Shot Talk

    Whether you own vintage or modern shotguns, almost every shotgunner sooner or later considers modifying his guns to better suit him. While any component of a gun can be changed, we’ll consider here the most basic modifications: to the barrel(s) and stock. These changes share the common goal that in altering the gun we want it to fit better or shoot better; and although form may influence function in different ways and varying degrees based on these changes, we also want the gun to look good in the end.

Recoil Pads
Take, for example, the butt end of the shotgun. With vintage guns, you may decide you want to replace the hard buttplate with something that makes recoil more comfortable. Or your shotgun—vintage or contemporary—needs to be lengthened to fit you better. Both are excellent reasons to consider having a recoil pad installed. But what seems like a simple procedure is actually fairly tricky and should be done only by a skilled craftsman.
    If your purpose is to replace the existing butt with a good recoil pad but you don’t want the length of pull changed, then the stock has to be shortened to allow for the thickness of the recoil pad. This may sound simple, but unless the recoil-pad installer shortens the butt exactly parallel with the original butt’s plane, the change will affect the gun’s pitch. And every minute-of-angle change in pitch can be several feet of change in shotstring projection at 40 or more yards. Avoiding this change requires a talented gunsmith.
    Certainly if you are replacing or upgrading the pad of a vintage gun and have aesthetics or preserving the gun’s value among your motives, you’ll want to hire a well-regarded professional for installing a period-authentic or custom leather pad. There are gunsmiths who specialize in this service, and you should seek recommendations from previous customers before choosing one.
    If your intention in adding a recoil pad is to alter the length of pull while simultaneously mitigating recoil, then the gunsmith must be both faithful to the original plane of the butt and also ready to remove some wood to get your desired length of pull.
Then there’s the recoil pad itself. Believe me, there are all manner of recoil pads out there. As a firm believer in good recoil pads for every shotgun, I’ve tried and had installed many different brands and types of pads. In the “old days” I found that the open waffle-style rubber pads at least 1" thick did the best job of cushioning recoil. That’s still true today if you’re relying solely on the spring action of the pad to mechanically absorb the recoil force.
    But modern technology offers better choices. Today’s top recoil pads are made from polymers, either simple or complex. These new materials absorb and dissipate recoil over a broad surface area and relatively long time interval, whereas rubber pads have to rely on cleverly designed spring action to mitigate recoil over a short time interval. Modern pad construction and materials simply absorb recoil force better than the old-style rubber pads.
    I unapologetically advocate pads made from Sorbothane as used in the Kick-Eez (www.kickeezproducts.com) line of recoil pads. In my experience no recoil pad past or present does a better job of taking care of recoil than the Kick-Eez pads. And they have the added advantage of not having any exposed waffle pattern, which some shooters find cosmetically unacceptable. The Kick-Eez line is available in a wide variety of sizes and thicknesses, usually in black with no white spacer or trim lines (which some also find objectionable), through mail-order catalogs like Precision Reloading, Midway USA and Cabela’s.
    So although simple in concept, successfully adding a good recoil pad requires a skilled craftsman and a quality pad. And if it’s a grind-to-fit pad, as most aftermarket pads are, then not only does the installer have to match the plane of the original butt and achieve proper length of pull, but he also has the grinding process to worry about.
    It’s also no simple matter to install a recoil pad that’s faithful to the top and bottom lines of the stock. In too many pad installations the bottom of the pad does not continue the sloping line of the bottom of the stock. I hate that. In addition, too many installations leave the stock finish at the juncture of the wood and pad scratched, dulled or otherwise damaged by the grinding apparatus. Correct and cosmetically pleasing installation requires greater skills than you might think.

Barrel Modifications
When it comes to altering barrels (a subject I’ve written a book about), SSM readers ask me most often about lengthening chambers and forcing cones and installing screw-in chokes. Let’s look at each.
    Given most modern shotguns, there is no structural or safety reason why chambers cannot be lengthened from 2-3/4" to 3". There is almost always enough metal in the chamber area for it to be lengthened. Consult a reputable gunsmith to be sure, especially with older guns. Remember: Any gun proofed in England or Europe will be out of proof after any chamber modifications and quite likely cannot be sold outside of the US. Chamber modifications can also affect a gun’s value as a collectible, aside from all safety and proof issues.
    You do, however, have to be more careful with .410s when considering lengthening 2-1/2" chambers to accommodate 3" Magnum shells.
    The SAAMI allowable voluntary pressure limits for 2-3/4" to 3" 12-gauge (11,500 psi) and 2-3/4" and 3" 20-gauge (12,000 psi) ammunition are respectively the same for the different-length shells. So there is no concern that modern 3" 12- and 20-gauge smokeless-powder loads—even “magnum” loads—are going to develop more pressure than their 2-3/4" counterparts. But in the .410 bore, SAAMI voluntary standards do permit manufacturers to load 3" .410 magnum cartridges to 13,500 psi—1,000 psi higher than allowed for 2-1/2" loads. So before considering lengthening the chambers in any .410, you have to be certain that the gun can handle the higher working pressures of 3" ammunition. (Whenever in doubt about the effects of any alteration to any gun, check with the gun’s manufacturer.)
    Lengthening forcing cones is another popular barrel modification. Like lengthening chambers, it involves reaming metal from the forward portion of the chamber area of the barrel. This modification results in a more gradual taper from the front of the chamber to the bore proper. These days most quality gunsmithing firms have the reamers to lengthen forcing cones cheaply, easily and, most importantly, concentric to the axis of the bore. I mention this last detail, because although anyone can ream a forcing cone, reaming it straight is another matter. And, no, lengthening the forcing cone by one inch or so will not remove enough metal to significantly weaken the barrel and create a safety hazard. If you think lengthening the forcing cone will lower the sensation of felt recoil (it can’t reduce actual recoil) or slightly tighten your lead-shot patterns, then go for it. Most shooters find that a lengthened forcing cone usually achieves both.
    If your barrel is chrome-lined, then whenever considering chamber or forcing-cone lengthening you have to check with your gunsmith to be sure he has the tools that can successfully cut through chrome. Not just any reamer will do. Expect to pay more for lengthening chambers or forcing cones in barrels with chrome lining versus those without.
    These days the most common and popular barrel modification is the installation of screw-in chokes. Before 1970 few shotgun barrels came with screw-in chokes. Since about the 1990s, however, it’s become difficult to find a contemporary shotgun or aftermarket barrel that does not feature screw-in chokes from the factory. Thus, aftermarket installation of screw-in chokes is something considered almost exclusively by owners of older shotguns. There is no doubt that the multiple chokes allowed by screw-in tubes make a shotgun much more versatile.
    Numerous and myriad are the configurations, dimensions and brands of screw-in chokes. You’ll need to know whether the screw-in chokes being considered are compatible with steel and other hard-shot types. You also will need to know whether your barrels need to be retrofitted with a thin-walled or thick-walled series of screw-in choke tubes. From my testing, screw-in chokes of conical design will not pattern as well as those of conical/parallel configuration at long range with soft shot types like lead. My testing also has shown that short screw-in chokes—two inches or shorter—have never patterned as well as longer screw-in chokes at long range with soft shot types. So before you rush out and grab just any screw-in choke tube, do your homework and decide what you’re after.

    To correspond with Tom Roster or to order his reloading manual on buffered lead and bismuth shotshells, his HEVI-Shot reloading manual, his newly updated 75-page Shotgun Barrel Modification Manual or his instructional shooting DVDs, contact Tom Roster, 1190 Lynnewood Blvd., Klamath Falls, OR 97601; 541-884-2974; tomroster@charter.net.