First rifle - barrel length and fitting for tall person?

[Judex]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy my first hunting rifle. I know my caliber so I just need to pick one now. That's kind of hard when there are tens or hundreds of options to choose from. My biggest concern is that I'm tall (6'7") and I'm not sure if I need to look for something special in terms of fitting.

I have some questions:
- How important is fitting to you when selecting a hunting rifle?
- If I need a longer rifle because I have long arms, should I go for a longer barrel length or a longer stock length or a combination?
- Any advice on how to pick a rifle that fits well?

I did go to one retailer and tried asking these questions but I didn't trust the guy I talked to as he seemed a bit slimy. He said I should go for a longer barrel length. I tried shouldering a couple rifles but I couldn't really tell the difference between them. (I've only shot 1 rifle before so I don't exactly know what to look for.)

Thanks for any advice.

[nowarningshot]

If you are right handed, put your forearm at 90 degrees to upper arm. Measure from bicep to hooked trigger finger. This is your length of pull, youth is 12.5.....many magnums are 14.25". At your size it is possible that you might be even a little longer. To check what the length of the rifle you are test fitting, hook a tape measure on the end of the pad and measure to the inside of the trigger. Most people shoot fine with a slightly short LOP, a over long LOP can make for poor shooting, or more felt recoil.

Drop of comb, monte carlo, straight.....that is all going to depend on if you are using sights, or optics. Standard rifles, barrel length, calibers....dont sweat it.

There are many threads under hunting, precision,...., forums. Do a search using key words...deer, elk, target. Should pop up lots of threads, apply for EE access, and welcome to the site.

[burnt_servo]

if you can , find a place with a large selection of various used rifles and try them out .....

also bring a extra shirt and jacket to wear ...

something you'd wear when it's cold out .... this can have a huge effect on how a rifle feels .

[RRCo.]

What are you planning to hunt and where?

[galamb]

I'll try and keep my thoughts coherent here

I build black powder rifles and since they are all done starting with a chunk of (board) there is often great discussion about "rifle fit" - you can make the rifle "fit the person" instead of the "you get what the mfg builds" with factory made stuff.

Despite that the factories do a pretty good job of making something that will fit "just about" everyone. On the other hand, a custom stock maker would measure a number of factors "on you" including your "length of pull" (noted above - distance from trigger to the butt), drop at the "heel" (back near your shoulder) and "comb" (about where your cheek rests) and the "cast" of the butt stock (actually angling the butt stock so that while the butt is snugly in your shoulder, the wrist is moved over to line up directly under your dominant eye so that you don't have to (contort) to aim.

I only included that to show you that there is more than just barrel length or length of pull that can be incorporated into a rifle.

If you were being "fitted" for a custom competition "shotgun" all of those things might be important to you. A hunting rifle not so much.

I personally have a measured length of pull of 15 1/2" (long arms compared to "the average"). That doesn't hamper me at all. I find any length of pull, on a rifle, in the 13 to 14 1/2" range to "feel" totally natural, but yes, on shotguns, minimally 14" just "feels like it belongs".

Barrel length has little to do with how tall you are or how long your arms are. If you will be hunting dense cover you will want and appreciate a shorter barrel (18 1/2" or 20" is available). If you are trying to wring out every foot per second you can get to translate into the flattest shooting long range set-up you can manage then you will want a barrel in the 24" to 26" range (which can still be bought on factory offerings). Although most "hunting rifles" come with a 22, 23 or 24" barrel now depending on the mfg and caliber offered.

So for all my babling, you need to get down to a gun shop and shoulder some rifles. See which ones "feel right". If you don't like the way your cheek rests on Brand X then try something else, because if something just rubs you wrong you will be thinking about that when you should be concentrating on what you have it pointed at.

I personally prefer a Monte Carlo stock with a full cheek piece - others "hate" both of those features.

So don't worry about your height or length of your arms, there will be something on the shelf that you will shoulder and your brain will say "yes, this feels natural".

[Keithjohn]

I've got long arms and on some rifles I use a slip on limbsaver pad