How to measure Length of Pull?

I am trying to get a rifle stock to fit well. I have a Boyd's At-One adjustable stock I bought to allow the kids to shoot with a short length of pull. I have another rifle with a stock that is too short for me. I want to order a stock for it with the correct length of pull, so I have been trying to measure that.

There are a few methods, some of which include:

Method 1
putting the butt on the bicep in the bend of the elbow and checking for reach to the trigger

Method 2
trying different lengths to see what fits and is comfortable



I realize this is showing a shotgun, but because the methods are based on "comfort" and not a standardized measurement, the methods are applicable to rifles. I understand most people prefer greater length on a shotgun.

Method 3
fitting the stock so the tip of the nose is 5.75" back from the trigger



If I use method 1, a 15" length of pull puts the center of my finger's pad on the trigger. With 14.5", the crease of the first joint reaches the trigger. With the popular 13.75" length, my second joint goes past the trigger. This is not what I would expect because I am not a large man - 5'8" with normally proportioned arms. My hands are large for my size but not extreme.

I don't have enough experience to determine the correct length with method 2. According to method 1 and 3, all the rifles I have ever shot are much too short, so I can't refer to one that I know fits well. I can temporarily extend the length and shoulder a gun to see how it feels. It starts to feel better at 14.25" and feels good through 14.75". 15" felt fine but at that point the means I was using to extend the stock that far was getting awkward.

With method 3, I carefully followed the procedure described by Randy Boyd and repeated it several times both using the method to add the difference and also using pad extensions to test longer lengths. I tested on my shirt and with a shooting jacket with a shoulder pad. To keep the tip of my nose at 5.75" behind the trigger, I need at least 14.75" to 15" of length of pull.

The At-One stock maxes out at 14". There is an optional extended butt insert that allows adjustment out to 15.25" but I don't have it.

I noticed Boyd's sells their regular, non-adjustable stocks in customs lengths up to 14.75" and they only reach those lengths with 1" recoil pads.

Before I come to the conclusion that I am the extreme end of commonly-available lengths in stocks, I want to check if I'm doing something wrong. I wear a size small, a 36 Regular jacket, and I never would have imagined that it would be different for rifles. I'm going to order a new stock and want to get the right size.

Art Eatman said:

I've not heard of the 5.75" idea.

Click to expand...

The 5.75" idea is explained in the second video I posted with Randy Boyd. Another way I've read that's similar is to measure the distance between the thumb and the tip of the nose. The suggestion is there should be two-fingers' width distance. I find this method is dependent upon the grip. Obviously, it doesn't work for a pistol-grip. But with any vertical grip such as those designed for prone shooting, the placement of the thumb varies considerably from a straight grip on a lever-action for example. Personally, I often do not wrap my thumb at all. I point it forward. That keeps it from hitting my nose. In other cases, if I wrap my thumb over the stock, it shoves my trigger finger too far through the trigger guard. I just hold the hand and thumb parallel to the stock, wrapping only the three lower fingers.

I considered that I may be stretching my neck forward which would bring my nose forward and closer than the "ideal" 5.75" mark or too close to my thumb, but I've been careful to avoid doing so when measuring. Obviously, I don't want to pull my chin back while measuring either.