DanBettin Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 What (specifically) constitutes a good gun fit? I'm asking because recently I realised that I mount my gun a bit high with a view of seeing no rib at all. It's led to a lot my shots being under the target. I got told this was potentially a bad fit, and to get a comb raiser at the least. I've ordered one (a pad), but in the meantime while I wait for the delivery I've started mounting the gun a little lower. Now I can see some of the rib, and I'm hitting more. So chances are I'd be told that this was a good gun fit now. Nothing's changed about the gun, and my change in mount is absolutely minute so I'm not inconvenienced at all by the change. So is this gun a good fit and I was mounting it wrong, or a bad fit because it's now not how I'd originally have mounted it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_ox Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 I know what youre saying, I had a Beretta that was similar. In the end I was shooting around the problem of bad gun fit but getting consistent kills. Mount is key I believe practice and more practice. Having a fitted gun would probably improve things further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaikalsRule90 Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 If you are mounting the gun and having to move or lift your head up to see the rib then the gun does not fit you. The trick is to mount the gun normally with your eyes shut. If you then open them and you dont see some rib or off to the side then there is no point trying to continue shooting it without changing it.the gun should fit you, not fit yourself to The gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 When you are through practice able to mount the gun consistently and without moving your head the gun points to where you are looking such that the pattern centres at a point above where you are looking which suits your needs and in so doing the gun feels comfortable in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBettin Posted October 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 I know what youre saying, I had a Beretta that was similar. In the end I was shooting around the problem of bad gun fit but getting consistent kills. Mount is key I believe practice and more practice. Having a fitted gun would probably improve things further. But what makes you think it was bad gun fit rather than a poor mount? The difference between me seeing a bit of rib to no rib is marginal movement on it the stock, hardly any compromise in mount. Similarly, it may be with a different gun that it sits too far out into my shoulder - you could blame the cast, or you could say simply move the gun further into the chest towards the face? Basically, I'm not sure where fit and mount's responsibilities end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow white Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 It might sound daft but putting diffrent jackets on makes the gun feel diffrent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBettin Posted October 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 If you are mounting the gun and having to move or lift your head up to see the rib then the gun does not fit you. The trick is to mount the gun normally with your eyes shut. If you then open them and you dont see some rib or off to the side then there is no point trying to continue shooting it without changing it.the gun should fit you, not fit yourself to The gun. When you are through practice able to mount the gun consistently and without moving your head the gun points to where you are looking such that the pattern centres at a point above where you are looking which suits your needs and in so doing the gun feels comfortable in use. I think that's the answer, yes. The problem is that for somebody (somewhat) inexperienced as myself - I've been shooting for a couple of years but still open to being told my mount is off, when do I blame the gun? And when do I blame my mount? I like the suggestions you both make. Basically, comfort first and go from there? It might sound daft but putting diffrent jackets on makes the gun feel Yet another variable haha. Which fits worst in this instance, the jacket or the gun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 (edited) Dan spend some time and a little money getting a professional to look at your mount and fit, it could be the best few quid you ever spend. Edited October 10, 2017 by TIGHTCHOKE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBettin Posted October 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 Dan spend some time ans a little money getting a professional to look at your mount and fit, it could be the best few quid you ever spend. A great idea. I know a few people I can ask but if you know of somewhere that specialises in this in particular I'd be open to recommendations. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 (edited) Good gun fit to me is when a bird appears or a clay I can look at that target mount the gun and as soon as it touches my shoulder and cheek pull the trigger and kill the target without thinking about it or adjusting the mount. Dan depending on where you live members will offer suggestions. If you dont mind s trip Welshwarrior gets good reviews. Edited October 10, 2017 by figgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 hello, there was another post on this topic, i have always concluded if you mount a shotgun and see to much rib it will it will shoot high, to little or no rib its low, for me the correct is when you just see the bead line it is a straight shot, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 Good gun fit to me is when a bird appears or a clay I can look at that target mount the gun and as soon as it touches my shoulder and cheek pull the trigger and kill the target without thinking about it or adjusting the mount. . This is a succinct and correct reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairImogen Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 Indeed; it means your gun is Shooting where you are looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-dot Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 When i check my gun fit before a shoot i close my eyes and quickly mount the gun to my shoulder and open my eyes and i should be looking straight at the bead and seeing none of the rib then i know i am shooting at what i am looking at. A drinking straw taped onto the rib can help with mounting but not with a badly aligned stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 When i check my gun fit before a shoot i close my eyes and quickly mount the gun to my shoulder and open my eyes and i should be looking straight at the bead and seeing none of the rib then i know i am shooting at what i am looking at.Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Prawn Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 pattern plate/sheet of cardboard - mount normally and shoot at a black mark in the centre, see where the shot goes and you'll at least know how those two things relate (mount/POI) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westward Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 hello, there was another post on this topic, i have always concluded if you mount a shotgun and see to much rib it will it will shoot high, to little or no rib its low, for me the correct is when you just see the bead line it is a straight shot, The more rib you 'see' the 'higher' the gun shoots... Well sort of if you're using a pattern plate, but, you don't aim shotguns and you don't register the bead on the target in the real environment - or at least you shouldn't. Pointing the gun at the place you wish the shot to go whilst focussing totally on the target means that beads and ribs are irrelevant to the conscious part of the process and is much easier to do if the line of sight is above the rib. I can't think of a single really good sporting clays shot who shoots a gun dead flat along the rib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 Gun fit is as much an art as science and no one can tell you if a gun fits correctly with out seeing you shoot it, anything else is a guess in some cases a very well educated guess in most case pure guess work. Good gun fit to me is when a bird appears or a clay I can look at that target mount the gun and as soon as it touches my shoulder and cheek pull the trigger and kill the target without thinking about it or adjusting the mount. Dan depending on where you live members will offer suggestions. If you dont mind s trip Welshwarrior gets good reviews. Figgy thanks for the kind recommendation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 Dan spend some time and a little money getting a professional to look at your mount and fit, it could be the best few quid you ever spend. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted October 10, 2017 Report Share Posted October 10, 2017 The more rib you 'see' the 'higher' the gun shoots... Well sort of if you're using a pattern plate, but, you don't aim shotguns and you don't register the bead on the target in the real environment - or at least you shouldn't. Pointing the gun at the place you wish the shot to go whilst focussing totally on the target means that beads and ribs are irrelevant to the conscious part of the process and is much easier to do if the line of sight is above the rib. I can't think of a single really good sporting clays shot who shoots a gun dead flat along the rib. Good post 👍 Its quite simple gun has to shoot were you look. Some people look along the rib some look over it some look well over it. None of that matters as long as poa = poi....simples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wb123 Posted October 11, 2017 Report Share Posted October 11, 2017 I enjoyed reading **********'s book on unfit in the hope of understanding the same thing. I now appreciate somewhat better how complex the field is. In my understanding if the mount is consistent the gun should shoot where you are looking. If the mount isn't consistent you can't do a proper job of adjusting gun fit, however often a consistent gun mount is altered by an individual to compensate for poor gun fit, and so the two become profoundly intertwined as one compensates for the other. So long as mount is consistent the two become something of combination. A good example would be an american shooter who reputedly mounts his gun almost in the middle of his chest, objectively his mount is rather unorthodox, but as placement is highly consistent the gun can be fitted to his mount however unusual it may be. I also struggle with a change of jacket completely changing how my guns feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardigun Posted October 12, 2017 Report Share Posted October 12, 2017 Hi, How you mount a gun will have an effect on where your shot goes. If you can mount it in the same place consistently, your shots will be consistent. Some people have exceptional "hand and eye" coordination, and can mount their gun on assorted parts of the body and hit consistently. But, for us normal mortals, the easiest way to consistently mount a gun, is to bring it right up to the cheek bone below your eye. In this position the eye should see "some" rib on the way to the foresight. Exactly how much depends on personal choice. The gun should be be adjusted so that the cheek bone/comb contact is comfortable and repeatable. All this is best done with the help of a trained instructor. Many of us learned to shoot without any help, and eventually discovered a method that would work. It is noticeable that the younger generation, who were started by a good coach, make progress so much faster that us old self taught shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted October 12, 2017 Report Share Posted October 12, 2017 Hi, How you mount a gun will have an effect on where your shot goes. If you can mount it in the same place consistently, your shots will be consistent. Some people have exceptional "hand and eye" coordination, and can mount their gun on assorted parts of the body and hit consistently. But, for us normal mortals, the easiest way to consistently mount a gun, is to bring it right up to the cheek bone below your eye. In this position the eye should see "some" rib on the way to the foresight. Exactly how much depends on personal choice. The gun should be be adjusted so that the cheek bone/comb contact is comfortable and repeatable. All this is best done with the help of a trained instructor. Many of us learned to shoot without any help, and eventually discovered a method that would work. It is noticeable that the younger generation, who were started by a good coach, make progress so much faster that us old self taught shots. I concur, I too was self taught and agree that young uns seem to progress faster with instruction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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