The old quick test for shotgun fit.

Big Bad said:
So OK, I'm sure there's nothing like a bespoke gun but how would the old school test I described measure up to finding a close match? I assume you've used it?
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I do it and it points me in the direction (when I'm on my own) of how the gun is either fitting me or not fitting as compared to what my "measurements" are.

IMHO as primarily a hunter, gun fit, while important, is not the be all and end all. There are a lot of variables going on when hunting and getting OCD about gun fit is a waste of time. If, on the other hand, I shot competitive trap, I would probably have a different opinion. I would also not be shooting my vintage SxS, the way I am when hunting.

Because my interest lies in hunting with vintage SxS, I'm very often buying the gun.....not the gun fit, if you know what I mean. Then I have to learn to shoot the gun. Mind you, I also always shoot low gun when at my local skeet club....just one more reason they view me as an oddball. "Here's that guy shooting those Damascus barrels that blow up! Stand back everyone!" Hahaha!
 
canvasback said:
I do it and it points me in the direction (when I'm on my own) of how the gun is either fitting me or not fitting as compared to what my "measurements" are.

IMHO as primarily a hunter, gun fit, while important, is not the be all and end all. There are a lot of variables going on when hunting and getting OCD about gun fit is a waste of time. If, on the other hand, I shot competitive trap, I would probably have a different opinion. I would also not be shooting my vintage SxS, the way I am when hunting.

Because my interest lies in hunting with vintage SxS, I'm very often buying the gun.....not the gun fit, if you know what I mean. Then I have to learn to shoot the gun. Mind you, I also always shoot low gun when at my local skeet club....just one more reason they view me as an oddball. "Here's that guy shooting those Damascus barrels that blow up! Stand back everyone!" Hahaha!
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If the gun doesn't fit me, I don't own it, and that applies to my SxS shotguns as well.
 
I understand where Canvasback is coming from. Finding a perfect vintage gun requires a bit of adjustment of one’s shooting technique, unless you find the perfect fit by chance. Very often these old guns were meant to be shot wearing tweed shooting suits, and a top hat - it is not surprising if drop, length of pull etc. Is not ideal for modern conditions. Often a slip-on pad, a patterning board, and a bit of practice is all that is needed. I’m getting to the age where every shot is a pleasure, and I would rather shoot with a piece of history than a off-the-shelf new gun.
 
I once saw a fellow in a wheelchair taking a rasp to his comb before shooting. He had put on some weight he said and his face was getting wider. Was a hell of a shot.
What I have found with vintage guns is that the amount of cast is really a game-changer with other dimensions being equal. Not something you have to consider with factory guns.
There are guns that I won't commit to because I know stocked totally wrong for me then others that are in the ballpark and I just have to figure out how to mount them for success.
 
canvasback said:
I do it and it points me in the direction (when I'm on my own) of how the gun is either fitting me or not fitting as compared to what my "measurements" are.

IMHO as primarily a hunter, gun fit, while important, is not the be all and end all. There are a lot of variables going on when hunting and getting OCD about gun fit is a waste of time. If, on the other hand, I shot competitive trap, I would probably have a different opinion. I would also not be shooting my vintage SxS, the way I am when hunting.

Because my interest lies in hunting with vintage SxS, I'm very often buying the gun.....not the gun fit, if you know what I mean. Then I have to learn to shoot the gun. Mind you, I also always shoot low gun when at my local skeet club....just one more reason they view me as an oddball. "Here's that guy shooting those Damascus barrels that blow up! Stand back everyone!" Hahaha!
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very clever to have the position just for you ...
 
It is a valid question.

In shirtsleeve weather of September, my favoured side by side shotgun sports an ugly slip-on recoil pad, not so much for recoil, but for length of pull. The alternative would be swapping a buttplate for a previously fitted recoil pad, and back again. Not so easy with an original curved buttplate or a checkered buttstock.
 
Seems the less experienced shooters get fairly hung up on fit and yet they are the ones that know the least about what actually fits and what doesn’t.

Huge advantage to not be special when shooting shotguns.
 
Big Bad said:
Short of buying a custom made gun, getting one that fits you at least closely seems to be a matter of luck and shopping in the market where you're an average size. You also need to have your dominant eye on the side you're handed on and there are probably other issues, but length of pull and drop at comb and all that stuff are the basics. Which leads me to the basic test I learned back in the 19th century, or at least I think it comes from there, and that is you hold the gun you're considering in a basic cross-body safety pose, turn to a reasonably distant object (something overhead that's within normal shotgun range), then close your eyes and quickly mount the gun to your shoulder to where you think it's pointing at said object, Then you open your eyes and look and if the gun is indeed pointing where you thought it was, you have a decent fit. It's the test I've always used with double barrels.

Reason I ask about it is that I was doing this in a big store, name rhymes with Crobellas, and I do believe I completely freaked out the already anxious salesman who had no idea what I was doing, especially when I turned at a slight angle to the counter to get a reasonably good range in view.
I believe Crobellas must have lined the top edge of their gun counter wall, their approved safe fire zone, with 5 inch armoured plate and are convinced that a shot at an angle (from a verified unloaded gun with a trigger lock on it) will kill dozens. But I'm going OT....

Do people not do this little test anymore? Is the test a myth I've never caught on to? Or is there another reason I haven't seen it done since Reagan was president, failing nervous salespeople?
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Do you like it when people point guns in your direction? Do you like them pointed over your head? I don’t. The other customers nearby don’t either. Having worked at the gun counter at Cabela’s, as soon as a customer breaks 90 then get a polite “point it behind the counter please”. “Guns are always loaded” and always treated as such, and if behind the counter is the safe direction, that’s where you damn well point the thing.
 
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canvasback said:
And how do your dimensions change from early September to Mid November? Or do you just dress the same all year?
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I do wear some extra clothes, which does change the lop slightly, but they don't change the drop at comb, which I find the largest factor for me. And when I do shoulder the gun, my clothes compress a lot, so the lop likely doesn't change by more than 1/4-3/8". I have walked away from several shotguns that I liked, because they didn't fit me, and I won't even attempt to hold high or low for a shotgun that does't fit me.
 
Blastattack said:
Do you like it when people point guns in your direction? Do you like them pointed over your head? I don’t. The other customers nearby don’t either. Having worked at the gun counter at Cabela’s, as soon as a customer breaks 90 then get a polite “point it behind the counter please”. “Guns are always loaded” and always treated as such, and if behind the counter is the safe direction, that’s where you damn well point the thing.
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I believe you, it is very clear you have worked the gun counter at Cabelas.

But do read what I wrote more carefully.
 
nowarningshot said:
Do you just dress the same all year, while insulting everyone?
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It was a reasonable question and I received a reasonable answer. I'm from Manitoba. I hunt the great plains from Canada to points south and all over Ontario. I hunt upland while walking miles and I sit in duck blinds barely moving. I hunt with shotguns from minus 10 to 30 degree weather. The different clothing requirements are substantial. Temp fluctuations on the west coast aren't quite so dramatic.

Read my earlier post, which I believe is what stubblejumper was responding to.
 
canvasback said:
It was a reasonable question and I received a reasonable answer. I'm from Manitoba. I hunt the great plains from Canada to points south and all over Ontario. I hunt upland while walking miles and I sit in duck blinds barely moving. I hunt with shotguns from minus 10 to 30 degree weather. The different clothing requirements are substantial. Temp fluctuations on the west coast aren't quite so dramatic.

Read my earlier post, which I believe is what stubblejumper was responding to.
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That is what I was responding to. I am fortunate that the standard Grulla stock dimensions provide an excellent fit for me, just as the Citori skeet guns do. The SX-3 also fits me well after adding one spacer. The Huglu SxS fit me well, but their O/U guns have nowhere near enough drop at comb. My current clays guns both required some stock work, to get them to fit me well.
 
While I agree fully that fit is extremely important, I sympathize with Canvasback's point. I, too, hunt with a wide variety of shotguns ranging from brand new to 130 years old. It would be amazing to have all these guns fit me perfectly, but it ain't gonna happen. Even if they did all fit, the differences between sxs's, U/O's, and pumps would be there (I don't own/buy semi-autos).

For me, this quick fit test has to be done with eyes closed. The reason I say this is that, in the field, obviously my eyes are open and I adapt instantly to the gun in my hands. I own a wide selection of shotguns and I make a point of hunting with all of them. This results in using different guns for every hunt - sometimes 2 or 3 different guns on the same day. This MO hasn't impeded my hunting success one bit.
 
straightshooter said:
While I agree fully that fit is extremely important, I sympathize with Canvasback's point. I, too, hunt with a wide variety of shotguns ranging from brand new to 130 years old. It would be amazing to have all these guns fit me perfectly, but it ain't gonna happen. Even if they did all fit, the differences between sxs's, U/O's, and pumps would be there (I don't own/buy semi-autos).

For me, this quick fit test has to be done with eyes closed. The reason I say this is that, in the field, obviously my eyes are open and I adapt instantly to the gun in my hands. I own a wide selection of shotguns and I make a point of hunting with all of them. This results in using different guns for every hunt - sometimes 2 or 3 different guns on the same day. This MO hasn't impeded my hunting success one bit.
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i am the same and agree whole heartedly !
we sometimes switch from modern SxS guns to vintage muzzle loaders in the same morning !
Cat
 
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