Shotgun fitting - Moderator & anyone???

K

Kobra

New member
I am thinking of ordering a custom gun stock from Wenig Gun Stocks. How do I determine what fits me??

I am 5' 10" with medium to large hands - other than that how do I determine my length of pull, stock drop, etc. I assume I am not a generic person in my measurements because I have never been any good with my ole 870 (I assume that gun has as generic measurements as any gun built). Other guns I have shot have been better with so I know it is not all my shooting.

Thanks.
 
Kobra:

As much as I like fancy wood (and Wenig has some great walnut) I wouldn't do it unless it was made to my measurements. There are a variety of factors in gun fit including length of pull, drop, pitch and cast. Properly done gun fitting means shooting at a patterning board with a try gun which has a stock that can be adjusted. The stock is adjusted until the pattern is hitting in the right spot and then you have your measurements.

There are other factors as well including your shooting style and what you will be shooting. An over/under has different measurements than a sxs and the type of shooting you do may also affect the fit.

IIRC Wenig took over from Fajen. Fajen offered a fitting session as part of their service. You might contact Wenig to determine if they offer a fitting service of know of who does.
 
gun fit

The proper way for gun fitting is also the expensive way.If you were to do it you would go to a fitter who has a try gun ,this has a stock that is adjustable. Basically you would shoot then adjust then shoot then adjust again till your gun shot were you pointed.
Most guys can shoot better with just a few simple modifications you can do or have an average gunsmith do.If the length of pull is short add a recoil pad.You can also add to the comb with a lace on pad or maybe go with a Monty Carlo stock.
 
Gunfitting

Check out this explanation of gunfitting by Bruce Buck of Shotgun Report :

http://www.shotgunreport.com/TechTech/TechnoidArchive/15-Jan-01.html

From my own experience, a trip to a gunfitter with experience fitting the gun you shoot is worth the money.
A fitter should watch you shoot a variety of targets and may even correct improper technique. A gunfitting session will probably last two or more hours and you will probably go through quite a few targets, as well as shots at a pattern board.

Gunfitting is money well spent, whether you shoot a Mossberg or a Purdey.

Geoff Ross
 
Amen to Geoff. I've adjusted a couple of stocks to better fit me and enjoyed the results immensely.

However, fit can be as close to perfect as anything on this earth and if form is bad, hits will be only coincidence. Good shots can shoot OK with bad fitting stocks, superbly with good fitting ones. Bad shots shoot badly with everything.

SO, before you reach for the hacksaw, have someone who knows shotgunning watch you and critique your form.
 
Is a single fitting session enough for a proper restocking of all your shotguns, or should each shotgun be individually fitted, one session per shotgun? The latter proposition seems unaffordable for mere mortals like myself...
 
There is another alternative to completly restocking. Sometimes your fit to your stock is off a minimum amount. In this case one may elect to hot oil bend the stock to your dimentions. This is significantly less than restocking. It is not an inexpensive service as it requires a stockmaker with skill, but is still less than restocking. A (long) while back Pachmayer did such a job for me on a Beretta sxs. The gun had nicely figured AAA wood and I wished to save it.

To have it properly fitted you will have to have your stockmaker observe your shooting/mounting technique and use a try-gun.
 
Probably, Romulus, tho a change in action type might mean a slight change in the dimensions. I've read the Brits stock differently for O/Us than SXSs.

If you get fitted, the numbers are written down. Some shotguns will shoot slightly different due to things like rib height, balance,bends in the bbls and the natural perversity of inanimate objects, but by and large the measurements are universal.

Some other factors come into play, including the clothing you wear. Waterfowler guns are used in large part while one is wearing plenty of clothes,and the stock should be shorter by say, 1/2" than the same shooter would do best with in a Dove field on Labor Day.

And a shotgun used over a good dog for pheasant and quail might need to be stocked to hit a little higher on those rising targets than a rabbit gun.

The Brits stock their driven game guns to hit higher than their duck guns,an example...
 
I didn't include enough information in this for some of the people that responded.

I am looking at a Browning A-5 Magnum at my local gun shop. He wants $350 for it and the stock is shot. It appears the forearm broke so it was replaced with a black fiberglass unit to compliment the wore and stratched wood buttstock. The gun itself is in good condition but it needs a new stock on it so I am looking at my opinions. I was thinking about a Wenig laminated stock set, because I have always loved laminated wood. Boyd's makes a plain walnut stock set too. Then Bell & Carlson makes fiberglass ones.

I was wanting to figure out how to fit a stock so I would now what to order. I know no one that knows how to do this or has a try gun and patterning board. I figured it was like golf clubs - it's based on how tall you are, how big your hands are, and how you swing.

That ought to help answer my question better....thanks guys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top