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Answers (26)
Basically, is it comfortable? Does it snag on shirt when you mount it? Does it rest naturally in your shoulder pocket, or does the buttpad sometimes land on your deltoid or on the side of your pectoral muscle? If it feels comfortable, then you know that it fits reasonably well. For a total fitting job, however, you will need to see a professional.
As a sidenote, many new shotguns now come with a shim kit so that you can fit it to yourself if it doesn't feel right out of the box. You might want to look into that if you are going to be buying a new shotgun.
Sorry, it should be "snag on YOUR shirt". Typo.
If feals confortable. it sometimes gets snagged on. is anything wrong with a light gun like if it does not swinging smoothly. or is there any advantage to having a heavy gun? but I think it feels fine I always woundered. how to tell if it fits
The advantage isn't so much light vs. heavy as it is short barrel vs. long barrel. The most important part about shotgun shooting is having a smooth swing, and a long barrel helps you with that because it gives you more momentum. For example, you can swing and follow through with a baseball bat much better than you can with a ruler. Not a perfect example, but you get the point.
The trade-off is that you'll be doing a lot of walking in most upland hunting (especially chukar, if my info is correct), so a lighter weight gun would be preferable. Personally, I think the Franchi 48 AL is the best of both worlds: it only weighs 5.7 lbs, but it has a 28" barrel which is about optimal for follow-through with a semi-automatic.
I was just loking at the franchi 48 al but it is a 28 and 20 gauge. I have a ithica model 37 20 gauge it is a dinosour so Sence I'm not a very good shot I would like get a 12 gauge of some kind. the ithica was passed down from my grandpa who was a exallent shot. " he said that when he used a 12 gauge it gave the birds an unfair chance HA (shure) but he upgraded to a 20 gauge
Ah, I see. In that case, I would recommend that you take a long look at the Benelli Cordoba or Vinci, both of which are 12's with 28" barrels. The Ultralight was built to be the lightest 12, but it only has a 26" barrel, so you'd be trading swing smoothness for weight. Personally, I would go with the Cordoba: it's a rock-solid gun built for dove shooting, but many hunters are using it for upland shooting as well.
okay but does the length effect how the gun fits or is that just the stock. would you ever buy a gun on the internet or would you go and try it out at the store to see if it fits
I have an old ithic 10 gauge it fits me good. It kicks like a mule, but it's a great gun. My favorite shotgun is my Winchester 1300 12 gauge, I use it for everything from rabbits to deer.
thats awsome I never shoot a 10 gauge but I'm sure that would not last long on your shoulder. Winchecester 1300 is a good gun
It should be just the stock that affects fitting, although ofc the weight of the gun will affect how easily you mount it.
Always, always, try it out first unless you know that it works. If I could get it cheaper on the Internet then I would try it out at the store, mounting and swinging it several times to make sure that it feels right before buying it online, but I would not recommend buying a gun that you've never handled before.
yeah that makes sence. so If you were going to buy a benelli which model would you buy. or would you buy a beretta or remington
You hunt chukar right? Get a light gun. You also don't NEED a 12 ga. I am an upland hunter and a 16 or 20 ga does very nicely.
and by i am an upland hunter I mean I used to go a lot with my dad. Haven't in a LONG time but he does quite frequently and I pick up knowledge from him.
yes I do. what type of light gun. this is my first year hunting with a gun.
Out of the 3 brands, I would either buy a Benelli Cordoba, a Beretta AL391 Urika 2 Gold, or a Remington 1100 G3. Out of those...probably the Cordoba.
I was looking at all those guns and I think I would buy the cordoba or the xtrema2
The Xtrema is a great gun, but it's a big gun designed for hunting waterfowl and turkeys, not upland birds. Plus, it's heavier. I would stick with a gun designed for hunting upland birds.
oh really that is great to know. i was just looking at the 1100 g3 that sounds like its a good gun
I own a Beretta AL391 Urika (youth model) I recieved it 9 years ago. I added a butt pad on it and it still fits me even though I am now over a foot taller than I was back then. It is very very light and swings smooth even though I have pretty short barrels on it (good for upland hunting)
okay well i'll look at that gun
For me, the biggest factor is the length of pull. Most stocks are 14 1/4", or somewhere around that length. I am a tall guy, but with shorter arms, and that length is way to long for me. When I asked that question to an "expert" behind the counter at a sporting goods store, his reaction was, "The English recommend a long stock with your eye placed back on the stock. When thinking about that statement I thought of the English shooting driven birds with time to get the stock up to your cheek before shooting. On flushing birds you do not have that time. My guns now have stocks a full inch shorter. With hunting clothes I can mount the gun to my cheek without dipping my head, or having to extend the stock far out away from my clothing...mount and shoot. TWO KEYS...the left hand (rt hand shooters_ should have the grip hand about 2" in front of your nose so you don't get kicked in the nose. When you mount the gun with your eyes closed in front of a mirror, and then open your eyes, your rt. eye should be just above the barrel...not high above it, or you will shoot high, and the opposite if below the barrel. As you move your eye up the stock you tend to have your eye higher because of the angle(drop) of the stock. Mine is just right with a 13 1/4 in (lop)..I can mount quickly, and shoot where I am looking...when I mount the gun right!!! IMO standard length stocks are not the proper fit for a lot of shooters. If you mount your gun and your nose is 4-5" behind your grip hand?...to long of lop in my opinion.
A correction...your nose should be several inches behind your BACK hand, not your forward grip hand!
And to have a stock the right length for hunting, and you wear light clothing early in the season, and thicker, heavier clothing later in the season?...you really should have several shotguns with different stock lengths to match your clothing. I try to get by with the same thickness of clothing all season.
If you bring up the gun and don't naturally see the desired sight plane, or if you have your head down and get a bruised cheek, you might want to see a gunsmith.
Just curious your username is patrickflanagan, Patrick Flanigna is the shotgun legend behind the winchester Sx3, this is a sweet shotgun that performs incredibly..Have you given it a look?
if you put the stock in your elbow and your finger is in the trigger guard, it fits.
When you mount the gun does it feel right? You will know if somthings off.
When you shoot the gun, does it hurt you? If so, somthing needs adjusting.
If your gun isn't fit to you, I'd recommend going to your local gun club or someone who knows a little somthing about this (other than a gunsmith, they will fit this gun to you after making 2000 changes and costing $4000) and see what they recommend. Good luck, Nick.
Post an Answer
It should be just the stock that affects fitting, although ofc the weight of the gun will affect how easily you mount it.
Always, always, try it out first unless you know that it works. If I could get it cheaper on the Internet then I would try it out at the store, mounting and swinging it several times to make sure that it feels right before buying it online, but I would not recommend buying a gun that you've never handled before.
Basically, is it comfortable? Does it snag on shirt when you mount it? Does it rest naturally in your shoulder pocket, or does the buttpad sometimes land on your deltoid or on the side of your pectoral muscle? If it feels comfortable, then you know that it fits reasonably well. For a total fitting job, however, you will need to see a professional.
As a sidenote, many new shotguns now come with a shim kit so that you can fit it to yourself if it doesn't feel right out of the box. You might want to look into that if you are going to be buying a new shotgun.
Sorry, it should be "snag on YOUR shirt". Typo.
I was just loking at the franchi 48 al but it is a 28 and 20 gauge. I have a ithica model 37 20 gauge it is a dinosour so Sence I'm not a very good shot I would like get a 12 gauge of some kind. the ithica was passed down from my grandpa who was a exallent shot. " he said that when he used a 12 gauge it gave the birds an unfair chance HA (shure) but he upgraded to a 20 gauge
Ah, I see. In that case, I would recommend that you take a long look at the Benelli Cordoba or Vinci, both of which are 12's with 28" barrels. The Ultralight was built to be the lightest 12, but it only has a 26" barrel, so you'd be trading swing smoothness for weight. Personally, I would go with the Cordoba: it's a rock-solid gun built for dove shooting, but many hunters are using it for upland shooting as well.
okay but does the length effect how the gun fits or is that just the stock. would you ever buy a gun on the internet or would you go and try it out at the store to see if it fits
thats awsome I never shoot a 10 gauge but I'm sure that would not last long on your shoulder. Winchecester 1300 is a good gun
yeah that makes sence. so If you were going to buy a benelli which model would you buy. or would you buy a beretta or remington
If feals confortable. it sometimes gets snagged on. is anything wrong with a light gun like if it does not swinging smoothly. or is there any advantage to having a heavy gun? but I think it feels fine I always woundered. how to tell if it fits
The advantage isn't so much light vs. heavy as it is short barrel vs. long barrel. The most important part about shotgun shooting is having a smooth swing, and a long barrel helps you with that because it gives you more momentum. For example, you can swing and follow through with a baseball bat much better than you can with a ruler. Not a perfect example, but you get the point.
The trade-off is that you'll be doing a lot of walking in most upland hunting (especially chukar, if my info is correct), so a lighter weight gun would be preferable. Personally, I think the Franchi 48 AL is the best of both worlds: it only weighs 5.7 lbs, but it has a 28" barrel which is about optimal for follow-through with a semi-automatic.
I have an old ithic 10 gauge it fits me good. It kicks like a mule, but it's a great gun. My favorite shotgun is my Winchester 1300 12 gauge, I use it for everything from rabbits to deer.
Out of the 3 brands, I would either buy a Benelli Cordoba, a Beretta AL391 Urika 2 Gold, or a Remington 1100 G3. Out of those...probably the Cordoba.
I was looking at all those guns and I think I would buy the cordoba or the xtrema2
The Xtrema is a great gun, but it's a big gun designed for hunting waterfowl and turkeys, not upland birds. Plus, it's heavier. I would stick with a gun designed for hunting upland birds.
oh really that is great to know. i was just looking at the 1100 g3 that sounds like its a good gun
Just curious your username is patrickflanagan, Patrick Flanigna is the shotgun legend behind the winchester Sx3, this is a sweet shotgun that performs incredibly..Have you given it a look?
if you put the stock in your elbow and your finger is in the trigger guard, it fits.
You hunt chukar right? Get a light gun. You also don't NEED a 12 ga. I am an upland hunter and a 16 or 20 ga does very nicely.
and by i am an upland hunter I mean I used to go a lot with my dad. Haven't in a LONG time but he does quite frequently and I pick up knowledge from him.
yes I do. what type of light gun. this is my first year hunting with a gun.
I own a Beretta AL391 Urika (youth model) I recieved it 9 years ago. I added a butt pad on it and it still fits me even though I am now over a foot taller than I was back then. It is very very light and swings smooth even though I have pretty short barrels on it (good for upland hunting)
okay well i'll look at that gun
For me, the biggest factor is the length of pull. Most stocks are 14 1/4", or somewhere around that length. I am a tall guy, but with shorter arms, and that length is way to long for me. When I asked that question to an "expert" behind the counter at a sporting goods store, his reaction was, "The English recommend a long stock with your eye placed back on the stock. When thinking about that statement I thought of the English shooting driven birds with time to get the stock up to your cheek before shooting. On flushing birds you do not have that time. My guns now have stocks a full inch shorter. With hunting clothes I can mount the gun to my cheek without dipping my head, or having to extend the stock far out away from my clothing...mount and shoot. TWO KEYS...the left hand (rt hand shooters_ should have the grip hand about 2" in front of your nose so you don't get kicked in the nose. When you mount the gun with your eyes closed in front of a mirror, and then open your eyes, your rt. eye should be just above the barrel...not high above it, or you will shoot high, and the opposite if below the barrel. As you move your eye up the stock you tend to have your eye higher because of the angle(drop) of the stock. Mine is just right with a 13 1/4 in (lop)..I can mount quickly, and shoot where I am looking...when I mount the gun right!!! IMO standard length stocks are not the proper fit for a lot of shooters. If you mount your gun and your nose is 4-5" behind your grip hand?...to long of lop in my opinion.
A correction...your nose should be several inches behind your BACK hand, not your forward grip hand!
And to have a stock the right length for hunting, and you wear light clothing early in the season, and thicker, heavier clothing later in the season?...you really should have several shotguns with different stock lengths to match your clothing. I try to get by with the same thickness of clothing all season.
If you bring up the gun and don't naturally see the desired sight plane, or if you have your head down and get a bruised cheek, you might want to see a gunsmith.
When you mount the gun does it feel right? You will know if somthings off.
When you shoot the gun, does it hurt you? If so, somthing needs adjusting.
If your gun isn't fit to you, I'd recommend going to your local gun club or someone who knows a little somthing about this (other than a gunsmith, they will fit this gun to you after making 2000 changes and costing $4000) and see what they recommend. Good luck, Nick.
Post an Answer