Variation in stock dims

[Maca]

A mate of mine has a Browning B725 which I've had a go of and found the comb felt too high and ended up with a sore cheek.  However, this week while looking for a new gun I was drawn towards the 725 because I like the feel of it but also this one doesn't feel like the comb is too high....so I bought it.  Tomorrow I'll get the chance to compare my gun to his but my question is what is the variation in stock dimensions with off the shelf guns?

 

[b725black]

when I bought mine , in the shop I tried quite a few different 725's, ended up with a 32" black edition as that was the best fit, comb was to low on the others

 

[Doctor Lecter]

adj comb can be fitted  ,  I think they should be standard on all competition shotguns !   we gain and lose weight ,   summer/winter clothing .   etc .

 

[westley]

First of all remember that if you have only 'dry' mounted the gun in a shop, you will NOT mount it in the same way when you actually come to shoot it. Secondly, each and every gun of the same make and model, can all feel different to each other. I went with a newcomer to buy his first gun. Against all my advice, he wanted a new gun. He is left handed and we tried around 5 different guns, all of the same make and model, eventually deciding on a RIGHT handed model, which was the best fit. (although right handed, there was no cast or the stock was dead straight, giving the best eye/rib relationship.).

Whilst shooting yesterday on a 100 bird practice, I was using my new 20 bore, my Grandson was using my 725. At lunch (after 50 targets), I spotted a small red mark on his right cheek, just as you experienced when shooting a similar gun.  I felt that as my Grandson has a longer neck than me, he was probably lifting his head in order to see the target. As the gun has an adjustable comb, I raised it by around 3/8". After the next stand, he said it was smacking him a bit. I dropped the comb by 1/8", He went on  to straight  the next 3 stands without any further problems. He ended up on a 58/100, not bad for his first 100 birder and his first shoot since last September. I was well pleased anyway.

It is ALWAYS worthwhile trying a gun before you buy it,  if at all possible, or try to negotiate a full refund towards another gun, if the current gun is unsuitable.

adj comb can be fitted  ,  I think they should be standard on all competition shotguns !   we gain and lose weight ,   summer/winter clothing .   etc .

OR get the stock fitted correctly in the first place. For some people, the adjustable comb is the WORST thing they could possibly have  !     :???:

 

[chippy]

First of all remember that if you have only 'dry' mounted the gun in a shop, you will NOT mount it in the same way when you actually come to shoot it. 

Been there done that. Picked up a new 692 in the shop mounted it " yes lovely I can shoot that perfect "  got it home and had to raise the comb by 10mm with tape and cardboard.

 

[Maca]

I guess my question was more like if I had 10 of the same, off the shelf shotguns, how much variance could I expect in the stocks? Tomorrow I'll get to test out the new gun but was just wondering if they make all guns to a standard tolerance?

 

[MartynB]

Not a lot . All of the stocks will be made by a machine . The tolerance will be whatever the capability of the machine is .  With  the big manufacturers like Beretta and Miroku  who make the Browning you can bet the repeatability on a batch intended for a single model  will be extremely good and variation won’t be anything me or you could determine by look or feel. 

 

[Maca]

Well just back in from the shooting grounds and what a gun. The comb is higher than my old gun but it didn't bash my cheek like my mates 725 does. I found I had a far more consistent mount and I virtually forgot about the rib and bead, just mount, follow the clay and pull the trigger. 

I think the comb on my old gun was too low and as such I didn't have a consistent mount which meant I was having to use the rib to adjust my head to the right position which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. My shooting was far more consistent today and my mate even said just watching me the gun seems to fit me much better. My hit rate was way up too although it was so windy today I did miss some. 

All in all I would say from my initial outing I love the way the gun handles, the pistol grip and palm swell are just right for me and it was money well spent upgrading from my little citori. But I'm still keeping the citori as it's my first shotgun and is one shotgun really enough?

 

[Karl86]

Some manufacturers have two or three stock options for their different models. I know blaser has three for the f3 so browning may be similar and the two gun might very well have different stock dimensions. 

 

[Maca]

Well I don't know if they do that with the 725 but I wouldn't be surprised. Me and my mate both shot his and my off the shelf guns and agreed that they felt different. I think I've been lucky finding one by chance that fits me and now I have a gun which I think will last me a very long time.

Just for sh!ts and giggles here is a photo of my citori and 725. Can even see from this the difference.

 

[Karl86]

Have you measured the two stocks to see what the actual difference is?

 

[squimp]

I’ve made a very rudimentary measure out of a stiff piece of card.

Cut the piece of card roughly a couple of feet long with one straight edge.

‘Cut one end 30mm high.

cut the other end (say) 60mm high.

cut a slight taper with a straight edge to join the two ends. Then mark the various vertical heights along the edge as in 32, 34.....58 etc etc.

simply stand the gun on its rib on a flat surface (eg kitchen worktop) then slide the tapered side of the card under the comb until it catches and read off the drop measurement. Try and ensure the card is close to vertical to reduce any errors to a minimum.

it is basic but it works (within a mil or so) and is really useful for comparing guns and subtle variations in comb heights/gradients.

i mark the other side of the card with simple length measurements and use that for measuring ‘length of pull’. It is easier than fiddling about with a 12” Ruler.

apologies for the mix of metric and imperial measurements.

hope this helps.

 

[Oldblaster]

I had a 725 mk1 fitted alright but the comb was a bit too high so l extended the butt, which was ok but not perfect. Just as a matter of interest looked at the 725 mk2 fitted a lot better almost perfect but the dealer wouldn't do a deal, so tried another bigger dealer, none of their mk 2's were the same, as the first one l tried. About to give up, the dealer suggested an adjustable comb, wow! With no adjustment it fitted perfectly, like l was born with it in my shoulder! So yes l think stocks do vary from batch to batch.

 

[Missemall]

Not a lot . All of the stocks will be made by a machine . The tolerance will be whatever the capability of the machine is .  With  the big manufacturers like Beretta and Miroku  who make the Browning you can bet the repeatability on a batch intended for a single model  will be extremely good and variation won’t be anything me or you could determine by look or feel. 

I totally agree Martyn. I suppose these big companies use computerised machinery. Having been servicing this kind of machinery on my father's side when i was young, i can tell that the repeatability and accuracy of these machines is unbelievable. Even if they use 20 years old technology, you probably wont be able to tell the difference, even when measuring with a caliper. So, if there are differences on stocks, they are most probably intended and have to do with different versions of the stocks.

All in all I would say from my initial outing I love the way the gun handles, the pistol grip and palm swell are just right for me and it was money well spent upgrading from my little citori. But I'm still keeping the citori as it's my first shotgun and is one shotgun really enough?

I shoot the same gun and although i am a new shooter, i feel exactly the same. Good fit and money well spent.