A note on LOP and drop...

[Dave McC]

It was like a reunion Saturday at PGC. A lot of folks I've shot with(and enjoyed it) were there and some new shotguns to admire. By the time I was done, I had handled and shot 3 or 4,ranging from a CLASSIC 870M (ca 1970)with great wood and in perfect condition to a new Synthetic stocked 11-87 and a 391 Extrema likewise dressed in plastic. There was an 1100 also, a newer one bought from Sears and with aftermarket plastic.These were field guns, not competition guns, brought to sharpen up before bird hunts.

I ran one shotshell through each and hit all the birds.

The common factor was stock length. All were short, from a good bit short to very short. The 391 had been trimmed a bit, the owner was built like a fire plug.

I adjusted for length by moving my support hand forward a bit. What was giving me the blues was the varying amount of drop.

Looking over the bbl on each of these gave a different picture. The 391 had so much drop my cheek weld was a chin weld.

The 1100 was almost as bad. That aftermarket stock didn't match the original, and it took some skooching around to get the bead visible.Not so bad when premounted, but pure heck when hunting.

I'm doing most of my wingshooting and clays with Frankenstein and the TB. Both now have M/C stocks, the TB has a 15" LOP and Frank has a 14 1/2" one, more befitting a field gun set up for me. Both have drop at cheek of a little over an inch.Both shoot about 60/40, ideal for a field gun, IMO.

Lot of us have more than one shotgun, and oft shoot one better than the rest. We obsess about LOP, but often ignore the other dimensions. We've preached about gun fit here, and maybe we should emphasize drop at cheek more than we have.

SO, if you have a shotgun that's shooting much better for you than the others, measure the drop at cheek and compare. While there's other dimensions that matter, I've a hunch drop is crucial.

Questions, comments?....

 

[huntsman]

good points dave, I know too much drop was the reason I lifted my head on my older sxs . It seemed a real struggle to keep cheeked when birds flushed, more than just trying to peek after shot was fired.

 

[Dave McC]

Some older, US made SXS shotguns have so much drop I can't see the bead when I cheek it. MAy explain the old heads up stance, or maybe the stance explains the design.

A little more drop seems to help on speed for close range brush shooting, but again the key word is "Little".

The neoprene cheek pads can help here, but just use some on the top of the comb so the cast remains the same.

HTH...

 

[beetlefang]

Good points all...

I agree w/ the length of pull thoughts....the body must be able to accomodate the LOP easily...

Most people hunt with one or two shotguns throughout the year. Both of mine (an automatic and a new o/u) have the same stock dimensions. My length of pull can easily vary 1/4 inch depending if I'm wearing a t-shirt or padded carhart jacket. Regardless..the gun feels the same to me.

I think of the shotguns fit as ergonimics. The more intuitive the shot, the more ergonomic the fit needs to be to become that thoughtless extension of ones body. A turkey hunter probably doesn't care less about fit...he calls in the bird and makes a well placed shot. He gets to take his time..like a well placed rifle shot. But, someone who shoots woodcock or quail would probably appreciate a well fitted shotgun more than the turkey hunter.

Also, a clays shooter would probably appreciate the ergonomic gun alot - many intuitive shots in a days outing.

Now about cast off and on...I'm not really sure about these yet. My automatic (beretta 390) has cast off. My o/u doesn't. I don't really appreciate much difference when mounting the guns. Most american manufacturers don't even mention cast...while euro's rave about it. I probably won't modify a non-cast gun to get cast, but if it comes with it, I wouldn't change it to a neutral cast stock either.

-Beetle

 

[Dave McC]

Thanks for the input, Beetlefang. Shotguns fired in tight time constraints like quail and grouse guns probably need better fit overall than a turkey gun, shot more like a rifle. IOW,fast shooting means it has to shoot where you're looking.

The only shotgun I've shot extensively with cast was a little French/Belgian SXS. Despite light weight, a padless checkered butt, and a stock a bit short for me, it not only shot well for me but was less hard kicking than it should have been.