the helpful folks at Browning, I opted to get a Medium for testing purposes. The tight-fitting nature of the shirt not only does an excellent job of keeping the Re- actar™ G2™ pad in place, it also makes the moisture wicking properties most effective. If you are like me and end up landing somewhere between sizes, I would recommend ordering the smaller size. The material is ultra-stretchy, and certainly will accommodate some extra size or bulk if needed. TESTING
The subjective portion of the test
included perceived recoil and recoil attenuation during a three-day prairie dog hunt in late June in South Dakota, followed by a mid-July sporting clays shoot south of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The objective portion unfortunately does not include measurements or data from tools like accelerometers as I don’t have access to these sophisticated items, but does include before and after pic- tures of my shoulder taken during the Sporting Clays shooting session. I often shoot a Ruger M77 Hawk-
eye in 243 Winchester when I’m out shooting prairie dogs. I like my Ruger,
and I like the 243 round, particularly in 75- or 80-grain bullets that my Ruger tends to favor. It might be overkill, but when the wind starts howling, I just keep shooting and typically I’m able to keep hitting targets while other shooters with lighter loads and bullets are taking more rounds to hit their targets. I’ve read opinions all over the board about 243s, from the recoil being very mild to it being punishing. I find the 243’s recoil to be far from punishing, but having shot several hundred rounds through it on consecutive days, I have suffered from a bit of a tender shoulder on previous trips. I don’t believe there was enough soreness to induce any kind of flinch, but certainly there was some tenderness in my shoulder.
After donning the Shoulder Sav- er™ in the mornings before we departed and shooting all three days with the shirt on and pad in place, I did not feel any discomfort at all. The polyester and Lycra® materials not only do a great job of keeping the recoil pad in place, but also, as advertised, they helped keep the moisture moving away from my skin during three long shooting sessions in
90-degree heat. I also found with the tight-fitting shirt that the recoil pad had a tendency to form to the shape of my body much better than the old-style Reactar™ pads when inserted into a Browning jacket or vest. The second session took place
during a very warm and humid mid- July sporting clays shooting session at the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club at Prior Lake, Minnesota. I shot 50 rounds on two separate courses using my old Ithaca double-barrel shotgun complete with its unforgiving plastic butt plate. The first round featured my shooting with the Shoulder Saver™ shirt, fol- lowed by a picture of my shoulder. The second round featured my shoulder becoming intimately familiar with the Ithaca’s plastic butt plate, with only a T-shirt separating the two. I used Rem- ington 12 gauge 2¾" 7½ shot 1 oz. light game loads for both rounds. I shoot “gun down” when I shoot sporting clays and most of the time when I’m shoot- ing trap or skeet as well. I’m using my time at the scattergun range to prep for hunting Minnesota and South Dakota pheasants, grouse, and woodcock in the
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