LOP question.. short vs. long

[mikle76]

I'm a big guy (6'7") with a wingspan like crop duster After installing my first adjustable LOP stock it has become obvious I like the shortest or maybe the second shortest LOP more than a standard or long length. I guess that is why my old SKS and my kids youth stocked rifle always feel/felt so good to me. The sight picture is quicker (especially with a scope) and the wieght of the gun being centered closer to me seems to make a difference in comfort also. The scope picture is faster because as soon as I throw the rifle to my shoulder I have a full field of view thru the scope. With a longer LOP I have to adjust my cheek weld closer to the scope than is my natural placement. Maybe I don't extended my head as far forward on the stock as much as I should and it is just a result of poor form but it puts a slight strain on my neck to do so.
So heres the question. Am I a giant freak? Do I need to improve the form I have been using for 20 years or are there others like me who just like a short pull?

 

[taliv]

i'm the same way. 6'5"
short LOP for me.

 

[strat81]

So heres the question. Am I a giant freak?

I don't know you, but, yes. Especially being 6'7", you're not just a giant freak, but a tall, giant freak.

Can you hit what you aim at? Are you comfortable with the gun? Is nothing sore after shooting? If you answered yes, I'd say you're GTG.

 

[lions]

You might be a giant freak, I don't know you. But here are some of your words: quicker, faster, comfort, natural. Don't change that! I'm not quite as big (6'3") but a short LOP is more comfortable for me too.

 

[Clipper]

I'm 6'2", and I cut all my stocks to 13" LOP. I also shoot across my body, so that the rifle is almost touching my chest, and hold my forward hand under or only slightly ahead of the center of balance. Tucking up has always yielded the greatest offhand accuracy and comfort for me, and helps steady lightweight guns better.

 

[JShirley]

I have a 12.5" LOP on my custom .35 Whelen. I'm a short guy, at only 5'6", but when I'm shooting combat style, squared up to the target, I use an even shorter LOP.

John

 

[mikle76]

It's good to know I'm not alone! Thanks guys.

 

[rangerruck]

Jshirley is right here, If you are typical old school , stand up, across the chest and reach out boltie shooter, you would have a longer length of pull, especially if using a 30.06 or bigger caliber, with a large scope, we don't want to get scope eye, now do we!!!
That being said, most of us in the past 30 years have seen tv and movies, where the shooters have some type of ar/carbine, and put the buttstock in the chest/shoulder pocket, have on a thick layer of material, and put their face right down behind the weapon. You gotta go shorty to do that.

 

[blitzen]

I remember reading some gun guru (can't remember who) say that tall and short people can both shoot a rifle with a short length of pull well but a rifle with a long LOP, though still shootable by a tall guy is very cumbersome for a short person. I think that's why factory and military stocks are on the short side. No surprise here.

 

[Sunray]

"...a wingspan like crop duster..." Short but wide? snicker.
"...factory and military stocks are on the short side..." Those stocks are made for the average size shooter. Usually 13.5" or so. The CF had 4 lengths of butt stock for the C1A1. Short, Normal, Long and Extra long. Shooting a Short if you needed a Normal meant you got thumped on the snout with your thumb.
Carbines feel right, even for mutants, er, um, I mean tall shooters just because carbines just feel right.

 

[NvTwist]

I'm liking the shorter LOP on my Shotgun. I bought the knoxx spec-ops stock because my GirlFriend is 5' even and I'm 6'5" and the recoil was killing her with the OE stock. Shorter LOP with the added pistol grip makes for easier door way transitions and room clearing being I'm able to keep the firearm up close.

 

[Shawnee]

Some physical dimensions people don't usually think about are the length and thickness of a person's neck and the shape of the shoulder.. You can be 11' 9" tall and have a trans-zip code armspan but if you have a bulldog neck you are going to feel better with a shorter LOP. Ditto if you have wide, thick and/or sloping shoulders.
Form, as others have said, plays an important role too.
Always go with what feels best and forget the "formulas" from the gunzines.

 

[steveracer]

First thing I did with my M-16A2 here in Iraq was add an A1 buttstock. Helped out a lot. I put a collapsable one on the really short guys' guns. (I'm about 5'11", but have freakishly long arms. 35 sleeve, 28 inseam)
I have my 870 back home cut to 12.25" LOP, and my bolt guns are all in Youth stocks.

 

[moooose102]

i am 6'2", and i took my remington 700bdl to the gunsmith and had him chop off 1" from the back of the stock. it was the best thing i could have ever done to that gun! it fits me much better. if you ask me, do whatever it takes to make your gun fit you, unless it is a genuine collectors item. and don't worry about what others think. THEY AIN'T YOU!

 

[LAK]

Shorter is better. With the butt down and muzzle up at eye level in a ready position, a rifle can be turned and shouldered very quickly - provided the stock is not too long.

For one of the best works on rifle handling etc see; "The Art of the Rifle", by Col. Cooper