best recoil pad

[300savage]

i have an old tang safety ruger 30-06 with the red factory buttpad that is in desperate need of some manners. if it didntt shoot so freekin good i would have long ago given up getting my molars jjarred loose by this little kickin mule.
i am tired of attempting to prove my manhood anymore, i shot a hog last evening with it and it almost wasn't worth it.
i want something that looks good, durable, and classic for this little brown mule.
what are your favorites please.

[docone31]

I installed a triple layer field pad on mine. Tamed it quite nicely. I do that to all my rifles now.

[btroj]

Kickeeze pads are nice.

[Mk42gunner]

I like the Pachmyar (I never can spell that name so it looks right) Decelerator on most rifles. For newer designs and materials, the Kickeeze and Limbsaver pads are supposed to work very well; I have not tried them though.

Personally, I think the tang safety Rugers have the most atrocious wooden stock for handling recoil of any rifle introduced post WWII.

Robert

[MattOrgan]

Another vote for Kickeeze, Limbsaver are about the same, but the Kickeeze grind better. A couple of weeks ago I began to think I was getting old or sissified shooting my old M70 Supergrade .458. Realized the old pad had gotten really hard. Decided I didn't care about collector value and tried my first Kickeeze. It feels like it reduced recoil by half.

[geargnasher]

Pachmayr for me, I like the natural rubber ones.

Gear

[BoolitBullet]

+1 for Kick-Eez. I used to work for an aerospace research center. For one of our tests, we were testing a moon landing system on a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. They are huge helicopters that shake like crazy and we were nervous putting our expensive prototype on it. We consulted our materials experts and they recommended that we mount the system on Sorbothane (the material Kick-Eez is made from) isolators because it dissipated energy better than rubber. We did and they were right. It worked so well that I thought I should make recoil pads out of the stuff and make a million bucks. Unfortunately, that is when I discovered Kick-Eez. I didn't make a million bucks, but I did find the best recoil pad on the market!

[MBTcustom]

Pachmayr white line. Solid class, and it works really well too. The ones that are not grind to fit look like somebody screwed a flip-flop to your stock, and the limbsaver grind to fit pads are so sticky that they grab your clothing as you shoulder the rifle. The Pachmayr white lines are the best for looks and function IMHO.

[runfiverun]

the kick-eeze with the anti-jump are super nice if they fit, if you try to make them fit they are a pain to grind [read about impossible] unless it's only about 1/16th inch.
quite often changing the l.o.p. slightly and the comb height/shape will reduce recoil far more than a recoil pad.

[waksupi]

I've did the grind to fit Pachmayers quite a few times, and remove a lot of material on some of them. Just got to be sure you get one with the right size backing plate in it, so you don't grind through. If you can find someone with a Murry wheel, those are the proper tool to use.
White line spacers? Yuck! They do make an Old English model that is red.

[LUBEDUDE]

For handling recoil on my passel of 12 gauges, I found that Kick-Eeze does best for me. If I were going to put a recoil pad on a hi-powered rifle, I would not hesitate to do the same.

[koehn,jim]

Limbsaver works good for me.

[snuffy]

I installed so many pads in my job at a gunshop,,,--- well lets just say I'm glad I'm retired! We stocked and used many kick eze pads.

If your length of pull is correct, IOW if the gun fits you, installing a 1" pad will require you to cut the stock shorter. Also, when fitting a recoil pad, you should use a jig sold by Brownells, and have access to a big disc sander.


http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/shotgun-tools/recoil-pad-tools/b-r-recoil-pad-fitting-jig-prod44670.aspx

Here's another one;

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/shotgun-tools/recoil-pad-tools/universal-fitting-fixture-prod25267.aspx

We used the second one, never even heard of the first until a search of Brownells site turned it up. Use of either jig/fixture keeps you from damaging the finish of the stock. All grinding is done away from the stock.

The kick-eze should reduce felt recoil to around 50% of what it was.

[steg]

Limbsaver tamed my Ruger 3, in 45/70

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`ve tried a "few" different makes of recoil pads both old style and some of the new "better and improved" type. I`ll opt for a Pachmyer Decelerator pad when a pad is needed.Robert

[MtGun44]

Kickeze is made of sorbothane, a modified urethane elastomer that is AMAZING
in the energy absorption that it can do. I have tested this stuff and used it in
designing shock resistant electronics and it is fantastic stuff.

Strongly recommended.

Bill

[badguybuster]

The "limbsaver" worked wonder on my buffalo classic which kills at both ends.

[Reloader06]

Boy did this thread come at the perfect time. I have a very bad shoulder, so this is a question I was going to ask the group. Thanks for all the info. My question is, other than the slip ons, is there a way I might tame my '03A3 and not chop the stock?

Matt

[Mk42gunner]

So is it easier to grind the sorbothane pads if they are frozen, like the rubber pads or not?

Robert

[Moondawg]

I have a limbsaver on a hard kicking 45-70 and a decelerator on a lightweight 9.3x74R. They both work very well.

[MtGun44]

Never had any problem sanding the sorbothane pads on a belt or disk sander at room temp. Might
work better if they are cold, never heard of it or tried it, but is sounds like a neat idea.

Bill

[Mk42gunner]

Thanks for the reply, Bill.

I got the idea twenty plus years ago from either the Brownell's newsletter (when they were actually printed), or one of the Gunsmiths Kinks books. Ever since then once I have the pad screwed to the stock, it goes in the deep freeze overnight. Once the rubber gets hard it seems to cut cleaner and easier on the sander.

Robert

[upr45]

Have a pachmayr decelerator on a 1895 22" barrel marlin(pistol grip stock) and a kickeze on a 1895 guide gun(straight grip). The decelerator is on a heavier rifle and does the job and looks good. The kickeze is noticeably tamer. However it tends to grab my coat more than the decelerator. Have applied "armor all" to the surface of both pads to minimize the grab, the kickeze is a bit more difficult to grind down. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them.

[300savage]

thanks fellas i appreciate the advice.

[oscarflytyer]

I will make a different suggestion. It is most likely not a recoil pad problem/solution. And doubtful that any recoil pad is going to make a big difference that you are looking for... AND more $$ than a pad, but...

I would suggest looking at an aftermarket stock. I put a Bell and Carlson kevlar/fiberglass stock on a Win M70 300 Win Mag years ago and the raised straight comb on the stock tamed the recoil A BUNCH! The higher the comb, in line with the bore axis, the less FELT recoil. Took the 300 from and a$$ kicker - not much fun and only about dozen rounds - to a ton of fun bench/range target gun, and fun to shoot a cpl boxes of ammo at a sitting.

I had to replace the stock because the original wood was cracked. But it was THE best investment I ever made. The gun always shot extremely well - and it shot much better with the new stock, both less beating me and more accurate. I DID full epoxy bed the action and 1 1/2" of the bbl, and then free float the bbl. But that gun shot flat base hunting bullets nearly into themselves, and was very manageable, recoil wise.

Last, a buddy of mine, who had/shot a 30-06 really didn't want to shoot my 300. I convinced him. When he did, he was shocked. My 300 felt recoil was WAY less than his 30-06! If you like your rifle, want to keep it, and have fun shooting it, think about a new stock...

[MtGun44]

Kickeeze makes a coating which is specifically designed to make it less "grabby" or "frictiony". Never needed it, but
I this bothers you, there is a fix. Kickeeze helped my .45-70 GG a good bit. 8 lbs with scope and launching a
405 gr boolit at 1750 is a pretty good thump.

Bill

[FLINTNFIRE]

Pachmayr white line , one of my favorites also , have installed quite a few and like the look and the reduction of felt recoil .

[roysha]

Kick Eze all the way. I have installed a couple hundred of these over the years and find them no harder to grind than the harder Pachmayrs. A good sharp disc of 80-100 grit and a little patience and care is all it takes.

Although I agree to a certain extent with the poster that said it probably wouldn't help all that much, I believe a fair analogy would be, would you rather get hit on the head with a pound of fluffy feathers or a one pound lead ingot. Not to say that a Kick Ese pad is fluffy, just a heck of a lot softer than what you now have.

[wv109323]

I have a Limbsaver on my Beretta 686. It is about 10 years old. It has deteriorated to the point that it is gummy and literally sticks to the floor or bottom of the gun safe. It was a "made to fit". I would look elsewhere from my experience.

[Garyshome]

Try less powder in the brass.