But on shotgun stocks it's not a cut and dried deal...
An experiment:
Due to shooting my 870 TB at trap so much lately, my other shotguns have been underused. This is not a crisis, I'm overtrained on some aspects and since all my other shotguns are also 870s, I've commonality of operation and the same "Chops" with all of them.And while I'm unsure if shooting a case or so of target loads a week is helping my "Serious" shotgunning skills, I doubt it hurts.
So,night before last I went and hefted Frankenstein, my home built parts 870 w/ 21" bbl,and noted that after all the trap shooting with the 15" pull Monte Carlo stock, ol' Frank felt like a Youth model with it's Md Pen 13 1/2" utility grade stock. I had been thinking about this anyway, so I went and purchased a slip on pad, dropped a leather shim into it,and installed it over the old pad. This brought the length up to 14 5/8", enough similiar to my trap gun that I expected to see similiar results on the range. Before this last month, I had shot the occasional round of trap at AGC with Frank, and usually shot within a bird or two of my average with my fancy TB. Not this time...
So, yesterday I mosied on up to AGC for the usual mid week Geezer League, taking both the TB and Frank. The usual suspects were there, mostly older than me(54), armed with well worn trap guns, with nothing to prove and out to have fun.I set Frankenstein in the rack between a highly engraved Model 17 Remington 20 ga that a friend had brought because he hadn't shot it lately and a new Beretta 682 Trap with the Precision Fit "Robostock", admired the juxtaposition, and helped set up the range.Since I'm less "Mobility challenged" than most of the regulars, I did the running around.
Eventually,we shot the first round. I used my 1 oz reloads, the TB and got a 23/25, a bird or two better than my average. A good round.
Next round I got to shoot was a couple later, and I used Frankenstein with that extended stock, sure that this would fix things and I'd shoot about as well with it at this as with the TB. Maybe better, the TB is a fixed Full and Frank had a Modified tube in it, and 16 yard singles is Modified country, IMO.BTW, Frank is shimmed to give a 60/40 pattern, and the longer stock shouldn't have moved COP down more than maybeso 6" at break yardage, if that.
Wrong. I was running about half misses for the first three posts. I've never shot that shotgun that badly before. I grew disgusted, then thoughtful. When changing posts for the next to last 5 shots. I removed the slip on pad and reverted to the 13 1/2" pull. Cleaned that post, dropped one bird on the last.IOW, I shot vastly better with a stock that was way too short for me but that I was used to, than a strange stock with more correct dimensions.
We then shot a couple novelty rounds,the protection stuff, and a handicap. I'm not ready for 24 yards, regardless of shotgun, but had fun trying. Then, I shot another 16 yard round with the TB,scoring 22 or 3.
Conclusions:
If it works, don't fix it.
Theory is just that, and the real world may differ.
The stock's long enough if you don't bump your nose with your thumb.
And, BTW, Geezer is not an insult....
An experiment:
Due to shooting my 870 TB at trap so much lately, my other shotguns have been underused. This is not a crisis, I'm overtrained on some aspects and since all my other shotguns are also 870s, I've commonality of operation and the same "Chops" with all of them.And while I'm unsure if shooting a case or so of target loads a week is helping my "Serious" shotgunning skills, I doubt it hurts.
So,night before last I went and hefted Frankenstein, my home built parts 870 w/ 21" bbl,and noted that after all the trap shooting with the 15" pull Monte Carlo stock, ol' Frank felt like a Youth model with it's Md Pen 13 1/2" utility grade stock. I had been thinking about this anyway, so I went and purchased a slip on pad, dropped a leather shim into it,and installed it over the old pad. This brought the length up to 14 5/8", enough similiar to my trap gun that I expected to see similiar results on the range. Before this last month, I had shot the occasional round of trap at AGC with Frank, and usually shot within a bird or two of my average with my fancy TB. Not this time...
So, yesterday I mosied on up to AGC for the usual mid week Geezer League, taking both the TB and Frank. The usual suspects were there, mostly older than me(54), armed with well worn trap guns, with nothing to prove and out to have fun.I set Frankenstein in the rack between a highly engraved Model 17 Remington 20 ga that a friend had brought because he hadn't shot it lately and a new Beretta 682 Trap with the Precision Fit "Robostock", admired the juxtaposition, and helped set up the range.Since I'm less "Mobility challenged" than most of the regulars, I did the running around.
Eventually,we shot the first round. I used my 1 oz reloads, the TB and got a 23/25, a bird or two better than my average. A good round.
Next round I got to shoot was a couple later, and I used Frankenstein with that extended stock, sure that this would fix things and I'd shoot about as well with it at this as with the TB. Maybe better, the TB is a fixed Full and Frank had a Modified tube in it, and 16 yard singles is Modified country, IMO.BTW, Frank is shimmed to give a 60/40 pattern, and the longer stock shouldn't have moved COP down more than maybeso 6" at break yardage, if that.
Wrong. I was running about half misses for the first three posts. I've never shot that shotgun that badly before. I grew disgusted, then thoughtful. When changing posts for the next to last 5 shots. I removed the slip on pad and reverted to the 13 1/2" pull. Cleaned that post, dropped one bird on the last.IOW, I shot vastly better with a stock that was way too short for me but that I was used to, than a strange stock with more correct dimensions.
We then shot a couple novelty rounds,the protection stuff, and a handicap. I'm not ready for 24 yards, regardless of shotgun, but had fun trying. Then, I shot another 16 yard round with the TB,scoring 22 or 3.
Conclusions:
If it works, don't fix it.
Theory is just that, and the real world may differ.
The stock's long enough if you don't bump your nose with your thumb.
And, BTW, Geezer is not an insult....