Adjusting stock fit ?

[oldbadger]

Is it possible to adjust somehow the fit of the stock on a shotgun. The stock seems to be to high and I am looking over the barrels. This is on an older Pedersoly 12ga.

Thanks oldbadger

 

[J.D.]

Adjustments can be made by bending the stock with heat, but it's not something I would recommend for a novice.


Jerry Huddleston probably can do it, or at least recommend someone who can;[url] http://www.jwh-flintlocks.net/[/url]
J.D.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Heating works most of the time, but if it is really bad, you may have to shave some wood off and refinish the stock.

Best advice I can give is to take the gun to a nearby trap range that's A.T.A. certified. The guys that hang-out there are serious shotgunners! Some have those fancy custom guns with the fully adjustable stocks...costing ten K or more! They are usually experts at looking at how you mount your gun and telling you what you have to do to it to break 100 straight or more.

Good luck with getting proper gun fit .

Happy Easter, Dave

 

[Leonredbeard]

Oldbadger,
Does it shoot high? Or is it just that you are looking over top of the barrels. Black powder smoothbores tend to shoot low. That is why the comb is high enough to put your eye above the plane of the barrels. If you have not shot it, please, save yourself some grief and go shoot it. Shoot it enough to be confident that it is shooting high before you do anything to it. Even then, it is more convenient that it shoot a little high than dead on. That way you can place a bird, be it clay or live, on top of the front sight where you can see it as you pull the trigger.
JMHO
volatpluvia

 

[oldbadger]

Yes it does shoot high and I can see all of the top of the barrel when I shoulder it. I can ' crunch ' my cheek down on it and line up then but not when I pull up and shoulder naturally. I will have to shot it more - you reminded me of a conversation I had with one of those trap shooters one time. He explained about how they will have there guns shoot right on or maybe a little high or what ever. Yep -- think I will play with it a little more ---- thanks for the reply's -- lots of help .

 

[DanChamberlain]

Old;

If you were to increase the length of the stock an inch or two, would that put your cheek farther back...and conversely a little lower on the comb? Tape a spacer on it and check. I had a similar problem and now, I use a slip on leather recoil pad when I'm shooting and hunting. It puts my eye perfectly on the barrel.

Dan

 

[paulvallandigham]

The typical trap gun stock is adjusted to throw the pattern 16 inches high at 30 yards, which is where the clays are broken in front of the barrel for a practiced Trap shooter. Trap target are rising, so you need to have the pattern rise above live of sight to have the correct " lead " to hit the rising target. Trap shooters habitaully miss targets that are flattened out with a tail wind- ie the wind is strong but coming from behind the shooter. The better shooters learn to shoot the targets quicker, before they get up into the wind.

Practice a lot and spend time at the patterning boards before deciding to do anything with your stock. Most stocks are too long on modern guns, unless you are 6'4" or taller. And, with rubber recoil pads, they often catch on outer clothing if you try to mount the gun to your shoulder by bringing it straight up from your hip. I was trained to thrust the gun out as I was bring it up, and then mount it to my face first, and THEN pull it back into my shoulder. its just a different way to do it, and works for some people, but not all. I did use a sanding disk to round off the topedge of my recoil pad, and that helped keep the gun from catching on cloths a lot. It didn't do anything for the esthetics of my gun, but the gun is a tool, and not a piece of art, all the time. Beauty is as beauty does, most of the time.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Most stocks are too long on modern guns, unless you are 6'4" or taller. And, with rubber recoil pads, they often catch on outer clothing if you try to mount the gun to your shoulder by bringing it straight up from your hip. I was trained to thrust the gun out as I was bring it up, and then mount it to my face first, and THEN pull it back into my shoulder. its just a different way to do it, and works for some people, but not all.

Actually, in the majority of cases, the more one perfects a correct mount they will find they can use a longer LOP with no problems. Trap and skeet are gun up, pre-mounted sports excepting international skeet.

As far as the original question goes, you need to see where the gun is patterning with the present stock configuration without aiming the gun. For setting the gun up for hunting, I suggest making contact with the local sporting clays crowd.
Hot oil bending is an option. As one poster mentioned, if the comb has a progressive drop then lengthening the pull will bring the pattern down. Removing wood off the top of the comb is another option.

here are a couple of internet references (no sale sites, just free information concerning gun fit).

[url] http://www.fordwreckers.com[/url].au/brisbanegunclub/fitofthegun.htm
[url] http://www.ospschool.com/know.html#gunfit[/url]

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Most stocks are too long on modern guns, unless you are 6'4" or taller. And, with rubber recoil pads, they often catch on outer clothing if you try to mount the gun to your shoulder by bringing it straight up from your hip. I was trained to thrust the gun out as I was bring it up, and then mount it to my face first, and THEN pull it back into my shoulder. its just a different way to do it, and works for some people, but not all.

I have found that in most cases, the more one perfects a correct low-gun mount they will find they can use a longer LOP with no problems. Trap and skeet are gun up, pre-mounted sports excepting international skeet.
As Paul points out, the gun is brought to the face and not the shoulder. Nose over toes the gun will find the shoulder.

As far as the original question goes, you need to see where the gun is patterning with the present stock configuration without aiming the gun. For setting the gun up for hunting, I suggest making contact with the local sporting clays crowd.
Hot oil bending is an option. As one poster mentioned, if the comb has a progressive drop then lengthening the pull will bring the pattern down. Removing wood off the top of the comb is another option.

here are a couple of internet references (no sale sites, just free information concerning gun fit).

[url] http://www.fordwreckers.com[/url].au/brisbanegunclub/fitofthegun.htm
[url] http://www.ospschool.com/know.html#gunfit[/url]

Hope this helps,

Capt. Jas.,
NRA shotgun instructor