turkey loads. Does the 12 gauge have a recoil pad on the stock? Is it semi-automatic and thus might mitigate some of the recoil?

Same as the .30-06..., a surplus rifle from WWII compared to a rifle with a recoil pad, there is a big difference..., then factor in how the ammunition was configured, and that's different too.

So a round ball for a 12 gauge might be as light as an ounce, but could be up to 1¼ ounces, and you get to choose the amount of powder, which as others have also pointed out, also can reduce the recoil for you.

LD