Gander

[Black Bart]

Is it reasonable to assume that a bigger guy with long arms is generally gonna have a longer length of pull regarding shotgun fitment? I was at Backwoods today and my buddy suggested I'd benefit from adding shims to my guns, as doing so would shorten the distance between the gun and my shoulder. I'd honestly never given it much thought and just rolled with them how they came from the factory. But his logic makes sense to me. What are your thoughts? And on a related topic, how do you know when you have the "optimum" fitment? Discuss.

[Saltydog235]

Forget the guys name but, there’s a guy that comes to Backwoods and can get you fitted. And yes, factory setting probably don’t fit you very well.

[Black Bart]

Dave?

[Gander]

100%. Most guns off the shelf are made for someone who is 5'9" or 5'10". They generally come with a LOP somewhere between 14.5. I'm 6'2" and my LOP is 15.5. Most guys get by with a gun that is too short. But LOP can vary depending on how you mount the gun too. I see a lot of less experienced guys mounting the gun rifle style, more upright. More upright allows to get by with a shorter LOP.

There are a lot of aspects to gun fit. LOP is only one. There is cast, drop, pitch, etc. Believe it or not, the most important aspect is in the grip area. Distance from heel to the trigger. Your trigger finger should contact the trigger about a quarter up the last crease. The palm swell should fill any gaps in your palm. Your trigger finger should be pulling the trigger straight back, not up like most guns force you to.

For most guys, they just want their dominant eye looking down the rib. Although you should be seeing some rib, not flat down the rib.

Then you get into forend length. Fortunately most autos allow you to get in the right position. Your index finger and thumb should be pointed down one side, while the remaining finger wrapped around the forend. I see a lot of guy with just their thumb on one side.

[Saltydog235]

Dave?

No, Dave gave me his name. Talked with him about measuring for a SXS I was considering having built.

[bigtimeduckhunter]

Most gun clubs have someone on staff that can handle the basics of gun fitting. Beyond that, they usually have a professional who comes around on scheduled trips and appointments can be made. I used the guy below in preparation for buying a new sporting clays gun and SxS for upland hunts.

https://www.chrisbathashooting.com/

[Black Bart]

Did you notice an improvement in your shooting after being fitted?

[bigtimeduckhunter]

Did you notice an improvement in your shooting after being fitted?

I only ordered the SxS, but haven’t picked it up yet. It should be completed late January or early February.

I plan to order the clays gun this summer.

ETA- I don’t anticipate huge improvements to my shooting by having the fitting done but I couldn’t justify spending that type of money for a firearm without knowing it would fit properly. The fitting only cost ~$400 and took a couple of hours. At the end, I was given a card with all my measurements that I can hand over to gun builders or use to compare to specs on factory produced firearms to see how well they fit.

[Gander]

I spent an entire day at Kolar arms getting fitted and definitely noticed a difference. The gun was definitely more comfortable to shoot. I felt less tension and less recoil. Prior to getting fitted I would occasionally trap the trigger. I haven't had that happen since then.

One thing I noticed is that we tend to adapt to the gun more than we are willing to admit.

Prior to going thru a formal fitting I already had it setup for proper alignment so that wasn't an issue for me.

In the end I had a stock built entirely for my dimensions and shooting style. My consistency improved as a result.

[Silentweapon338]

He aint wrong, and it aint Dave as mentioned.

I keep wanting to pull the trigger on a blonde K gun. You really should step over this year at the Gator & if a certain someone would show you one of his guns you will fall in love. He handed my wife a gun & said go shoot. She declined. I started sweating for a moment. All I could see is something happening and me owning a fine piece of art that got broke.

I did shoot one of the demo guns, and It was way too long for me. I shot well with it all things considered. Good times, great memories, and wonderful people!

Every time I do I go back to my black hoes. I can abuse them mistreat them, beat the crap out of them, clean them up & they preform the next day. I would shutter to hit one of my Italian gals in such a manner.
I'm on a 8.6 trip at the moment.

I just can't quit them. I'm a hopeless romantic!

[Buckshot14]

Did you notice an improvement in your shooting after being fitted?

I have never been properly fitted. I have had an artillery man from the military show me how a “proper length” shotgun associated with my size should fit when measuring from my hand to the joint at my elbow. We own most old shotguns from browning, Remington, LC Smith, etc. My dad is an old bird hunter and picks a new one up every year.

None of them are long enough for me to shoot efficiently. I am 6’5” & have a lengthy wingspan. A number of years ago I moved into a Beretta 391 & A400. Both guns came with butt extensions that were easy to install and get the length I was needing to properly shoulder a shotgun. I have never gotten into all of the little adjustments that can be made, but adjusting the length can & will (for me at least) increase your hit rate and get you on your target faster.

My basic rule of thumb when measuring a shotgun for my fit is to place my hand on the gun as if I was fixing to pull the trigger, run the base of the gun along my arm and see how close the butt is to touching the crease in the joint of the elbow & bicep. If the gun fits in that crease, it will fit. Most are about 2-3” too short. Adding that length, along with a 28” barrel, allows for my proper length & eye placement.

Again, not an expert, but maybe this gives you big fellas a little easy feedback for a cheap measurement.

[FULLCHOKE]

If you can wait until the sporting clays season cranks back up, your best bet would be to go to Backwoods during Gator cup in March. They'll have plenty of vendors that would be glad to assist you in fitting. Now they'll be most likely peddling you a gun that could pay for a year or two's worth of college tuition, but you'd at least be able to get measurements and get a feel for how a gun that truly fits you should feel. Or take your gun to the Beretta booth (if you have a Beretta) and they should be able to shim it up, add butt plate extensions, check your eye/rib alignment, or point you to someone who can help.

[Black Bart]

Great idea, FC. I bought an A300 12 earlier this year, and I got an A400 20 for Christmas. Will definitely hit up the Beretta guys.

[wdhigh]

Y’all talking about Ken Padroza at Backwoods?

[wdhigh]

Great idea, FC. I bought an A300 12 earlier this year, and I got an A400 20 for Christmas. Will definitely hit up the Beretta guys.

In my personal opinion, go ahead and register the warranty on the 20g. Then send it off to have the gas port opened up and a “break in” service performed by Cole Gunsmithing in Maine.

[Palmetto Bug]

The best shooters I know fret about gun fit obsessively. It's very common to see one of them shooting a very expensive shotgun with a stock that is butchered up and bondoed while they try to fine tune every aspect of the stock fit. As a new shooter, you may have other things that keep you from appreciating how much difference fit makes but really good shooters know how much it matters. If you don't want to go for a full professional gun fitting, at least get a good shooting instructor to take a look and see if you need some basic changes to make your gun fit better. Shotguns don't have sights like a rifle. It's the fit and mount that make it shoot where you are looking.

[flopduster]

In my personal opinion, go ahead and register the warranty on the 20g. Then send it off to have the gas port opened up and a “break in� service performed by Cole Gunsmithing in Maine.

I think beretta may have gotten the memo on the 20’s. The last few shipments have had the gas port the right size.

All in Gunsmithing- Austin is who you are looking for.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Saltydog235]

Y’all talking about Ken Padroza at Backwoods?

Yep, that’s him.

[Saltydog235]

I only ordered the SxS, but haven’t picked it up yet. It should be completed late January or early February.

I plan to order the clays gun this summer.

ETA- I don’t anticipate huge improvements to my shooting by having the fitting done but I couldn’t justify spending that type of money for a firearm without knowing it would fit properly. The fitting only cost ~$400 and took a couple of hours. At the end, I was given a card with all my measurements that I can hand over to gun builders or use to compare to specs on factory produced firearms to see how well they fit.

What SxS did you get? I kind of let it slide and now getting the bug again. I got all kinds of collectors SxS’s but don’t want to shoot them.

[Silentweapon338]