Hi folks,

I am new to trap and skeet. have been renting guns to practice with before purchasing.

I have been bitten by the Beretta 687 SPII trap combos that Joel Etchen sells, and am going to go over to his place and check them out.

can someone tell me or direct me to information on how to actually go about fitting a gun? what's the process to ensure you are getting a setup that's right for you? I am 6'6" and about 285 lbs., so I'm a little concerned....

thanks very much!

Hi Z--

Welcome to Shotgun World. I'm impressed that you've taken the time to try out a few shotguns before buying one. It makes the choice alot easier, and since you know what you're going to use it for, you're way ahead of the curve.

Here's a link to our FAQ on shotgun fit, written by Rollin Oswald, who's taken the toruble to figure it all out for the average guy:

https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtop ... =stock+fit

You of course are welcome in the new shotgunners forum any time. But we also have forums for trap, skeet, and sporting clays. If you know which game you'll be shooting you might try some posts in those forums.

Best of luck, and I hope you'll come back and let us know how it's going.

Jeff

Jeff,

I had forgotten all about that information, written in 2003. Although the basic information remains valid, the number of pages in the book is out of date. The book now has 93 pages.

If yours has fewer pages, email me at: [email protected] and I'll email you an up-to-date version. Let me know if you have Acrobat Reader so I will be able to send it in .pdf format.

Since that version was written, graphics and stock fitting history have been added along with other information. It has also been professionally edited to get rid of typos. (I still type like a retarded third grader. It is only with the Godsend of spell-checking that I appear literate at all.)

Z06_Pilot,

Your concern about your new gun's fitting already puts you ahead of the game. In a nutshell, a gun fits when it allows the shooter to use the stance, gun mount, body posture and weight distribution (shooting form) that time has shown to result in the most successful shooting.

I know that isn't much help but describing how to tell if each of the five primary stock dimensions fit a shooter would require rewriting the book. The problem is that the correctness of to the the size and shape of the shooter. As you can see, there are three interrelated variables. It is what make stock fitting complicated.

I have two guesses: One is that you will need an above average drop a the heel dimension to compensate for a long neck and two, that you will probably require a longer stock, as greater-than-average height usually requires a longer stock.

Both can be accomplished quite easily but you are very unlikely to be well fitted by an off-the-rack gun designed for a shooter 5' 10" tall and weighing 160 pounds. This the average shooter for which most manufacturers design the stocks on their guns.

The unfortunate part is that it is the best manufactures can do. More than half of today's gun buyers buy guns that do not fit them and pay the price for it as long as they shoot the guns without getting them fitted.

http://stockfitting.virtualave.net

Hi Rollin--

I pm'd you. Great to see an old friend on the boards.

Jeff23,

I tried to answer your PM but I don't think it worked - something about my settings not allowing active-x whatevers.

Rollin, it seems that you really know your stuff Good work

I can be reached at this address - [email protected]