Gun Fit - How important is it really ?

[GlenPresley]

Personally i never have had a gun fitted ;-)

My dad has always shot right handed guns etc and is left handed.

I would advise a newbie to have it done there are not many i guess who can learn to shoot a gun off the rack to our levels.

This year I have shot no fewer than 5 different guns not through choice but I have shot well with nearly all apart from one bad comp! ..........If you can shoot you can shoot.......if you can talk you can talk...then your names Hammy! ;-)

 

[Hamster]

Personally i never have had a gun fitted ;-)

My dad has always shot right handed guns etc and is left handed.

I would advise a newbie to have it done there are not many i guess who can learn to shoot a gun off the rack to our levels.

This year I have shot no fewer than 5 different guns not through choice but I have shot well with nearly all apart from one bad comp! ..........If you can shoot you can shoot.......if you can talk you can talk...then your names Hammy! ;-)

What are you on about Glen? :huh: :huh:

You have just said yourself that your own dad shoots wrong handed guns well....................and then you keep on at me for what? I haven't said fitting is bad just that it isn't the brain surgery it's made out to be.

 

[VicW]

........eh, thought my gun fitted me, Ben Husthwaite told me it didn't fit, so he "fitted" my gun to me, changed the pitch, raised the comb and added weight to the stock to shift the balance back towards the stock slightly, made a huge difference to how the gun shoots!!! I was struggling to hit climbing teal, turns out I was shooting 12" low, poi higher, sorted now.

DS, How much weight did Ben put in the stock and how far back did it move the point of balance?

Vic.

 

[Darkside]

2oz right at the back of the stock, balance moved a few inches back

 

[africacorp]

Having lots of problems with gun fit at the moment. Shoot a 32" 682 gold e trap. Shooting mainly sporting and in about one in 10 shots, the top of the recoil pad is at least an inch too high in my shoulder resulting in a loss.

Trying to get more consistent, but it looks like a new gun is on the cards. Anybody have any ideas on a drill when dry mounting to stop this?

Thanks

 

[Will Hewland]

Having lots of problems with gun fit at the moment. Shoot a 32" 682 gold e trap. Shooting mainly sporting and in about one in 10 shots, the top of the recoil pad is at least an inch too high in my shoulder resulting in a loss.

Trying to get more consistent, but it looks like a new gun is on the cards. Anybody have any ideas on a drill when dry mounting to stop this?

Thanks

A classic example of 'can only guess' without seeing you. The gun could be perfect, but if you are stood wrongly.. Etc..

 

[Hamster]

Having lots of problems with gun fit at the moment. Shoot a 32" 682 gold e trap. Shooting mainly sporting and in about one in 10 shots, the top of the recoil pad is at least an inch too high in my shoulder resulting in a loss.

Trying to get more consistent, but it looks like a new gun is on the cards. Anybody have any ideas on a drill when dry mounting to stop this?

Thanks

Sounds a little bit like your mount routine is inconsistent, different birds need different pre-call poise and stock position.

 

[Westward]

I've never figured a routine as such but I can recommend dry practicing your mount in the dark. The goal is to be 100% confident that you can always mount correctly without deflecting any of your attention from the target.

 

[VicW]

2oz right at the back of the stock, balance moved a few inches back

Blimey DS,your gun must have been seriously muzzle heavy!!

Vic.

 

[Fuzrat]

put more than that in Mrs Fuz's, mind you we had cut an inch of length off it and she likes the shiny extended victory chokes

 

[Darkside]

Blimey DS,your gun must have been seriously muzzle heavy!!

Vic.

Balance was right on the hinge pin......

 

[Westward]

put more than that in Mrs Fuz's, mind you we had cut an inch of length off it and she likes the shiny extended victory chokes

Shiny ones are the best - especially with red cartridges........

 

[Fuzrat]

Pink shells for me :.:

 

[dave]

It cracks me up when you hear about gunsmiths charging £150 to make 2mm adjustments in the summer, then November rolls around and you put a ****ing great coat on, about 10mm thick :.: :.: :.:

Load of cock. If my view down the rib doesn't look quite right, I just shove my face down on the stock a bit harder.

Love it!

 

[Harley]

Being a complete novice, I took time to read this thread and learn, now I have, it's as clear as mud..

I have not bought my first gun yet, but I'm desperate not to make a wrong or rash decision.

 

[Hamster]

Being a complete novice, I took time to read this thread and learn, now I have, it's as clear as mud..

I have not bought my first gun yet, but I'm desperate not to make a wrong or rash decision.

Don't worry Harley, just let it come to you naturally. A good, knowledgeable shot can put in a tidy score with a bog standard gun that isn't an ideal fit; poor basics will mean a Purdey fitted with a micrometer won't help.

 

[Hawkeye]

Gun fit mean's that when mounted it is in the correct position in relation to your eye to ensure that the shot goes to where your looking. Before buying a gun , take advice from someone who know's, don't accept the seller's opinion on gun fit.

 

[paul b]

Being a complete novice, I took time to read this thread and learn, now I have, it's as clear as mud..

I have not bought my first gun yet, but I'm desperate not to make a wrong or rash decision.

most of what you have read is the result years of trying to get a better score,at the start just enjoy breaking clays a good instructer will put you right to start with untill you find your own style of shooting.on another thread you asked about price of lessons they can vary from 30 to a lot per hour depending on who you get.

 

[Skeet UK]

Being a complete novice, I took time to read this thread and learn, now I have, it's as clear as mud..

I have not bought my first gun yet, but I'm desperate not to make a wrong or rash decision.

Hey Harley. I'm new here, but no stranger to shotguns. I actualy shot target rifles competitively for quite some years, before I came back to clays.

In that time, I learned how important gun fit can be. At least with a rifle, you have two sights to align the gun with the target...but on a shotgun, your eye is the rear sight...so it has to be in the right place.

As you have not yet bought a gun, you are in a good position...but...don't worry too much about having something that fits out of the box.

I'm not sure what you intend to spend, but your main consideration should be to buy something that you like...ideally of reasonable quality...even if that means secondhand.

Find a reputeable gun shop, with someone who knows a bit about gunfit...

Assuming it has a wooden stock, most guns can be made to fit just fine.

Modern guns are generally made to fit a 5ft 9 male, of average build...so if that is you...you will do well.

For everyone else, some changes might be adviseable.

As you are new, your gun mount will take time to perfect...but if the gun were unloaded, and a person where to look, down the rib at your eye while it is mounted...the coloured part of your eye, at the bottom, should be sitting just on the top of the gun, with the pupil centered along the rib.

It could be that you aren't centered and are looking along one side of the gun, or your eye is too low behind the breech...which will cause you to lift your head...and so on.

An experienced shot, can learn to shoot an illfitting gun...and so to could you learn to shoot one, but you will have inconsistency and unexplained misses...which leads to frustration and perhaps even giving up alltogether...we can't have that!

Do a bingle search on gun fit, perhaps articles by Mike Yardley...they will help.

http://www.positiveshooting.com/GunFittingP1Main.html

I had to make mine fit!

 

[hnachaj]

SImple test: Close your eyes and mount the shotgun. Open your eyes. What do you see? If only the bead, the gun fits and will shoot where you look. Otherwise, you have to adjust to the guns point of impact! My 391 Gold Optima has no sight. It shoots where I look. It is deadly on most clays but very deadly on any bird be it waterfowl or upland!

Henry