GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 I'm on the lookout to buy my first shotgun and I've been told that the fit of a shotgun is one of, if not, the most important part to buying a gun. The correct gun for you. I've only held a limited number of guns before and shot even fewer. These include a Beretta 686 at my local gun club which seems to 'fit' me well and is comfy to use. But my question is... How do I tell if a gun fits me well? Any help is much appreciated! Thanks, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Im no expert on anything but what i have done before is to shoulder/mount the gun with your eyes closed and making sure your comfortable, then open your eyes and see if its in the right 'place' for shooting. So if you do this and when you open your eyes you can't see the bead then you know something is wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 That’s an interesting way of doing it, I suppose it's a good way of seeing if the gun fits you without you automatically adjusting it to your eyes... Any other tips? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 As a basic rule I always put the butt of the gun in the crook of my elbow and expect my index finger to be on the trigger. If it is, then the gun fits me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Thank you for the tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Get access to a pattern plate, put the tightest choke in you can, then whack a few shells from about 30 yards aiming at a mark dead centre. This will give you an indication as to where the gun shoots, you may be surprised how many guns, (particularly 2nd hand jobbies), shoot well away from the point of aim. Don't be put off by this, book a session with an experienced gun fitter who will be able to adjust the fit of the gun to exactly where it suits you, it's time and money well spent if you really want to become a better shot. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Cat, This is something to do after buying a gun though, I assume? Cheers, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Cat,This is something to do after buying a gun though, I assume? Cheers, J Yes, absolutely, and if you're serious about owning a decent gun, wait until you can afford a Beretta, Miroku or Winchester. Avoid "cheap" guns like Lanber, Rizzini or Bettinsoli as the build quality is poor and they will let you down. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 I had my eyes 'set' on a 686 Beretta. Only because; a) I've heard of the name before I've used one and it felt 'okay' to use. I've shot and lanber before and it did feel comparatively 'cheap'. - I don't want to start an argument on here about that though. That's just my opinion. Any further tips to finding if a gun off the rack fits me or not? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catamong Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 It doesn't matter whether it fits you or not, most guns won't, you need to get it properly fitted, it will benefit you in the long run. You can't go wrong with a Beretta 686 as a good "all round" gun, if you want to concentrate on serious clay shooting then eventually you will need to upgrade to the 682 range. Cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Thanks Cat. I've heard nothing bad about the 686 range. I'm confused about which model is 'better' than others though... Thanks, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ME Posted December 12, 2008 Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 (edited) I started with a Beretta and after I bought a Blaser F3. I fiddled with the weights in the stock on the F3 and went for 3 gun fittings. The first was at the Essex Shooting School, he told me that the gun didnt fit me and gave me some dimensions to give to a gunsmith to get it altered. The gunsmith looked at them and (thank God) advised against it. I then went to my local club and was advised that I wasnt holding the gun under my eye and that I should adjust my hold of the gun. I then went to Roger Hill at Fyfield. He said one thing that made sense which was "most guns fit most people". He showed me how to hold the gun and how to practice holding it the same for every stand. I am sure that Cat will back up that most good shooters have marks or stickers on their guns so they hold the gun in the same place everytime. If I were you I would get a nice Beretta as a starter gun and get some lessons from a decent coach. Edited December 12, 2008 by LV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2008 Thanks LV. I've had 4 one on one lessons, my 5th is on Sunday. I'm in no rush to buy a gun but I would like to get one soon.... ish. Thanks for the feedback and tips, I'm trying to get as many opinions as possible before spending serious money on a gun. The right gun (I hope!) Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaserF3 Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Have a read of this http://members.aye.net/~bspen/fit.html It explains gun fit much better than I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy W Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Lift the stock up to your cheek, pull back into your shoulder pocket now if it fits: You will not have to cock your head left or right or hunch or drop your shoulders. Your thumb will not be touching your nose. If a mid bead gun, the front bead will be sitting on top of the mid bead like a figure of "8". If not a mid bead, the amount of rib seen will determine how high or how low the gun shoots, this is also determined by how the stock fits in to your shoulder. The butt of the stock should sit in your shoulder pocket and not be sticking a couple of inches in free air. I have been along the gun fit route in detail as Pair Away will vouch, we had a laser fitting which was a waste of time and did not identify my poor gunfit, I was told to do something quite ridicilous to make the gun fit. My best advice was from Simon Willmore at Doveridge who within seconds identified that I needed an adjustable heel plate and comb, I had the plate fitted firstly which corrected the way the butt sat in my shoulder and then had an adjustable comb which gave me the right amount of cast to suit me. I can lift my Miroku to my cheek and pull it back into my shoulder with my eyes closed and it will be in the same position every time, all guns have to be adjusted to fit me, off the rack never seem to fit me unless it has a Monte Carlo stock and adjustable comb. I do prefer my Benelli M2 though as I can fully adjust that myself to suit my flat shooting style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Thanks for the link BlaserF3 and info Andy W. Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Guns are made to fit the average shooter .As we all know there is no such thing as average . So the guns do not fit anybody but nearly fit everybody . Buy a gun you like and then take it to a proper gunsmith and have it fitted . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayman Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 Im no expert on anything but what i have done before is to shoulder/mount the gun with your eyes closed and making sure your comfortable, then open your eyes and see if its in the right 'place' for shooting.So if you do this and when you open your eyes you can't see the bead then you know something is wrong Problem with this is you have to know how to correctly mount a gun first, and the novice may well stand and mount incorrectly, and get a false reading from a gun which may fit perfectly well if the stance and mount are correct. Go to a qualified coach, and take a lesson specifically in stance, mount and how to judge gun fit. Any competent coach will always assess you for this when you come for a lesson, and you just need an understanding of what they are doing so that you can apply similar judgments yourself when trying a gun. The Clay Target Shooters Handbook published by the CPSA gives valuable written and pictorial advice. Get it off EBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pair away Posted December 13, 2008 Report Share Posted December 13, 2008 gj gunfit is a very important and personel thing to each different person what might be right for me may not be right for you , over the last four years i have asked for and got lots of advice on this subject , some good some just short of useless , and as andy w has said simon willmore is a top bloke for this job , he is a gun smith not a gun salesman so he is not trying to sell you anything , he is based at doveridge sg and there is also a gun shop there and for a small fee you can use any of the secondhand guns they have for sale , simon is the man to see when you get a gun to make sure it fits you , as he can make any adjustments it MAY need hope this helps . Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayman Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 John Topliss and Roger Hill, both former Staff Tutors for the CPSA, run master classes at Stilehollow Shooting Ground at Ollerton, Notts. Get booked in to see them, in a master class or for a 1-2-1, and all your questions will be dealt with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJUK Posted December 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I'm having 1 to 1 lessons at a local gun club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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