How do I tell if a shotgun fits me?

MD

MD

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How do I tell if a shotgun fits me?

If the stock is too short won't the addition of a slip on butt pad help?

I've got a standard factory 1957 Remington Wingmaster 870 and I don't think it fits me right, so I have taught myself to automatically mount the stock high on my shoulder so I don't have to dip my head to the stock.

But how should a good fitting shotgun feel on mounting?

What should the sight (down the barrel) picture look like?

How do I tell if the LOP is too long?
 
Try mounting the shotgun with your eyes closed. When you open your eyes, you should be looking straight down the barrel, and only the last two inches or so should be visible. If you can see the whole barrel, you'll be shooting high. (Only open your dominant eye to check the sight picture.)

A handy guide for length of pull is to hold on to the pistol grip and lay the stock along your forearm. The butt pad should be touching your bicep, or very close to it. That's just kind of a general rule though, it's not super precise.

Finally, to get fitted properly, a good gunsmith should have adjustable demo stocks that they can fit to you. Then you can compare that stock to your own, and figure out what you need to do to your stock.
 
when I want to know if a shotgun fits me, I take it out to the range and fire a box or two of shells at skeet. If I'm shooting in the high 90's percentile, it fits. If I'm not, it doesn't.

Luckily I'm average build, so most factory shotty stocks fit me like a glove.
 
Pattern it at sixteen yards with a full or at least a tight choke... but you're not patterning for shot distribution/percentage, but rather the placement of the shot charge.

Put a fairly visible bullseye on a 3' x 3' square of paper. Get back exactly sixteen yards, and in one smooth motion, mount the gun quickly and touch it off just as you come up to the bull. This need be done fairly quickly and smoothly, without trying to consciously "aim" the shotgun, but rather just by quickly "pointing it" ... say as you would in a field situation with a flushing bird.

The exercise is to see " if the gun is shooting where you're looking" and not to see whether it shoots straight if you carefully "aim it" . About five of these "fit" patterns should tell, 10 are likely better. You are looking for a consistant or repetive trend in shot charge placement. If the shot charge is consistantly low, you need a higher comb, if the charge is always high - a lower comb. If the shot charge is to the left, you will need some cast-off
( if you're a right handed shooter) and if it's over to the right ( unusual) you may have to get some cast taken out, or the stock moved over to the left
( i.e., "cast-on") - Beware ... adding cast-on also seemingly has the compound effect of somewhat lowering the pattern. As I recall, every inch at 16 yards the pattern is out, translates to approximately 1/16" of change needed at the comb. To verify additional comb height being required, try taping on layers of thin cardboard ... say 1/16" at a time until you can see your shot pattern start moving up. If the shot charge is to high or to the left ( for righties ) , there's no much to do but start moving the stock around.

With the Beretta & Benelli auto-loaders, and a few others, the stock shims provided generally can give all the height of comb and cast-off required to fit most shooters. Most bumps & other auto loaders are fairly simple to move by a little judicious re-inletting. For good doubles & O/U's, leave the job to the pros ... either re-inletting or hot oil bending. Both are workable solutions that don't cost a huge amount, but really shouldn't be undertaken by amateurs.

IMHO .... in shotgunning ... " Fit & Balance" are everything. The gun has to shoot where you're looking !!!
 
Beretta Boy's advice is spot on. Pattern the gun at 16 yards and see where it shoots for you.

Length is not the most important measurement. I have guns ranging from 15" to 14-1/4" but on each of them the drop is the same. Cast is also important particularly if you are shooting low gun. In premounted games cast is less important because you will fit yourself to the gun instead of vice versa.
 
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