Does anyone use padding when patterning their gun ? If so what do you use ? I've got 2 barrels with 4 different chokes and 5 different loads to pattern . I will split up the shooting sessions but it will still be unpleasant . I guess I'm am really a wimp ! I'll stop whining now . Thanks
Get a Lead Sled Plus. Your shoulder will thank you.
A Shooter's Friend Slip-On recoil pad helps a ton. A folded up towel between the gun and your shoulder helps as well.
Lead Sled DFT + about 50lbs of lead shot. Still not great, but a LOT better.
I replaced my old recoil pad with a Simms Limbsaver. It made a world of difference. I probably would opt out of patterning my gun if I had to shoot the old one. :z-dizzy:
It's usually warm out when I'm patterning so I slip a folded up small towel inside my tee shirt on right shouder.
Lead Sled !
I've got a PAST Recoil reducer that you wear on your shoulder that I use when sighting in a large caliber rifle and it works really well. I've never used it sighting in a turkey gun but I'm fortunate that I can shoot in my backyard so I just shoot two or three turkey targets a day and quit before my 3.5" 12 ga. starts getting to me.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/699899/past-super-mag-plus-recoil-pad-shield-ambidextrous
I put a Pachmayr or a Limbsaver on all of my guns. Next best thing for me was a lead slead......but I did eventually sell mine.
I place a bag of sand on my bench and put the gun up to it so it absorbs the recoil. I hope this helps
What the others have said, leadslead or a better pad like a limbsaver will do ya wonders :z-twocents:
Lead sled, for sighting in a rifle or shotgun it can't be beat.
Don't shoot your gun hunched over on a bench like a rifle. Find a way to sit up streight so the body can rock back with the recoil. On a bench, use something to prop the gun up higher. I personally perfer to sit in a folding chair and use a Stoney point bipod to hold the gun up. Hunching over your punishing yourself without reason. I use a PAST wearable recoil pad and a ear muff and can shoot 3.5" in an 835 all day if I need to with little discomfort.
Good point about sitting up straight. I also sit in a low turkey chair and shoot off of a Bog Pod tripod. My feet come off the ground with every shot and that takes most of the punch out of it.
Load the magazine of that gun up to maximum capacity , get a good recoil pad , limbsaver etc....
I've been doing what skeeterbait said but I just bought a Lead Sled & now I don't dread patterning my turkey guns anymore. Makes it enjoyable again. Get a Lead Sled & put some weight on it & you'll be Happy Happy Happy!
Quote from: Old Gobbler on March 09, 2014, 08:34:52 PM
Load the magazine of that gun up to maximum capacity , get a good recoil pad , limbsaver etc....
This is the best way. I don't like any kind of sled that ties the gun down. It put a lot of pressure on the gun. Other reason also that affects the patterns. I have folded a towel up a few times and used it also to help.
You don't tie the gun down to a lead sled, at least mine didn't.
Another vote for the lead sled. They still allow the gun to recoil, just that the sled take the recoil instead of your shoulder. I put 25 lbs on mine and it makes my 300 win mag kick like a .223. I shot a 3.5/2.25/7 Hevi-13 in my sled the other day and it kicked less than a 20 gauge light target load.
I do know of one case that a lead sled caused a wooden stock to crack. The gun was older with a solid plastic recoil pad and a wooden stock. The toe of the stock split away. Could have already been damaged, I don't know. There is no doubt that a lead sled puts more stress on a stock than your shoulder does.
Quote from: SumToy on March 09, 2014, 10:59:31 PM
Quote from: Old Gobbler on March 09, 2014, 08:34:52 PM
Load the magazine of that gun up to maximum capacity , get a good recoil pad , limbsaver etc....
This is the best way. I don't like any kind of sled that ties the gun down. It put a lot of pressure on the gun. Other reason also that affects the patterns. I have folded a towel up a few times and used it also to help.
William knows what he is talking about. I have a lead sled, and it works great, but I don't pattern turkey loads from it. There have been lots of reports about broken guns using the sleds. The guns are designed to be fired from the shoulder where there is some give. You can break a gun by not allowing it to recoil at all. When I use the sled, I don't put any weight on it at all so that it can slide a bit on the bench. The weight of the sled (about 15 lbs) is enough to attenuate the recoil considerably and is not as hard on the gun as it is if you load it up with 50 or more pounds of shot. My patterns are also worse when shooting off the sled vs off the shoulder. The difference is not huge, but it is there.
I use a slip on Limbsaver pad and pattern from my shoulder for final patterning.
I will use a rest of some sort to get a gun on paper. Lately, I've been using a MaXBox rest. It's made from closed cell foam, light, easy to transport and works well.
I also have a Sight-Bloc shooting rest that I've left on my bench for over a year now through all kinds of weather, to see how it holds up. It's made from recycled rubber and so far, it's done very well. It's heavy and you can turn it to allow shooting from different heights, etc.
Shooting from any rest, at least for me however, produces a slightly different POI than shooting from my shoulder.
Thanks,
Clark