fitting stocks

[taliv]

for shotguns, what is the "proper" way to fit the stock to an individual? i am aware of the "close your eyes and throw it to your shoulder" technique, but am more curious about some measurement rules of thumb. for instance, is the "right" length of the stock a function of the length of the shooter's arms? is the height of the comb or cheekpiece something measurable?

i.e. when i go to a tailor to get a suit made, he takes my measurements and makes a suit. i don't throw suits on till i find one i like. could i take measurements and order a shotgun and have it "fit"?

any good books or websites explain this process? or perhaps previous threads? (i searched and didn't find any)

 

[Matthew Gross]

Yes, there is a very good book on this topic. Stock Fitting Secrets by Rollin Oswald.

http://stockfitting.virtualave.net/

The fact is, most guns WILL NOT fit you off of the rack (this is especially true if you are going to shoot fixed position games like trap). Alot more goes into fitting a shooter to a gun than simply picking up a few different models and seeing which one "feels" the best.

If you are going to shoot trap, and want to get serious about, I would reccomend an adjustable comb. Your eye is the rear sight of the shotgun, and being able to rest your face firmly where it belongs to get the proper eye-alignment is a must. Read Phil Kiners most recent Trap and Field articles for more.

By the way, I've heard it rumored most shotguns are designed to fit a shooter who is 5'10" and 160lbs (this actually does discribe me, luckily). Even this doesn't account for shooting style, length of your neck, and other things.

There are also several stock fitters in the country, if you're really serious and really got the bucks.

 

[mete]

You go to an instructor who has a "try gun" .This is a shotgun that has all the dimensions adjustable.From your general size and shape he first adjusts the stock,then you shoot. He then makes adjustments and you shoot some more ,etc. A stockmaker then makes a stock to those dimensions .It's the proper way ! And for those like myself who don't come close to fitting a factory stock , it's the only way.

 

[taliv]

thanks!

 

[TrapperReady]

You go to an instructor who has a "try gun"

Or, you can play around with it yourself. Note that when you do this, there are some changes which are quick, easy and reversible... some are none of the above.

Let's take my Browning 425 as an example. I bought it new and shot it a bunch. While I broke targets well with it, the stock was a bit long and it had an annoying tendency to bash me in the face... often hard enough to draw blood and leave a goose-egg under my cheek-bone.

So, as a first step I took it to Kolar Arms in Racine, WI and had them do some minor fitting work. Basically, one of their stock-guys had me do a bunch of gun mounts and such, finally deciding to remove about 3/8" from the stock and slightly change the pitch. He also fitted a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad, which was much better than the OEM pad. While I was there, they also relieved the forcing cones.

I took it home and shot it a bunch. Better, but after enough shells it would still draw blood. I then tried all the easy stuff. I built the comb up with moleskin. I tried shimming the recoil pad top and/or bottom. I shot with a Past. I used ultra-light loads. I changed (for a while) how I mounted the gun. Most of the things made the problem no better, or slightly worse. By the end of it, I'd developed a flinch and my shooting started to nosedive.

Got a new gun -- an autoloader. Shot it often and well, and got rid of the flinch.

I finally decided that I was either going to make the 425 shoot for me, or I was going to sell it. Since I had tried adding height to the comb and that hadn't helped, I figured that going the other way would do the trick. However, removing wood (especially from my most expensive shotgun) was a daunting task. After the first shavings peeled up and I was committed, it got easier. A couple hours later, I'd removed about 1/8" from the comb and a bit of material from the left side, making a better fit with my face.

Since I had lowered the comb, I added a couple cardboard shims under the bottom screw on the recoil pad, to bring the POI back up a bit. I took the gun out, patterned it and shot it, and all was finally right with the world.

Now I'm experimenting with a homemade recoil-reducer in the hole for the stock bolt. Since the gun was quite muzzle-heavy, this has changed the balance point to just forward of the hinge-pin and although the gun is heavier, it handles more neutrally. The thing I'm not sure about its if I like the way the recoil feels, since the weight has the ability to move a bit (cusioned by springs front and rear).

Please note that all this stock fitting seems to be far more of an issue when using O/U or SxS shotguns. I've never had a significant issue shooting either pumps or autoloader (and I've used many types of each). Over/Unders are a different story. If they don't fit well, they can be truly miserable.

Even though my experience was lengthy and painful (literally), I'm glad that I went through it. I've now got a far better understanding of gun fit and how all the parts of the stock geometry work together.