Does your shotgun fit you?

live to fish · 11-18-2003, 05:29 PM

I have been very frustrated lately about my abilty or lack of to hit the birds i am shooting at.So i decided to seek help,and after a few short visits to an instructor we have discovered that my 870 is a close fit but not quite.And my 835 doesn't even come close ,my instructor said it's a wounder i can hit anything with it as bad as it doesn't fit.It turns out that who ever owned the 835 proior to me modified the stock.So now i am looking at a new stock or a new gun

The encouraging news is he said we can adjust the 870 so it will fit me properly.
Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone have an 835 stock laying around they want to get rid of? [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

nitrobass · 11-18-2003, 05:46 PM

Thats a frustrating deal. I more or less made myself fit my gun. It was close when I got it, but through repetition its now on the money.

Shoulder it a bunch of times with your eyes closed, preferably in front of a mirror. Open your eyes and look down the barrel, and see where you are. Make your adjustment and start repeating it until you can pull up with your eyes closed and have the beads aligned how you want them.

Lured In · 11-18-2003, 05:50 PM

What you are running into is probably the single biggest mistake folks make when purchasing a new gun of any kind. Most people think, "hey it feels good".

But now you know.

Finding a good gun shop who will fit you is as important, if not more so, than getting a good gun.

One of the things I really love about my Benelli, is that it fit me right in length of pull (no stock modification) and it ships with different shims to adjust the drop in the the comb.

Good luck finding a new stock. Check out Cabela's as they have a wide range of stock options for the 835. You can also call Mossberg and order a factory blemished but stock that will save you some money without sacrificing anything but looks.

Freakwater · 11-18-2003, 06:12 PM

I poked around awhile looking for an inexpensive 12 guage for my first shotgun recently. I like to stop into The Gun Rack on Foster from time to time because they have such a huge selection of used guns. I think their stuff is way overpriced, but it's a cool place to go check out alot of older guns. I was in there one day and there was a young guy who acted like he was the owner. He gave me over an hour of his time and really gave me a great primer on shotguns. He really stressed the importance of having a gun fit you and said they took new owners out to shoot to make sure they had a proper fit. He was a very informative, nice guy. Bottom line was I did not buy a gun there, but bought the cheapest *** I could find. Haven't hunted with it yet, but I hope it fits!

Freak

live to fish · 11-18-2003, 06:19 PM

i have already checked Cabela's and called mossberg.Mossberg said they can get me a used one for about $50.From checking this looks to be my best deal.The fun part is going to be convencing my wife i need to spend that much money on my shotgun. [img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img]

I looked at one of those Benelli's today they sure are nice.The one i looked at fit me right off the shelf.Only $999 :depressed:

HOGGEMIN · 11-18-2003, 09:30 PM

I had a stock made for me by Shooters Empotium (I'm a lefty with short arms, so hard to find a stock to fit me) for my Beretta gold e with a soft touch hydrolic butt pad. This fits me to a tee, also with the soft touch I can shoot Winchester super sporting clays in #7 shot 1 1/8 oz at 1350 fps and it feels like shooting a 22 long rifle.

A expensive shot gun will not shoot better than a cheep one if it doesn't fit you. Fit is the single best key to becoming a better shooter.

StickFish · 11-19-2003, 12:03 PM

I admit I'm probably the odd man out here, but I know my shotgun doesn't fit. I wouldn't fix it. My Dad is 6' 3" and I'm 5' 9" he gave me his 1100 when he picked up an 1187. He had a long stock fitted to the 1100 and I didn't even know it till I had a friend of mine's 1100 in the safe next to it. At first I thought I had a long barrel, till cleaning them one day and noticed they were the same length. That is when I noticed that the stock was long.

I used to shoot that gun in Jr. Trap events in California and got to be real good with it (we won't talk about how many in a row cause you will not believe me but I've got the patches around here somewhere to prove it). Anyhow Last I shot it I think I only missed a couple of hand thrown clays out of a box of clays. Tried shooting my friend's standard 1100 - couldn't hit the broad side of a barn

Wierd isn't it!

steelhead22 · 11-19-2003, 12:20 PM

Not weird, expected. You would expect that kind of result after so much time spent shooting a certain gun. That's kinda what I'm worried about. I've been shooting my shotgun for years, and I'm pretty good with it. I don't want to change everything I've become accustomed to over the years. Fact is, I don't practice enough. If I practiced more I'm sure I would be just as good with it as I would be if I got it fitted to me.

Fishfaced · 11-19-2003, 08:33 PM

Go see Waren @ THE GUN ROOM.He will hook you up.
Bring your check book, You will need it. He knows what he is talking about.

periwinkle · 11-19-2003, 08:58 PM

I'm not an expert by any means, but nobody has mentioned that not all guns shoot to the same spot.
A few years ago I bought a Beretta 20 auto and could only break 12/25 traps. Gave it to my son. Then bought a 20 Benneli auto.. Same thing.. Put it in the gun safe and bought a Browning 12 o/u. Went to the range same thing 14/25. So I went to my truck and pulled out the old Win. model 12.. Broke 21/25 first round.. Wow, I was thinking I couldn't hit ***** until then.. So I asked the range manager to let me pattern the Browning.. He didn't want to be bothered, but instead went out and shot a few clays.. I watched and he said this gun shoots right on.. or blot out the clay pidgeon. The Win, that I shoot real well on clays, shoots high so you aim under that thin little clay thing and it blows them to smithereens. Well, I rambled, but find out where your gun shoots.. (Real birds are much larger than clays...)

Alligator · 11-19-2003, 09:16 PM

I had the same problem with missing pheasants three years ago in Iowa. Zero for 20, :shocked: Tomorrow I fly back to Iowa to give it another try. Iowa has seen an increase in the pheasant population and it's time I shoot some.

Here's what I did in hopes of improving my kill record.

I went to Mitchell's Clay Target Sports Center (503-792-3431) off I-5 near Salem at the Brooks exit. Four trips shooting trap and I still couldn't hit the clays.

50 to 75 rounds per trip.

I then setup a lesson with the pro Dan Mitchell $50 per hour. Dan first fit my gun to me which required a 1/4" pad shim on the gun butt where the gun meets my cheek. [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] We then joined 3 other gentlemen shooting the 14 station sporting clay range. With some excellent coaching Dan had me hitting more clays, that were flying in all types of patterns and directions than I was hitting with the typical trap release.

Hope this helps

live to fish · 11-19-2003, 10:43 PM

StickFish

If your not having a problem hitting what your shooting at then if i were you i would leave it a lone.

Last time i took my 835 gun out i hit 2 out of 25 clays.Turned around and picked up my 870 and i might have missed 2 out of 25 clays.

steelhead22 · 11-19-2003, 11:16 PM

With all this talk about fitting a shotgun, my question is...How do I go about getting mine fitted? I've been hunting with the same gun for years, and over that period of time I've noticed that when I miss, I consistently miss high. I'm not looking down the barrel correctly. When I shoulder the gun, it seems many times I don't get it high enough on my shoulder, so when I "bead up" on the bird, the gun is actually pointed just above it. Do I need to shorten my stock? Right now is the best time for me to do adjustments, as my gun is totally taken apart and getting a nice camo paint job done.

Lured In · 11-20-2003, 07:49 AM

IMHO the better a gun fits the more 'forgiving' it will be. By that I mean, you will likely still hit what you are pointing at, but perhaps not as cleanly as you would had you taken your time to shoulder, get your head down and lead your target right. With a gun that doesn't fit, you will likely see more cripples, and more 'clean' misses.

Keep in mind that good shooting form is something that many folks overlook when they complain about their gun. It all has to come together, gun fit, shooting form and the right choke/shell for the game you are hunting.

As someone said earlier, if you are good with what you've got, I wouldn't worry too much about fit, but you may find that by getting it fitted, your hit ratio may actually go up. I have seen guys that know how to shoot and they could pick up darn near any gun and compensate for fit and still break everything at the clay range. :shocked:

Gun Rod Bow · 11-20-2003, 08:18 AM

OK,

Here's something I've spent a great deal of time and energy on.

Gun fit is Crucial. A shotgun is not a rifle. The bead is the front site, and the rear site is your eyeball. If your gun doesn't fit you (refered to as "shooting where you look") you're lost.

2 names have been mentioned here that are absolutely some of the best gun fitters in the country. Moe Bragg at Shooters Emporium and Dan Mitchell at Mitchell's Clay Target Sports (name?)in Salem. Moe sells gun stocks and recoil reducers for a living. I have his system on my Perazzi. Dan sells targets and training.

If you want help with fit and shooting habits, I would highly recommend scheduling some instruction with Dan.

Warren at the Gun Room may know what he's doing, but I can't stomach his demeanor.

Also mentioned was "Point of Impact" that is how much of the pattern is distributed above the aim point and how much below. Some guns typically pattern high (80/20). Barettas and (older) Brownings (other Euro guns)come to mind. That can be checked on a pattern board. Butcher paper at 30 yds with a black dot and 30" ring will work.

Stickfish mentioned shooting trap with a long stocked gun. Trap is WAY different than hunting. A high point of impact and long stock are benefits there with a mounted gun. When you're laying on your back with heavy clothing on, shooting at a crossing target, different deal.

"Pitch" can have a big effect on smooth mounting and felt recoil. That is the angle of the pad in relation to the barrel. To check pitch, put your barrel up against the wall, beads touching, and slide down until the pad touches the floor. Is there daylight under the top of the pad? That's pitch. Some guys I know shoot with No pitch.

Also remember, if looks aren't important, you can modify your stock. Stocks can be built up, shaved down, and even bent left and right.

One thing I'll say...these new high visibility front beads are the worst thing you can do to your gun. If your eye isn't focused on the target...your sunk. JMO

About 2 years ago when I was getting serious about archery, and realized how little foundation I had, I bought an hour of instruction from Leroy at Archer's Afield. Best money I ever spent on Archery.

How much is a box of shells costing now???....Call Dan Mitchell.

[ 11-20-2003, 09:22 AM: Message edited by: Gun Rod Bow ]

StickFish · 11-20-2003, 12:01 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by live to fish:
[QB] StickFish

If your not having a problem hitting what your shooting at then if i were you i would leave it a lone.

Didn't intend to change a thing or imply that, just mentioning that I'm the odd dude out with a gun that don't fit.

Fishbone · 11-20-2003, 06:27 PM

live to fish,

If you are really attached to your 870, check out:

www.jwstocks.com

Jack West (from Arlington, OR of all places) produces adjustable composite stocks for the Remington 870 and other shotguns (I think around $200). The stocks look good, and they allow for "drop at comb" and "cast-off/cast-on" adjustments. I don't have one, but a few friends do and the product was given favorable reviews.

"Drop at heel," "cast," and "rotation" can also be corrected with many after-market butt-plates (maybe $25-$50). Some of these offer limited "length of pull" adjustments as well.

My 1100 fits well, except that the drop is a little low. I use a "Wrapid Comb" (www.gunsolutions.com) to get my eyeball in line with the barrel. This is a cheap velcro thingy that would probably make a gunsmith frown, but hey, it works for me.

Probably seems like a lot of effort for an old Remington, but it's a lot of fun to shoot birds and clays with a gun that fits well. Shotguns are used quickly and instinctively, and having one that fits you is a big advantage in my opinion.

Good luck!