Recoil reducing mechanism for shotguns

Disclosed is a recoil reducing mechanism for use in shotguns. The mechanism utilizes explosive gases from the shotgun barrel which are conveyed through gas passageways into a chamber within an attached cylinder. The cylinder is provided with a slidable piston which moves rearwardly under the pressure of the exploding gases. Gas pressure acting on a front plug of the cylinder creates a force which counteracts the recoil force of the shot shoulder. The mechanism also includes a compression spring which is rearward of the piston and between the piston and a breech plug installed in the breech end of the cylinder. The compression spring serves to return the piston into a battery position. The front end plug is provided with a resilient stop means which cushions the piston as it returns under the action of the compression spring. The invention also includes a method for converting over-under type double barrel shotguns or single barrel type combination shotguns to include the recoil reducing mechanism.