Semi-Auto Shotgun Recoil

[Mark K]

Slowly mulling over which shotgun to use as the basis of an Open Shotgun.

The subject for today is where would you rank the various shotguns commonly used: Benelli, Remington, FNH, Saiga, and lets throwing Mossberg.

This is a baseline, so this is recoil in a stock configuration, no porting or comps.

Thanks,

Mark

[WS6]

Slowly mulling over which shotgun to use as the basis of an Open Shotgun.

The subject for today is where would you rank the various shotguns commonly used: Benelli, Remington, FNH, Saiga, and lets throwing Mossberg.

This is a baseline, so this is recoil in a stock configuration, no porting or comps.

Thanks,

Mark

Well, I have shot a Winchester 1500 in 20ga and my Benelli M4 in 12ga and I think the Winchester 1500 kicked harder using birdshot in both weapons.

The main thing here is that Benelli's stock is worlds ahead of the others.

[Bryan 45]

I don't know which shotgun has the least recoil, but the old Beretta 1201 has the most. It's the only shotgun I've ever found that's uncomfortable to shoot w/ bird shot. Most of these were 18" barrels w/ fixed 6 round mags, so it's not going to be an open gun candidate anyway.

Only two I can compare is the Benelli M1 and Remington 1187. The Remington is the softer shooting of the two. I'd really like to try an SLP out though.

[Jman]

Gas operated shotguns (FNH, Rem. and Mossy) are very easy on the recoil. If I'm picking one platform for the action games it's the FNH.

Jim

[CocoBolo]

Mark - Recoil wise the FN wins the contest over the 1100 which easily beat the Benelli. I think for open the choice really boils down to two things. Reloading method and Money. You can pick up a used 1100 open gun fully tricked out for less than a $1000.00 with tubes just watch USPSA Classifieds and Benos. A tricked out Saiga is going to be more money, and figure $3000 to get a Saiga and have it tricked out.

The FN wins over the 1100 because it is heavier, the Rem is a little easier to drive.

I've shot a Saiga but it was a $3000 triked out one with a million holes in the barrel, I liked it but just can't bring myself to spend that much on a shotgun.

[mlmiller1]

I don't shoot open but I've just changed from the 1100 platform to a benelli m2 & I can tell you, the benelli has considerably more recoil. Now, don't let that dissuade you from the benelli. I am pretty sure the benelli even with more recoil, was back on target ready to fire as quickly or possibly more quickly than the 1100. Not sure if that is a factor of the comfortech stock or just the balance of the gun, the speed of the actual moving parts or what. The gas guns are always going to have less felt recoil than the inertia powered ones. They also have more moving parts with more ways to malfunction. IOW, I love my 1100s but I am tired of fixing them when they burp at the worst possible moment in a match.

As for the saiga, some say it has less, some say more recoil than the others. It seems to depend on how it fits you. You can have Jim Lambert of Firebird precision build up your Saiga for considerably less than $3k so it depends on how you like to reload.

If I were shooting open, I would send my saiga to Jim & have him do the works. Reloading with a mag instead of into the tube seems to be a vast improvement to me. Carrying mags on your belt instead of a "quiver" full of tubes seems easier to maneuver & move with. Once he gets done with it, there is an AR type feel & function to the gun. Search in the vendor forums for his saiga pics. It is an awesome change that he works on the guns.

MLM

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I looked at this the same way. My first choice was the Benelli built up by Benny Hill at Triangle Shooting Sports. I then fell into a Saiga and it is at Firebird so Jim can do some magic on it. I am doing it in stages to make sure I will like 3-gun and also because of funds I like how the magazines feed better than the tubes for me. Idiot proof or Eric proof I call it Less parts to go wrong the better for me. I have shot some Benelli's and also Jims Saiga. Jim's Saiga wins. Saying all this you will want to shoot as many shotguns that are setup for open as you can. Then you can decide what works for you the best. Thanks, Eric

[WS6]

I still don't understand why the Benelli M4 isn't more popular. 3" magnum buckshot out of it isn't hard to handle at all, it's weight can be brought down to about 7.4-7.5# unloaded, and it can hold 9 rounds if you count ghost-loading. Performance-wise it can handle down to 2.75 dram loads if you hold it tight, and they just don't break. I have never heard of an M4 breaking since benelli went to the 2-port barrels on all of them. All the other shotguns mentioned here, a quick browse turns up of incidents of breakage.

Edited December 13, 2009 by WS6

[Shay1911]

I have shot an M2, an 1100 and an SX2. For me, personally, the SX2 is by far the softest.

[halogrinder]

nothing i have ever shot shoots softer than my S12.......

but thats just me i guess. i can shoot my saiga with high brass all day long....

then again i like shooting my mosin nagants all day long too....

[AlamoShooter]

The main Factor between any variety of good shotguns is Attitude and good gun mount. If you mount the gun rite = Felt recoil will be marginal. when I am shooting well, I never remember a recoil problem.

Like has been said try several guns, but learn to melt your self around the gun = make it a part of your arms and body.

The recoil will go away.

bond to gun like it grows out of you, not so stiff so that is steel welded to you

I may not know nothing though

[whiskey1]

I think the FNH is the lightest recoiling of the guns you listed. I have not tried the Mossberg though.

[StealthyBlagga]

Gas guns recoil less. My experience is that the 11-87/1100 and SLP are softer than a Benelli M1/M2, but the ComfortTech stock of the M2 helps some. My Saiga 12 is softer than either, and very light in the hand... I'm not sure how they managed that. The Benelli M4 is unpopular because (1) it is expensive, and (2) it has 922r issues if you increase the mag capacity.

If I were shooting Open, I'd choose the Saiga 12 with original rock-n-lock magwell so I could use the 20-round drums. You can buy a base Saiga 12 for ~$500 and do a solid PG conversion yourself for a couple of hundred more. Add a PolyChoke or thread-on choke tubes, an optic mount and have the barrel ported and you should still be in under a grand (excluding optic). Box mags run in the $50 range, and the drums are ~$250 IIRC.

Edited December 14, 2009 by StealthyBlagga

[NoShootRanger]

Mark, go with the FN SLP and have an XRail fitted. Thacker had one at Ft Benning, seemed to run fine.

[GentlemanJim]

My short gas system Saiga is 20''shorter than my JP1100...weighs 2 pounds less...and is softer and faster than my 1100

Jim

[SinistralRifleman]

Mark, go with the FN SLP and have an XRail fitted. Thacker had one at Ft Benning, seemed to run fine.

I heard him discussing Uber failure of it on Stage 2 with some people after it happened. Looks neat, has a ways to go though.

[ShooterSteve]

I have to disagree with others above. I have a both, the 1100CM and the FN, and I take them to the range for plate rack practice. Shooting them side by side, sometimes quickly dumping one and picking up the other, the Rem is noticably softer than the FN. I have taken friends and let them do the same, and they have never come to a different conclusion. The Rem is proving this by giving me consistantly better times on the plate racks. My splits are better. The timer proves it. This isn't a post due to what I read, or heard or saw on the net. This comes after several 600 round practice days, always taking both guns. Also, my Rem is a couple ounces HEAVIER than the FN, I know this because I just weighed them-right now. Again, not what I read or saw on the company web site. Both are fitted with identical gear. I will say that the difference in weight is so close that it won't matter. I'm not trying to be a hater, or cause dissent, but you have to have all the facts, not just opinions. I know the Remmy is old and out dated, but why does it run better than my FN, and recoil less....Hhhhmmmmm....

[GentlemanJim]

Ill take the Remmy over the others..it IS softer and I prefer it over its direct competition.

In the three gun matches I go to the Remmy still seems to be the most used.

The Remmy just has to be well maintained .

Jim

[Putty]

Shot my new FN today. Really nice. Not as soft as the Remi but my percieved cycling is much faster on the FN

[benny hill]

If I'm not wrong, the FN @ 1100's both out weigh the benelli by about 1 1/2-2#. There's light & fast or heavy & slower. The lighter the gun, the more preceived recoil. After the buzzer, I NEVER remember recoil.

[irq23]

Remington 1100 Tac-4 22" barrel ready to go: 7.75 lbs

Benelli M2 21" barrel needs extension: 6.9 lbs

Mossberg 930 SPX 18" barrel ready to go: 7.75 lbs

FN SLP 18" barrel needs extension with 2 more: 7.7 lbs

Winchester SX3 26" barrel needs extension: 7 lbs.

The Winchester SX3 is a gas gun and is the lightest when spec'd with the same barrel lengths. FN SLP/SX2 is the heaviest.

[ShooterSteve]

Benny, I shot with you at A6 in 2008, and I enjoyed shooting with you, and I have great respect for you and your shooting skills. With that said, you know that there is "remembered recoil", and actual recoil. During the excitement after the buzzer goes off, I'm not sure we would remember the recoil from a 300 Win mag, but it is still there, and it still affects our shots, and shot to shot recovery. We may not remember the recoil of our shotguns, but it does affect us, and my timer shows that in my training sessions.

[esskay]

Of the shotguns I've spent some time with, I'd rank recoil from lightest to heaviest, IME:

Benelli M4 < FN SLP < Benelli M2 < Benelli M1

With other folks talking about how soft shooting the FN is, I'm not sure why my experience differs. But I can say that I comfortably shoot full base slugs out of the M4, and the SLP... rather uncomfortable.

[mike_pinto]

I gotta go with Benny on this one. Lighter and faster is the way to go IMHO. I would rather have the recoil impulse of the M1 and recover faster then the "push" of the gas guns. For an open gun though, which is what this started about, having that dot never leave the target may be more important then the reliability and speed of the Benelli!

m

[Jesse Tischauser]

If I'm not wrong, the FN @ 1100's both out weigh the benelli by about 1 1/2-2#. There's light & fast or heavy & slower. The lighter the gun, the more preceived recoil. After the buzzer, I NEVER remember recoil.

+1

I was concerned about recoil from a Benelli as well when I got into this sport. When I shot my buddies Super Black Eagle during a round of Sporting Clays I thought it kicked like a mule compared to my Beretta AL391. Now the buzzer seems to eliminate the recoil from a Benelli completely.