Answer

Take a look at what Mag-na-Port does to shotgun barrels, it will give you some excellent ideas. Brownell’s sells a recoil reducer that fits in the buttstock to reduce recoil on pumps.

Reply:

The Mag-na-Port site was an eye-opener. I have looked in Brownell’s at the spring and piston as well as the mercury filled recoil reducers. Anyone out there with any experience using these? I am also exploring back boring. Again, anyone out there with experience doing this?

Answer:

The mercury recoil reducers do work when installed correctly. We have put in quite a few. Back boring does reduce recoil BUT it thins the barrel where the pressure is the highest. Many of the factories will pull the warranty status of companies that do this as the barrel is weaker after the back boring is completed. Porting the barrel actually reduces muzzle jump more than reducing recoil.

Reply:

Thanks for the info on that Ken, much appreciated. Any tips on installation of the mercury units?

Answer:

Follow the directions that are supplied with the tubes themselves. If there are none, what you want to do is drill a hole that is the size of the mercury tube only as deep as the tube is long, so the recoil pad holds the tube in place. You do not want the tube itself to slide back and forth in the stock. The mercury in the tube is supposed to slosh back and forth. Be sure to install the tube with the end that is threaded to the rear so you can thread in a bolt and pull it out if you should want to remove it. We have received many that are tight in the stock like they should be, but the tapped hole for removing it is inside and there is no way to pull the tube out. So we have to do a lot of stock modifications to remove the tube, but I digress. Many of the tubes fit the existing stock bolt hole in the stock so use it, just be sure the tube is held to the rear against the recoil pad. If you are drilling a new hole then I suggest you follow the bottom of the stock, the toe line. This way when the gun is pointed up the mercury is at the rear of the tube, as it should be and if the gun is level or slightly pointed down the mercury is still to the rear of the tube where it should be. Now if you are installing a tube in one of the hollow plastic stocks you will have to create supports for the mercury tube to be positioned. I have used wooden dowels and a little bit of everything else for this. I end by using Acraglas gel to hold the tube in place at the rear of the stock. Don’t glue in your stock bolt. Once you see a mercury tube and a stock you will see it is much easier to do than all this sounds. Good luck