Mid Bead...Rhyme or Reason

[Old and Reliable]

[QUOTE=Dave Suponski;15027]Dean,I agree and on my target guns I line up my beads and then shift my gaze to the target but we all know that to look at the bead is to miss the bird/target.

Francis,Two beads the same size? I don't recall ever seeing that.[Me neither, Dave. Front bead mikes at 0.107", the mid bead about 1/3rd. smaller, mikes at 0.084"- yellow ivory, original to the 102 year old PH- I can't say!!

[Autumn Daze]

Ok.. so they are not the same size. That makes more sense..

[CSL]

Dave, To answer your question...
I would think the variables in mid bead placement on the various barrel lengths you provided probably has a lot to do with the variables of stock DAC & DAH on those same guns... A shooters head higher or lower on the stock will directly effect the mid bead dynamics in relation to how it lines up with the end bead and a distant target... Thus mid bead placement being located in a multitude of places has everything to do with the limitless combinations of DAC & DAH dimensions of your stocks... JMHO... Hope this helps...

Best, CSL
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[Autumn Daze]

Chris,Thanks..I was kinda leaning this way myself and thats why I posted the stock dimensions along with the bead location. My next question would be do ya think that Parker had a formula for the location based on stock dimensions. Boy I wish sometimes I could just take a quick run over there and ask'em...

[10ga Hammer]

I have to agree with Christopher, mid beads added by the owner to produce the usual figure 8 sight picture could be anywhere along the rib due to the differences in stock configuration and the shooters facial features. I don't think Parker Bros. could have set the mid bead position to change POI without the shooter being present due to these differences.
Off the shelf guns today typically have the mid bead at 1/2 barrel length along with an adjustable comb. The real use of the mid bead is to tell if the gun is canted when mounted,not to adjust POI.

[Researcher]

None of my Parker Bros. doubles have twin ivories, so I've sampled some of my Ansley H. Fox doubles. I have four 32-inch guns and on three the mid-bead is exactly 16-inches from the muzzle, and the other is 18 1/4 inch from the muzzle. That gun is a very straight stocked Pigeon Gun. One 30-inch barrel gun has the mid-bead at 15-inches, two 28-inch barrel guns have the mid-beads at 14-inches, and one 26-inch barrel gun has the mid-bead 12 7/8 inches from the muzzle. Three 26-inch barrel NID model Ithaca have mid-beads 13-inch (vent rib), 14-inch and 14 3/8 inch from the muzzle, and a 30-inch vent rib NID has the mid-bead 14 1/8 inch from the muzzle. Finally I have five Browning Superposed New Model Skeets with 28-inch barrels. Four have the mid-bead 14 3/8 inch from the muzzle while my 28-gauge has the mid-bead 13 3/4 inches from the muzzle. I was shooting with a fellow at the Spokane Gun Club this forenoon who had a Pigeon Grade .410-bore New Model Skeet and his mid-bead was 13 3/4 inch from the muzzle.

So, what does any of this prove?

[Old and Reliable]

[QUOTE=Dave Noreen;15051]None of my Parker Bros. doubles have twin ivories, so I've sampled some of my Ansley H. Fox doubles. I have four 32-inch guns and on three the mid-bead is exactly 16-inches from the muzzle, and the other is 18 1/4 inch from the muzzle. That gun is a very straight stocked Pigeon Gun. One 30-inch barrel gun has the mid-bead at 15-inches, two 28-inch barrel guns have the mid-beads at 14-inches, and one 26-inch barrel gun has the mid-bead 12 7/8 inches from the muzzle. Three 26-inch barrel NID model Ithaca have mid-beads 13-inch (vent rib), 14-inch and 14 3/8 inch from the muzzle, and a 30-inch vent rib NID has the mid-bead 14 1/8 inch from the muzzle. Finally I have five Browning Superposed New Model Skeets with 28-inch barrels. Four have the mid-bead 14 3/8 inch from the muzzle while my 28-gauge has the mid-bead 13 3/4 inches from the muzzle. I was shooting with a fellow at the Spokane Gun Club this forenoon who had a Pigeon Grade .410-bore New Model Skeet and his mid-bead was 13 3/4 inch from the muzzle.

So, what does any of this prove?[ Dave- it proves to me that you have very good taste in your shotguns, and are a serious clays shooter. Wonder if there were standards for mid-bead placement for Fox, Parker, Win M21- or if it was done to customer specs??

[james van blaricum]

Do you think the mid rib (small) bead is for more cosmetics ? / / /

















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[CSL]

Originally Posted by Dave Suponski

Chris,Thanks... My next question would be do ya think that Parker had a formula for the location based on stock dimensions.

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Dave,
Not sure if Parker Bros had a formula for mid-bead location based on stock dimensions, because (as Robert accurately mentioned) there are still the many fitting variables of an individuals head and facial characteristics on the stock (i.e. Fred Gilbert) that could only be determined when that particular person mounted the gun... These factors would be important if mid bead function was to make sure the shooter was looking straight down the barrel.... Personally, I think the beads are a blurred reference at best when actually swinging and shooting, but may very well help with that split-second unconscious eye to bird/target alignment... But who knows? ~ I'm looking at the bird...

Find your consistent mounting style on a particular gun, and with gun mounted, have your trusted assistant Danny Suponski take a large headed straight pin and move it down the rib until you see the sight picture desired (some folks like a stacked figure-8, but you do what works best for you), mark the spot making sure bead is centered on the rib side-to-side and install it... If you don't have an assistant to help, you can also use a small round ball of clay moving it up and down the rib until you get the sight picture and mid-bead location you are looking for...

Best, CSL
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[Autumn Daze]

Chris,Thanks for all your thoughts.I just shoot'em were they are.But being a rainy day exercise I thought we might conjur up some some good conversation and some personal thoughts on this whole mid bead location thing. I still have to believe that Parker being in the business of selling guns had to have a quick way of determining where to place that bead..