Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/728154
I t will surprise no one that I've been screwing around with the stocks of two guns I recently acquired. When it comes to hacking on gunstocks, I'm a confessed recidivist of the highest or lowest order, depending on your viewpoint. The one that I've most egregiously messed with is the 12-gauge Lefever that I've already written about a couple times. It's a great gun, and I just had to have it. The problem with the gun was it didn't fit me at all. Not even close. The stock was too long, which made the gun slow and difficult to mount. The comb was so high that it was like looking up a ski slope when I shouldered the gun. That, of course, caused it to shoot woefully high. To make things worse, it was cast "on"—to the left for a left-handed shooter, and there was absolutely no pitch to the butt. I've shot a few shotguns in my time, and if I really concentrated I could shoot it. But I couldn't shoot it well, and that just wouldn't do. I did most of the work myself, and in time I got the gun to fit me as well as any gun that I've ever owned. It feels good and ShotgunS by robert matthewS ProPer gun fit is not as simPle as it may seem. shoots great, but the finished dimensions came out a bit different from those that I usually require. Surprised? Most folks are when they hear a story like that. Somehow, scribes like me have created a bit of confusion about stock fit. Most folks think that if they hie themselves off to a crackerjack stock-fitter, they can then jot down the resulting dimensions, file them away, and they're forever good to go. I wish it were that simple, but it ain't. Even if your prescribed dimensions are perfect for a given gun, they may not be for another, and they may change over time even for that specific gun. Sometimes it seems that stock-fitting is comprised of equal parts art, science, and voodoo. Did you gain a bit of weight? Your now-chubby cheeks can cause havoc with your gun fit, requiring a bit more drop, or cast, or both. Or your gun may no longer fit well into your shoulder pocket. Lost weight? The reverse is also true. How about aging? I'll bet you've done that. A bit of arthritis or even a stiff neck will affect how your gun fits. It will undoubtedly cause great consternation in the fraternity of stock- fitters for me to say this, but you should know that different fitters, even very good ones, will often come up with different sets of dimensions. I think you can simply chalk part of it up to the individual fitter, but you should know that it's a complicated business and many factors can come into play. A small change in one dimension may require a change in another. And there may be more than one way to achieve proper pattern placement. Consider this. All shotgun barrels flex to a degree on firing. Side-bys "down- flip" a bit, while over/unders are stiffer and flex very little. I usually require different dimensions on an O/U than I do on a side-by. Recently I've noticed a tendency for factory stocks, even on some expensive guns, to be a little chunky. A thicker stock will force your face slightly farther away from the centerline of your bore. And you might require a tad more cast in order to bring things in line if you are shooting a gun with a beefier stock than the one you're used to. You can also sand or rasp away the face-side until things line up more easily. 40 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S