Drop at Comb

[Garth Gustafson]

Guys- Rookie question - why was the drop at comb so high on the early Parkers? Seems that a lot of hammer guns have DAC with an inch or more drop than later, lower grade hammerless guns that were built to "modern dimensions". My 1897 GH has 1-5/8" drop and my 1917 VH has 1-1/2" drop.

Were we built that differently back then or were stock dimensions geared to different shooting or hunting styles? If I shoot a gun with 2-1/2" DAC on a crossing shot, I'd be missing way high. But if I was lucky enough to surprise a raft of ducks and caught them on the rise, the extra drop might be a good thing.

[10 bore]

Originally Posted by Garth Gustafson

Guys- Rookie question - why was the drop at comb so high on the early Parkers? Seems that a lot of hammer guns have DAC with an inch or more drop than later, lower grade hammerless guns that were built to "modern dimensions". My 1897 GH has 1-5/8" drop and my 1917 VH has 1-1/2" drop.

Were we built that differently back then or were stock dimensions geared to different shooting or hunting styles? If I shoot a gun with 2-1/2" DAC on a crossing shot, I'd be missing way high. But if I was lucky enough to surprise a raft of ducks and caught them on the rise, the extra drop might be a good thing.

unless you hold your head up or have big fat cheeks , 2 1/2 DAC, you would be looking at your opening lever , the less DAC ( say 1 inch) would make you shoot high

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Garth Gustafson

Were we built that differently back then or were stock dimensions geared to different shooting or hunting styles?

Bingo! That is the generally accepted answer and I agree.

If I shoot a gun with 2-1/2" DAC on a crossing shot, I'd be missing way high. But if I was lucky enough to surprise a raft of ducks and caught them on the rise, the extra drop might be a good thing.

I think that kind of DAC would work in the reverse of what you think.

[Autumn Daze]

Garth, There are two dimentions Drop at Comb and Drop at Heel. The more important of the two is drop at comb. A gun stocked at 1 1/2" DAC and 2 5/8" DAH are perfect for me. The shooting style of years ago was "Head erect" The shooter of that era never "Cheeked" the gun but rather placed the gun in the shoulder pocket.

[wayne goerres]

This is an interesting subject. I have a hammer Boss that has a lot of drop to it and right from the start I could hit every clay I shot at. When I use a gun with more modern dimensions it seems like I have to conform to the gun instead of it feeling natural like the Boss. Am I older than I think or is my neck just to long?

[charlie cleveland]

i think we was born a hundred years to late wayne...charlie

[Garth Gustafson]

You guys are right of course. Took me a while to get the simple concept through my thick head that too much drop naturally causes us to shoot low unless we keep our heads up. Maybe we're all just a bunch of rehabilitated rifle shooters after all.

[wayne goerres]

Hm Maybe I can use this as an excuse when my friends out shoot me at the rifle range.

[Paul Harm]

All my shotguns have 2 1/8 DAC and 3 1/4 DAH, and yes I shoot head erect, the way everyone naturally walks around and does day to day projects. One of the newest fads for SC's is a high rib and a high monte carlo stock so you shoot heads up. It helps one who has to wear glasses to look through the center of the lens, where the glasses are ground for correction. You also don't have to worry about lifting your head, it's already up. The down side of a stock with lots of drop is that you feel the recoil more because the barrels want to flip up causing the comb to go into your cheek. I just shoot 7/8oz loads to counter this problem.

[paul stafford jr]

my guns with a lot of drop are shot with a very firm grip on the forend and I pull her in tight to the shoulder , I pivot only at the waste and this gives good gun control on doubles ,mr harm is correct about the muzzle jump problem on guns with a lot of drop ,that's how I deal with them anyone can shoot them well with a little practice ,some guys will walk away from a gun that they think they cant shoot because of the big drops on some guns ,never seen a parker I didn't want to shoot