Hi Gil and Vicki,
Just purchased a Beretta AL391 in 20 gauge. Need further reduction in recoil due to bursitis in shooting shoulder. Will the mercury suppressor type which replaces the magazine cap do the trick?
– Joe Aurichio
Dear Joe,
Sorry to hear about your bursitis. Gil, too, has had periodic bouts with bursitis in his shoulders and wrists from playing too much tennis as a teenager.
The mercury suppressor you refer to will help, but how much is anybody’s guess. The more sensitive you are to recoil, the more important gun fit and gun mount become. Make sure the length of pull on the gun is correct. If it is too long you will take more recoil in your shoulder, and if it is too short you will take more recoil in your wrist and forearm.
Also, check the pitch. If the toe of the stock extends much farther out than the heel, you may want to change it so it is flatter and fits your shoulder and chest.
Since your problem is with your shoulder, we would recommend installing a good soft recoil pad. Something like a Trapdude, High Viz, or Kickeez would work nicely. We prefer the Trapdude because they are so soft and seem to absorb a lot of recoil. And the toe of the pad is rounded, which eliminates most problems with pitch. If you reload, you might try loading a ¾ oz load instead of 7/8 oz, which is the normal 20 gauge load.
There is no trade-off between weight and recoil. Light guns kick more than heavy guns. Light loads kick less than heavy loads. We don’t know how you settled on the 20 gauge but here is some food for thought. There is a common misconception out there that 20 gauges kick less than 12 gauges. Our findings are just the opposite.
The 20 gauge guns are typically on a smaller frame, which makes them lighter. In turn, this makes them kick more. Anything you can do to add weight to your gun will reduce recoil. Perhaps the best option for elimination of as much felt recoil as possible would be to get a 12 gauge AL391 and shoot 7/8 oz loads. When you combine the added weight of the 12 gauge frame and the light 7/8 oz load you have a sweet-shooting efficient load that you can shoot all day.
Gamebore and Fiocchi both have great 7/8 oz loads that are available at gun clubs across the country. Every year at our three-and-a-half-day Advance Class at the 74 Ranch, our students are amazed at how well the 7/8 oz loads break all targets, even the long ones.
One more thought you might be interested in: We find that shooters who shoot with a mounted gun typically take more recoil than those who start with a low gun and move, mount, and shoot. When you move and mount the gun and take the shot when the gun touches your face, we think you will find as we have that you will experience less felt recoil provided you have a good mount….Hope this helps.
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Hi Gil and Vicki,
I have just finished reading your book and watched your video. I would like you to clarify something for me. The quartering move would be all skeet targets except station 3 low, 5 high, and station 4. Is that correct?
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