Best recoil pads

[getitdone1]

Some would call me a wimp by wanting a recoil pad on my Browning 1886, 45-70. Well, if I am, I'm a wimp who knows a shoulder bruise when he sees it and a sore shoulder when he feels it.

I've shot off a half dozen hot 400 gr loads with this gun and I can do it without flinching--but I'll have a sore and maybe bruised shoulder the next day. I want shooting this gun to be a pleasure and want to shoot it with powerful loads and shoot it a lot. Hey, that's why I bought it!

Therefore, I've decided enjoying this gun merits destroying it's appearance, to a degree, by having a recoil pad installed.

Got to looking on the internet and found these brands. Some I knew about, some I didn't.

Limb Saver
Kickeez
Decelerator
Remington Super Cell
Gel Filled

The only modern era recoil pad I've had is the Limb Saver on the very light weight Browning A-Bolt chambered for the 375 H&H cartridge. It really did the job!

Today, while getting this gun ready to sell, I took it from the factory box and noticed the toweling paper I'd used to give gun tighter fit in box was stuck to this Limb Saver recoil pad. A pain to get off and I found that the material they use for this pad is very soft and small balls would roll-off while I was removing the paper toweling.

Now, I'm thinking my next pad will be the Pachmayr Decelerator pad and I see they have a slip-on that has what looks like plastic on heel of pad and that would really help prevent the pad from catching on your clothing when shouldering gun. That's one of my big problems with rubber recoil pads! Do they make other than this slip-on with plastic on the heel?

Ideally I'd like to retain the curvature of the carbine style butt on this gun. Is there a good recoil pad made especially for gun butts of this type?

I expect several in this group have also been thinking about doing this but, like me, held off due to not wanting to harm the appearance of this gun. As I've said many times: A truly great gun!

As an aside: Years ago I was in the old Pachmayr store in Southern California. By then they had heavy posts anchored in front of their store because a guy drove his car into their store and helped himself. Old-Time famous gun related company. Maybe Clint Eastwood had been to this store and this gave him the idea to also drive his police car into a store in one of his movies! Maybe not.

Don

[jmiller]

Don, I've got an 1886 in 45-70 and I know what you mean about a sore shoulder. I'd shoot about six or seven shots at a target and want to quit shooting. I recently took the gun to Turnbull to get it case colored and while he had it he put a KickEzz pad on it. He said he thought it was the best choice for the gun and he also suggested getting it in red to get it somewhat period correct. The KickEzz made a huge difference in shooting. Where I was shooting half a dozen shots and getting sore, I can now shoot twenty or thirty shots with no problem. I have the flat butt plate on my gun so I can't say what's available or what your choices are with the curved one but I can say the KickEzz works great. Good luck in getting the right pad and being able to enjoy shooting the gun.

[Blaine]

http://www.limbsaver.com/firearms.php

[new pig hunter]

If you want a slip-on style, I will recommend these. I use 'em on all my big bore rifles. No shoulder pain or discomfort whatsoever, no matter how many rounds fired.

http://www.beartooth-products.com/shop/ ... -kits.html

http://www.shooterpads.com/products.htm

Cheers,

Carl

[M. M. Wright]

Getitdone1,
I removed the crescent butt plate from an 86 Browning and sawed it off square, then put a recoil pad on it. Had to add a filler piece on top. Now I've sold that rifle and still have the butt stock w/ recoil pad. Drop me a PM if interested in buying. $75

[Malamute]

^ Do it Don!

I had the same thing done to my 86 rifle, it made it vastly more comfortable to shoot with heavy loads. I'm OK with the carbine so far, but the crescent butt was a killer with heavy loads, especially 500 grs @ about 1800 fps. I've since laid hands on a shotgun butt from an 86 XL that I'm fitting and refinishing for the rifle. It will probably be OK since its a shotgun butt, and the rifle weighs enough with the octagon barrel, even though it's cut to 22".

[madman4570]

Slip on Limbsaver works wonderful and gun can be as original in a second!