Absolutely not. And, I too will have it bent if it's too much one way or the other. I'm all for originality, but bending a stock isn't something that can't be "undone". And, like Dean, I can handle too much DAH a lot easier than I can too little. I refuse to float targets or birds because of a gun stocked too high.

I have 32" barreled small bores, 16s and 20s, and I'm fortunate that they all are stocked like I need ........... somewhere around 2 5/8" to 2 3/4" DAH.

I think this is one of those things that you know in the first 30 seconds of handling the gun. I have gotten used to the 3"DAH in all of my hammer guns(and don't even notice it anymore). LOP is more of a deal breaker for me. I have a 32" barrel 12ga. grade 2 lifer with 3 1/4" DAH that is just wonderful, with both targets and hunting.

So my advice would be to handle the gun first and you'll either love it or hate it.

I do think there are collectors who are looking for the grade and rarity of a gun first and shootablility second. That's fine and I respect it, but I am just not wired that way with most of my guns, there are always exceptions though. A truly unique Parker may need to follow you or me home regardless of shootability.

While I buy into the one man one gun theory and the same could be said with three as you say . But I shoot about ten guns on a sporting 3 or 4 day event . But I don’t usually shoot mounted gun . And while I’m not perfect with any of them I truely believe shooting for now fifty years with whatever landed in my hands perfect fit isn’t as crucial to me as it is to others . I’m not saying perfectly fitted guns aren’t a good thing , I just think over the course of years perhaps I’ve picked up an ability to adapt to not quite right guns easier than a lot of folks .

Reggie: Old time condition collectors tell me back in the early days of collecting they cared very little about dimensions--it was all about condition condition. Few were shooting vintage SxS's frequently.
With advent of collector associations, vintage SxS competitions, low pressure ammo, and SxS centric publications etc. collectors today are more focused on fit and shooting.
I shoot most of my vintage SxS's but I do have a few high condition bench mark guns. With bench mark guns it's all about condition for me.

I don't think most collectors are in it for the money. I don't consider myself a collector of anything and certainly not an investor in classic shotguns. I invest in real property and mutual funds. I have a handful of classic shotguns because I enjoy the search, I enjoy the nostalgia, and I enjoy days afield with sporting dogs and shotguns!

The best shooters I know have the ability to HARD FOCUS on the bird which is way more important than perfect fit in my opinion.

An interesting thread. I enjoy reading about the idiosyncratic nature of collector strategies and comparing them with my own (which have evolved significantly over time).

I have no wisdom or insight into the question beyond the personal experience that hard-held collecting strategies sometime become irrelevant when faced with a beautiful gun.:bowdown::banghead::crying:

FWIW, I think that if a person has more than two of something, that makes him a collector. :rotf:

P.S. I've learned that very few things last as long as regret.

Only thing I collect are insults and I seem to be pretty high volume receiving those :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf: Everything else I consider an ACCUMULATION :whistle::rolleyes::rotf:

Hey, Craig, a collection is a collection, but my guess is your insults will not appreciate in value over time.:whistle:

As for "accumulating;" it's like pronouncing a word two different ways (poe-tay-tow/poe-tah-tow).

1 : something that has accumulated or has been accumulated an impressive accumulation of knowledge. 2 : the action or process of accumulating something : the state of being or having accumulated the steady accumulation of snow.

Nice summation Craig! A shooter can adapt to a particular gun and fit. Many of us have done that over the years. There are very few guns/dimensions that I can't adapt to, LOP being the biggest obstacle. DAH does present an issue at times, but once again, we can adapt. That said I still like to choose my doubles with dimensions more suited to good shooting and a closer fit.