The Fit of Shotgun Stocks.....1909

[Richard Flanders]

I can see that Drew. I can imagine with those small fast birds you never want them out of sight for even a tiny fraction of a second. You have to also consider how the shooter is put together... long or short neck, etc.

[Parker Bachelder (Brad's Profile)]

When shooting "open faced" style, two stock fit dimensions become very important. Cast on or off, degree of pitch. Cast regulates windage and pitch regulates elevation. To test the point of impact one needs to use a pattern board. Raise the gun, touch the stock with your chin, aim dead on with the front bead. If your pattern is right of the desired point of impact, cast on will move the pattern left. If your pattern is too high, bringing the pitch in will drop the barrels, lowering your pattern.
Every shooter has a natural instinctive anchor point when mounting the gun.
This is the point that you most often place the gun upon mounting. A simple way to test your gun fit is to use a mirror. With an unloaded gun, stand in front of the mirror. Close your eyes and mount the gun. With your eyes closed you will avoid steering the gun and mount it naturally. Where are the barrels ? Right, left, or up or down. This will help you begin to understand what if any adjustments need to be made.

Brad

[Autumn Daze]

Actually I agree with Rich and Brad. I shoot high stocked Parker trap and skeet guns as well as a couple of field guns with 3" of drop. For me I need to remember what gun I am shooting and adjust accordingly. For years my go to grouse and woodcock gun was a PH 26" 16 gauge with 3" of drop. That gun was remarkable. Just touch it to your shoulder and pull the trigger.You didn't need to worry about getting down on the gun.I just shot head up and it really was real fast on target acquisition. I still take it out on occasion but Really need to remember what gun it is because as of late I have been using guns with 2 1/2" of drop.

This thread is very interesting as I had hoped it would be!

[Austin W Hogan]

I thought I should put on one of my old physicist's plaid bow ties to address this. Field of view is measured in units of steradians. Big word but simple concept. Imagine that you were looking at a bird in a tree through an opening in the woods. The bird is 100 feet away. If you have a clear view that is 50 feet each side of the bird and 50 feet above and below the bird your field of view is one steradian; that is the 100 foot sides of the field are equal to the distance.
At 16 yard trap you watch for the bird in about a 6 foot box 48 feet away - 1/8 of a steradian ; its a cinch to find the bird over the rib of a mounted gun.
At skeet you can watch a box about 12 feet long at 60 to 120 feet; 1/5 to 1/10 of a steradian; the incomer in doubles is in a 10 x 10 foot box at about 50 feet.
Live birds came from many traps in the beginning and fewer as time went on. However a longer handicap reduced the size of the field to be watched. for the bird's release.
At five stand or sporting clays you may see the trap that launches the first bird but you must recover and find the second in most cases. Target acquisition is a big factor in hitting the second bird.
Take a walk through the grouse woods; wing noise may give you a strereo phonic direction to look in but it is necessary to examine more than a full steradian to find the bird; a mounted gun obscures fully one half of that field.
Two years ago at Hausmann's JD and I shot a round together. One station was an outgoing crosser visible only through a small clear patch. I broke the bird twice , before the gun reached my shoulder; JD's comment; "I know you learned to shoot in partridge country". I think I have 12 PGCA witnesses that will verify that I broke simo pairs from station 8 on both rounds at our New Year shoot. I got both incomers before the butt touched my shoulder. I would like to add that the gun I used on both occassions was choked M & F
This is long enough; more on dimensions later.

Best Austin

[Austin W Hogan]

It would seem that, if the shooter knows the 1/4 or less steradian of the sky where the bird will appear, then the gun can align the shooter for the shot. If the target is in an unknown steradian or more of the sky, the shooter must first find the bird and then align the gun to it.
It has been my experience that the big field is best searched and the target hit, with this combination;
Long barrel (30 in plus)
Splinter Fore end, with index finger between the barrels.
Pistol grip to allow the trigger finger to be parallel with the barrel during mount
A monte carlo comb that prevents a mount that places the breech end of the rib above the eye.
Sufficient drop at heel to allow the head to remain erect.

Best Austin