Leave the gun alone. Buy a shoulder protector. My buddies call it my “Manzeer”. Mine is gel filled and I can shoot 3” full boat loads all day long and sleep well, unbruised, all night long.Currently I have a Browning Citori featherweight with an English stock. However there is no reoil pad, just the piece of plastic, And shooting it for doves or clays is a real pain. actual pain. I have tried it as well as several friends on clays and we all agree that this is not the gun to shoot without some extra protection.. For pheasants or other birds it is not so bad as you only shoot once in a while. So my dilemma, put on an after market recoil pad or buy a newer shotgun? The problem is to add the recoil pad requires lopping off part of the stock and potentially chipping the finish. Or buy a new gun. Now since I am a bit on the cheep side, a new gun will run me $1600+ and a recoil pad is about $50. So do i cut or not cut? opinions please.