Gun fit

[welshwarrior]

Adjust are made in an order for a reason

 

Lop

Bend

Cast

Pitch

[Spewy]

Hope I make the right choice then with help from a pro

Then I can make a start on enjoying shooting clays

[johnphilip]

Adjust are made in an order for a reason

Lop

Bend

Cast

Pitch

This were i learned that from yourself Daf.

[Scully]

I am sorry but it does my mates wife went for a gun fit /lesson at a very well known clayground first thing he said was you need a raised comb . So he sticks this plastic one on that should be better he said . The following week we had a round of 50 . She shot the worst she had ever done she hit 11 . I called to see her i asked did he check your LOP .no she said well i think your stock is to long for you i told her . So i took her butt pad of . No i said mount you gun . She mounts gun sh e says Wow that feels loads better . She say i can see the gun feels so right now . So stock through a bandsaw 3/4 inch of . Butt pad back on . Same round of 50 Clays 32 . That tells me something about gun fit and having the stock somewere near .

 

No, it doesn't. Gun fitting and 'having the stock somewhere near' are not one and the same thing. You can remove a butt pad and add a comb raiser so the gun fits better, but this is not the same as having a gun fitted to you.

[clayman]

You cannot fit a gun to someone unless they mount the gun in exactly the same place each and every time they mount it. Pre-mounting ( as in DTL for example ) will give someone a better chance to achieve a consistent mount, but mounting a gun on an already moving target ( as in live quarry shooting for example ) is an entirely different kettle of fish altogether. Practice, practice, practice......ad infinitum.

 

This is the key. 90% of my clients that have either had a gun fitted or are contemplating this don't know how to get stance and mount correct to benefit from the fit. Correct dimension guns held poorly don't fit!

Also, this is not an exact science, and what one expert considers correct fit does not match another's views. A colleague of mine reports that he makes a good living undoing work of of well known fitter, so if you are actually getting stock work done - choose your fitter carefully.

 

Also, the ICSI had an investigation by a group of experienced instructors and coaches a few years back, and the conclusion was 2/3rds of gun owners needed stance / mount / technique - not fit. If fit is actually what's needed it should follow.

[Spewy]

Thanks for confusing me now😜

[johnphilip]

Thanks for confusing me now

I am away till sunday and back home later that day , then free all week . I think there is a shoot this wednesday 2 ish . I have the key for the gate and for the skeet layout . Just let me know when your home ...

[Spewy]

Thanks John

I'm home 17th so the week after I'm free aswell I'll send you a pm when I'm home

Thanks

[jeffjjack]

I've been shooting for three years, bought a right handed gun, soon found out I was left eye dominant and then bought a left handed gun. As an engineer I looked into gun fit etc and fitted the gun (LOP mainly) and at the time (without professional advice) I thought the gun fitted perfectly... As in in the house at the mirror bead/eye line up out was text book... Over the following years I now have realised that (as my mount and shooting style has relaxed and become more consistent) the gun length is now too short and am now shooting with a stock extender.

 

In my (limited) opinion you almost have to buy a gun you are happy to sell on.. The best that fits "at the time" and in a year or two (when become consistent) invest in something nearer to where you are fit wise... See how you get on and the have it fitted (tweaked) if necessary.

[Walker570]

Getting a shotgun which not only fits but feels right is very important to consistent kills. We are all different shapes and sizes, so it is important to speak with a reputable gunsmith to have him check you out with a few different shotguns. If you can't do this then have a shooting friend help you. Check and show the gun is empty. Then mount the gun with both eyes open and aim at his/her nose all in one movement ...not aiming like a rifle. If the shotgun fits you your friend will be looking straight down the rib between your eyes. This is a VERY BASIC explanation as to how a stock fitter would firstly check you out. I have two of my side by sides personally fitted and my little Yildiz 410 just came up so smoothly on target it didn't need fitting, that is why I bought it. Both eyes open and look at the bird, if the gun fits anywhere near perfect you will be on target.

 

Clayman is absolutely right. If you don't stand correctly then no amount of gun fitting will help, so an hour with a shooting coach also will aid better gun handling. How often do we see ladies in particular not standing correctly, leaning back at an acute angle, normally due to an ill fitting over heavy gun. They get smacked a couple of times and give it up, never to shoot again. An hour with a good coach is worth every penny.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Walker570

[Gordon R]

Clayman is absolutely right. If you don't stand correctly then no amount of gun fitting will help, so an hour with a shooting coach also will aid better gun handling. How often do we see ladies in particular not standing correctly, leaning back at an acute angle, normally due to an ill fitting over heavy gun. They get smacked a couple of times and give it up, never to shoot again. An hour with a good coach is worth every penny.

 

 

Agreed. Clayman is correct - not for the first time either. He knows his subject.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Gordon R

[clayman]

Nice to be endorsed, but I would also comment that 1hr lessons are not enough. The problem is that you can fix within the lesson, but there is not enough repetition within an hour, you'd be lucky to get 50 shots away after the fitting process. and that would be a rushed one. I generally take 1 to 1 1/2 hours to get the eyes tested, fit correct and take the client through stance and mount. And remember, a competent shooter will have a set of different starting points for the gun according to the shooting method they will employ for the shot to be taken, and the angle of the flight line. eg, the mount for a high pheasant is different (Stanbury method) from a close crosser (Pull away method), and different again for a quartering bird taken Move Mount Shoot, aka Biddy's method. I define and teach 4 gun down and gun up sporting mounts, gun up trap mount, and three different mounts for skeet according to which stand - plus O/S and FITASC have their own mounts.

 

I cannot provide a comprehensive gun fit followed by instruction in methods and mounts in less than about 4 hrs and generally use 6 hrs so as to be able to get 200 targets or so out and enough repetition that the correct swing and mount becomes consistent and sufficiently established in the sub concious that its not immediately lost in memory after the lesson. Unfortunately, 1 hr / 50 targets usually gets thins sorted with the instructor present, but the mount errors will immediately return the next time the shooter goes out as the new mount method will not have established itself sufficiently in the automated responses in the sub-conscious.

 

To benefit from a gun fit, the shooter needs also to establish correct, but totally instinctive and reactive, swing and mount. You cant do this in an hour, master classes are the only way - i.e. all day sessions with 200 - 300 targets.

A series of 6 x 1 hr, will not be as effective, as the shooter improves in the lesson, and slips back when out shooting without the instructor, so its two steps forward, one back, with short time-scale lessons.

[Spewy]

Update

I was lucky enough to get a couple of hours at ashcombe growing yesterday with my friend and his dad coaching.had fun which is important after all it's a hobby.didnt do as well I feel as last time but think that was down to being tired.started ok poor once my brain kicked in and then I changed from a miroku to a beretta just to try and maybe it's my slim build but it felt better for me.back again next week for a couple hours and then get help on gun choice.i was getting better once I opened my body up

Didn't help my mate seldom missed but I just concentrated on his stance and the way he held his gun and then mounted and tried to copy him and with help from his dad I had a big smile when I left the ground which is the main thing