gun fit recommendations?

[nick_c]

I will soon be looking for some assistance with the fit of my gun.

I now have an adjustable comb, and rather me guessing and wasting time, I am looking for someone to help fit the gun to me.

Looked at Churchills, but the price is just too much.

If you can recommend anyone it would be much appreciated, willing to travel a reasonable distance.

Thank you, Nick. 

 

[Nimbusgb]

John Jeffries at High Pheasants.

Not a big fancy operation but a gent who knows his stuff.

http://www.perazzihpxshotguns.com/professional-gun-fitting-service/

 

[Will Hewland]

I'm happy to throw in some free advice to you. If you have not been shooting long, it is about the basics for now and as much about how you stand and hold the gun as anything. No point setting a gun up around a poor stance as it will embed bad practice as you go on. I may be at EJC on Wednesday late pm.

 

[nick_c]

Cheers, do you know where he is based?

Thank you for the offer Will.

Been shooting a while now, just changed gun and looking for someone to help fit the gun to me and have a go on a pattern plate so I can see where the pattern is.

 

[Will Hewland]

Pattern plates can be deceptive. A horribly flat gun will print a lovely mark on the cross, (for example) but it's unlikely to work in the dynamic world of shooting clays, where you and the target are moving and your face pressure / technique are an added variable, not to mention the need for peripheral vision. If you feel your stance and hold is good, just set it square and slightly high, then go and shoot some straight away targets, followed by some risers. Go from there.  If the clays break and you have no recoil issues at face or shoulder pocket, you must be getting pretty close to right. Consult an expert later if you feel the results are not as expected. Just my opinion. Good luck with it.

 

[ips]

agree with will pattern plate for cartridge testing not for gunfit, it will hinder not help

 

[Ian Lawrence]

Most of the best gun fitters in the last century have used a pattern plate to good effect, and those that don't think they need one are just attributing some magic powers to their abilities.

Just shooting at going away targets, followed by risers is not going to tell you if you are left, right, high or low in the pattern. The clay will break convincingly provided it is within the dense part of the pattern. A pretty vague measure of gun fit really.

If used correctly, the pattern plate can refine your gun fit to perfection, but you have to have correct and consistent technique installed before using it. Everybody seems to think on here that you just aim and shoot in a rifle fashion at the plate. That would indeed be only any use for pattern testing cartridges, but a correct approach to shooting at the plate will reveal surprising anomalies in many shooters gun fit and possibly, technique. All you need is someone who understands how to go about this task, but I'm afraid it's a dying art by all accounts these days. The O.P. is right is enquiring about an experienced practitioner of what is clearly a dark art to some.

Each to their own however. We all have our favourite bottles of snake oil.  :wink:

 

[Will Hewland]

Which is why is said they CAN be deceptive.. But you do have to know how to shoot a pattern plate to get the best from it. I did loads of it when I first started and took myself in a wrong direction. Admittedly, I didn't have an experienced fitter with me for much of it. Many TOP shots will tell you that they have never used one. It's all about the clays in the end.

 

[Will Hewland]

Just to add to the John Jefferies question from Nick-C, he is in East Sussex. When I was invited down to review some of his HPX guns, John was careful to ensure that the gun was a decent fit for me (of course). Not a pattern plate in sight, but he had a good look at me and altered the try-stock to suit. We agreed entirely on what was correct. It was interesting as he was also judging it by looking at the angle of my arms when viewed from the side, which I can't do for myself of course.

 

[nick_c]

Thank you for the reply's, I can see both sides or the pattern plate debate. Personally I would like to try it, even if it's to put my mind at rest.

I will be making a few phone calls later this week.

I will let you know how i get on. 

 

[Will Hewland]

Thank you for the reply's, I can see both sides or the pattern plate debate. Personally I would like to try it, even if it's to put my mind at rest.

I will be making a few phone calls later this week.

I will let you know how i get on. 

Sure, I would use the pattern plate. Take your chokes and cartridge variations as that will be interesting too. But I would always finish the comb height by shooting some clays. A tip with shooting a pattern plate is avoid looking at the gun and lining everything up carefully. (You won't do this on clays so no point doing it here). I like to start the gun a touch below the cross and imagine a clay going away from me in the centre of the cross and shoot it as normal.

 

[Salopian]

Gunfitting is a skill, sadly not many have the ability and even less seem to be willing to learn.

The Pattern Plate has it's uses but is only as good as the person interpreting the readings . That really is where the skill is.

Shooting at clays is only a measure of the persons ability to shoot, they may be able to adjust their fit to suit that particular gun. Clayshooting is not a tool to determine a good gunfit , it is more of an aid to confirm that the gun has been fitted correctly. 

How many people actually understand the nuances of pitch, cast, drop, hand grip , palm size and finger length?

 

[RobertBeard]

I can only emphasise what Salopian has said.

With a modern target rifle you have every adjustment available under the sun including trigger pull length, trigger weight, trigger angle, pistol grip size and angle relative to the stock, stock length, cheek piece, adjustable butt plate for angle, cant, shoulder size, left hand hand stop length, stock width etc and that's all for shooting at one fixed distance from either standing, kneeling or prone with a stationary target in the same place each time.

With a shotgun you have all the different angles of elevation coupled with the angles from left to right and a moving target.  You might get it right for one type of target but then it could easily be wrong for others!

 

[Salopian]

I could of course recommend my Wife.

Every time I mention I'm having a new gun , she has a fit !

 

[Will Hewland]

Comfort and ease of use is, in my 'umble opinion a main factor with gun fit. It's not about setting up a rifle-like sight, it's about getting that "tennis-racket" to seem easy to use. Remember two big facts about shooting a shotgun: On any crossing target you aren't even looking down the rib. Your eye-line leads to the clay not the kill point, which isn't looking down the rib. Secondly, however carefully the fit is done, the rib won't line up when you swing right or left to any great degree. Whatever we think, we rotate the but pad on our shoulder a bit. If you don't believe me, dry mount your gun, swing it quickly to a point 45 degrees to either side and look back at the rib. I thought this might be just me but I discussed it with JJ and he was very conscious of it being a factor.

 

[westley]

A shooting friend recently had his Beretta 're-fitted' by Atkin, Grant and Lang at Bisley using both plate and clays. Judging by the way he shot yesterday, they got it right. They also spotted a master eye switch,  to more central vision. So, small piece of tape over left lens and job done. It added 10 birds to yesterday' score, we will see if it lasts.

 

[ehb102]

Justin Risby at Nuthampstead is really good. World Champions and Gold medal holders use him. 

 

[BTC3]

@Liz, is that Justin the 'smith up at Nuthampstead?

How are you, by the way? It's been a while!

 

[nick_c]

I will be heading to Ian Coley in a few weeks for a gun set up with Shaun Porter.

Both plate and clays.

Looking forward to it.