Steel or plastic butt plates

ak-kev · July 31, 2011, 05:45 PM

Hello guys, Im interested in doing an experiment on my shotguns. I was wanting to reduce the LOP of the stock because they are so much easier to handle/manipulate in the house at night. I removed the recoil pad on my 1300 and 870 and its just what I want to try. I know the recoil will be brutal (I have a 1942 Ithica 37 with a steel butt plate/ no recoil pad) but for a home defense shotgun I'm thinkng the smaller LOP will be better. However, I cant find any. Am I reduced to making my own for this trial? Thank you. Kevin.

oneounceload · July 31, 2011, 06:08 PM

Make the LOP to suit with a recoil pad - what's so hard?

idek · July 31, 2011, 07:13 PM

A lot of people like the Hogue stock with a 12" LOP for their HD 870's.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=126882
It comes with a decent recoil pad and might be a good option it you don't want to permanently alter your current stocks.

zippy13 · July 31, 2011, 07:20 PM

Why not use a thinner pad, like the .4-inch Pachmayr? I will help with the recoil.

ak-kev · July 31, 2011, 07:36 PM

"Make the LOP to suit with a recoil pad - what's so hard?"

Oneounceload.......Its very hard to cut down the beautiful wood stock on these old school shotguns. This way I could always return it to original form.

The thinner recoil pad is an idea. Thank you zippy!!

Idek.......I love the idea of the Hogue stock, but I just cant bring myself to buy a synthetic sock. I just love the look of the wood. Kevin.

idek · July 31, 2011, 08:04 PM

Yeah, I can appreciate a nice wood stock as well. That's why I suggested an alternative to chopping up your wood stock. I figured you could switch stocks back and forth if you wanted depending on the purpose.

TheKlawMan · July 31, 2011, 08:26 PM

What kind of a barrel is on your 870? If it is a longer one, you may just want to get a used police model for HD and not mess your baby up.

T. O'Heir · August 1, 2011, 12:22 AM

"...wanting to reduce the LOP..." No, you don't. The LOP is about how any firearm fits you. It has nothing whatever to do with HD or anything else. A 12" LOP will pound you into next week if you need a longer LOP.
The size of the recoil pad doesn't make much difference.
In any case, the length of the barrel has far more to do with 'handy' than the LOP. Buy an 18 or 20 inch, smooth bore, slug barrel with a bead sight.
Don't even think about a pistol grip only either. A shotgun with no stock is the most useless thing on Earth. A short barreled, pistol gripped stock isn't though.

idek · August 1, 2011, 03:08 AM

Some tactical experts teach that, for HD shooting, you mount the gun with your shoulders squared up the the target rather than angled like we use for most shooting. I believe this is to allow better balance while moving with the gun mounted.

IF a person uses the gun this way, it DOES make sense to have a shorter LOP.

TheKlawMan · August 1, 2011, 03:40 AM

Quote:

Some tactical experts teach that, for HD shooting, you mount the gun with your shoulders squared up the the target rather than angled like we use for most shooting. I believe this is to allow better balance while moving with the gun mounted.

My plan for HD doesn't involve moving but taking up a defenseive postition to await LE. What you describe sounds like what is advocated for combat/tactical shooting. Squaring up the shoulders may make for better balance, but doesn't it widen one's field of vision?

Regardless, is one reason for using a shorter LOP in combat scenarios to allow for the thickness of body armor?

idek · August 1, 2011, 05:33 AM

I personally don't think I'd use a tactical style mount either (I use a standard length stock). I see myself more likely hunkering down in a "safe room" waiting for LE, and focusing on a single doorway or choke point than going all G.I. Joe and dashing into combat. But there are people with different situations or mindsets that promote a more active response. And for such people, a more active posture and shorter stock make sense.

As for how it affects the way a person sights down the barrel, the butt of the gun goes more onto the pectoral muscle than in the shoulder pocket. This aligns the barrel with the eye. This may sound painful, but a person also leans forward more than usual in this stance in order to better roll with the recoil. In any event, anyone using a squared up mount would definitely want to get in some practice using the gun that way.

As for the body armor, yes, I've heard that's a reason some people use shorter stocks. Another consideration is that a shorter stock may be less likely to snag during the mount, especially if a person's wearing a night robe, a big sweater, or some other loose clothing not designed or normally worn for shooting purposes. Also, maybe it'll be a wife who has to use the gun. It is likely easier for the guy to adjust to a short stock than a typical sized woman to use an overly long one.

ak-kev · August 1, 2011, 06:05 AM

The standard tactical training individuals receive from classes around here employes a mount that involves moving the shotgun out/away from your body, then inward to the shoulder to prevent the butt from grabbing/snagging on your hairy chest/body armor/t-shirt/robe ect. Thus the interest interest in the shorter LOP. I was bored and thought I would play around with this idea at the pasture next time I went out to shoot, but I didnt want to cut up my stock thus my original question. Thank you everyone for your input. Kevi.

July 31, 2011, 05:45 PM	#1
ak-kev Member Join Date: March 10, 2009 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 73	Steel or plastic butt plates Hello guys, Im interested in doing an experiment on my shotguns. I was wanting to reduce the LOP of the stock because they are so much easier to handle/manipulate in the house at night. I removed the recoil pad on my 1300 and 870 and its just what I want to try. I know the recoil will be brutal (I have a 1942 Ithica 37 with a steel butt plate/ no recoil pad) but for a home defense shotgun I'm thinkng the smaller LOP will be better. However, I cant find any. Am I reduced to making my own for this trial? Thank you. Kevin.

August 1, 2011, 12:22 AM	#8
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...wanting to reduce the LOP..." No, you don't. The LOP is about how any firearm fits you. It has nothing whatever to do with HD or anything else. A 12" LOP will pound you into next week if you need a longer LOP. The size of the recoil pad doesn't make much difference. In any case, the length of the barrel has far more to do with 'handy' than the LOP. Buy an 18 or 20 inch, smooth bore, slug barrel with a bead sight. Don't even think about a pistol grip only either. A shotgun with no stock is the most useless thing on Earth. A short barreled, pistol gripped stock isn't though. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

August 1, 2011, 05:33 AM	#11
idek Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2009 Posts: 903	I personally don't think I'd use a tactical style mount either (I use a standard length stock). I see myself more likely hunkering down in a "safe room" waiting for LE, and focusing on a single doorway or choke point than going all G.I. Joe and dashing into combat. But there are people with different situations or mindsets that promote a more active response. And for such people, a more active posture and shorter stock make sense. As for how it affects the way a person sights down the barrel, the butt of the gun goes more onto the pectoral muscle than in the shoulder pocket. This aligns the barrel with the eye. This may sound painful, but a person also leans forward more than usual in this stance in order to better roll with the recoil. In any event, anyone using a squared up mount would definitely want to get in some practice using the gun that way. As for the body armor, yes, I've heard that's a reason some people use shorter stocks. Another consideration is that a shorter stock may be less likely to snag during the mount, especially if a person's wearing a night robe, a big sweater, or some other loose clothing not designed or normally worn for shooting purposes. Also, maybe it'll be a wife who has to use the gun. It is likely easier for the guy to adjust to a short stock than a typical sized woman to use an overly long one. Last edited by idek; August 1, 2011 at 05:59 AM.

August 1, 2011, 06:05 AM	#12
ak-kev Member Join Date: March 10, 2009 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 73	The standard tactical training individuals receive from classes around here employes a mount that involves moving the shotgun out/away from your body, then inward to the shoulder to prevent the butt from grabbing/snagging on your hairy chest/body armor/t-shirt/robe ect. Thus the interest interest in the shorter LOP. I was bored and thought I would play around with this idea at the pasture next time I went out to shoot, but I didnt want to cut up my stock thus my original question. Thank you everyone for your input. Kevi. Last edited by ak-kev; August 1, 2011 at 06:15 AM.

July 31, 2011, 06:08 PM	#2
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	Make the LOP to suit with a recoil pad - what's so hard?

July 31, 2011, 07:13 PM	#3
idek Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2009 Posts: 903	A lot of people like the Hogue stock with a 12" LOP for their HD 870's. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=126882 It comes with a decent recoil pad and might be a good option it you don't want to permanently alter your current stocks.

July 31, 2011, 07:20 PM	#4
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Why not use a thinner pad, like the .4-inch Pachmayr? I will help with the recoil.

July 31, 2011, 07:36 PM	#5
ak-kev Member Join Date: March 10, 2009 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 73	"Make the LOP to suit with a recoil pad - what's so hard?" Oneounceload.......Its very hard to cut down the beautiful wood stock on these old school shotguns. This way I could always return it to original form. The thinner recoil pad is an idea. Thank you zippy!! Idek.......I love the idea of the Hogue stock, but I just cant bring myself to buy a synthetic sock. I just love the look of the wood. Kevin.

July 31, 2011, 08:04 PM	#6
idek Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2009 Posts: 903	Yeah, I can appreciate a nice wood stock as well. That's why I suggested an alternative to chopping up your wood stock. I figured you could switch stocks back and forth if you wanted depending on the purpose.

July 31, 2011, 08:26 PM	#7
TheKlawMan Junior member Join Date: June 23, 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 2,149	What kind of a barrel is on your 870? If it is a longer one, you may just want to get a used police model for HD and not mess your baby up.

August 1, 2011, 03:08 AM	#9
idek Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2009 Posts: 903	Some tactical experts teach that, for HD shooting, you mount the gun with your shoulders squared up the the target rather than angled like we use for most shooting. I believe this is to allow better balance while moving with the gun mounted. IF a person uses the gun this way, it DOES make sense to have a shorter LOP.