12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Hi all, thanks for the info and opinions in my past posts. I have all but decided to go for the HR Tracker II slug gun based on my hunting scenarios and the nice price. I am wondering, however, what the kick will be like in each guage for a light little gun like this. I have shot 12ga shells and slugs, .22's, .30-.06. What will each compare to. I had originally thought I would get the 20, but the lure of being able to mount a turkey barrell on the same gun for such a low price is calling my name. Thanks!

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

As far as I can tell the trackers and pardner shotguns are not guage specific. They both use the SB1 frame and are interchangable in caliber. There is no reason I can see that you could not get a 20 guage slug gun, and later get a 12 gauge turkey barrel for the same reciever. The only thing you can't put on it are the heavy 12 gauge slug barrel and the 10 gauge barrels because they use a different reciever. I don't think you can put a centerfire barrel on it either.

As far recoil goes, well that is a pretty subjective matter actually. A lot of it depends on the particular rifle and the load you use. One particular 20 gauge might kick more than a 12 gauge depending on the model of the rifle and what shells were used in each. I have shot two different 30-06's side by side and they were completely different. One was quite managable to shoot, the other I hated.

And a lot of it depends on how you react to recoil. Like I have said before, I am small, like 120 ish and 5'3". I don't seem to have much trouble shooting most shotguns, muzzle loaders and non magnum centerfires. It just doesn't bother me that much. I think if you can shoot 3 inch turkey loads a slug is not going to be that big of a deal for you.

I got a shotgun simular to what you want when I was about 10 or so. I weighed around 80 lbs I bet. I shot 3 inch field loads out of it. It kicked like a son of a bitch! But nothing I couldn't take at that size. If I had to take a guess I would say they will not be a huge difference in felt recoil between a 20 and 12 in that rifle. They will both kick because of the weight. And it will depend on what loads you buy. You can get some 20 gauge shells with the same power of the 12's in some cases, and you can get some 12's that are loaded down to what a standard 20 guage would be.

Generalizing things in terms of felt recoil for me, I would say a shotgun with modern slugs kicks about like a 270/30-06 bolt action of moderate weight, maybe 7 or 8 pounds. However the recoil feels slightly different.

It is my understanding that the 20's have a slight edge in accuracy though, so I might go that way with the rifled barrel. Check with H&R first, but I'm pretty sure a 12 gauge turkey barrel will fit that reciever. And I will almost bet that any 12 gauge full power turkey load will kick more than a slug. And I'm talking 3 inch not 3 1/2 inch mags. Those will kick harder for sure. I shot a turkey load out of my H&R ultra just for the heck of it and it had more recoil than any of the slugs I have tried, and my gun weighs around 11 lbs. And in the field you will never notice any way. My buddy has a remington special purpose 3 1/2 inch magnum turkey gun. I don't care much for shooting it to be honest, it's a bit recoil than I like. However I took a crack at a turkey with it this season and didn't feel a thing.

Good luck,
Paul

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

You could go with the 12 and buy Low Recoil slugs if it kicks to hard.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

All I can say is, if you shoot 3" 12 ga magnum slugs out of a light gun it will knock the snot out of you unless it's an auto.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Even if it's an auto it's kick the crap out of you.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Yea true, but not as much as a pump or single shot.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

True, but when I'm laying on the ground in pain with a broken clavicle It's of little consequence that something kicks even more.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Frankly I'd be happy with the 20 Ga.....FWIW I shot my turkey this spring with a .410

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

20 gauge.. less kick ..maybe more accurate cause you wont flinch as you fire it.. good deer , turkey gun

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Get a good recoil pad. I had a 12 guage that had more felt recoil with a 23/4 slugsthan a friend's 10gauge shooting 3 1/2 slugs.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

You guys are kidding me right? I've shot the same gun he is talking about getting when I was a kid and weighed 80 lbs. Sure they kick, but they are not going to injure you or knock you down. I am only 5 foot 3 inches and weigh between 115 and 120 right now and I can shoot a 3 1/2 turkey load in a hunting situation without it effecting me. Not that I would want to do it numerous times at a range though.

But none the less, I am smaller than some women and it's nothing that nocks me to the ground or anything. I will admit that follow up shots are not that easy because of the recoil and my size.

Paul

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

remember...... it aint the size of the dog in the fight
its the size of the fight in the dog



anyone flinch when they squeeze that 12 gauge.??..BE HONEST....PAUL WAS

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Oh, I flinch bad if I don't pay attention. And I don't know why when I know it isn't going to hurt? It's a mental thing I guess. It's a form of target panic, I do the same with my bow. If I don't pay attention I slap the trigger something awful when the pin crosses the target.

I'm just saying I have not shot that many shotguns that were that extreme in recoil as to hurt you or knock you down. I did shoot a pump 30-06 remington that was awful, I thought my teeth would bleed it kicked so sharp.

I get the same flinch with my .17HMR sometimes though?

Paul

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

PAUL..Im in your corner Im waiting to hear from the" bulls of da woods" I know your small you said it...Im a big guy and when i shoot a large caliber rifle, Im easing my shoulder away from the butt as I trigger. Its almost like boxing...trying to roll with the punch.ya know move away. This no doubt affects accuracy..Alot of shooters probably flinch unknowingly, especially after feeling that thud in the shoulder.a few times..Its like the mind protecting the body by making the body move...I ve taped alot of TV hunters and playback in slow motion and you can see theflinch the moving back of the shoulder..sometimes the head (scoped in the eye a few times will do that HA HA ).. all of them.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

Try rem. buckhammer slugs they are nasty, makes 3in. feel like kid stuff.

RE: 12ga slug kick vs. 20ga slug kick
 

I have a few rifles that have fiarly heavy trigger pulls, the Slug Hunter Deluxe being one of them. I can actually flinch or jerk the trigger and not fire a shot off. Sort of catches me off gaurd sometimes. Then I take the time to relax again and everything goes ok. I don't seem to do it on game though, just target shooting. I can usually tell the second I pull the trigger if it was a good shot or not.

As far as recoil I shoot very relaxed. I pull the butt into my shoulder and then relax. I just let my body roll with it after the shot. It looks violent, but really doesn't hurt that much. I used to lean into the shot and anticipate it with a stiff body until someone pointed it out to me and showed me the way I do it know.

I have been nocked down once or twice though. Mostly when shooting my turkey gun kneeling. I fired it once with one knee on the ground and it actually put me on my ass when I pulled the trigger. Really I just lost my balance and sat down. The first time I fired my buddies 3 1/2 inch remington SP was a treat to watch as well. That is one gun I will not own! Just too much for my little body. I have fired it at a turkey though and didn't even notice it. Amazing how things change in the field when your mind is on something different.

Paul