I had a Remington M-870 in 20 ga., the lightweight model built on a 20 ga. receiver. It had some reliability problems and I sold it, although a warranty station supposedly fixed it. (Needed the money before I had time to try the repaired gun.)
My present 870 is a 12 ga. Nice wood, and I like it. (Wingmaster.)
It is, of course, heavier than a 20 ga.
Does the added weight of the 12 ga. perhaps make recoil roughly the same as a lighter gun in 20 ga.?
I haven't shot the 12 ga, much yet. I am concerned about recoil, as I'm worried about possible retinal detachment. (See my post in the rifle forum.)
If I use mild factory 12 ga. loads, no baby or three-inch mags, might I have no more recoil in my 12 ga. than I encountered in the lighter 20 ga? It was a bother only when three-inch magnums were fired. I normally don't need to fire many magnum shotgun loads...
Thanks for any qualified help that any of you can offer. Partly because I like the 870 and partly because of limited funds, I can't just get a Beretta 20 ga. gas-operated auto, which might be a better answer. I did have one, and it seemed to kick more than expected for a 20 ga. gas auto, probably due to weight issues. This was before I got eye flashes and became worried about recoil. The sole reason why I sold the Beretta was that I needed money in a hurry. It was a great gun, and probably what I'll get again if I go to a 20 ga. But the cheap answer is to keep the M-870 if lighter 12 ga. loads won't kick much more than a lighter 20 ga gun.
Lone Star
My present 870 is a 12 ga. Nice wood, and I like it. (Wingmaster.)
It is, of course, heavier than a 20 ga.
Does the added weight of the 12 ga. perhaps make recoil roughly the same as a lighter gun in 20 ga.?
I haven't shot the 12 ga, much yet. I am concerned about recoil, as I'm worried about possible retinal detachment. (See my post in the rifle forum.)
If I use mild factory 12 ga. loads, no baby or three-inch mags, might I have no more recoil in my 12 ga. than I encountered in the lighter 20 ga? It was a bother only when three-inch magnums were fired. I normally don't need to fire many magnum shotgun loads...
Thanks for any qualified help that any of you can offer. Partly because I like the 870 and partly because of limited funds, I can't just get a Beretta 20 ga. gas-operated auto, which might be a better answer. I did have one, and it seemed to kick more than expected for a 20 ga. gas auto, probably due to weight issues. This was before I got eye flashes and became worried about recoil. The sole reason why I sold the Beretta was that I needed money in a hurry. It was a great gun, and probably what I'll get again if I go to a 20 ga. But the cheap answer is to keep the M-870 if lighter 12 ga. loads won't kick much more than a lighter 20 ga gun.
Lone Star