870 Aftermarket recoil pads...

[strambo]

Almost bought a Remington R3 (same as "limb saver?")recoil pad for my synthetic 870 today, but the package was missing a screw (whew, saved me from an impulse buy.) I've heard the R3 is good...is Pachmeyer better? Or any other? I'd like to stay in the ~$30 or so price range.

I'm not particularly recoil sensitive and my defensive load is low recoil Hornady TAP 00 buck. However, less felt recoil is a good thing and I want to get my wife some practice with it. OK lay some opinions on me!

 

[Preacherman]

R3's/LimbSaver's have a good reputation. I've used Pachmayr Decelerators and the Kick-Eez pads, and prefer the latter out of those two.

 

[sm]

Pachmayr Decelerators are my personal preference.

This gets into gun fit, so if it were me - I'd attempt to "try before I buy".

Best to shoot same gun as yours if can. One can get a "pretty good" idea even if a different gun is used than yours.

Shouldering in a gun shop differs from shooting as you know, ranges often have folks willing to let a person try their gun for fit - and recoil pads.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I was using KickEez pads at the reco of The Wizard who does a lot of the non-bolt-on stuff I can't manage for myself. Last time out (on a now abbreviated and Ashley- sighted Marlin 1895 .45-70, not everything I shoot is a scatergun) he said I'd be better off with a LimbSaver.

Worked for me- I like it. The Remington R3 is the same pad as the LimbSaver, if it was a good buy and still there, get it and just use one of the original screws... . Dimensions should be the same as with the original pad...

lpl/nc

 

[Fed168]

The R3 is pretty darned good. I just tried one out on a 14" 11-87 and the felt recoil wasn't brutal (aside from it being a gas gun, the pad was great).

 

[strambo]

Thanks for the replies...the R3 is under $30, so if it works well it seems like a good bet.

if it was a good buy and still there, get it and just use one of the original screws... . Dimensions should be the same as with the original pad...

Hmmm, I'll measure an origional screw to make sure the others aren't noticeably longer, you're right they should fit. Then I'll ask for a discount for the missing screw.

sm, good advice about fit...I'm a SG newbie so I'll need to do a little research and figure out what a good fit is before I actually buy anything. Plenty of resources here to do that though...thanks.

 

[strambo]

a 14" 11-87

-Cool
One of these days I'll come across a beat up 870 at a yard sale for a steal...then pretend I paid full retail and just spend the $200 on the tax stamp, cut the barrel down to 14" and add a M4 type stock. Okay, maybe not. I actually couldn't go through with giving the ATF $200 for a few meaningless inches...but it's fun to have "tacticool" daydreams.

...now if the "M4" type stock was carbon fiber...

Actually, I should probably learn about proper stock fit (free) and spend the $30 on 6 boxes of shells instead of a new recoil pad. That's my new short-term plan...logical, but boring.

 

[308win]

FWIT, I put a 'prefitted' Pachmayer on a BDL synthetic and it fit like the proverbial saddle on a sow. I just bought an R3 for same and am hoping it fits better.

 

[SapperLeader]

I have a R3 on one 870, and a second limbsaver on a different 870, and use the slip on pads from limbsaver for my milsurps. My personal favorite of all the recoil pads out there is the limbsavers. I think they fit the best and cut recoil the most. I have tried Kickeez and Pachymar and whilethey are good pads, I find the Kicksaver works best for me.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Haven't tried the R-3, but a friend reports good results with a Limbsaver on his slug gun.

Kickeez does a good job. The really soft pads do well on medium kicking guns but some bottom out when getting into heavy stuff.

Decellerators are on a couple long arms here. For a long time they were the industry standard. Still a good choice.

Actually, the stock Rempad, the red one with latticeworks, is a good pad until it hardens. The one on Number 6 here(1955) is in good shape, so it stays. The replacement on my old HD 870 (1950) was installed around 1980. A couple others here lasted less than 10 years and went petrified.

Besides softness, size matters. A greater surface area spreads out the kick more. Installing a good pad and leaving it untrimmed will help lots.

Some custom stocks these days for clays guns are being made with butts larger to take a full size pad. It adds a bit of weight to the butt, there's always tradoffs.

 

[9mmMike]

I have used both Pachmayr Decelerators and the Kick-Eez pads. I really like the Pachmayr Decelerators. The Kick-Eez pads were too grippy/sticky for me and I had trouble with them catching on my short/coat.
The Pachmayr Decelerators for the synthetic fit quite well but it is tricky getting the correct one as Remington changed the stock somewhere along the way.
When it comes to synthetic stocks, I would just throw the factory stock in the trash and get a Hogue with factory hogue pad. That is an excellent combo, IMHO.
Mike

 

[Preacherman]

Mike, Kick-Eez sell a liquid called "Slick-Eez" that you can apply to their recoil pads after fitting them. It makes them non-sticky and very slippery, so you shouldn't use it on the shoulder surface: but applied to the sides, and the tip of the toe and heel of the butt, it makes mounting, etc. much easier.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Everything that Sims claims about the R3 is true.

 

[rockstar.esq]

I have found another way to skin the proverbial cat. I bought a PAST recoil pad that is sort of a "manzeer". If length of pull isn't much of an issue, you might consider one of these pads for your wife. The chances of her complaining of recoil after a day at the range will be slim. The other possible up side to this arrangement is that you might get her into shooting rifles and the like.