Lowest recoil 12ga, 2 3/4 shell?

[Horsesense]

I'm fixen to take the wife shooting and I want to get her use to the 12ga, as it's now the primary HD gun.

What is the lightest kicking load out of the box?
What is the lightest kicking buck load?
What would happen if you handloaded say half the powder and double the shot?

 

[Jim Watson]

Winchester Low-Noise Low-Recoil; commonly known as the Featherlight because of the feather on the box. Very popular for Cowboy shooting. If you can't find them, get Extra Light target loads.

Anybody's "Tactical" buck load. They are loaded about like handicap trap loads.

Half the powder, twice the shot? That would be extreme and might not work at all.
But there is an article in this month's Front Sight magazine describing loading buckshot to normal skeet load recipe, just substituting 24 no 4 buck for the 1 1/8 oz of no 9s.

 

[Red Label]

Half the powder and twice the shot sounds a little scary to me! I have a light trap load that kicks very softly at least to me. 19 grains of Green Dot with 1-1/8 oz shot, Windjammer wad, Winchester 209 primer in a Remington RTS hull........soft. I'm not sure about new shells. I haven't bought factory loads in a long time.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Half the powder, twice the shot sounds like a good way to move on to one's next incarnation. Do NOT experiment with handloads unless you have pressure testing equipment and good life insurance.

The Super Lites are just that.

Estate RR is the lowest kicking 00 I know of on the market.

I'm working on a Super Lite 00 load for HD only, but it's not marketed yet. Still testing.

 

[PJR]

The Winchester Low Noise Low Recoil will work but only if you are using a pump gun or a double gun with mechanical or double triggers. They won't function in most semis and may not reset the inertia trigger in some doubles (at least they didn't in my Beretta). They are also the worst loads for target shooting I've ever used. Because the velocity is low the pattern is quite tight but with the light shot load holes in the pattern open up very quickly.

My choice for low recoil buck and slugs is Federal Tactical. I always keep a couple on my belt while bird hunting in the event I need to manage something larger than a pheasant. They don't kick more than my light 1-1/8 ounce, 3-1/4 dram game load. Unlike the LN LR from Winchester, the lower velocity is buckshot is a virtue, combined with the copper plated shot I get very good patterns with Federal Tactical.

I wouldn't handload anything I couldn't find in a manual or website from a reputable powder company and reducing the power and increasing the shot sounds like a good way to do some damage to a gun or shooter.

If you wife is going to shoot your gun consider how the stock fits. Often recoil problems relate more to fit. If it is too long for her even light shells will hurt but a correctly fitting stock will allow her to manage more powerful shells without discomfort.

Paul

 

[Horsesense]

Oops, I misspoke. I was thinking half the powder and shot and double the wading.

 

[PJR]

I'd still be cautious about experimenting with handloads. There are all manner of light one ounce and 7/8s ounce loads in the manuals that have very reduced recoil.

Paul

 

[Jack R]

low recoil loads

been using a 7/8 load I read about in an American Rifleman article...as follows...7/8 oz #7 1/2 shot..claybuster grey wad..16.5 grs red dot..AA hull..winchester primer. good breaks on clays,creampuff on recoil,I shoot pump guns...but it does cycle a friends Ithaca mod 51 gas gun Jack

 

[Zak Smith]

Winchester Low-Noise Low-Recoil / Featherlight won't even unlock the bolt on my Benelli M1S90, let alone cycle the action.

-z

 

[wardog]

Winchester AA X-tra lite target loads work great in my Beretta 391, and very low recoil.

 

[JShirley]

Remington Reduced Recoil 1 oz slug feels pretty light, to me.

I've been wanting to market at least two different types of sabot slugs for years now.

One would be very heavy sabot slug for bear defense.
The other would be reduced recoil, using very light saboted HP at about 1600 fps.

John