OnStand : The Sportsman's Watchdog

While thumbing through a 1946 edition of The Gun Digest I ran across an article entitled ���Upland Guns and Loads��� penned by one of my favorite gun writers, Major Charles Askins. It seems like only a few years ago that Askins, working as both writer and editor for Sports Afield, was a celebrity in need of no introduction. Much has changed since those days.

With few exceptions, gone are the Parkers, A.H. Foxes, L.C. Smiths, Ithacas, and early Remingtons. Today���s shot gunner, whether in the field or blind, wields a pump, semi-automatic or an over and under and often has to choose between shot shells loaded with steel, tungsten-polymer, tungsten-iron or Bismuth. Hand carved wooden ducks and old crumpled up newspaper in the shape of snow geese have given way to plastic decoys that sometimes swim or have wings that spin and flap.

Despite the technological changes aimed at increasing the game in our bag there is one thing that, unfortunately, has not changed. The American hunter still clings to the common notion that one size gun fits all.

I am not talking about the distinctions between gauges and chokes, autoloaders and pumps but, rather, the specific size of a gun and its shape in relationship to the shooter. Those competitors who pull triggers for money know that ���gun-fit��� is critical. Though I am sure Askins was keenly aware of its importance, he only mentions in this article that a young man should ���shoot a gun that is heavy enough to steady you��� and an older man should ���shoot as light a gun as will do the work���.

Hunters and shooters spend thousands of dollars on guns and other equipment and rarely consider whether or not their guns fit them. In all deference to the good Major, the topic is deserving of more than a couple sentences.

No, I���m not just another fancy gun snob and I won���t tell you to spend the price of a new gun for a ���gun-fitting���. Nor will I insist that you spend next year���s blind fee on a custom-built shotgun. What I will do in the next few paragraphs, however, is explain the basic elements of proper gun-fit and why it is important. This knowledge can help you determine what works best for you and increase the number of birds in your bag.

True, many shooters use a gun of poor fit and some may even shoot it reasonably well. Unfortunately, most will never shoot that gun to the best of their ability. In fact, many shooting instructors have advised that a poorly fitted shotgun is the single greatest factor behind missed birds.

In this article I will discuss the basic components of gun fit. In the next article in this series I will look at a few simple modifications nearly anyone can make to improve the fit of their guns. These articles are not a substitution for the expertise of a properly trained gun-fitter. Instead, my intent is to outline a few simple tips that can help the average shooter kill more birds.

In order to sight a rifle, the shooter must lower his head to the level of the rear sight. In comparison, a shotgun does not have a rear sight for aligning the barrels to the target. In effect, the shot gunner���s eye is the rear sight. Depending on how the gun is mounted and where the face rests on the comb, the eye (or rear sight) can move around quite a bit. The result is a misaligned sight picture.

To kill birds or break targets consistently with a shotgun it must be mounted precisely on each shot. For this reason, competition skeet and trap shooters pre-mount their guns before calling for a target ���an advantage that hunters in the field simply do not have. In this sense, proper gun-fit is more important for hunters who have to mount and then shoot in continuous sequence.

In his book The Clay Target Handbook, Jerry Meyer reports that the average U.S. shooter ���weighs 160 pounds, is 5���10��� tall, has a slender face with average cheek bones and has a 32��� sleeve length���. As a result, the average stock dimensions that fit this average shooter are ���1 �?-inch drop at comb, 2 �?-inch drop at heel, 14-inch length of pull, 0 cast and a 2-inch pitch.��� These dimensions may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The question is, what do these numbers mean?

Let us start with the basics; ���length of pull��� is best defined as the distance between the center of the butt and the front trigger (see figure 1). The importance of length of pull is that it determines the hand placement on the stock. With the development of pistol grips and adjustable triggers that slide back and forth the definition of length of pull on these guns is better described as the distance from the butt of the gun to the grip itself ��� and then ���add some��� in order to account for finger placement on the trigger.

Figure 1

���Drop at comb��� is the distance from the top of the barrels to the top of the stock and determines the height of the eye in relation to bead (see figure 2). ���Drop at heel��� is the distance from the top of the barrels to the top of the butt (see figure 3). Thus, the overall height and angle of the comb in relationship to the shooter affects the elevation of the shot. Grant Ilseng recounts a great anecdote about the shooting legend Bob Brister that demonstrates the importance of drop:

Figure 2

Figure 3

“I remember one big pigeon shoot; he (Bob) was wood rasping the comb of his gun to make it shoot lower and somebody asked how many birds he���d missed to be hacking on such a beautiful new gun. He hadn���t missed any, but said he didn���t like the way he hit ���em, that he was shooting high. The next day he won the championship and was right in the middle of every bird.”

���Cast-on��� or ���cast-off��� is created by a slight lateral bend in the stock that moves the butt to either the right or left of the centerline of the barrels (see figure 4). Most shotguns have no cast at all and some more expensive shotguns may have some cast-off for right-handed shooters. As a result, many American shooters have learned to simulate the effect of cast by laying their head over the top of the gun. However, any inconsistency in the cant of the head will result in a miss for these shooters.

Figure 4

Finally, ���pitch��� is the angle of the butt as it rests against the chest. Either decreasing or increasing the length of the toe changes the angle of pitch and allows the butt to rest evenly across the chest of the shooter. Not enough pitch and the toe of the gun will dig into the low part of the chest. Too much pitch and the heel of the gun will pound the upper shoulder. Such misalignments in pitch may cause the shooter to flinch before the shot ��� resulting in a missed bird.

There are many reasons why American shooters use guns that do not fit. Most gun manufacturers do not offer any variations in stock dimensions, and paying for a proper fitting and a custom gunstock can be expensive. However, I believe that learning to fit yourself has unrealized value.

Once you understand the basics of proper gun-fit you can begin to alter your gun. By changing those standard factory dimensions you may increase the number of birds in your bag. You owe it to yourself to get the best equipment you can afford and to shoot a gun that fits. Some simple modifications will be the subject of my next article.

The only true test of proper gun-fit is the individual shooter and I firmly believe there is no better instructor than a good box of shells.