Gun Fitting

[Kevin McCormack]

I had a formal gun fitting at the first Southern SxS (20 yrs. ago ??) and had one gun stocked to those dimensions a year or two later. When it came time to have my Fox X/DE Special restocked 2 years ago, I decided to have another fitting to see what had changed. Despite aging eyes, reflexes, reaction time and handling quirks, the only thing the second fitting showed was that I should probably have 1/8 - 3/16 more cast off, being a righty. Knowing what I know now, I would not bother having another one, but it was interesting to compare changes over time.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Master fitter and BBQ chef Beavertail Spencer and I will be available in the back 40 during the first weekend of June

[B. Dudley]

Gun fitting is a slippery slope. I say that because I think many people end up with dimensions coming back way differently than that may expect. Freakishly long LOPs seem to be a trend. I have stocked guns for a few different people to fitted dims with lengths touching or even exceeding 16”! And they were shorter than me.

For some, fitting means that NO gun out there will “fit” them, and then a wheelbarrow full of money has to be spent to restock guns that will fit nobody else. So they own them.

And others are very adaptive and are not as stuck to one set of dims. And that is right about target vs hunting. There is a big difference.

[TxHuntermn]

I have a custom DeHaan .410 and a custom Sterlingworth that are fitted to my dimensions for mounted, or “ready” position shooting with 14 7/8ths lop. I definitely shoot these guns better without much at clay target games, and pass shooting hunting (read doves) in warm weather where I dont need a coat or jacket, than I do others. But, like many here, i seem to do pretty well with most other gun dimensions while hunting.

[edgarspencer]

If you looked at all my double guns, in the rack, the varying height from the shelf to the triggers looks like a wave. Like many, I have a couple I rarely shoot but the ones I do shoot are very different. The more I shoot them, the better I shoot them. Likewise, I perform less well with the ones less used.
My dad was a bigger guy than I, and his favorite grouse gun is under 14”. I’m built more like our milkman and seem to like guns between 14.25 and 14.5”

[Kevin McCormack]

FWIW, my "ideal" stock dimensions off both try gun fittings were 14 3/8 LOP, 1 5/8 DAC, and 2 1/2 DAH w/ the aforementioned later fitting recommending a little more cast - but no change in heights.

A very interesting contrast is the gun I shot for 10 years hard at Olympic Bunker (International Trap), a straight, unmolested out-of-the-box Browning Pigeon Grade Superposed Trap with the narrow (9mm?) rib, which measured 1 1/2 DAC x 1 1/2 DAH and 14 1/4 over Browning Factory Pad, no cast. The gun was a stone killer out to a full 50 meters , choked IM & F. with good factory ammo and high antimony 7 1/2 shot. After 10 years I plateaued at scores between 17 and 21 out of 25. (If you ever get the idea you know how to handle a shotgun, treat yourself to a round or 2 of regulation International Trap at a well- run bunker! ).

[Heff]

Are you a target shooter, or a shooter? I take multiple guns hunting and do very well with all of them, I am not however a very good target shooter. My best friend and hunting partner does both, he used to be the best field shot I ever saw, today he is pretty good at both now that he shoots a lot of targets.
That said he wants a very long LOP and very specific dimensions. Has this helped him with targets, yes but it has also made him loose a little as a snap shot bird hunter. In my opinion custom fit guns are for target shooters. Find one that shoots where you look, and enjoy the hell out of it.

[James L. Martin]

As many have said, big difference between target gun and say grouse gun. Target gun longer lop and less drop. Bird gun shorter lop and more drop for those snap shots. At least for me.

[C.O.B.]

Pre mounted guns in skeet and trap are the rule of thumb in those games. I shoot low gun and one reason I like sporting clays is it's more like hunting than the other two. I use the same guns to shoot sporting with as I do in the field.

[mobirdhunter]

For what it's worth (not much, I dare say), I had a fitting some years back and had three guns made with those dimensions. I shot (and still do when I use them) those guns much better and had confidence in them. When I really started acquiring old guns I tried to get the high dimensions that the fitting session prescribed -- that's not an easy goal as I know my collecting colleagues fully understand. I don't shoot clays at all. There's no place around me to do so, and I'm not into the competition (and I compete against myself as my worst competitor). When I was shooting poorly while hunting, I would always go back to the fitted guns and "cured" myself.

If I was going to shoot clays, I'd get one gun that fit and use it...and correct my flaws when they came up. For hunting, I use different guns and have some that I consistently shoot well. I use different guns with different dimensions for different types of hunting. I can get by with lower drops on dove and waterfowl hunting where I have more time to "correct" for the ill fitting dimensions. For rising birds over my dogs, I need a gun to shoot high.

I think we can adjust to the length of pull better than we can the drops, especially for quick shooting. I have a 16 gauge 0 frame Parker that has a 13 1/2' LOP, but has very high dimensions (my fitted LOP prescription is 15"). I can hit most anything I really "see" with that gun in those cases where the shooting is quick.

In the end, we give up something in our shooting if we collect and shoot lots of guns. I don't keep score, but I know if I have confidence in a gun, I hit with it...until I loose that confidence.

Shoot clays to compete -- get a gun that fits. For hunting, decide what's important to you and act accordingly.

That's my two cents (adjusted for inflation it equals zilch).