Fitting of a Shotgun.

[wanderinstar 1]

I am about to buy a shotgun. Someone said to make sure it was fitted to me. What is involved in this process?

Ian.

[ginga john 268]

if you an average sort of size and have no obious physical deformities then provided the gun hasn't been messed with in the past then dont bother

its just money wasted

Unless you are at least an A class shot with the clays or an % shot with game fitting will make very little difference to you.

The only thing i have found is that i swing better with 30" barrels due to the length of my arms, Gorrilla length, and my long neck.

I can manage quite well with an "out of the box" 30" sporter and i am an odd shape !

Having had a gun fitting and then having my gun altered i can honestly say it was money wasted.

 

JR

[jackinbox99 41]

For me, gun fitting is about getting the gun so when you mount it "naturally" the gun is automatically pointing in the right place. Each gun I have fits me slightly differently out of the box. Due to this I find sometimes I get on better with some guns better than others.

 

I remember reading a guide to "gun fit" once and the author said, close your eyes, then mount your gun, open your eyes and see where the rib is in relation to your eyes. If its lined up then its a good fit for you. The reality is, everyone mounts their guns differently, so one make of gun may fit you better and feel more natural / comfortable to you then another make of gun. Some guns, like my beretta come with shims in the box so you can adjust the stock slightly depending upon your needs.

 

I certainly wouldnt spend a lot of money having a gunsmith tailer a gun to me, id just try various guns in the gunshop until i found one which fitted me the best.

[clint 45]

When i buy shotgun rifle sometime back, i ask man in shop to see lot of rifle, many hour i see, & swing with. I still no descide, but i look maybe 20 gun, then i have 4 left wich feel good. Man in shop say, take this for weeknd & try, return monday , if you like buy , i use 4 , buy 2 . This man have good method. I love rifle i buy, fit like glove. Do like so .

[Rod W 0]

I am about to buy a shotgun. Someone said to make sure it was fitted to me. What is involved in this process?

Ian.

 

Just as the others have said, mount the gun often and when you mount properly the same time after time and you close your eyes and mount, open your eyes, you should be looking down the rib with the beads in a figure 8 just as you would shoot. Unless you shoot an awful lot, OR practice your mounts 75-100 times a day you will be inconsistant anyway. When mounted you should be able to get one to two fingers between your nose and the hand near the trigger. Buy or borrow an instuctional tape by the many times world champion, YOUR, George Digweed, and this will be covered in depth! He says that as long as the gun fits fairly good that a fitting is not needed, and I guess coming from him I would have to take HIS advice! ROD

[dicehorn 38]

 

He says that as long as the gun fits fairly good that a fitting is not needed, and I guess coming from him I would have to take HIS advice! ROD

 

There in lies is the crux of the matter Rod " He says that as long as the gun fits fairly good" The trouble is how do we know it fits good?

 

Consider this, I am 5' 8" - if I said to a 6' 2" guy "jump in my car and take it for a spin" - what's the first thing he would do when sitting in my car - of course, he would move the seat to have good feel of the pedals and posture, alter the rear view mirror - he would change this to make the car fit him. Yet we rush headlong into buying a shotgun because we like the name/engraving/wood and try and make ourselves fit the gun when in reality it should be the gun that should be altered to fit the shooter.

 

IMHO if any one wants to move away from being a mediocure shot and try and improve then a proper gun fit is important - most decent instructors charge nothing for gun fit - their advice is free.

 

Peter

[sage 0]

 

He says that as long as the gun fits fairly good that a fitting is not needed, and I guess coming from him I would have to take HIS advice! ROD

 

There in lies is the crux of the matter Rod " He says that as long as the gun fits fairly good" The trouble is how do we know it fits good?

 

Consider this, I am 5' 8" - if I said to a 6' 2" guy "jump in my car and take it for a spin" - what's the first thing he would do when sitting in my car - of course, he would move the seat to have good feel of the pedals and posture, alter the rear view mirror - he would change this to make the car fit him. Yet we rush headlong into buying a shotgun because we like the name/engraving/wood and try and make ourselves fit the gun when in reality it should be the gun that should be altered to fit the shooter.

 

IMHO if any one wants to move away from being a mediocure shot and try and improve then a proper gun fit is important - most decent instructors charge nothing for gun fit - their advice is free.

 

Peter

 

 

Thank you Dicehorn.

 

True words. Also, I can assure you that Mr Digweed takes an awful lot of trouble over his gun fit. It is very true you can shoot successfully with a gun that doesn't fit. There are many examples of top line performers who shoot with unusual techniques and gun fits that do not fit the stereotype mould. My only reply to that is imagine how good they would be if their gun actually fitted! The facts are if a shooter is looking to shoot to the best of his ability, be it on clays or game, you need everything going for you. A good gun fit is a large step towards consistent scores or results.

 

Understand the facts that the gun manufacturers inevitably have a one size fits all policy. If you are right handed, right master eyed, of average build and average height, there is a good possibility that the gun out of the box will not be too far away from a fit. However, if you do not exactly fit that stereotype then the chances are that your performance will be hampered. With clays and cartridges costing so much money - let alone game shooting - I just can't understand the logic or lack of it. Go and get fitted. As Peter said, a good shooting instructor should willingly take a look and give you your required measurements free of charge.

 

Regards

Sage, UK Gun Repairs