Has anyone else considered the weight of recoil pads? I see numerous older American guns with late model Silvers replacement pads ...even 1-1/2" pads. These have got to add a bunch of weight and really affect the gun's balance, while not providing much recoil reduction. I for one, use pads mostly to adjust LOP and like thin pads when possible. In fact, most of my sxs's have a buttplate or checkered butt...no pad. How much do Hawkins, Sunburst, and other vintage pads weigh?

I never weighed one. My long-armed Father always used a lace on pad on his old 2-frame Parker Bros. waterfowl gun. To make things "look nicer" I had Keith Kearcher fit a Silvers pad. Definitely moved the balance point rearward!! Other pads such as a Jostam Anti-Flinch or a No-Shok don't seem to add as much weight.

Some pads can add 4 ounces or more when stock is not cut or drilled to remove weight. Bobby

Like Little Creek my SxS's all have butt plates or checkered butts. I once put on a Galazan slip-on to try and couldn't believe how much it altered the gun's balance. I'm gald he brought it up because it's something I've never considered.
Karl

When considering whether or not it causes the gun to become "out of balance", it should be considered first whether or not the gun was built and left the maker with one. I have an AE 30" 16 ga. Fox that was shipped with a Silvers pad. It does not have it now, but the old pad was replaced somewhere along the way with a hard rubber buttplate. It will be going back to the way it was originally built soon, and I fully expect it to handle perfectly.

But, yes, thick solid rubber pads are heavy. I have no accurate scales on which to weigh any of my stash. I have a couple of new London Silvers on hand, and they are noticeably heavy. The ventilated ones ...... Hawkins, most of the Jostams, etc. will be lighter than the Silvers style, usually. You would have to remove a fitted pad from a gun and weigh it. Weighing a new, unground pad would be erroneous.

SRH

Not a vintage pad, but there was a Kick-Eze pad on the 26" SKB 200E 12 ga. I picked up this winter. It weighed 7.5 oz. on my digital scale. On this gun I replaced the beavertail forend with a splinter and that Kick Eze with a microcell pad. It went from 7 lbs. 2 oz to just under 6 lbs. 8 oz.!

Worse than just the weight is the fact that being on the end you get a leverage effect. If the pad was at the hinge pin, or normal balance point, it would only make the gun heavier, not change the balance. Being on the end of one arm of a leverover a fulcrum it has maximum effect on the other end. We feel the change. To rebalance you can either remove weight from the butt stock or sometimes add weight to the barrels. Trying to make things simple you could look for a light pad but most of the time we are either looking for a proper period type pad or one for length which restricts our options.

Dave you probably really appreciate the microcell pad now that you've lightened your SKB. I have a 6 pound 8 ounce 12 ga Francotte and have been shooting low pressure 7/8 ounce reloads in it. I did fire a 3-3/4 dram hunting load in it...once. I couldn't believe the recoil...I won't do that again!

Litte Creek,
I've done the same on some of my light SxS's. They tend to knock me into last Wednesday!
Karl

I just received a Micro Cell Ultra Light Recoil Pad - Medium .91" and it weights 2.5 oz on my postage scale and I also received a Micro Cell Ultra Light Recoil Pad - Thick 1.26" and it weighs exactly 3 oz.

Not sure if this will format correctly or not. But may be of some use.

Recoil Pad Weights

Maker Type Model Length Width Thickness Weight

Pachmayr Decelerator D 752 M 5.5 1.8 0.6 3 oz
Pachmayr Decelerator D 752 L 5.75 1.92 0.6 3.2 oz
Pachmayr Decelerator D 752 S 5.3 1.68 1 4.2 oz
Pachmayr Decelerator D 752 M 5.5 1.8 1 4.6 oz
Pachmayr Decelerator D 752 L 5.75 1.92 1 4.8 oz

Pachmayr Old English 752B M 5.5 1.8 0.6 3.2 oz
Pachmayr Old English 752B M 5.5 1.8 1 4.8 oz

Kick-Eez 200 Series 201-1-L 5.75 2 1.125 7.6 oz

Kick -Eez 300 Series 301-5-L 5.75 2 0.5 3.2 oz
Kick -Eez 300 Series 302-6-M 5.25 1.875 0.75 3.8 oz
Kick -Eez 300 Series 302-6-L 5.75 2 0.75 4.4 oz
Kick -Eez 300 Series 302-1-M 5.375 1.94 1.125 6.6 oz
Kick -Eez 300 Series 301-1-L 5.75 2 1.125 7.4 oz

Kick -Eez 500 Series 502-125-M 5.375 2 1.375 8.2 oz
Kick -Eez 500 Series 501-125-L 5.75 2 1.375 9.6 oz

Kick Eez 600 Series 601-L 5.75 2 1.125 6.2 oz

Pair of screws weigh .2 ounces or .1 ounce each

Fit and Mounted Pads
Beretta Original On 471SxS 5.25 1.75 0.6 3.4 oz
Ber-Pach Decelerator On 471SxS 5.25 1.75 1 3.8 oz
Leather Pad -Decel On AYA 56 5.5 1.625 1 4.4 oz
Leather Pad -Decel On 578 5.125 1.625 1 4.0 oz

Beretta Micro core Sporting 5.325 1.165 0.91 2.2 oz

Silvers No. 3 6 1.875 0.875 7 oz

1 inch of wood cut from most shotgun stocks weighs approximately 3 ounces

Where are Micro cells available and what is the cost?

Nice job Tim!

Silvers No. 3 6 1.875 0.875 7 oz

I knew they were heavy! Not gonna be on any of my guns!

Thanks Tim, great info to have. Thanks for sharing.
Karl

I have a long kick-eze and spacers on my 12 bore C grade 870. The weight is not so much an issue since the gun is heavy already. Sometimes it feel butt-heavy with a 26" barrel. Then I switch to the 30".

I would not subject a fine double to a long pad if at all possible.

The problem with most of us, as regards our shooting, is that we have too many guns. It is nigh on to impossible to make two guns shoot exactly the same. We all may have a couple or three that we can interchange and shoot "pretty good". But, the old saw that goes "Beware the man with one gun" has it's roots in the fact that muscle memory is real. And especially so as it regards shooting a shotgun. A man can get used to almost any handling quality in a shotgun with enough trigger time ...... muzzle heavy, muzzle light, neutral ....... heavy gun, light gun ..... doesn't matter. You can get to where you can shoot it well if the stock dims reasonably fit you.

The fly in the ointment is when you are used to shooting a 8 1/2# duck gun and you pick up a 5# 12 oz. bird gun and expect to shoot it well right off the bat. Ain't gonna happen.

Recoil pads change the dynamics, sure. But, not so much that you cannot compensate for it if you spend enough time behind the trigger on it.

SRH

Little Creek,

PM sent.

https://www.hastingsdistribution.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=60

Cervellati pads are great and much lighter than pachmayr and other rubber pads

They are more fragile than hard rubber when shaping

Reference pads and rebalancing a double. I removed a hard rubber pad and replaced it with cervellati pad and reduced the pad weight by more than 50%

While I agree practice is the most important factor in hitting targets. I believe that balance and what some refer to as Moment of Inertia (MOI) is important too.

Changing the balance on a gun can really improve how it feels and your ability to hit with it. I have used microcell pads on three guns with positive results for me.

I went back just now and reweighed the pachmayr pad that came off my SLE and the first cervellati pad I ground down to replace it ( my second attempt was better looking) 3.8 oz to 1.7 oz, which is a 56% reduction and moved the COB almost 5/8 of an inch forward.

As you said, "changing the balance" is the more accurate way of describing it than " lightening it up" (my emphasis). Just as one gun, and one owner may want the gun lighter on the butt, the next man may want it heavier on the butt, to quicken the movement of the barrels somewhat. One man's meat is another man's poison.

As someone alluded to earlier, and as has been bandied about here so many times before ..... it's not all about how much it weighs, but more about where that weight is located on the gun, that affects handling characteristics so much.

SRH

The best pad I have used was on recent 870 Police Magnum. Not sure who makes it for Remington but it is polyurethane pad that is very light, highly effective and does not hang up on clothing like some others. It maybe the same as supercell mentioned above.

My main criticism for the mircocell pad is that after they are ground to fit the sides are very grabby. I don't like that aspect at all. I have a couple old ones around here and I'm going to experiment with some sort of coating to make the sides slick.

What surprises me it that type pad can be ground to fit. At LGS I have only seen pre-fit ones designed for Remington shotguns.

Yes they are more finicky to work than hard rubber pads.

Grinding Instructions state: "For best results, it is necessary to use a high speed machine with a 400 grit sanding belt. Use a new and lubricated belt and pad should be gently drawn close to the belt."

When trying to get a local gunsmith put a pad on for me he stated he was only set-up for 80 grit only and did not want the work of changing over to 400 grit. I found with 400 grit it was not hard to properly shape.

I have good results grinding MC pads with 120grit 12in disc

Dave if your pads are "grabby" try putting floor wax (Johnson's) on them. They will be slick.

If you have a pad that is made of two materials, like some of the sporting clays pads (Pacmyr models) put the buttsock with the unfinished pad in the freezer for a while that tends to harden the rubber and make the materials more similar to grind. I have done this successfully. It also may make grinding a relatively soft pad easier.