The Importance of Shotgun Fit
 

I had the pleasure of handing out another 25 straight patch at skeet tonight. But the surprising part, is that previous to tonight, the shooter had never shot better than 16. Then tonight he shows up with a new Citori CSX with adjustable comb, and after adjusting the comb to get the pattern centered for him, he shot a 22. Quite the improvement from 16, but the next round was a 25. Even he was surprised at just how much better he was shooting with the new gun. He had asked weeks ago how to improve his scores, and after patterning, and looking at gun fit, we discovered that he was shooting way left, and high because the gun did not fit him.

So.. How does someone fit a shotgun to themselves? Honest question.

Look at your eye in a mirror, then mount the gun with your eyes close, then open them and see where the gun is pointing in relation to your eye.

Cat

You make the shotgun naturally point to where you are looking. To simplify this as much as possible, close your eyes and shoulder the gun, then without moving open your eyes. If the rib is not centered left to right, the cast is not correct for you. If you are looking down at the rib instead of along it, the comb is too high for you. If you can only see the rear of the rib, and can't see the front bead, the comb is too low. As well Lop plays a factor, too short of an Lop makes the comb appear higher, too long of an Lop makes the comb appear to be lower. An incorrect Lop can also make the shotgun uncomfortable to shoot. You can also pattern the shotgun to verify where it shoots for you when you hold it naturally. As to actually adjusting the gun to fit you, some shotguns have shims that let you adjust the stock. Other shotguns have adjustable combs that make it very easy to adjust the fit. Other shotguns require adding spacers to the comb, or removing material from the comb. To lengthen the Lop, you can add spacers, or a thicker recoil pad. To shorten the Lop you can install a thinner recoil pad, or cut the stock.

That's great info Elk, I'm going to do that.

I'm just afraid I will find out my A400 fits perfectly, then I will have to find another excuse for my poor shooting....:lol:

I have asked exactly this same question before, and elk gave me the answer.

This thread reminded me to say "thank-you " to elkhunter11 once again.
Thank you.