Post by brian on Dec 11, 2007 21:33:08 GMT -5
Getting a Kick Out of Your Turkey Gun
By Jay Langston
The following is an excerpt from the book, "Turkey Hunter's Tool Kit: Shooting Savvy" " from Stoeger Publishing
Each summer, the National Wild Turkey Federation hosts a national JAKES weekend at its headquarters in Edgefield, South Carolina. Each year, one of the most popular learning stations has been the patterning station. Each participant is shown some basics of safe gun handling, as well as learning how to pattern a turkey gun.
About five years ago, I recall one twelve-year-old who stood in line and watched several other larger-framed teenagers step up to the bench and take their shots. Many of the older boys had some experience shooting 12-gauge turkey guns and, in a display of testosterone-induced bravado, avoided the wimpy .410s and 20-gauge turkey guns. When the little guy stepped up to the bench for his turn, I already had a .410 single-shot in hand to begin his one-on-one lesson. He confidently informed me that he was going to shoot the 12 gauge instead of the “kid’s” gun. I tried to talk him out of his decision, and even asked if his parents would approve his decision. I made a mistake that I have not made since when I reluctantly allowed him to shoulder the Remington 870 and send a 2-ounce turkey load downrange. The tears flowed and he spent the rest of the afternoon with an ice pack on his tender shoulder.
That young man’s painful experience taught me several lessons, besides the obvious. First, he taught me that no matter what a novice says, their mentor should never subject a young or small-framed shooter to heavy recoiling turkey loads. At best, it will create a turkey-missing flinch later in the field. At worst, it will turn them off to the idea of shooting and turkey hunting. Second, shotguns that kill on one end and wound on the other are definitely reserved for advanced shooters and experienced turkey hunters.
On the other hand, ample time spent at the range patterning a turkey gun is vital for becoming acquainted with the gun’s handling characteristics. Even more important is gaining the faith and confidence that the shotgun and load you will carry into the field are performing at their top potential to make a sure, ethical shot when the moment of truth arrives. Several methods exist for reducing the punishing recoil that often stands in the way of turkey hunters putting enough rounds downrange to become familiar with their turkey guns.
Extra Padding Isn’t Just for Show
Past -brand recoil pads are a real help when attempting to tame recoil. These pads are worn over the shirt and put a layer of leather and foam between you and a gun. When I’m shooting, I regularly wear a thinner shotgunning pad under a second, thick rifle pad. Another trick I learned from experience is to place a small, sand-filled bag between one’s shoulder and the gun butt. This will lengthen the effective pull of the stock, but it has not made any difference in accuracy when shooting from a bench. The bag I’ve been using for years was fashioned from a discarded denim pant leg, a couple of Ziploc bags and a few pounds of dry sand.
Taming Recoil
“Shotguns that kill on one end and wound on the other are definitely reserved for advanced shooters and experienced turkey hunters.”
High-Tech gel pads absorb more felt recoil.
Most turkey guns come equipped with a soft recoil pad. Most factory pads offer some recoil absorption. Ask your local gunsmith for advice on which pad will help absorb more recoil than your factory pad.
Gun weight and action type have a lot of bearing on how much recoil you will feel when you pull the trigger. Lightweight, single-shot and double-barrel guns can be almost unbearable when shooting high-velocity turkey loads. If the gun has a lot of drop in the comb of the stock, the sensation of recoil becomes even greater. Fitting squarely into this category are “youth” 20-gauge single-shots that are chambered for 3-inch loads. If you are introducing a new shooter to the sport, be sure to stick with light field loads during practice sessions. An experienced adult should assist the new hunter by patterning the gun with magnum loads; save the turkey loads until the appropriate time.
You can raise the comfort level a notch by opting for a pump-action shotgun. Simply put, these guns kick less because they are heavier. Their added weight benefits the shooter by absorbing some of the felt recoil. While patterning your gun, be sure to keep the magazine full, to add a few extra ounces of weight.
After firing thousands of rounds of turkey loads, I prefer testing semi-autos to any other action type. If I have a choice when testing various loads, I’ll do my load comparison with a gas-operated 12 gauge. The reason gas-operated or recoil-operated semi-autos kick less is that they bleed off some of the energy supplied from firing the shell into operating the shell-ejection and reloading process. Any energy that gets used up in working the action of the gun doesn’t get transferred to your shoulder and cheek.
Other after-market add-on items are recoil-absorbing devices that can be installed inside of the butt stock, as well as the magazine tube. These nifty gizmos work on a principal of hydraulics that helps spread out felt recoil over a longer period, much as the result you get when shooting a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun.
Form
Shooting form is one of the simplest things that will help you not only shoot more consistently, but feel less recoil. Whenever I am working with children, I emphasize that they mount the gun in their shoulder pocket, instead of lower on their arm. Just as important is how they hold their face to the stock. The mouth should be closed and teeth should be lightly clenched to firm cheek muscles. When the comb of the stock is pressed firmly to the face, it should rest against tight cheek muscles in the same place for each shot. Face surface-area contact with the stock is the key to comfortably “facing” stout-kicking guns. If you try to just lightly press your face to the stock to mentally avoid the inevitable recoil, it allows the gun to pick up momentum at the shot and punch you in the cheek. On the other hand, if you are firmly in contact with the stock, it becomes more of a push, as the weight of your head helps absorb the blow.
Take a Rest
Give some of these hints a try. Taming recoil will make you a better shooter, which will raise your confidence level in the field next season.
By Jay Langston
The following is an excerpt from the book, "Turkey Hunter's Tool Kit: Shooting Savvy" " from Stoeger Publishing
Each summer, the National Wild Turkey Federation hosts a national JAKES weekend at its headquarters in Edgefield, South Carolina. Each year, one of the most popular learning stations has been the patterning station. Each participant is shown some basics of safe gun handling, as well as learning how to pattern a turkey gun.
About five years ago, I recall one twelve-year-old who stood in line and watched several other larger-framed teenagers step up to the bench and take their shots. Many of the older boys had some experience shooting 12-gauge turkey guns and, in a display of testosterone-induced bravado, avoided the wimpy .410s and 20-gauge turkey guns. When the little guy stepped up to the bench for his turn, I already had a .410 single-shot in hand to begin his one-on-one lesson. He confidently informed me that he was going to shoot the 12 gauge instead of the “kid’s” gun. I tried to talk him out of his decision, and even asked if his parents would approve his decision. I made a mistake that I have not made since when I reluctantly allowed him to shoulder the Remington 870 and send a 2-ounce turkey load downrange. The tears flowed and he spent the rest of the afternoon with an ice pack on his tender shoulder.
That young man’s painful experience taught me several lessons, besides the obvious. First, he taught me that no matter what a novice says, their mentor should never subject a young or small-framed shooter to heavy recoiling turkey loads. At best, it will create a turkey-missing flinch later in the field. At worst, it will turn them off to the idea of shooting and turkey hunting. Second, shotguns that kill on one end and wound on the other are definitely reserved for advanced shooters and experienced turkey hunters.
On the other hand, ample time spent at the range patterning a turkey gun is vital for becoming acquainted with the gun’s handling characteristics. Even more important is gaining the faith and confidence that the shotgun and load you will carry into the field are performing at their top potential to make a sure, ethical shot when the moment of truth arrives. Several methods exist for reducing the punishing recoil that often stands in the way of turkey hunters putting enough rounds downrange to become familiar with their turkey guns.
Extra Padding Isn’t Just for Show
Past -brand recoil pads are a real help when attempting to tame recoil. These pads are worn over the shirt and put a layer of leather and foam between you and a gun. When I’m shooting, I regularly wear a thinner shotgunning pad under a second, thick rifle pad. Another trick I learned from experience is to place a small, sand-filled bag between one’s shoulder and the gun butt. This will lengthen the effective pull of the stock, but it has not made any difference in accuracy when shooting from a bench. The bag I’ve been using for years was fashioned from a discarded denim pant leg, a couple of Ziploc bags and a few pounds of dry sand.
Taming Recoil
“Shotguns that kill on one end and wound on the other are definitely reserved for advanced shooters and experienced turkey hunters.”
High-Tech gel pads absorb more felt recoil.
Most turkey guns come equipped with a soft recoil pad. Most factory pads offer some recoil absorption. Ask your local gunsmith for advice on which pad will help absorb more recoil than your factory pad.
Gun weight and action type have a lot of bearing on how much recoil you will feel when you pull the trigger. Lightweight, single-shot and double-barrel guns can be almost unbearable when shooting high-velocity turkey loads. If the gun has a lot of drop in the comb of the stock, the sensation of recoil becomes even greater. Fitting squarely into this category are “youth” 20-gauge single-shots that are chambered for 3-inch loads. If you are introducing a new shooter to the sport, be sure to stick with light field loads during practice sessions. An experienced adult should assist the new hunter by patterning the gun with magnum loads; save the turkey loads until the appropriate time.
You can raise the comfort level a notch by opting for a pump-action shotgun. Simply put, these guns kick less because they are heavier. Their added weight benefits the shooter by absorbing some of the felt recoil. While patterning your gun, be sure to keep the magazine full, to add a few extra ounces of weight.
After firing thousands of rounds of turkey loads, I prefer testing semi-autos to any other action type. If I have a choice when testing various loads, I’ll do my load comparison with a gas-operated 12 gauge. The reason gas-operated or recoil-operated semi-autos kick less is that they bleed off some of the energy supplied from firing the shell into operating the shell-ejection and reloading process. Any energy that gets used up in working the action of the gun doesn’t get transferred to your shoulder and cheek.
Other after-market add-on items are recoil-absorbing devices that can be installed inside of the butt stock, as well as the magazine tube. These nifty gizmos work on a principal of hydraulics that helps spread out felt recoil over a longer period, much as the result you get when shooting a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun.
Form
Shooting form is one of the simplest things that will help you not only shoot more consistently, but feel less recoil. Whenever I am working with children, I emphasize that they mount the gun in their shoulder pocket, instead of lower on their arm. Just as important is how they hold their face to the stock. The mouth should be closed and teeth should be lightly clenched to firm cheek muscles. When the comb of the stock is pressed firmly to the face, it should rest against tight cheek muscles in the same place for each shot. Face surface-area contact with the stock is the key to comfortably “facing” stout-kicking guns. If you try to just lightly press your face to the stock to mentally avoid the inevitable recoil, it allows the gun to pick up momentum at the shot and punch you in the cheek. On the other hand, if you are firmly in contact with the stock, it becomes more of a push, as the weight of your head helps absorb the blow.
Take a Rest
Give some of these hints a try. Taming recoil will make you a better shooter, which will raise your confidence level in the field next season.
