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Stock length
- Thread starter sdkidaho
- Start date
People with long necks, skinny faces, etc., are exceptions. For the mythical "average" man, a shotgun stock of the correct length will position the trigger under the first joint of the trigger finger when the stock butt is nestled into the crook of the arm. For a guy of "average weight" about 5' 10" tall, that length of pull will be somewhere around 14" for his shotgun. A rifle will go about 1/2" shorter.
Having said all that, a good shotgun fitter will determine the length of pull, drop, pitch, cast, etc., to put the pattern of your gun where you point it. For the rest of us, God made Remington.
Clemson
Having said all that, a good shotgun fitter will determine the length of pull, drop, pitch, cast, etc., to put the pattern of your gun where you point it. For the rest of us, God made Remington.
Clemson
Clemson, you hit the nail on the head!
The late Jack O'Connor elaborates in his The Shotgun Book:
"Within limits, most of us can fit ourselves to a gun and do a good job of it. Over many years American shotgun manufacturers have found that a gunstock with a drop at comb of 1.625 inches, drop at heel of 2.5 inches, and length of pull of 14 inches fits the average man well enough so that he can do good shooting with it if he in turn tries to fit himself to it.
"We say average man. What do we mean? I have read that the average American male is between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 160 pounds in weight. If such a gunstock fits this lad exactly, it obviously won't fit Shorty Smith, who is 5 feet 1 inch, or Slim Jones, 6 feet 4 inches. If Shorty and Slim are exceedingly adaptable, they can fit themselves to the stock sufficiently and do credible shooting, but they'd do better if they didn't have to work so hard at it." (Note that this book was published in 1965, so the demographics for height and weight have probably both increased since).
Mr. O'Connor closes this chapter with this, "Actually, there's nothing mysterious about gun fit, and once a man has learned to shoot he's a better authority on what fits him than anyone else. A well-fitting gun doesn't make a crack shot out of a dub, a poor fit doesn't make a dub out of a slicker, but everyone does his best shooting with a gun stock that fits." To which I say, Amen!
Good luck, and good shooting!
The late Jack O'Connor elaborates in his The Shotgun Book:
"Within limits, most of us can fit ourselves to a gun and do a good job of it. Over many years American shotgun manufacturers have found that a gunstock with a drop at comb of 1.625 inches, drop at heel of 2.5 inches, and length of pull of 14 inches fits the average man well enough so that he can do good shooting with it if he in turn tries to fit himself to it.
"We say average man. What do we mean? I have read that the average American male is between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 160 pounds in weight. If such a gunstock fits this lad exactly, it obviously won't fit Shorty Smith, who is 5 feet 1 inch, or Slim Jones, 6 feet 4 inches. If Shorty and Slim are exceedingly adaptable, they can fit themselves to the stock sufficiently and do credible shooting, but they'd do better if they didn't have to work so hard at it." (Note that this book was published in 1965, so the demographics for height and weight have probably both increased since).
Mr. O'Connor closes this chapter with this, "Actually, there's nothing mysterious about gun fit, and once a man has learned to shoot he's a better authority on what fits him than anyone else. A well-fitting gun doesn't make a crack shot out of a dub, a poor fit doesn't make a dub out of a slicker, but everyone does his best shooting with a gun stock that fits." To which I say, Amen!
Good luck, and good shooting!
Good general replies
Having said that, this can be a highly "personal" preference....I'm 5'11" and 210 lbs, with overly long arms, in proportion to the rest of my body. And I prefer stocks, on both shotguns and rifles that are shorter than would be normal for my size. Why? I don't know...I just shoot better with a somewhat shorter stock. I like about a 13 -13.5" LOP...its just more comfortable fo me....
Having said that, this can be a highly "personal" preference....I'm 5'11" and 210 lbs, with overly long arms, in proportion to the rest of my body. And I prefer stocks, on both shotguns and rifles that are shorter than would be normal for my size. Why? I don't know...I just shoot better with a somewhat shorter stock. I like about a 13 -13.5" LOP...its just more comfortable fo me....
What I've done over the years is to go to a large gun store and try mounting all kinds of shotguns, especially with the clothing I expect to use when shooting/hunting with the gun.
The gun should mount easily with your eyes closed and you should be looking right down the barrel in the proper position when you open your eyes. The stock should be long enough so you don't feel like you have to consciously pull it back to the shoulder, nor should it hang up under your clothing as it's mounted. Length within 3/4" of perfect isn't tough to correct, either by having the stock cut or having a recoil pad added (if it doesn't have one already). The old forearm measurement doesn't work for me.
How the gun balances and points naturally is very important because when you shoot quickly at game or moving clays, it needs to be like part of your body. The shotgun shooter needs a shotgun to fit, period. It's much more difficult to hit with a poorly fitting shotgun than it is to make do with rifles or pistols that aren't just right.
I'm over six feet tall, but Remington shotguns fit me without any mods. I particularly like my new 11-87 Upland Special in 20 gauge, but also have an 1100 Special Field 12 gauge that has shot hundreds of birds. I didn't like the straight stock at first, but love it now. I also extend the safeties by epoxying a short piece of checkered drill rod to them and cut a coil off the detent ball springs to make them a BIT easier to release when a grouse or woodcock flushes. The safety can then be released with the second pad of the finger while inserting the trigger finger into the trigger guard for the shot.
I practice all clay target shots with the gun in safe carrying position, safety on, and the trigger finger outside the trigger guard. The safety is pressed off as the gun is mounted in one fluid motion. Top tang safeties seem slower for me and break my rythm.
Picher
The gun should mount easily with your eyes closed and you should be looking right down the barrel in the proper position when you open your eyes. The stock should be long enough so you don't feel like you have to consciously pull it back to the shoulder, nor should it hang up under your clothing as it's mounted. Length within 3/4" of perfect isn't tough to correct, either by having the stock cut or having a recoil pad added (if it doesn't have one already). The old forearm measurement doesn't work for me.
How the gun balances and points naturally is very important because when you shoot quickly at game or moving clays, it needs to be like part of your body. The shotgun shooter needs a shotgun to fit, period. It's much more difficult to hit with a poorly fitting shotgun than it is to make do with rifles or pistols that aren't just right.
I'm over six feet tall, but Remington shotguns fit me without any mods. I particularly like my new 11-87 Upland Special in 20 gauge, but also have an 1100 Special Field 12 gauge that has shot hundreds of birds. I didn't like the straight stock at first, but love it now. I also extend the safeties by epoxying a short piece of checkered drill rod to them and cut a coil off the detent ball springs to make them a BIT easier to release when a grouse or woodcock flushes. The safety can then be released with the second pad of the finger while inserting the trigger finger into the trigger guard for the shot.
I practice all clay target shots with the gun in safe carrying position, safety on, and the trigger finger outside the trigger guard. The safety is pressed off as the gun is mounted in one fluid motion. Top tang safeties seem slower for me and break my rythm.
Picher