Choosing The Best Recoil Pad -All Need You Know (2019)
Recoil pad plays a crucial role in protecting the shoulder from the heavy butt end of the rifle or other long range firearms during shooting.
The article focuses on helping the people choose the best recoil pad as per their requirements.
Some Useful Facts On The Importance Of Recoil Pad During Shooting
The Recoil pad is an essential accessory that must always be included in every outdoor campaign, involving the use of shoulder mounted rifles for hunting or safety purposes.
A recoil pad is basically a rubber soft appendage which is attached at the thick end of a rifle butt to easily overcome the impact after pressing the trigger of the firearm.
Such cushioned leather or rubber pad usually forms a protective barrier between the delicate shoulder and the hard rifle butt to prevent the chance of injuries in the middle of an outdoor expedition.
This pad also helps shooters to acquire a firm grip on the shoulder mounted end of the rifle while aiming at the target.
Such pad primarily comes in distinct styles and thickness depending on the requirements of the shooter.
They are gaining widespread popularity due to its impressive shock absorption capacity in all conditions.
Also, they can easily withstand harsh outdoor temperature and can easily restore original shape even after multiple compressions.
It offers full-proof comfort to the shoulder of the shooter while mounting the butt at the end of the rifle.
Before acquiring the best recoil pad in the market, it is essential to focus on some other aspects to obtain the best possible value for money.
These mainly include the following below:
Methods Of Choosing
There are several ways that can help you to determine the appropriate recoil pad to enjoy a hassle-free shooting experience.
The most important among them revolves around the type of rifle which you will be using for different outdoor events and firing competitions.
It is because there is a sharp variation in the thickness of the butt end of Marlin 1895 and Marlin 336 rifles which are also true in the case of the rifle models of other notable brands like Winchester, Nosler, and others.
So first decide which rifle brand you want to use to meet your shooting requirements, before selecting the best recoil pad of your choice.
The other criterion depends on the exact magnitude of the length of pull in your rifle.
This term primarily denotes the distance between the trigger and the butt end of your rifle.
Based on this accurate magnitude, you can buy the right kind of pad to ensure solid gripping of the rifle during firing.
At the same time, you must concentrate on the overall length of your rifle before purchasing this pad to ease pressure on your shoulder.
You must never ignore the aspect of thickness magnitude while purchasing such a pad.
It is because of the fact that a recoil pad with a higher level of thickness always provides maximum support in overcoming the recoil impact after shooting.
You will definitely miss such an advantage by purchasing a pad of lower magnitude thickness.
Benefits That Can Be Expected
The major advantage of using a recoil pad involves guaranteeing complete protection to the shoulder and collar bones from severe injury as a consequence of the sudden recoil impact.
It is a big risk to use rifles or guns without fixing such pad at the end point due to the chance of severe shoulder injury and breaking of the colored bones after pressing the trigger.
The inclusion of such a pad in your rifle also ensures proper gripping of the butt while mounting it onto your shoulder.
This pad can also help you to easily adjust the magnitude of the length of pull so as to ensure better accuracy and gripping.
Such cushioned pad can easily absorb the pressure on your shoulder while mounting rifles of different length.
Recoil pads also help you to use your rifles in hunting and other events during harsh environmental conditions.
Attributes That Must Be Understood To Differentiate These Products
Recoil pads usually arrive with distinct specifications and designs to meet the basic requirements of the shooters.
These pads also feature tailor-made designs to accommodate the specific needs of the professional and amateur shooters without compromising quality.
These cushioned pads are an ideal replacement of metal or plastic butt plate that often exerts pressure and weight on the shoulder.
The easiest way to differentiate between these products usually involves assessing the magnitude of recoil reduction impact with the factor of premium comfort.
For providing solid gripping to heavy long range guns, these pads usually come with a specially designed core sided slots that easily absorbs the sudden shock of recoiling during shooting.
These pads also come with different levels of rubber concentration for producing a feeling of comfort that easily handles the latest shotgun models of different companies.
Such pads are also available in different categories that can help its users to properly understand the differences without wasting much time and energy.
The most notable among them is AR-15/M4 Snap-On Recoil Pad which can drastically reduce the impact of recoil by over 50%.
This pad helps to easily mount the rifle over your shoulder and can curtail the muzzle jump so as to enable faster re-acquisition of the targets.
Whereas, the Magpul Stock Recoil Pad helps to earn more stability to guarantee firm gripping of sophisticated long to medium range firearms.
The Ideal Way Of Using A Recoil Pad
Usually a recoil pad is attached at the end portion of the rifle but sometimes gun manufacturers try to fix it in other remote corners for grabbing the attention of the buyers.
Although these do not compromise the basic safety requirements of the shooter, but it clearly exposes the shoulder and collar bone.
For guaranteeing smooth absorption of the recoiling impact that primarily occurs after pressing the trigger, it is quite essential to follow the prescribed guidelines before attaching such cushioned pad at the extreme ends.
The first and foremost step involves the creation of holes at the butt end of the rifle to ensure proper fitting of such a pad to deliver maximum comfort and safety to the shoulder of the shooter.
There is no point in installing thin recoil pad because then it will become quite tough to overcome the recoil impact for protecting the shoulder and collar bones from injuries.
It is always ideal to prioritize the basic needs of the shooters before manufacturing such pads. For experienced gunman, such pads not only guarantees protection but also helps in proper gun control.
In the case of an amateur shooter, these pads play a crucial role in preventing the unpleasant incidents of shoulder breaking and collar bone fracturing.
Recoil pads must be installed in a way that gunman never feel any inconvenience while carrying guns for recreational or hunting purposes.
Five Best Recoil Pad That Can Be Used For Shooting Purposes In All Seasons
Limb Saver Air Tech Slip-On Recoil Pad
Limb Saver Air Tech Slip-On Recoil Pad comes with the latest atmospheric chambers and can greatly curtail the recoil effect by 70%.
It plays a vital role in enhancing the accuracy of every shot from rifles.
It can be easily placed over the existing recoil pad to experience maximum stability while mounting the butt end of the guns.
These pads can also easily withstand the distinct frequency levels to dissipate vibration and energy.
It is also best suited to be used in harsh environmental conditions.
Pros
- Drastically reduces the impact of recoiling without causing shoulder injury.
- Prevents slipping of the rifle butt from the shoulder due to solid gripping.
- Comes with a durable design to easily absorb distinct frequency ranges to dissipate recoiling shock and energy.
- Can be easy installed over existing layer of recoil pad
Cons
- Not so much effective with the semi auto shotgun models.
- It is a bit expensive for average customers.
Allen Recoil Eraser, Recoil Reducing Pad
Allen Recoil Eraser pad is made up of polymers and can overcome the effect of recoil to a great extent.
It is quite ideal for guns having straight stocks.
This pad is also an ideal alternative to the traditional shooting vest as it can easily absorb the sudden shock of recoiling under all conditions.
It can be smoothly installed without much physical effort.
Pros
- It is available at an affordable market price.
- Prevents slipping of the rifle butt from the shoulder due to solid gripping.
- Comes with a durable design to easily absorb distinct frequency ranges to dissipate recoiling shock and energy.
- Can be easy installed over existing layer of recoil pad
Cons
- The pad is not suited for all kinds of guns, hence it is recommended to check compatibilities before making a purchase.
- Sometimes it fails to check the heavy intensity of vibration and firing.
Pachmayr Decelerator Slip On Recoil Pad
Pachmayr Decelerator Slip comes in 3 distinct sizes and can be easily installed without exerting much pressure.
It is non-slippery and features a snag-free exterior design.
It helps to achieve maximum accuracy during shooting and target fixing.
The pad is designed to fit within a tolerance of 0.50 inches and come with enhanced look and feel.
The kit includes an easy- to- do- it- yourself installation guide that can replace the hard factory pads quite easily.
Pros
- Greatly improves the external appearance of the guns.
- Helps to hold the gun without creating pressure on the shoulder.
- Can easily absorb the vibration and energy of sudden recoiling of the gun butt.
- Easy to use and install.
- Made up of good quality non-slippery materials.
Cons
- This pad is bit too expensive for average customers.
- Sometimes crumbles under extreme environmental conditions.
Limb Saver Air Tech Precision-Fit Recoil Pad
Limb Saver Air Tech Precision pad is quite compatible with all types of muzzleloaders, shotguns, and rifles.
It is based on a cutting-edge technology to easily absorb and dissipate the frequencies of vibration and energy.
It helps to enhance the accuracy level without causing discomfort to the shoulder or collar bones.
For a professional shooter, this pad comes with the greater amount of stability in different situations.
Pros
- The recoil pad can be easily installed in most shotguns and rifle models.
- It helps to prevent injury to the shoulder and collar bone.
- This pad totally reduces dependence on wearing special recoil vest.
Cons
- Limb Saver Air Tech Precision pad falls within the league of expensive market price.
- Sometimes it might fail to withstand the impact of recoil effect.
Limb Saver Slip-On Recoil Pad
The recoil pad helps to achieve a unique comfort of shooting after pressing the trigger.
It can be easily fitted in the butt of muzzleloaders, shotguns, and other rifles.
This pad has the capacity of reducing the impact of recoiling by over 50%.
It is quite compatible with the existing recoil pads of the guns.
Pros
- The pad is quite compatible with different models of muzzleloader, shotguns, and rifles.
- It helps to achieve greater stability and accuracy in all conditions.
- It can easily reduce the impact of recoil to prevent shoulder damage.
Cons
- It sometimes fail to withstand extreme conditions.
- Sometimes it is unable to absorb higher frequency ranges.
Conclusion
After thoroughly reading the features and specifications of all the above-mentioned products it becomes a lot easier to select the one as per your needs.
For instance, the Limb Saver Air Tech Slip-On Recoil Pad is an ideal choice for the professional shooters because of its durability and longevity in harsh environmental conditions.
Although the market value is in the budget segment, this product helps to achieve maximum accuracy and comes with the shock absorption rate of 70%.
For average shooters, an ideal product can be Allen Recoil Eraser Recoil Reducing Pad which falls within the affordable budget league of affordable product options.
This item is ideal for people who want to use rifles for recreational and casual purposes only.
Shooters who are very serious about recoil control and gun appearance can look forward to buying Pachmayr Decelerator Slip-On Recoil Pad that is available in three distinct sizes and falls within the mid-budget price range.
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