A gun for the wife
- Thread starter powenb
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Will Hewland
Well-known member
As I said earlier; doesn't mean a thing until you verify that the stance is correct. It is a classic newbie problem to not set the head forward enough.. Send me a photo or photos if you would like me to comment?
Skeet UK
Well-known member
Well. From what I understand, you are an experienced gunsmith, so I wont profess to know more than you about such things.
The point of taking the butt pad off, would be to (hopefully) shorten the gun a fair bit, so as to better ascertain suitability, and promote a better stance....before it is purchased.
This is down to the very high probability that many guns that his wife will try, may be too long to begin with..so lopping 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch off the gun,in the shop easily is a good start,
As this is the internet and we can't all be there to help and as as "don't mess with the black arts, go see a coach of gun smith" doesn't always suit people who might want to learn...all we can do is provide options which can be tried.
Proper Gunfit, would be mostly achieved if a gun points where you look, with accurate rib/eye alignment, is comfortable to hold and shoot and promotes a repeatable good mount.
What would your advice be?
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RobertBeard
Moderator
I have seen a very nice Beretta Ultralight Gold 12 bore that I am thinking might be a good choice for my wife - advice for or against?
Likely to need some wood lopping off the stock length and perhaps fitting a recoil absorption system and pad like the Isis and using 21gram shells.
Likely to need some wood lopping off the stock length and perhaps fitting a recoil absorption system and pad like the Isis and using 21gram shells.
Skeet UK
Well-known member
Ladies aren't generally made of glass
Yes is will probably need to be shorter, it likely wont need a recoil reducer, yes a 12 with 21g carts, assuming it is made to fit, will most likley not cause an issue with recoil. But equally, 24 or 28g may not either...if the gun fits.
Skeet UK,
Thank you for that.
My advice would be to take anyone who is considering buying a gun, or who is having a gun bought for them to try the gun for themselves. Preferably to a gunshop attached to a shooting facility (try before you buy).
I would steer clear of gimmicks ( ultralights, fairlylights, and notsolights) and go for something tried and tested, Beretta 686 , Browning etc., but I would buy the best I could afford, because, heed my words, if you buy a Bettinsoli or Laurona or one of the cheaper guns for starters and your wife likes the sport, I will guarantee you will be buying a better make gun in 6-12 months time.
So actually I would get a wife , partner, friend, to shoot for a little while with school guns or borrowed guns to make sure that they liked the sport, to form some opinions of brands that they liked or disliked, before parting with any money.
Do not assume that women will be uncomfortable handling 12 bores and recoil, a 20 bore using 1oz cartridges can be far far more punishing.
Think about the big picture, is it possible that the good lady may later go game shooting? Yes? Then an auto will be unwelcome.
No, she will never go gameshooting, then an auto may well be ideal, and considerably cheaper than an O/U and of course will absorb recoil also.
Thank you for that.
My advice would be to take anyone who is considering buying a gun, or who is having a gun bought for them to try the gun for themselves. Preferably to a gunshop attached to a shooting facility (try before you buy).
I would steer clear of gimmicks ( ultralights, fairlylights, and notsolights) and go for something tried and tested, Beretta 686 , Browning etc., but I would buy the best I could afford, because, heed my words, if you buy a Bettinsoli or Laurona or one of the cheaper guns for starters and your wife likes the sport, I will guarantee you will be buying a better make gun in 6-12 months time.
So actually I would get a wife , partner, friend, to shoot for a little while with school guns or borrowed guns to make sure that they liked the sport, to form some opinions of brands that they liked or disliked, before parting with any money.
Do not assume that women will be uncomfortable handling 12 bores and recoil, a 20 bore using 1oz cartridges can be far far more punishing.
Think about the big picture, is it possible that the good lady may later go game shooting? Yes? Then an auto will be unwelcome.
No, she will never go gameshooting, then an auto may well be ideal, and considerably cheaper than an O/U and of course will absorb recoil also.
It maybe better to take the lady to a shooting school and get her fitted using a try gun. Then the measurements can be transfered to her own gun, the fitter/coach may also be able to recommend a particular make/type of gun to suit.
I've actually just contacted my local school to see if they can do this.
My predicament is if I take her to see the gunsmith, he might mention the gun I bought 2 weeks ago that the wife knows nothing about!!!
Well I would strongly advise that you keep her well away from the gunsmith then! Most decent schools will have a try gun, OK schools are not cheap, however the result is likely to be better than a bit of guesswork in a shop, the fitter/coach will watch her shoot and correct errors, only then can a correct fitting be made. I have seen so many people that have had guesswork fittings done, have to spend even more money correcting a butchered stock.
Unfortunately my local shooting schools don't have try-guns so the plan (as directed by the gunsmith) is to get her to shoot at a pattern board and then take that, the gun and her to see the gunsmith.
Part of me though is thinking about just shortening the stock until it is short enough for her, and then getting her to use it for a while.
Part of me though is thinking about just shortening the stock until it is short enough for her, and then getting her to use it for a while.
Well if you don't have a local school with a try gun, I would respectfully suggest that you make the effort to get to one! Please DO NOT just shorten the stock, and beware the pattern plate too! Shooting at a static object is different to shooting at a moving target, yes the pattern plate has it's place in ther great scheme of things, but a fitter coach needs to see the shooter shooting at a moving target so as to correctly assess what is required. Please don't forget, that by shortening a stock you will also alter the sight picture because the face will now sit further up the stock. In other words the head will be further forward on the stock after it is shortened and if the stock does not have a parallel comb, the eyes will be seeing more rib and the gun could end up shooting too high! If the gun has any amount of cast, it will effectively be reduced by stock shortening, the balance of the gun will alter too, so stock weights will need to be considered to avoid a gun becoming potentially muzzle heavy. Please get some further advice before you get anything hacked off the stock, getting a mistake rectified is likely to cost more than the original hacking operation!
Hotshot100
Well-known member
I will second what Les and Salopian are telling you. They both have a lot of experience and knowledge acquired over the years.
It's not just a matter of shortening the stock, the pitch of the gun will also be wrong and as you bought the game gun I would lay money on it being far too low in the comb.
I respect what others have told you also, the only reason that I have picked on these two posts is because it sums it all up very precisely.
It's not just a matter of shortening the stock, the pitch of the gun will also be wrong and as you bought the game gun I would lay money on it being far too low in the comb.
I respect what others have told you also, the only reason that I have picked on these two posts is because it sums it all up very precisely.
I sometimes forget how long I've been buggering about at this game Roger! I have made one hell of a lot of mistakes over the years, which could have been avoided if I had listened to my coaches and mentors. Those mistakes have probably cost me a small fortune too, but I guess we all go through it at some point mate!
Don't worry mate, it could end up saving you money in the long run! I'm still using gun measurements that I was given by Holland & Holland in the 1980's. I've had them re checked since then by various coaches, but they have not needed to be altered. Gun fitting is a very strange subject indeed and things often turn out quite strangely! I am about 6ft 2in, my son is 5ft 4in, yet we use the same stock dimensions, but we use totally different stances and styles of shooting! It's not just about a persons size or reach for example, things such as how you hold youself when you shoot, whether you drop your should back or push it forward, whether you crane your neck, whether you have no neck or a long neck, all sorts of things come into it, far more than I can go into here in fact! OK the services of a good fitter/coach will not be cheap, but it will be worth it!
Will Hewland
Well-known member
Les is right, but until she is experienced and doing everything correctly, the fit will be a bit approximate. I would say don't worry TOO much. I would be interested to see if there is a gun in the shop that appears to fit. Then see what dimensions it is and transfer them as much as possible to her gun hopefully it is only length. Maybe an added comb-raiser. Gotta be close enough for early days. Any gun can then be improved when and if she develops further and 1) cares enough about a better fit and 2) develops a new style that requires it.
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OwenB,
This thread as rambled along a little since it started, so can you confirm, have you bought a gun already for the Boss?
If so, we now need to get it to fit her correctly, if it does not, or if it is no where near fitting her.
You are welcome to come for a fitting and use my try guns, that is what I have them for.
Alternatively and obviously more cost effective, if you could send me photographs of the lady mounting the gun, showing side elevation, full side on view showing stance, and a view from the muzzle along the rib to show eye alignment and fit to face.
I would be more than happy to suggest alterations that may be required.
This thread as rambled along a little since it started, so can you confirm, have you bought a gun already for the Boss?
If so, we now need to get it to fit her correctly, if it does not, or if it is no where near fitting her.
You are welcome to come for a fitting and use my try guns, that is what I have them for.
Alternatively and obviously more cost effective, if you could send me photographs of the lady mounting the gun, showing side elevation, full side on view showing stance, and a view from the muzzle along the rib to show eye alignment and fit to face.
I would be more than happy to suggest alterations that may be required.
Thanks very much Salopian.
I'll PM you the details etc.
I think it may be helpful to post a final post on this thread once things are sorted to update anyone that may use the Search function in the future.
Sounds like a great offer Pete! It's funny you know, but I've never had a Mirook altered to fit me...ever! They just seem to come up the right size, or near as dam it that is. Every other gun I've ever owned has had to be fitted in one way or another, some such as the last MX8 I had, needed major surgery, as did the DT10.
