jo hunter

I got my 835 so I could shoot the new 3.5s. After the first 3 shells I put through it I went back to the 2 3/4s. I would like to use the 3.5s but the recoil is quite uncomfortable and I know it will cause me to flinch. Do the new recoil pads really do what they advertise. I have been looking at the pads from SVL and Hi-Vis but I don't want to spend the money on them if they are not going to make much diference. Any input would help.

moose1915

whats wrong with 3 inchers?

keep yer minds outta the gutter now....

but seriously, i'm lethal out to 40 yds or so with 3" winchester #6...3.5 might give you some extra yds, but why punish yourself when you could just call em closer?

Timbrhuntr

Jo Hunter,

I like you have the 835

Phish-On!

jo hunter: I share your pain - I also shoot 3.5" Federal Turkey loads out of an 835! Yikes! I am installing a Sims Limbsaver before sight-in time for next Spring turkey season. I didn't notice the bite while I was actually killing birds this last Spring, but I had a 3.5" bruise on my shoulder the mornings after!

I tried patterning 3" shells to see if they would do the trick for me, but for some reason I couldn't get the tight pattern that was the case with the 3.5" loads. Good luck with your recoil pad search.

hawglips

I will never shoot the 3.5" shells. I like my shoulder too much. The 3" are plenty deadly on the turkeys already. Heck, we'll be taking a family turkey hunting trip this spring to FL, and 4 of the 5 guns we'll be using are 20 gauges, including one with a 2 3/4" chamber. As long as they are in range, they will die just as dead with a 2 3/4" load of number 6s as they will with a 3.5" cannon load.

Hal

JW

I shoot a 3.5 but not the Mossberg.....don't have the same whop!

One thing to do know is that a guy did add a mercury coil reducer inside the plastic stock. This took away much of the punishment of 3.5 recoil.

Now his wife can even shoot it in comfort.

JW

BeltedMag

I have shot a few boxes of 3.5's out of my 835 it does have a little bite to it, just gotta hold it tight. Me and a friend got cocky one time and shot skeet with 3.5" number 6 turkey loads. We were black and blue the next morning but for a few minutes we were really cool.

mauser06

im going to have to shoot a few of these big bad guys.....i shoot a 3inch mag out of my 870 express mag turkey gun.....lightest smallest gun i ever shot.....and it isnt bad at all...21 inch barrel.....and its just a tiny gun...synthetic hollow stock....its LIGHT....and isnt bad at all.....i can shoot it comfortably......maybe i like recoil to much? i have shot my friends 338 ultra mag and kept asking for more shells because i liked the noise it made...lol.....ill shoot my dad 835 this spring and see....

Mikey S.

A few things I've learned about shooting these big 12's.........if you can, let someone else who claims they like the abuse to do it for you! I had shoulder surgery a couple winters ago, so I had to do a few things to help me get through the process.

1. I shoot sitting on a bench......off of sandbags...but I make sure the seat is low enough so that when I pull the gun to my shoulder, my back is straight up and down, and I'm not leaning forward. I keep my back muscles relaxed, so when the gun recoils, I just get pushed backwards, not jolted. You want to let the gun push you, don't fight it. I hold the gun snug, and absolutely make sure my cheek is planted on the stock, you don't want a gap, that will let the gun get a good run at cracking your cheek. You will get a knot on you cheek. If it's hitting you, you're either shooting with bad form, or the gun just doens't fit you.

2. The sims pads do help, but I go a step further. I place a shot bag filled with a decent amount of sand(not completely full) instead of shot, on my shoulder. That bag absorbs a ton of the kick, and it doens't mess up my aiming point. I shoot with a 1-4x Leupold scope, and this set up works perfect. I can make it through 30 or 40 rounds a day before I have to surrender for the day.

determined

patterning with the 3.5,s was no fun,especially the next day.recoil pad sounds like a good add on although i have never used one.i look at it like this,how many shots are you going to get at a turkey,some people are lucky to get one on any given year, so you probably will not take a beating shooting multiple rounds.as far as flinching,thats the last thing im thinking about when i have a bead on that gobbler,im really not thinking about the recoil of that 3.5. im to excited to care.good luck.