Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Why do rifled slugs kick SO hard?

I'm just glad that I'm not alone in this! My 870 with I/C blows the action open almost every time, and nearly blows my shoulder out, too! How I long to hunt near my home with my little 6.5 Swede!

I read an article about the 50 greatest calibers, and one writer hit the nail on the nose when he chose NOT to include the 12 gauge, "... maximum recoil, for minimum range."

I imagine they kick so hard so we can appreciate our rifles.

I have 12 and 20 gauge slug guns-Two of them are Deerslayers FWIW. No scope eye but a few pinched fingers.

Off the bench with three inch slugs the 12 gauge opens the action and ejects the shell. I went to 23/4 inch loads.

The 20 is a lot more pleasant. It kills black bear just fine too.

After the 12 gauge my .338 is pretty pleasant.

Yeah those old single Stevens would kick. A few rounds hunting
would leave a blue shoulder. Never felt it while hunting though.
Recoil is caused by the momentum of the projectile.
With a given weight it is directly proportional to muzzle
velocity.
Good luck!

I believe shotgun only laws were designed to deter people from deer hunting.
when I went from hunting NYS with my Marlin 336 to NJ with my Ithaca 37 it always felt like punishment.

I bought one of those 220f's in Feb. I can't wait to shoot it,it'll be almost like shooting a rifle.

its all in your mind, you have just psyched yourself out about this...just get up in the tree stand, put your shoulder up against the tree, pull the butt of the gun firmly to the shoulder and let fly! The tree will stop the recoil. I know this works with a 12 gauge Rem 870 pump gun...

Only scope eye I ever endured was from my 280, never from the slug gun. I've seen plenty of others get it from slugs though.

remember your High School Physics? It is Newton's fault, - if he hadn't invented that silly law none of this would happen.

And the fact that it's only costing you something like $3 a shot adds to the fun.

The bright sparkley things are from damage to your eye.
Eventually your retina will detach.
The upside is that when you go blind you get an additional
tax deduction.
Enjoy those Magnums!
Good luck!

the good thing is,you only feel the recoil when at the range,when shooting deer I never notice it.

You're a bad, bad man.

I can relate. The first and only gun my dad bought for me was a 370 Waterfowler. It's basically the same gun as your 37A but with a 30-inch full choke barrel. Land sakes, does that thing kick! I patterned a Federal Premium 3-inch mag turkey load in it this spring. Never again. That black plastic buttplate is brutal! I killed my turkey dead with a 2-3/4 inch load. They pattern almost as well and kick less than half as much by my perception. Next year I might just try my 28 gauge CZ Ringneck for turkeys.

A couple years ago I shot my BIL's Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag with a 3-1/2 inch turkey load. The recoil was absolutely ridiculous! Why anyone in their right mind thinks they must endure such a thing to kill a turkey or a goose is beyond me.

10 ga. single shot 3.5" slug. Like shooting a bullwhip.

Been there, done that! Out of box H&R, stupid enough to do it again, with shooting gloves! Never again! Thought I broke everything from upper wrist to my fingertips, both shots!

May I fix it:
10 ga. single shot 3.5" slug. Like trying to stop a speeding locomotive with one hand!

I have no idea why (other than the obvious, more powder, more bullet weight, light gun, ...) but they certainly do kick. Was very surprised when I took my rifled Rem 870 out to sight it in. One or two boxes of ammo (4-5? per box) was enough. Had a Red Dot on it and it probably would have worked fine though. Ended up trading it in to help with getting a Ruger M77.

This one is hitting close to home as I am currently working on a couple of slug articles for the NRA. One important point about recoil is that the weight of everything ejected counts in the recoil equation. That includes the slug, wads and powder. It can add up to a lot of weight. When coupled with the higher velocities of the newer slug loads, the recoil can be pretty stiff. I know, I shot a bunch of slugs yesterday during range testing.

Even the old standard Foster slug loads you asked about have a very high payload and propellant weight. The slugs, wads and powder add up to a very stiff recoil.

It�s the same reason muzzle loaders kick so much. The powder charges are much heavier than in a cartridge rifle. That weight adds to the recoil.

Bryce

I dazed myself silly three years ago when just starting CAS shooting. I borrowed a friends Stoeger Coach gun (w/no recoil pad) with double triggers--which I had no experience with. Also, not paying attention, I had grabbed a box of #4 high vel. instead of some gentle #8 trap loads.

Not knowing how to actually shoot the double triggers, I put a finger on each one. You can guess what happened. I was slapped so hard it stunned me. The gun jumped out of my grasp and I nearly dropped it. I bled all over it. I have no idea what the recoil energy was, but the experience has been imprinted on my DNA. I wouldn't take money to give it another go.

You are no doubt ready for a .700 Nitro....

I have an 870 with the cantilevered scope rifled slug barrel. When I got it home I purchased a box of Remington 2 3\4 slugs and a box of the then new Winchester Partition loads., If what is left of my well stirred memory is correct the box said 1700 fps for a 12 ga.

I started on the bench at 50 yds to get the scope on the paper with the remingtons. You knew it sure wasnt a 22 long, but..... A few shots and a few clicks and it looked good, sooooo I slid in a Winchester.

Bench rest with a synthetic stock and I just about sold that gun then and there....
But no, had to shoot two more to be sure it grouped and the zero wasnt off.

If a flinch was going to develop that there is your reason why...... My hand shakes just taking that rig out of the safe to oil it.

had a mossberg i was sighting in, with 3" slugs it kicked so hard i had a headache and tears in my eyes, felt like someone was punching me in the back of the head. the loads kicked so hard they opened the action and ejected themselves, even though i was holding onto the forend.

that gun no longer lives here and i use a muzzleloader for deer now.

and to retain the mancard, i did NOT cry, the damn gun hit so hard it made me tear up and got my nose running. lol

(shot in cold weather)