stock length!!!

[Shaun Hopkins]

Have this weekend been advised my stock is way to short. have shot some good scores with my current setup but my form can be erratic at times, oddly having shouldered my informers gun it was ideed a good inch and a half longer, Being 6'2" i wonder what sort of length i should be working with, i understand many variables exist but any info would be helpful.

 

[Jeremy Baker]

Depends on loads of variables. 

How you stand to address the target, where your face meets the stock. 

There's no hard and fast rules. 

Any pictures of you side on gun mounted? 

 

[jwpzx9r]

Stock length is quite a subject for me just now. I shoot trap so going to have different requirements to you but my stock is just the opposite to yours its too long. I shoot with a 380mm LOP currently and am changing my butt pad to a thinner one to take 10mm off the LOP. I shot a Perazzi MX2000 at the weekend with a 370mm LOP and what a difference it makes to the " in the gun feel" even though it is only 10 mm shorter. Shooters down here tend to have vey short stocks in the 350 -370 mm range regardless of how the person is physically. Incidentally I too have shot some very good scores with my current LOP but also like you my scores are at times erratic something I think is down to the stock and where my head is sitting. The trend down here is to have the tip of the nose touching the thumb knuckle or even past it, the idea being that your eye is closer to the gun rib and also the act of having the nose touching the thumb helps prevent head lifting , a bit like a lock in mechanism . But to be honest lots of people probably think that is a lot of tosh.

 

[Tom b]

I'm 6'1" and shoot with a 15" stock. My gun is a fixed trigger but most guns I have bought previously have had adjustable triggers and I would usually have to push them as far forward as possible due to stand stock lengths of between 14"-141/2".

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Depends on loads of variables. 

How you stand to address the target, where your face meets the stock. 

There's no hard and fast rules. 

Any pictures of you side on gun mounted? 

 

[MJJ]

View attachment 5154

Is this yours? or the one you tried? If its yours it looks fine to me. It also appears that you have a slightly low mount. But everyone is different in that respect

My rough guide is to have 2-3 fingers between thumb knuckle and nose. But its really what you feel comfortable with. I also find that the trigger hand position can make a short stock appear long and vice versa, depending on how close it is cut to the trigger

 

[EdSolomons]

Lots of room for personal pref here and varies massively as Jeremy says with stance, length of neck, how low you mount and musculature of the shoulder.

from the pic I would say you are in good shape and wouldn't look to go longer personally mate!

 

[Wonko the Sane]

I would give Mr. Solomons' advice some serious consideration and think of him as a friend.  And take a look at his avatar and then your pic and then his general performance and then ............  If you go to a much longer stock than that you can prolly expect mounting the gun to get clumsy feeling like you have to squirm around to get into it.  And you'll turn slower too with a longer stock and that changes way fast.

just a thot

 

[Hamster]

Have this weekend been advised my stock is way to short. have shot some good scores with my current setup but my form can be erratic at times, oddly having shouldered my informers gun it was ideed a good inch and a half longer, Being 6'2" i wonder what sort of length i should be working with, i understand many variables exist but any info would be helpful.

As others have said way too many variables for an easy diagnosis here and it must be just about the most difficult measurement for someone other than yourself to arrive at if that makes sense. As always the only real way to know is to experiment, if you think there is mileage in what has been said then place a few washers between stock and pad and see how you get on. It's unlikely to be out by much, if it was you'd have prolly known it yourself. 

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Thanks for the advice Ed, something is certainly certainly causing me problems of late, will check my work schedule and ping you for some dates at sporting targets.

 

[Rosso]

I would be more worried about coming over to the dark side with that K on the cartridge pouch. 

 

[Will Hewland]

I agree with Ed, it looks right or almost a touch long. (Ed will be SO pleased that I have validated his view. ? )

The stance is fairly upright. Not saying it's wrong, but if you were to bring that shoulder up and forward a bit it would look a bit more conventional, akin to a lot of top shots. It would effectively shorten the stock a touch, as your face would slide forward a bit.

 

[jwpzx9r]

I am no sporting shooter but looking at that photo the whole thing just looks wrong to me. I think the stock is too long and also for me at least the way the gun is mounted give me the impression you are not looking straight down the gun. I think you need a shorter stock which would allow you to move the gun nearer the centre of your chest by about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch which I think would be a much more inline and comfortable position.

 

[Salopian]

Shaun, 

There are quite a few things wrong in that photograph . So firstly confirm that is your normal shooting stance?

Secondly I think that lengthening the stock possibly is going in the wrong direction. BUT your adviser has seen you shoot a lot and is offering well meaning advice.

I certainly would seek a second opinion. 

 

[westley]

I can see from the photograph that you have got the balance of the gun right by adding a sticker at each end. It is hard to tell but the length seems about right from the angle we are viewing it. Is that a monte carlo stock or has there been a rubber comb raiser of the Beretta gel variety added ? again hard to see. I agree with suggestion of a second opinion though.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

MY GOD!!!!  I have only one sticker on my gun!!!  I KNEW there was something off feeling about it!

I would be more worried about coming over to the dark side with that K on the cartridge pouch. 

No problemo.  I'm sure there are limits to even Mr. Solomons' influence

 

[Dog Tyred]

I can see from the photograph that you have got the balance of the gun right by adding a sticker at each end.

Made me chuckle did that

DT

 

[Jimbob81]

I am no expert on gun fit! But looks to me u are mounting the gun to far out of ur shoulder! I also used to do this as being quite big in the shoulder! Caused me a lot of recoil related aches and pains! As it was difficult to mount the gun to the so called shoulder pocket because of muscle tissue! If u don't feel the recoil carry on if ur hitting them! Watch Ben husthwaite shoot, he also seems to mount the gun further out onto the shoulder! And he can smash them!

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Shaun, 

There are quite a few things wrong in that photograph . So firstly confirm that is your normal shooting stance?

Secondly I think that lengthening the stock possibly is going in the wrong direction. BUT your adviser has seen you shoot a lot and is offering well meaning advice.

I certainly would seek a second opinion. 

It is my usual stance i would guess but very rarely do you see two shooters with the same style, being 6'2" tall i consider a stock length of just over 14 1/2  shorter then usual so always difficult to judge from a photograph. I do like a sticker if only to cover all the scratches and dents the stock is actually wrapped in electrical tape covering a home made raised comb made from cardboard.