Fitting

hube1236 · April 27, 2002, 05:52 AM

All of the literature, when it comes to buying a shotgun, say to get fitted by an experienced gun smith. Let's make believe I don't know any, what are the key point to determining whether the pig fits or not?

Primary use for the gun is clays and birds.

Dave McC · April 27, 2002, 06:01 AM

If it can be mounted by you easily and consistently, and your thumb doesn't bump your nose when it kicks, it's close enough, IF.....

The thing puts the load where it's supposed to.

My guess is that maybe 40% of us are close enough to that mythical average guy the stocks are built for that we can grab a shotgun off the rack and do good work with same.

Pattern the thing by shooting at the patterning board as if the mark in the center was a bird. Move, mount, shoot. Repeat a few times then check and see if the pattern's centered, high, low or whatever.

HTH....

Chuck Graber · April 27, 2002, 07:26 AM

Try this link; http://www.shotgunreport.com/TechTec...unFitting.html

The trouble for new shooters is that to get a good fit you need a well established and repeatable mount. So you have to start out with a gun that is close and shoot for a few months and practice mounts. Once you have established a solid repeatable mount you can have the gun fitted.

Chuck Graber

C.R.Sam · April 27, 2002, 10:15 AM

What Dave McC said.
Also do a search on his past threads, you will find a wealth of good scattergun info there.

Sam

PJR · April 27, 2002, 10:48 AM

In addition to Dave's comments, a gun doesn't fit you correctly if it slaps your face or is leaving a small bruise on your shoulder (ie. the entire butt isn't on your shoulder).

Because a shotgun is pointed not aimed and the "rear sight" is your eye, think of stock adjustments in the same way we adjust rear sights on a handgun or rifle.

I was fitted in the UK a few years ago and here's how it was done:

I was given was a tightly-choked over/under try gun (an AyA as I recall). This is a shotgun with an adjustable stock that can be moved for length, drop, cast and pitch. The over/under try gun gives you the correct measurements for everything except a side by side. More on that later

The patterning takes place 16 yards from the board. This distance from the board is critical because according to the Churchill method of fitting every 1/16" of stock movement relates to one inch of pattern movement on the board. If your pattern is, for example, 8" too high then the stock needs to come down 1/2".

I was instructed to mount the gun as I normally would and hold it just below the board. Then I was told to swing the gun smoothly up towards the center of and fire just as the bead touched the bullseye. I fired repeated rounds (the board was whitewashed after each shot) and the stock was adjusted until the pattern was going where desired. Then we went to the clays range and shot some high incomers and some minute final adustments were made.

We then repeated the entire event with a sxs try gun. According to my instructor, the sxs requires a different measurement than an over/under or single barrel because of the lateral barrels. The measurements between the two are different in cast, drop and length.

As I recall, the total cost about about 150 pound sterling.

Did it work? When I got home I measured my guns and found a Beretta sporting gun that always slapped my face had wrong dimensions. It was shipped to a gunsmith who trimmed the wood to the correct size. The gun now doesn't hurt and my scores increased. I later ordered a 12 gauge custom sxs from Spain and with the correct measurements it doesn't hurt despite being 6-1/2lbs and not having a recoil pad.

Is it worth it? Well that's up to you. I don't think it makes that much difference if your guns are comfortable and you are shooting pre-mounted games like skeet or trap. The advantage comes in more for hunting and low gun games.

Final point: Just like a suit of clothes you can look good even though the measurements are not precisely on. Same with a shotgun. And like a suit of clothes if you lose or gain weight, stock measurements will also need changing.

Paul

hube1236 · April 28, 2002, 06:43 AM

Thanks guys, while the Remmy never hit my face while shooting, the stock never touches my shoulder 100%. I try to line it up so that I look straight and even down the rib to the bead. This results in just the lower half of the stock touching my shoulder. Like an arrowhead when the trigger is pulled.

C.R.Sam · April 28, 2002, 10:47 AM

Hube......sounds like you could benefit from a bit of judicious shimming at the stock-action interface to get you more drop at the heel of the stock.

Again, Dave has discussed how to do this in previous threads.

Sam.

April 27, 2002, 05:52 AM	#1
hube1236 Registration in progress Join Date: April 28, 2000 Location: New Orleans, USA Posts: 785	Fitting All of the literature, when it comes to buying a shotgun, say to get fitted by an experienced gun smith. Let's make believe I don't know any, what are the key point to determining whether the pig fits or not? Primary use for the gun is clays and birds. __________________ Violent behavior is an expression of failure. It always takes more brains, resourcefulness, and heroism to make peace than war.

April 28, 2002, 06:43 AM	#6
hube1236 Registration in progress Join Date: April 28, 2000 Location: New Orleans, USA Posts: 785	Thanks guys, while the Remmy never hit my face while shooting, the stock never touches my shoulder 100%. I try to line it up so that I look straight and even down the rib to the bead. This results in just the lower half of the stock touching my shoulder. Like an arrowhead when the trigger is pulled. __________________ Violent behavior is an expression of failure. It always takes more brains, resourcefulness, and heroism to make peace than war.

April 27, 2002, 06:01 AM	#2
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	If it can be mounted by you easily and consistently, and your thumb doesn't bump your nose when it kicks, it's close enough, IF..... The thing puts the load where it's supposed to. My guess is that maybe 40% of us are close enough to that mythical average guy the stocks are built for that we can grab a shotgun off the rack and do good work with same. Pattern the thing by shooting at the patterning board as if the mark in the center was a bird. Move, mount, shoot. Repeat a few times then check and see if the pattern's centered, high, low or whatever. HTH....

April 27, 2002, 07:26 AM	#3
Chuck Graber Member Join Date: August 22, 2001 Location: Kansas Posts: 74	Try this link; http://www.shotgunreport.com/TechTec...unFitting.html The trouble for new shooters is that to get a good fit you need a well established and repeatable mount. So you have to start out with a gun that is close and shoot for a few months and practice mounts. Once you have established a solid repeatable mount you can have the gun fitted. Chuck Graber

April 27, 2002, 10:15 AM	#4
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,858	What Dave McC said. Also do a search on his past threads, you will find a wealth of good scattergun info there. Sam

April 27, 2002, 10:48 AM	#5
PJR Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2000 Posts: 1,127	In addition to Dave's comments, a gun doesn't fit you correctly if it slaps your face or is leaving a small bruise on your shoulder (ie. the entire butt isn't on your shoulder). Because a shotgun is pointed not aimed and the "rear sight" is your eye, think of stock adjustments in the same way we adjust rear sights on a handgun or rifle. I was fitted in the UK a few years ago and here's how it was done: I was given was a tightly-choked over/under try gun (an AyA as I recall). This is a shotgun with an adjustable stock that can be moved for length, drop, cast and pitch. The over/under try gun gives you the correct measurements for everything except a side by side. More on that later The patterning takes place 16 yards from the board. This distance from the board is critical because according to the Churchill method of fitting every 1/16" of stock movement relates to one inch of pattern movement on the board. If your pattern is, for example, 8" too high then the stock needs to come down 1/2". I was instructed to mount the gun as I normally would and hold it just below the board. Then I was told to swing the gun smoothly up towards the center of and fire just as the bead touched the bullseye. I fired repeated rounds (the board was whitewashed after each shot) and the stock was adjusted until the pattern was going where desired. Then we went to the clays range and shot some high incomers and some minute final adustments were made. We then repeated the entire event with a sxs try gun. According to my instructor, the sxs requires a different measurement than an over/under or single barrel because of the lateral barrels. The measurements between the two are different in cast, drop and length. As I recall, the total cost about about 150 pound sterling. Did it work? When I got home I measured my guns and found a Beretta sporting gun that always slapped my face had wrong dimensions. It was shipped to a gunsmith who trimmed the wood to the correct size. The gun now doesn't hurt and my scores increased. I later ordered a 12 gauge custom sxs from Spain and with the correct measurements it doesn't hurt despite being 6-1/2lbs and not having a recoil pad. Is it worth it? Well that's up to you. I don't think it makes that much difference if your guns are comfortable and you are shooting pre-mounted games like skeet or trap. The advantage comes in more for hunting and low gun games. Final point: Just like a suit of clothes you can look good even though the measurements are not precisely on. Same with a shotgun. And like a suit of clothes if you lose or gain weight, stock measurements will also need changing. Paul

April 28, 2002, 10:47 AM	#7
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,858	Hube......sounds like you could benefit from a bit of judicious shimming at the stock-action interface to get you more drop at the heel of the stock. Again, Dave has discussed how to do this in previous threads. Sam.