Will my shotgun bruise me really bad ?

Question

I'm 13 years old, about 5"0, 103 pounds. I have a 12-gauge shotgun and I'm concerned about how bad it'll bruise my shoulder when I shoot. Could it possibly break my shoulder ? I don't know if it's too strong for me.

Answer 1

Hi Brianna.  There are shoulder pads made for shooters who are recoil shy.  Look for them at sporting goods stores like Academy.  A shoulder pad will probably help you more than anything else since you say your are so thin at this point in your life.

Hold your shotgun firmly to your shoulder to minimize the bruising.  It should not break your shoulder.  One of the lightest recoiling 12 gauge rounds is the 2.75 inch shell (low base brass) with an ounce of shot.  That produces 17.3 lbs. of felt recoil at the shoulder.  Compare this to my .4-5-8 Winchester Magnum rifle that produces 63.0 lbs. of recoil and I think you'll agree the 17 lbs. is light!

Good luck Sweetie.

H

Answer 2

Install a Limb-Saver shotgun recoil pad it will help prevent that from happening.*

Answer 3

haha it wont break your shoulder. im 13.. the kickback from a 12 gauge really isnt that bad. just like if your buddy gave you a friendly thud on the shoulder. shotguns have recoil pads on the butt of the stock too if its not an ancient one.. and if it doesnt, wouldnt stop me.

just be sure to press it firmly against your shoulder when you shoot.

what shell are you going to use? i used a buckshot. only fired it twice.

EDIT: didnt see you were a girl.. but what i said still applies

Answer 4

Are you out shooting without supervision? Your Dad or an experienced adult can guide you safely shoot the shotgun. My guess is you are already scared of it and need professional instruction. Maybe start with a smaller shotgun like a 410 or 20.

Answer 5

No it will not, just hold it tight against your shoulder!*

Answer 6

depends how many times you shoot it, if you're out shooting clays, then yeah, you will bruise, guaranteed. Shoot a couple hundred rounds and it might be nice and purple for a couple days. If you only shoot a few times then chances are you won't bruise at all. It won't break your shoulder though.  

Answer 7

Start out with 2 3/4" #7 shot loads, to get used to the recail, then if you think you're ready, move up to more powerful shells.

The others gave good advice, hold it firmly in the shoulder, and keep a steady stance.

Answer 8

as long as you hold it right, no. however, I've seen people afraid of recoil, so they hold the gun about an inch away from their shoulder. thats when you get hurt. brace yourself for a huge impact, so your expectations will be high, and then once you pull the trigger, you'll get a light thud and look like a pro

Answer 9

As Nerod said , hold it against your shoulder snugly  so it does not have room to kick you.

Lean into the gun , but dont fight the recoil.

Your weight  will not matter too much , but it  could  push you back half a step.

should be more of a hard  shove than a punch .

Wearing more than a teeshirt helps.

Keep your cheek on the stock so it does'nt slap you & keeping your  mouth closed w/ your tongue againsrt the back of your teeth is a good idea..

Wont help the shoulder , but you won't bite your tongue.

Supposed to be fun, so if it hurts or bruises , might as well give it a rest.

Answer 10

So I've been technically bruised from my 12-guage before, even if you hold it tight.  What I mean by that is it is possible if you shoot enough that the recoil will break some blood vessels in your skin and it will look like a bruise.  It doesn't hurt though and that was only after I had been shooting for 3 hours or so.  You'll be fine.  Your first shot will make you nervous but after that you'll realize that you worked yourself up for nothing.

Answer 11

A person your size will most likely feel the recoil, don't let some of these yahoo's fool you a 12 gauge does pack good a punch for a person your size. Start by shooting Winchester WinLite low recoil ammunition then work your way up to stronger ammo. (if you want)

Answer 12

well it depends on what your shooting out of it, a heavy load or a light load, the first shotgun i shot was a 12ga with a light load in and i never had a problem untill i shot the 12ga slug which the first time i shot it, it put me on my can

Answer 13

Lean into it feet apart, hold it firm against the muscle on your shoulder, aim and fire. It will not be as bad as you think. Then go pick up your target and grin.

Responding to your added information, maybe you should try a 410 or 20 gauge first and see how it feels, then if you are ok with it, try the 12 gauge. Good luck.

Answer 14

no youll be fine i have fired shotguns since i was about 11. a 12 gauge wont hurt you. it might surprise you the first time but youll be fine. if you fire a bunch of shots with an older shotgun you might bruise a little.

Answer 15

If you use proper technique, it may bruise but won't do any worse. And that should happen only after a prolonged day of busting clays.

The one concern I'd have is that at 5' 0", the length of pull of a standard stock may be a bit long for you. Have you had it fitted, or did you just buy one off the rack? For best comfort and best shooting, if your budget allows, it might be worth going to a gunsmith with a "try gun" and have a proper fitting, with adjustment of your stock to fit your frame. It can be modified again as you grow, often by simply putting on a thicker recoil pad or using a spacer.

Answer 16

Take heart...little guys like us handle recoil better than those fat dudes, anyway. Just don't shoot slugs and hold the butt tight to your shoulder and you'll be fine. Don't flinch!

Answer 17

It isn't that bad, if it hurts too much they make a buttstock pad out of rubber that you can slip over the end of the stock.

Usually you would have to shoot it all day long to bruise your shoulder.

Answer 18

it will pry make it a little sore if you hold it right.  You wanna hold the end of it firmly against where your shoulder connects to your chest.  I had a friend who shot a gun with similar recoil and held it infront of him who was about as big as you.  he got knocked to the ground.