I have a Harrington & Richardson Single Shot 20 gauge that I recently purchased. It is a great clay pigeon gun, and does everything I want it to. I would really like to put something on it t lessen the recoil. I went to Wal-Mart and looked at their pads, but I am not satisfied or convinced that the 15.99 thing they sell there is what I want for this gun. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I can find a pad that will fit this model and work well for my purposes. I am not using it for hunting, I am looking for something to lessen the blow after I shoot a few dozen pigeons. Please e-mail me or post here and I will check back. Jason
Well, the drawback of just about any recoil pad is that it increases the "length of pull"- or in simple terms, makes the stock longer. And if the gun does not fit you, suddenly you are watching clay pigeons fly off into the sunset, unharmed. One of the simplest is the "slip-on" pad- has little rubber booty that streches over the stock, holds pad in place. Installs or removes in 10 seconds, fairly cheap, moderately effective. Other end of the scale will be a high $$ pad like a Limbsaver brand. You can find one CLOSE to size of your gun, but then will require grinding/sanding to fit. Attaches, usually with the buttplate screws, in a semi-permanent mode. Works better, costs a lot more, takes time to install correctly. So, ya pays ya money, and ya takes ya pick. For a now-and-again use H&R, would start with the low dollar, and see if it met my needs.
I use that Wal-Mart recoil pad on my H&R Pardner. I shot three boxes of twenty gauge #7 shot and felt nothing afterwards. No bruises or soreness the next day. Same way with five buckshot shells as well. I think that Pachmayr pad is sufficient for your needs.
Well, crap. This is a reminder that I need to get off my butt and take some pictures to post for my how-to on measuring trigger pull for a standard rifle/shotgun frame. The write up is all done, but I can't take the pictures of myself doing the measuring and I spent all weekend working on the yard and such. As was mentioned by C3 - You really need to start with knowing your measurement, because adding a recoil pad that will ease some of the impact from the recoil, will most likely add to the length of pull on the weapon. Does your current weapon have a screw on style butt/recoil pad? It would probably have two screws, going from the back, directly into the stock. Removing the screws allows you to remove the butt plate / recoil pad. If that is the case, then you can measure the size of your current model and know what you are shopping for. Almost every rifle has some sort of removable butt plate and/or recoil pad, but some do not and others are modeled right into the stock manufacturing. As for recoil pads themselves. There are two that we specifically install on firearms in the shop. 1) Pachmayr makes a model called the Decelerator that is what I have on all my boltguns. It is very high density and works really well. This is a custom install, it needs to be ground to fit, so unless you have the tools, you might need some help. However, Pachmayr also makes several models that are cut to fit most common rifle and shotgun applications. This site is the first one I found with their whole selection, but find what you want and shop around. The internet is a wonderful place. 2) Limbsaver is another company turning out a fine recoil pad. They offer many different types, some grind to fit, some custom done for you and some basic applications. They have ( 3 ) in the H & R rating, made of different materials. Check them out and see what you think. As always, shop the 'net and find yourself the best prices. Hope that helps! JD
