I am 15 years old, 125lbs, and 5'8". I am thinking about purchasing an NEF 12 gauge single shot, 28 inch bbl, modified choke. Dave Canterbury is doing a youtube series on the shotgun for hunting means. I want one bad, but some have said the kick is fairly strong. I shoot Mosins regularly and in competition, and those don't bother me at all. Can anyone speak to this? The gun won't be very fun if I get hurt every time I shoot it.

Recoil depends on a number of factors, not just the firearm. Will you be using bird shot or buck shot? 2 3/4" or 3"? IMHO, ad a good recoil pad ( the stock may need to be cut to maintain the correct LOP ) Or try a slip over pad. Good shooting to you, good to hear of a young person shooting.

Just cheap birdshot (Walmart bulk stuff). When I use more powerful loads for hunting, the last thing on my mind when I lay my sights on something is what the recoil will feel like so I'm not really worried about it when hunting, but when I'm just shooting stuff at the range is what I'm mostly asking about.

The NEF 12 ga. is a very light shotgun. It can be tough to handle in the recoil department for shooters with low recoil tolerance. Three things that will help with recoil are proper stock length, a good aftermarket recoil pad (pachmeyer) and ammo choice. For ammo look to some of the light target loads put out by the ammo companies for skeet. These loads pattern and perform better than the cheap field loads (ex. dove&quail or squirrel&rabbit). As you gain more experience you can move up to heavier loads as needed. And yes I would go with the 12 ga. I just never found a 20 ga. to be any more comfortable to shoot.

I have one and if you can handle a 30_06 you can handle a h&r with a recoil pad(limbsaver). I can handle 10 rounds of 3" mag buckshot. Put 200 mlxed rounds in two days through it. Hope this helps.

Well, I don't really want a pad for it. The series with Dave Canterbury I was referring to is titled "The 21st Century Longhunter" A pad sort of takes away the look they were going for. I could always put lead in the stock because it has a hole in it for takedown, but my other plus on it was how lightweight it was.

Are you wanting the hunt with a single shot for asthetic reasons, or because the gun is cheaper?

I'm blessed with a better than average recoil tolerance, but one of the best bell ringings I ever had was when I was about your age and torched off a 3.5" turkey load from my buddy's H&R. That gun might have weighed 6lbs even with a shell in it. My goodness, it was a horror. Looking back on it, I was about your size then. I also used to shoot skeet with my 20 ga H&R. Even with light loads, 50 rounds in combination with that hard buttplate burgered my shoulder. Sure was fun though.

I think a good pad would make 3"s doable, but if you don't like the look it won't help you. Please explain this 21st century longhunter deal a little bit.

Go for it your going to have fun an its not as bad as people say .Why because its H&R not thiers manufactor and price is right

I shoot the 45/70 in the H&R and it is doable. Do not spend too much time shooting once you feel tired or sre. There is always next session.
Randy

I second the replace the factory pad with a Limbsaver or Kick Eez pad. It'll make a HUGE difference in felt recoil.

I had one years ago, and normal field loads in it weren't any problem at all. However, 3" 00 Buck loads were a whole 'nother beast.

The next step would be to get a recoil pad like the Pachmyer Old English pad. It's a thin pad that works very well, and the edges are rounded, so that makes it much more comfortable to shoot.

If you want to throw the kitchen sink at it, take it to a gunsmith and have the throat lengthened with a long forcing cone reamer, and have the barrel back-bored from .729 to .740, then have the choke recut to keep it at modified dimensions. This will really tame it down. Just depends on how much you have to spend, and how much you are gonna shoot it.

The recoil isn't bad.

A 20 gauge, or even a 16, is easier to shoot than a 12 gauge in a single-shot shotgun. Get the adult sized model, not the youth model. A 12 gauge kicks hard, don't let anybody tell you different. The only "cure" is a soft recoil pad. The gun still pushes you around, but the pad takes the pain out of it.

redhead is right. when i got mine, i put 3 rounds of plain birdshot down the tube and where i can handle 3" mag in a pump after that i was done. lead in the stock is good but you might want to get even a half inch pa just to have something soft and it shouldn't hurt the look. oh and because we're almost the same age i'll tell you this. after i shot my stepdad's mossy 500 and m1 garand i thought i was the chit, then i bought that h&r after hearing the recoil is "not that bad", after that i learned WEIGHT is a big factor. don't get me wrong, with somethin' soft, it's a joy to shoot. btw, don't let people rag on you 'cause it's a single. i don't know about anyone else but i only NEED one shot, thank you very much.

sorry for the long post- got carried away...

Once again....

I'd get the gun. Then shoot it with whatever shells you plan to use. If it kicks too much for you (it does for me, but I have a many-times separated right shoulder), then figure out if it is the right length for you. If it is, you need a pad.

If it is too short, then that's part of the "kick" problem; you need it longer and the cheapest, easiest way to do that is get a pullover pad. (I'd say to hell with the "look"--do you want to shoot well or not? It's an H&R; it looks like it looks.).

If it is too long (that causes recoil problems, too), cut it to the correct length with a pad, and put the pad on it. If you're short of money, you can use a pullover, just seal the cut end of the wood, and run some masking tape around the cut edges so they don't chip in use.

If it's too long and you have the money, get a good permanent pad fitted by a competent stock man. Have him figure out the correct length BEFORE cutting, and put 'er on. I like Limbsavers.

One of the many nice things about H&Rs is that wood for them is cheap and available. If you do something that you don't like later, you can toss the old stock and replace it.

That's utter BS. It was BS the first time you said it but I refrained from saying so. But since you insist...

btw, they are no longer called NEF, but are all H&R now... and you might want to consider the older ones, the fit and finish look better to me. also, the wood seems to be of better quality as well. oh, and check out my thread on problems with mine...not to say they are all this way, but hiccups do happen, case and point; look the gun over well before you but down your hard earned cash...

good luck and have fun.

You're a pu$$Y so of course you think the recoil is bad. If you know how to handle a gun and shoot correctly none of them kick.

The quality is just as good or better than it ever was. If you think otherwise you just don't keep up with what is going on.

I got one for my son.

After a season hunting with it, what we use it for regularly now is when family or guests start bragging about handling recoil, we get it out of the closet, and we all take turns shooting it with slugs or buckshot.

First one to say , "I've had enough" is deemed a pansy. Smart, but a pansy.

Then we put the gun away.

I think the way to go is to buy one used and pay a fair price for it. This way you can try it out. If it kicks too much, just sell it and you should be able to get back most if not all what you paid for it.

You really can't go by what other people say about the recoil. It depends on how the gun fits you really, and how you handle the recoil. All 12 or 20 gauge shotguns are going to produce a fair amount of recoil.

My hunting partner had the NEF in 20ga, and I didn't think it was bad at all. I was always leery of the same gun in 12 gauge until I tried it, and I can't say I could tell any different.

Also, just for reference, I am definitely not recoil proof. I can't handle lightweight 7mm Magnums, and I do not like shooting 3 1/2" magnums in a 12 gauge.

Since you weigh 125, you will tend to roll with the punch and it won't hurt you nearly so much as it would if you weighed 200. Go for it. I used a 16 ga single when I was your age, and I had no problem with it.

FWIW a PAST pad under your buckskin jacket works as well as a pad on the gun, but is invisible.

It's funny how the guys I hunted with would giggle at my H&R until it came time to walk back to the truck at the end of the day. Then they wanted to "trade" guns for the walk back.

Hi,

If you're a bit bothered by the recoil, learn it: first shoot standard 12 gauge loads or even light one from 1 to 1,25oz of lead shot. No need to send pounds of lead to kill birds, rabbits and hares. When you'll get use to you can increase the weight of load if you need it or want it. If you shoot slug go to Remington or other manufacturers reduced recoil load. They will kill dead deer and boars, if you place their slug where they must be.

For better feeling and recoil taming go to a Limbsaver or Remington R3 pad. Have the stock cut to your size, that's really important for accuracy, handling, shooting ease and comfort.
Beretta and other makers sell for not lot of money some pas filled with gel that you stick on the stock comb. They low down the vibration and shock transmitted to your head through your cheek and jaw bones.

With such little improvements your life with the H&R will be a joy.
My daughter, 17 years old, light and thin, can manage mine in 35 Whelen with 250grs bullets with no problem. She use the same accessories i described above.

Sorry was a bit long,

Dom

In over 50 years of shooting I have found nothing to equal the 12 ga singles ability to kick the living snot out of me. I love crack barrels but in 20 gauge.

I have a couple in 20GA and a 16GA. There is absolutely no difference in felt recoil between them. However I can not attest to 12GA recoil in this platform.