Does this shotgun make my butt look big?

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o Unforgiven o

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This thread is all about shotgun fit, specifically how my shotgun fits me. I have read dozens of old threads, watched videos and scratched my head, a lot. I have a basic (read rudimentary in the primitive context) understanding of adjusting shotgun fit, and a better idea of how my shotgun should fit. Per the advice of a video I was watching, I settled my stance, took a deep breath and with my eyes closed mounted my shotgun...

When I opened my eyes I was looking squarely down the rib at the bead (well my fiber optic anyway) and my cheekbone was (again per the video) about 1 1/4"-1 1/2" behind the front of the comb. Surprised at how well this was going, I repeated this relaxed, eyes closed mounting procedure 15 times with the same results. All sounds well, but I am still left with a few questions.

The above seems to tell me that my shotgun is a good fit for me, the LOP seems good, my sight picture seems good and it is comfortable to mount and I don't feel as if I am straining my head or neck to do it. I also have a few hundred rounds through it now, and where I point is where it shoots. However with the utmost importance placed on how a shotgun should fit and to that every aspect of said fit be perfect, it seems unlikely that my mass produced 870 fits me so well.

I guess that is my question, with all that said does my shotgun seem like a good fit?
 
I guess that is my question, with all that said does my shotgun seem like a good fit?
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It’s hard to say. I always found I could get a good mount while relaxed and concentrating on doing so.

I’d say a truer test is if you can consistently mount and shoot and break clays as a set of continuous motions. If you can do so under pressure then it’s probably a good fit for you. I’d shoot that gun a lot using low gun just so you don’t have time to concentrate of the mount as a separate motion. If there’s a fit problem it should become apparent.

Of course, that proved difficult for me to determine initially because I couldn’t do any of those things with any shotgun, making it hard to tell what was a good fit for me.
 
Quick Edit: I had a shotgun fit once and the gunsmith had me quickly mount and shoot at a spot on a patterning board. Where my pattern was located in relation to the spot let him know how to adjust the stock so it fit me. Same idea as I said above, but better feedback about where the gun is shooting as such, better info about fit.
 
I'm no expert, never fitted with a "try gun" or anything, but I know when the gun comes to me and I don't have to move to it. That's what I want and it'll point itself if so. I have to shim stocks on most guns. The only one that felt right out of the box for me was my Winchester 1400. My SIL's 1300 is similar. Most lack drop at comb and being a lefty, I have problems with cast as most shotguns are cast for right handers if not neutral. SxS doubles by their nature usually have cast. I have a Spartan double that has as much shimming as I can give it to move the stock left. It feels okay now, sorta cast neutral, but it could be better. Drop is okay, at least, and I had to add length to the stock by installing a recoil pad to get pull length right. I now like the gun.
 
Go to your local skeet club and see how you do. Do you get cheek slap? K if so, then
The fit needs work. Does it come up easily, point where you AA
Nt and crush those clays? Then it seems pretty close. As for something off the shelf fitting, it is designed to be close for a large majority of the average shooter
 
DPotvin said:
Quick Edit: I had a shotgun fit once and the gunsmith had me quickly mount and shoot at a spot on a patterning board. Where my pattern was located in relation to the spot let him know how to adjust the stock so it fit me. Same idea as I said above, but better feedback about where the gun is shooting as such, better info about fit.
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That is something I am going to try. Thanks for the tip.

oneounceload said:
Go to your local skeet club and see how you do. Do you get cheek slap? K if so, then
The fit needs work. Does it come up easily, point where you AA
Nt and crush those clays? Then it seems pretty close. As for something off the shelf fitting, it is designed to be close for a large majority of the average shooter
Click to expand...

No cheek slap, the gun is comfortable for me to shoot. It comes up smooth, and it seems to point very well. I have not shot any clays with it yet, but it did just fine during duck season coming up from low gun.
 
geezzzz....I have used many differant shotguns over my 52 years. i will not argue with t he pros in here......I think if it feels good and you can hit than thats all that matters. I have shot so many shot guns and some are all that and a bag o chips and some that can't hit the side of a barn on a clear day. find one you luv and stick with it. thats what I did.....And Iam old as hell.........
 
I have high cheek bones and an ill fitting stock can cut me, bleed like s stuck hog, look like I went 3 rounds with George Foreman except my nose is straight and my right cheek is fine. If it don't fit me, it hurts. My Mossberg was this way and the guys on here started telling me about fit and shimming and, by gawd, that gun is like a different shotgun, now. I actually enjoy shooting it with heavy steel loads. :D Now, I've shimmed the Spartan. The Winchester fit me fine and my 10 gauge, if anything has a little much for drop, is otherwise good. I don't mind a little much drop on a 10 gauge, feels like the hammer of thor with a 3.5" steel T load. Frankly, I ain't got the cojones to try a slug in that thing, 9 lbs or not. :D BUT, it don't cut me, don't slap the cheek, and I ain't skirt of it. My 20 gauge beat me up a bit after 5 boxes opening weekend of dove season, didn't cut me, but my cheek got sore. I think I finally got the cast acceptable because it doesn't slap me anymore.

Fit is important to me. It also made me quicker and more accurate. when I concentrate, I can whack 1 dove for 2 shots now days, sometimes better. With an ill fitting gun, I'd do good at 3.5 to one. I measure my success over time with my ability on doves. I don't do much clay shooting, kinda tough and hard on the teeth, haven't found a good recipe. :D
 
Fit is utmost importance the on the trap range. The winners will be breaking 99-100% of the targets thrown. Good fit will not only let you look down the rib and align the beads on the target, but also allow you to stay on the stock despite 200 rounds of 12 ga recoil. If you and your stock aren'tin tune...even the slightest thump on the cheek will eventually result in involuntarily raising your head to avoid the thumping recoil. I'm not talking about raising your head 2 inches off the stock.....I'm talking 1/8 of an inch. More than enoughj to shoot over that easy straightaway.....and guess what! LOST! ....as you stand with mouth agape in disbelief.

I grew out of my custom stock on my mod 12, The stock on my 870Comp fit my perfectly right out of the box.
 
Remington stocks seem to fit more folks than they should.

Length Of Pull is probably the least important factor in stock fit, but it's the one most oft altered.

Cast and Drop at Face are more crucial.More than LOP or Pitch, they affect where the eye is, and thus where the shot goes.

One reason there's 10 million and some 870s out there is that they fit a lot of people.
 
Last time I try to post from an I-phone with its self help corrections!...ARGH!!!!!!
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Hey, right tool for the job. You wouldn't use a .30-30 on the skeet range, would ya? LOL

Dave, 870s ain't a bad fit, but Winchesters and Brownings seem to be good for me, too, and I prefer the controls on the BPSs, don't have one, do have a Winchester. Fit is one of the things I love about it. I have a buddy picked up an 870 express used, might get a chance to talk him out of it. I don't need the gun, but think I can get it cheap and it's in good shape. :D I'd want a left hand safety like I put on the Winny, hope one's available. Haven't checked. It does fit rather well.

If I can hit my target quickly and constantly without thinking about it the gun fits. Same for the pattern.
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Good for the fit, I reckon, but the pattern board is where I test pattern rather than cripple a bunch of birds. Now, I will take a new gun I've adjusted, throw it to my shoulder fast as in the field and shoot at a target 30 yards away and see where I hit. That's a good test of how the gun fits.

There was an episode of "how it's made" on the science channel last night and they were showing the fitting of a client by Purdey in England, then the construction of his shotgun. It was COOL, right there on TV discussing this topic. :D They used a try gun and took the guy to a range and had him shoot paper just as I described that I do when I'm shimming and testing. And, I thought I'd thought that one up on my own, well, I did, but apparently I'm not the only one who thought of it. :D
 
I also wear a size .....

870. Out of the box, 25 years ago. It worked as advertised. I have been forced to weigh all other shotties against what I can do with the Rem. I'm talking Barettas in 12 and 20, o/u and autoloaders. nothing fits, out of the box like the 870. I'm 6' 180# and wear a 40R jacket. I guess that's the shape of "average". Works for me in this case, plane seats, not so much.:cuss:
 
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MC, you have shot enough that you can transit from one stock to another without trauma. Newer shooters require consistency.

One doesn't have to buy a Purdey to get fitted properly. There's a good number of gun fitters out there now. An hour, a few hundred dollars and you know what works best for you.
 
Alright, up early and I am going to try and shoot today. I will be mounting quickly from low gun and shooting at the patterning board, will try and post some pictures.
 
Heck, if WW won the big one, I'd still have to cash in the coin jar to get anything, much less a Purdey.

However, my main shooters do fit me well.

Now.
 
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