Patterned my gun 2 weeks ago and the black and blue is just starting to fade. I wasn' t happy with the pattern, just got a new choke tube and some add' l loads to check out, and its back to the range in a day or two. I read somewhere to use a life vest instead of using a slip on recoil pad, and just dug one out of my boat to give it a try. I may look silly at the bench, but hopefully it will be less painful and it will definitely save a few bucks. Been lurking on this board for a few days, figured it was time to chime in with my 2 cents....