Quote:
|
Ithaca Model 37 28 gauge. How do I determine if the butt plate I obtain will fit properly?
|
Take the gun to a pro for a fit evaluation. Or, compare the gun's stock dimensions with your dimensions from a pro's try gun. Buying a new gun is like buying a new suit -- you're probably gonna need some alterations.
Back in the day, guns came with a butt plate. If you wanted a recoil pad added, you also got the opportunity to add to the length-of-pull. Frequently adding a recoil pad required removing some of the original wood to obtain the proper length-of-pull. Responding to market forces, guns with high recoil were equipped with factory recoil pads. Then some bean counter figured out that it would be cheaper just to install recoil pads on all of the guns and order shorter stock blanks. There's no reason your 28-ga should have a recoil pad other than the maker is saving wood.
Your worries about the recoil pad binding on your hunting vest may be overblown. Most comp guns, used in un-mounted, events have recoil pads and they don't bind. You need to select something between a straight smooth pad used for International Skeet and curved high grip pad used for American Trap.
One solution is to install an adjustable butt plate/recoil pad adapter. There are a lot of them in use, but they are all a little unsightly. Otherwise, do a catalog search (Brownells) for a butt plate and spacer combination (or recoil pad) that will give you your desired length-of-pull.