folks,
i am looking for the softest recoiling shotgun on the market.
in 12 or 20 guage.i really feel like i need a good shotgun for home defense.
i liked the mossy 930,or 935,but have not shot any.i hope this thread is in the right section of the forum,as it is for self defense.
i have searched and searched and have seen lots of threadds,but figured i would ask point blank you sw pros who carry,or shoot these shotguns for a living,or hunting.or if i need a combination of low recoil shells,knoxx b utstock and a semi auto shotgun.
thanks for any and all advice sw pros

A gas operated auto will recoil the least. The more it weighs, the less you will notice. My experience would indicate a Remington 1100, but I have not fired any of the newer brands.

max,i have thought about the 100,but i really would like more mag capacity.
how does a recoil operated shotty with a knoxx recoil reducing stock sound folks?
has anyone had experience with a recoil operated shotgun and a knoxx stock stuck on it

A couple things. Most shotguns come with longish stocks. If the stock is to long for you, the precieved recoil will be much worse. So, be sure your stock is of proper length. For combat, to short is better than to long! Also, the right recoil pad can make all the difference.

I have a Benelli M1 (auto) with a short Speedfeed stock, that has pretty good recoil attenuation. It is kind of a blowback design, which reduces recoil more than any of the gas operated piston designs that I have fired.

My son has an 870 (pump) with the Knoxx stock. Recoil reduction is excellent!

I've got a Benelli M2 in 12 guage. In a past life l shot competitive sporting clays. I'd highly recommend you take a serious look at the Benelli line, including the M4 for home defense.

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hog, i will.i would love to just get a cheap mossy 500,but if i want a nice ,low recoil ,high reliability shotty,i think i will fall into the you get what you paid for category.i think whatever i get,i will throw a knoxx on it.i am hopeing ,a combination of recoil reducing stock,semi auto gun,,push pull shooting,will contribute to low felt recoil.i also know as whe hunting,when the poop is hitting the fan ,i will not hardly feel anything.wheni used to elk hunt with a 300 weatherby,i would shoot a lot,come home with a bruised shoulder that ached for weeks,but dont remember the recoil when shooting at a 6 point bull.i see where the model 1100 will take a mag extension,and my dealer has a ton of used 1100 guns.
wont bother me to put a knoxx on one of them,cut the barrel,add a mag ext.but i love the mossy 930 or 935 also.thanks for advice guys

Twomoons, I can't say what the softest recoiling shotgun out there is but my 20 ga. Remington 870 "tactical" with the Knoxx Stock has very little felt recoil.

When you get it fully loaded with 7 rounds of 2 3/4" shotshells is is pretty heavy, which should'nt be that big of an issue for home defense.

One word of caution on the Knoxx Stock. I have heard reports of people getting their cheek pinched pretty good where the smaller tube slides through the larger one. While I have never had that happen, and I have shot my 870 quite a bit, I can see how it could pinch you when the two tubes compress together during recoil.

Since I carry my 870 on a regular basis (almost every night) I always keep my stock telescoped in fairly short for ease of handling so the "tube meet" isn't lined up with my cheek and do have a 3-point sling on it so one strap of the sling actually rides between the stock & my cheek. Maybe that's why I've never had a problem.

I have quite a few shotguns but the 20 ga. 870 is my "go to" shotgun. In addition to the 3-point sling I also have a Streamlight TLR2s (I run a green filter) with forestock mounted switchpad on it. This set-up has proven itself time & time again in a night-time, critter control application and I have absolutely no doubt that it would be equally effective on larger "critters." When winter arrives and the outdoor activity shuts down it get's fully loaded with 3" No.2 Buck just in case I do run into a larger critter.

Edited to add: It's been a while since I got a shot of my tools so I went out and did a quick photo shoot.

Here's the 870 in it's "work clothes" with it's night shift co-workers. Note the rubber Hogue Hand-All grip on the pistol grip portion of the stock, which was installed because I always wear fingerless gloves, usually just brown jersey's with the fingers cut-off, and the rubber helped with the grip on the cloth gloves. The stock grip works fine with bare hands.

I have a 12 gauge 870 with the Knoxx stock. It's a beast to shoot, especially with slugs. It is the ultimate Zombie killer if you can take the beating. I'm looking to get something more manageable in 20 gauge for home defense, which may simply be a Mossy Persuader/Defender or a Stoeger Coach Gun.

Recoil with a shotgun is pretty much the nature of the beast. Looking for a 12 guage with little or no recoil is like looking for a snake with no scales . . . different snakes have different shapes, sizes, and colors but they all have scales. Even the latest law enforcement reduced recoil 12 guage ammo has a punch to it.

For signficant reduced recoil in a shotgun, the suggestion above to consider a 20 guage for home defense has merit.

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My wife shoots clays with a Beretta 391AL Urika 20 guage. I'm no shotgun expert, but that one, in addition to being very light, produces far less recoil than any shotgun I've ever shouldered. That includes a 28 and several 410s.

I think a Browning A-5 has a light recoil as does a Remington 1100, but the lightest recoiling shotgun I have ever shot was about a month ago. I am not familiar with the Berretta model numbers (it was a club members gun) , but it was a Berretta semi auto. I think the model was something like X400 but not really sure. The down side to this gun was I did not like it's 3 shot capacity, (4 if the P.I.T.A.plug was removed) and I did not like the wood - kind of fake looking. It was also expensive (around 1,500 bucks). It is VERY LIGHT in weight and has a recoil shock absorber built into the stock of the gun. I am certainly no expert on this particular shotgun, but for someone who is super recoil sensitive, this one would be worth a look at.

Regards, Chief38

My solution was to sell my Remington 1100 and replace it with a Mossberg 500 20 gauge with a 20" Rifle sighted barrel. Much less recoil and for home defense only a few less #3 buckshot. You give up only abour 1/4 oz in the slug. I suspect an unarmored target will not feel the difference.
Geoff
Who needs to check out AR type adjustable stocks so the wife can shoot it.

I use my Remington 11-87 Super mag and the recoil is acceptable.

However, based on my dad's recent experience (he recommended the 11-87 to me a few years ago, for various reasons other than recoil), if I need/want a low recoil shotgun today, I'd get a Beretta Xtrema 2 with the Kick-Off hydraulic dampening system. I've never used it myself, but he has done a lot of shotgun shooting than I have, and he raves about the very low recoil which allows him to recover faster and shoot at a higher rate. He's not a young guy anymore and the low recoil is very important for him in practical shotgun competitions.

Good answer MAX. I installed an 18.5" factory barrel on my highly reliable 1967 era 1100, and shoot Federal LE 132 00 Buck, which is Federal's law enforcement reduced recoil.

Some think the 1100 won't shoot reduced recoil ammo, but they are confusing the 1100 tactical model with the original 1100. 5 in the shoot, and 5 on the butt cuff is just fine for me. Very soft shooting for a 12ga. If you need less recoil move to a 20ga. gas operated shotgun.

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I have a Benelli M2Tactical which I find has very mild recoil. I've read that the blow-back design of the Benellis (except for the M4 which is gas-operated) results in heavier rather than lighter recoil, but that isn't my admittedly subjective impression. My field gun is a Benelli Cordoba which is light and has mild recoil as well. I had it out doing informal trap shooting with a female friend and her 12 year old son, and they had no recoil issues with the gun shooting target loads.

IMHO, the Winchester SX3 is the softest recoiling shotgun. I am now shooting a FN SLP, which is equivalent to the SX2. It is also a soft recoiling shotgun but not nearly as much as the SX3.

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Any shotgun with Knoxx SpecOps Recoil Stock. Shoot magnums all day long with no bruise or slap. Piece of cake.

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I used to be a 12ga. guy for SD, but since I bought (and shot a lot) an 870 EXP 20 ga., with factory installed Knoxx Spec-Ops stock, I'm a believer. 2 3/4" #3 buck seems to be very mild, with one heck of a punch. Three of my friends have purchased this gun after shooting mine. I have only seen this gun for sale by high volume Remington dealers. 18" barrel, Cyl bore w/two shot extension. Order # 81180. I am sure you can find it for sale by other Remington dealers, but around the Atlanta area, only the big Rem dealers have it. Otherwise you can build it up yourself. Felt recoil seems very reasonable.

I would recommend an 870. Reliability is more important to me than a little redtction in recoil.

You could get a 20ga. But I would still recommend a 12 ga.

You can get Federal Tactical 00 Buck or Remington 00 Low Recoil Buck and remington low Recoil slugs.

Heck, my wifes favorite Home Defense/Farm utility long gun is an 18" Rem 870.