Pardon me, as I don't mean to hijack this thread.


I can see that you haven't shot many other shotguns in your life. Yes, there are gun and load combinations available today that weren't some years ago that do indeed place some 20ga combinations over some 12ga combinations in recoil, but this is not a general trend.

I've got to comment on your statement based on the gun involved...you claim your model 500, which I've had 6 model 500 or 590 shotguns ranging from 25yrs old to brand new in 2003, is a "new 12ga". The model 500 hasn't been significantly overhauled since its conception, it's been improved slightly, but not so much to make it recoil considerably less than any previous model, and in typical loads, the extra weight that the 500 carries is the only thing it has going for it in recoil reduction. There's nothing "new" about the model 500.

Try shooting a Mossberg 500 20ga at the range beside your 12ga, then tell me that the 12ga kicks less than 20ga in "New 12ga's"... it's a gun and load combination problem, not just because it's "new".

I can make a 12ga 3.5" mag recoil less than a .410 bore shotgun if I try hard enough, make a gun heavy enough with enough padding and you'll never even feel the shot.

Even if they were able to find a stock design or cushion material that DID considerably reduce the recoil of a given load, why would it ONLY reduce recoil in guns chambered for one cartridge, but then would not give the same results to a different cartridge?