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Mercury Tubes & Limbsavers

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Category: Firearms, Bows, and Ammunition
Forum Name: Firearms
Forum Description: All makes, models and uses
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Topic: Mercury Tubes & Limbsavers
Posted By: JF4545
Subject: Mercury Tubes & Limbsavers
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 18:55

Have any of you guys ever used any 1" Limbsaver Recoil Pads for your rifle?

Have any of you ever installed a mercury tube to reduce recoil?
 
If so How well have they worked to reduce recoil?
 
I just sent my Bar 7mm mag. stock to the Limbsaver folks in WA. For the purchse of the pad plus 50.00 in labor they trim a 1/4 off of my stock and install the trimmed Limbsaver Recoil pad.
Also I spoke to a Tech. Gun Guy at Brownells and he said the Mercury tube will work also reduce recoil IF ONLY you have it securely up against the recoil pad when installed so it cannot move at ALL. If it moves it will nort work for the shooter..
Thanks
JF 



Replies:
Posted By: silver
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 19:05
Got one in my 870. 2 3/4 Brenneke mags are no problem.   That gun has a pad and a load up side saddle for some extra control.  Compare that to my skinny Ithica with none of the above which makes most stuff uncomforatable.   

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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane."   Jimmie Buffet

WWW.formitch.com



Posted By: Steelbenz
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 20:46
Mercury tubes I can't speak to, but limbsavers are on every rifle stock I own not really for the recoil aspect but the increased LOP.  Yes, I have been called a knuckle dragger.  LOL
   

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"Don't argue with a fool! From a distance you can't really tell who's who!"


Posted By: sakomato
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 21:17
I installed 2 mechanical recoil suppressors http://www.edwardsrecoilreducer.com/index.htm - http://www.edwardsrecoilreducer.com/index.htm in my stock for my 338 RUM.  It has a 26" #5 contour barrel so the extra weight in the stock helps with balance and recoil.  Here are some pics of the installation
 
I put release agent on the inside of the stock and then bedded them in solid with Acraglas.  They are removable
 
With the weight of the gun, an integral muzzle brake/port and the 2 suppressors the 338RUM kicks like my lightweight 30-06


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Guns only have 2 enemies, rust and politicians


Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 21:20
i put a limbsaver on my .300wsm and i would wager a lot of money that it made a 20% difference in felt recoil. they really work.

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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"


Posted By: swtucker
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 21:47
I like the limbsaver stuff, it helps.  I don't have anything with mercury in it....except a catfish I caught in the James River.
 
The best thing I have found for recoil is: a muzzle break and a REALLY GOOD set of ear muffs.


Posted By: RONK
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 22:02

I met a rather petite little lady at the gun club a couple weeks ago who was shooting a nice little Benelli. She had been having trouble dealing with the recoil after a couple rounds of trap. Her husband told me that he installed a mercury recoil reducer in the magazine tube, and they both agreed that it made a big difference in her comfort, (and scores).

 Also-Limbsavers are very popular on Old Gobbler; a turkey-hunting forum I visit occasionally. These guys shoot hard kickers- 3-1/2 inch 12 and 10-gauges with 2-1/4 ounces of shot and more. They seem to work well, judging by the popularity.


Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 22:22
Thanks!
 
Sakomato is this recoil supressor one of the better ones made?
 I do not want to put a muzzle brake on any of my rifles, I think it may make me flinch worse. ( on the larger calibers anyway. I kinda enjoy tinkering and trying different things on these rifles though..


Posted By: RONK
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 22:46
 YMMV, but I once owned a hunting rifle with a muzzle brake.
 
Never again.
 
My remaining hearing ability is too precious.
 
 If I ever again need a muzzle brake to tame a rifle's recoil to a manageable level, I'm simply not going to be playing with that firearm.


Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 22:54
Ok, what is YMMV Ronk? Then I will try again..Smile


Posted By: sakomato
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 23:09
YMMV = Your Mileage Might Vary
 
I really can't say one style is better than the other.  I heard all kinds of horror stories about sloshing sounds with the mercury and clicking sounds from the mechanical kind.  I noticed no clicking with the mechanical thingies cause when that 338RUM goes off it is an event and it would be hard to notice anything else.
 
I think either would be fine.


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Guns only have 2 enemies, rust and politicians


Posted By: 3_tens
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 23:31

How much do the mercury reducers weigh? I could see some weight in the stock a plus on a heavy barreled rifle.



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Folks ain't got a sense of humor no more. They don't laugh they just get sore.

Need to follow the rules. Just hard to determine which set of rules to follow
Now the rules have changed again.


Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 23:33
I do not blame you Ron!
 
I think I will try the mechanical one  Sako, Im not sure I like the idea of mercury being in the rifle, especially since the rifles more than likely will be passed down.
Thanks!
Guys


Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/04/2009 at 23:44
3-tens I do not know how much they weigh, but I just read this article from Chuck Hawks and he says they do not work , just add weight. Here it is
http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_recoil.htm - http://www.chuckhawks.com/shotgun_recoil.htm


Posted By: 8shots
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 03:30
I had fitted a mechanical recoil suppressor to my 308 Win. Cannot say it has turned it into a 22 rimfire. The rifle still kicks off the sight picture. The kick feels a bit more like an AR though, that is less "sharp". The added weight did balance the rifle better.


Posted By: martin3175
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 06:17
I'm a big limbsaver fan ( haven't tried the mercury recoil reducer) .. I have limbsavers on a 300 RUM, 2 45/70's, a 338 , 300 wby , and several 12ga set ups.. Really noticebale difference over the traditional hard rubber stock pads allot of guns are made with. For sure worth the investment.


Posted By: 300S&W
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 07:25
  Here's something I often wondered.  Does a recoil pad get hard over a looooong period of time?  I've seen some of the old vented ones actually have pieces missing.  What about soild ones,say like a Pachmeyer.

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"I ain't got time to bleed!"


Posted By: 8shots
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 09:06
Well, it is just rubber. Depends on the care taken. Keep out of direct sunlight, do not store it standing on the rubber etc. My dad had a vented recoil pad that became compressed from standing like that in the safe. It did take 40 years of standing though!!!


Posted By: 300S&W
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 09:26
  The Pachmayr Presentation Model on my Brown Precision is at least 30yrs old and just doesn't seem to have the compression it once had.  It's been used ALOT.

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"I ain't got time to bleed!"


Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 09:53
Earl,
The Browning Bar I sent off to have the limbsaver installed on is 39 years old. I gave the serial # to Browning to find out for sure. So my point is yes the rubber on this ol pad is like a rock...The bar since its an Auto should not have that bad of recoil according to what I hear from other Bar owners. Or perhaps Im just overly sensitive since I have a plate in the back of my head/screwed up neck to boot. Anyway its all just something to do isn't it?Poker I like that emoticonSmile 


Posted By: 300S&W
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 10:20
  THANKS,Julio.  Sounds logical in that,as 8 says,it's just rubber.
 
  As my neurosurgeon told me,watch that uncontroled neck movement!  I've still got two bad discs in my neck(and one in my back).


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"I ain't got time to bleed!"


Posted By: Dale Clifford
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 10:43
use mercury ones alot when they were first introduced in trap guns. the theory was that in addition to adding wt. to reduce recoil, recoil energy was used up shearing the mercury by moving it back and forth. they reduce the recoil by whatever they add to the gun wt. in the recoil equation. any dense heavy metal will work. When placed forward in trap guns they change the pivot and cause less of bite in the cheek. If your shooting an auto or pump and limited to one shot as in trap, just make some dummy reloads and load them ahead of the live round.


Posted By: Dale Clifford
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 10:44
would like to add that if you add a choate mag. extension and use 1 1/4 oz loads in the extension , the leverage is really increased.


Posted By: SChunter
Date Posted: August/05/2009 at 10:45
Limbsaver on a 7mag Browning A-bolt SS--it greatly reduced felt recoil to me--30 % or so.  I still won't say the 7mag is a joy to shoot, but it is much more tolerable.  I also agree with those that say the muzzle break is good for reducing recoil but awful for the ears (and anyone in close proximity to the shot!).  I have a Browning a bolt in 243 that I got for a great deal with the boss  recoil reducing version (explain that on a 243).  The manner in which the gas is vented seems to explode in your ears, making it much more noisy than the 7mag.   Also, I have a mercury break in a Benelli Nova.  There is some perceived change in recoil, especially in 3.5 turkey loads.  But again, it may be just perceived--plus, that shotgun is tasked primarily with turkeys and sports a comp n choke tube that ports.  On another post, we discussed the difference in sound for a shotgun compared to the braked rifle. 


Posted By: Sandracer
Date Posted: August/08/2009 at 22:28
I have used a Kick-eeze pad on a couple of hard kickers and they really work, but they don't last forever. Both have chips and chunks that have come off. Now I have three rifles with the Limbsaver and they are definitely better than stock type pads, but to me they don't quite match the kick-eeze. Muzzle brakes definitely work really well if you wear muffs to hunt and if you shoot at a range it will piss off everyone around you! A 338-378 Wby kicks like a 270 winchester with the factory brake to me.


Posted By: SD Dog
Date Posted: August/12/2009 at 09:28
Originally posted by Steelbenz Steelbenz wrote:

Yes, I have been called a knuckle dragger.  LOL    


You too?  I like them for both reasons, increased LOP and recoil reduction.  My mossberg 835 with 3.5" is much more pleasant to shoot since I put a limbsaver on it, and my .270 is a dream to shoot.  I'm sold on the brand.


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If nobody ever said anything unless he knew what he was talking about, a ghastly hush would descend upon the earth. AP Herbert

Stupidity & ignorance have been the foundation for many certainties.


Posted By: timber
Date Posted: August/24/2009 at 00:29
I would try a new recoil pad first before trying mercury or mechanical reducers.  I agree with those saying the mercury recoil reducers mostly just add weight which does reduce felt recoil.  I shipped a rifle to Graco Corporation for a Model R8 (under the barrel) and Model M12 (in the buttstock) and they did an excellent job with the installation.  It definitely helped but it added about a pound of weight.  I have no experience with the mechanical reducers. 

I've used Kick-EZZ, Limbsaver and Pachmayr and they all helped reduce felt recoil.  The Kick-EZZ was the best but it doesn't seem as durable.  And if it's a grind to fit model it needs to be installed by a gunsmith as it's a synthetic material (sorbothane) and will burn easier.  Here's a picture of the Kick-EZZ "All Purpose" Grind-To-Fit.  I had a heavy radius done because it was very sticky (when new):



My favorite pad though is the Pachmayr D750B.  The Pachmayr D752B "Old English" is a favorite of many.  Neither are as soft as the Kick-EZZ but they seem to be a lot tougher.  They also finish really nice.  Gunsmith's I've talked to say Pachmayr's are the easiest to get a professional look when using a grind-to-fit model.  The pre-fits (of any brand) rarely fit perfectly flush if that matters.  Here's a picture of the D750B:





Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/24/2009 at 00:55
Thanks Timber!
My Browning Bar stock will be here tomorrow. I sent it to Limbsaver to have the 1" recoil pad installed. I did not want to risk making a mess of it so I had Sims Limbsaver do it in WA. They did not charge much either, so Im excited about trying it out.  The old red pad was brittle and tired and hard as a rock.. This Limbsave should help alot.
 
 
Im curious now about the Kick-EZZ, would that be a good one for my Kimber? I do like the people at Limbsaver and it should be softer than the 1" Pachmayrr that came on it. That Pachmayer is still pretty hard on a 270 Magnum, well for me it is anyway.. My problem is more about Flinch, I do not feel any pain from these rifles, just makes me Flinch which Im working on more these days..
 
Thanks!
JF
I appreciate the info!Smile


Posted By: timber
Date Posted: August/24/2009 at 22:59
JF4545.  I think the Kick-Ezz would be softer shooting than the Pachmayr.  That would be my choice for your Kimber if the Pachmayr wasn't soft enough.  Maybe somebody can correct me but I think Kimber uses a 1 inch "Old English" pad but I'm not sure which one (there are two, the D752B and 752B)? 

I tested the Kick-Ezz "All Purpose", Pachmayr D752B "Old English" and a Limbsaver "grind-to-fit" on my 30-06.  All were professionally installed by Graco-Corp.  Since they had no horse in the race I felt like they did an equally good job on all three.  The Limbsaver did not finish nearly as well as the other two if that matters.

As far as felt recoil the Kick-Ezz was the softest shooting of the three, followed by the Limbsaver and then the Pachmayr.  The Kick-Ezz easily distinguished itself, especially shooting with only a light-weight shirt which may not be relevant to you if you always wear a heavy jacket when hunting for instance.  Also note all three test pads were 1" thickness.  I don't know if the same results would occur with thinner examples.

I did not test the Pachmayr D750B "Field Style" pad on this particular rifle so I can't make an equal judgement as to felt recoil.  However I have one on a 308 win and 338 win mag (pictured above) and they're quite good.  They finished great and I particularly like the non-slip basketweave texture on the face.  On their website it's "recommended for heavy recoiling rifles" for what that's worth.

This Pachmayr, the F990 Triple Magnum Field, is one of the pads that folks say will compress if left with the weight of the gun on it.  Obviously it wouldn't be appropriate for your Kimber but I saw it on their website and thought I'd post it for reference.  The four sizes range from 1.80 to 2.05" in thickness.  Might be nice on a dangerous game piece!




Posted By: JF4545
Date Posted: August/24/2009 at 23:54
Timber,
The Limbsaver came in today mounted to the stock, the Limbsaver folks are very reasonable on price and customer service, I could not ask for more. I will try it out this weekend and I know it will shoot better compared to what I had by a long ways.. I will just have to go by what you are telling me as far as the Kick- Ezz goes. I will look into one for my Kimber perhaps since I already have a Pacmayr Decelerator. I would like all my rifles as tame to shoot as possible for medical reasons plus flinch....If you and Sandracer say the Kick-Ezz is the softest then thats what I'll do. Thanks for the help Guys, thats nice of ya!
 
JF


Posted By: Tip69
Date Posted: August/25/2009 at 06:46
JF - Hope the pad makes shooting your BAR acceptable..... hate to see ya part with such a fine rifle!  Let us know how it goes.

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take em!


Posted By: thomas
Date Posted: August/25/2009 at 22:29
I put a mercury tube in a Benelli shotgun for 3.5 inch duck loads. It at least made the gun heavier. It was pump and did not kick as much as my SBE II Benelli. Could be the weight but not sure. 



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