comb too high ?

i know many sporting shots like a shotgun set up with quite a high comb position   seeing lots of rib  !   but how do you know your set up is too high and your seeing too much rib ?  missing many clays might be a clue      but how much rib you see is right ?   

Hi, I think it will  be a personal thing. I have  always  preferred  trap guns for  sporting and am happy  seeing  loads of rib. The advantage is vision. For me shooting  a flat gun is like peeping over a parapet, and  feels really  restrictive on field of view. You could  try setting it on a straight  DTL bird so that it gets dusted just as you touch the bottom  of the clay then see how  that translates on sporting.  I think one clay that really  shows up if the gun shoots  too high is a rabbit.  I always shoot the line of the bottom  edge  of the clay but I have  a B2G trap gun that I have  to see 6" below that to break it.

I would say have a go at a pattern plate and see how high the pattern is above the rib, I know some people dismiss the use of a pattern plate but it will give you a starting point to know how far under the clay you need to be

I have a trap gun and a sporter. The trap gun has a higher comb but it makes no difference to how effectively I can point the gun. Nothing beats shooting actual targets - proof of the pudding and all that...

vmax1010 said:

I would say have a go at a pattern plate and see how high the pattern is above the rib, I know some people dismiss the use of a pattern plate but it will give you a starting point to know how far under the clay you need to be

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I think it’s maybe interesting to know the “geometry” by shooting a pattern plate. If I had one to hand I’d do it for sure, but there are lots of human elements that decide where a gun shoots on a moving target. 

I agree with Westward, I have shot both Sporters and Trap guns over the 60 of so years I have been shooting.  I try and use a springing teal bird to tell me where a gun is shooting, in relation to height. My Sporter, I 'blot it out' but with the Trap gun, I 'shoot the feet'. Having said that, I was recently forced into shooting a round of skeet with my Trap gun, an old Franchi Barrage, I made no conscious effort to shoot 'low' but just shot it as I would using my Sporter. I dropped 5. The gun is bored 3/4 and Extra Full and I see 'a lot of rib' in use.

I find a crow type target is a good indicator if the gun is shooting too high compared to your normal sight picture.

Will Hewland said:

I think it’s maybe interesting to know the “geometry” by shooting a pattern plate. If I had one to hand I’d do it for sure, but there are lots of human elements that decide where a gun shoots on a moving target. 

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that's probably why  i miss so many  !!

I personally like a flat shooting gun. It's hard enough for me to get onto a target. I don't like to also have to triangulate as if I'm shooting from the hip!

I would value a session with a pattern plate though. I would like to know just what the pattern looks like at given ranges/choke.

Scotty said:

I personally like a flat shooting gun. It's hard enough for me to get onto a target. I don't like to also have to triangulate as if I'm shooting from the hip!

I would value a session with a pattern plate though. I would like to know just what the pattern looks like at given ranges/choke.

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Don't forget different cartridges too  !

The pattern can change by using different cartridges.  I once tried a mixture of 10 different makes and types of 20 bore cartridges through a EELL  Beretta. The differences were amazing, between the different brands. It taught me to find one that worked in THAT specific gun and stick with that.

Sorry I've that confused you Doc.   

westley said:

The pattern can change by using different cartridges.  I once tried a mixture of 10 different makes and types of 20 bore cartridges through a EELL  Beretta. The differences were amazing, between the different brands. It taught me to find one that worked in THAT specific gun and stick with that.

Sorry I've that confused you Doc.   

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Cartridge different patterns, yes of course. Surely not different POI though. 

This is from Alan Rhone, his opinion.

https://gunlore.com/shotguns/stockfit/stock-fit-part-iv-comb-height/

Mike said:

This is from Alan Rhone, his opinion.

https://gunlore.com/shotguns/stockfit/stock-fit-part-iv-comb-height/

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I would go along with that. 

I owned, for a very short time a Rizzini BR440 trap gun, this had a very high comb which meant that I could see a lot of rib, but it did shoot where you looked.

I decided to swap it for a "normal" sporter type of gun as I found it hard work just to the sight pictures were now different that I was used to.

Another reason was the very tight choking as everything I hit were just balls of dust!

chesterse said:

I find a crow type target is a good indicator if the gun is shooting too high compared to your normal sight picture.

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having read the article above from alan rhone      i have been to orston using a pattern board at 20 meters  3/4 and full chokes   testing for point of impact   ( not patterns )   conclusion gun shoots where  looking      so sunday at east of england  acid test  no excuses  !!   

No matter how often I try, I just don't gel with a high comb so I shoot guns which are flat to me, and when I shoot trap with my sporter, I have a strange method to raise my head extra high which seems to work well for me on all forms of trap. I saw one Olympic Trap shooter some years ago, mount the gun then lift his head at an angle so when the cheek was back on the stock, he had a repeatable method to allow for the comb in the position which worked for him.  I am sorry if this sounds a complicated method but I tried it and it was spot on for me which is my normal trap mount as well now.

I bought a lovely little Kofs 28g o/u for walked up shooting but the stock was a touch high for me so I had to concentrate whenever I mounted the gun which worked but bloody hard work to do every time. I tried a Beretta 28g, just the same and a number of others but only the CG 28g was a perfect fit allowing me to shoot it flat. That gun belonged to the RFD who would not part with it although I have first call if he sells it.

My wife has over the years needed a higher comb than ever before, god knows why but she now cannot shoot a normal sporter stock so we always have to buy an adjustable comb and raise it quite a lot before she can see above the back of the action. I want her to have a session with a fitter, perhaps the guys at premier Guns can help because I don't seem to be able to help much, husbands teaching their wives to drive comes to mind..........

Will Hewland said:

Cartridge different patterns, yes of course. Surely not different POI though. 

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The post was for Scotty really, he made reference to pattern testing on a plate and mentioned comb height and chokes, I was pointing out NOT to overlook cartridges when it came to patterns.

westley said:

The post was for Scotty really, he made reference to pattern testing on a plate and mentioned comb height and chokes, I was pointing out NOT to overlook cartridges when it came to patterns.

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And I thank you for that.

A bit late to the party but this is well worth a look