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stubble_hunter

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm new to this site and am looking for some information regarding modifying the length of pull (LOP) on my shotgun. I have a 15 year old 870, that I used to shoot pretty good with, well I haven't shot it for quite sometime and since then I've grown a little, I'm now 6'4" and came to found out from a local gunsmith that I really need to increase the LOP to 15+ inches. It sounds like I need to have a spacer installed between the stock and the recoil pad and I was wondering just how hard it would be to do it myself. I've found the spacers that I need on the internet and picking up a recoil pad shouldn't be too difficult but how hard is it to grind the spacer down flush with the stock and recoil pad? I'm not too concerned about the finish on the stock as it is a hunting gun and has been used quite a bit. I'm pretty handy with woodworking tools but would like to know if this is something I should steer clear of?
 
The job itself isn't particularly complicated, but I'm not sure it's necessary. I'm 6'6" myself, and have been shooting 870s off and on since I was 13--which was a really long time ago--and have never felt the need to increase the length of pull. In theory, if you take a firing grip on the gun the butt should reach right to the crook of your elbow, but that's just theory. The theory says I should add two inches' worth of spacers to my 870s, but I seem to be able to shoot them just fine as they are.

If the gun fits you properly--in other words, if you mount the gun with your eyes closed and then open your eyes and see the front bead and not the top of the rib--and if your firing hand isn't hitting you in the face during recoil, I'd say leave it alone.

If you decide to give it a try, keep in mind that if you follow the contour of the stock when you fit the spacer, you'll have to buy and fit a new recoil pad as well.
 
A possible solution you may try is to add a Limbsaver slip on pad over your current pad. Inside this you cut a spacer of differing thickness until you find the length that fits right for the clothing configuration you will be wearing.

Being considerably shorter than you fellows, I have done this with a youth model stock when just wearing a shirt during hot weather, then remove the slip on pad when wearing a heavy coat.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Ceemack,
I've tried mounting the gun with my eyes closed and when I open them I find myself looking down on the barrel rather than just seeing the bead. If I place my gun in the correct postion (seeing just the bead) the bottom corner of the stock ends up on the upper portion of my shoulder. In other words only about an inch of the stock is against my shoulder, the remaining area of the stock is above my shoulder. Also, what did you mean by fitting a new pad. Can I just buy a new pad and grind the spacer to fit the new pad and stock or will I have to grind the pad as well? Thanks for your information.
 
You said that when you close your eyes and mount the gun you are looking down on the barrel, but when you mount the gun to see the bead only part of the stock is touching your shoulder. You need to have some one work with you and check out your mount. Then decide what you need to do to get a proper fit. Remember when you shoot a shotgun, you are focusing on the target/bird and the gun should come up into the proper position with out having to look at the bead.

Pads and spacers can be purchased from many shooting supplies co. on the internet. Gamaliel Shooting Supplies is a good place. Look up their catalog on the internet, then look at the recoil pads. Look at the different sizes, length X width & Thickness. Then look at the spacers. measure your stock to see what size you need. BUT also look at the hole spacingdiminsiuon. Most are standard, but you never know.

Shaping the pad to the contures of your stock is done on a Disc Sander. Mark it out and slowly grind to size. It can and has been done by a lot of shooters at home. Good luck, V/R TonyG
 
Stubble,

The things that have the greatest effect on the correct length of a stock (LOP/length of pull) are neck length, height of the gun mount and how close to parallel the sholders are with targets when you fire. (The usefulness of placing the gun in the crook of the arm to see if the trigger is in the right place for the trigger finger is an excellent way to determine the length of stock if, and only if, the gun will be shot that way and not mounted normally. Otherwise, it is completely useless.)

Guns with rising combs rather than those that are parallel with a gun's barrel, introduce another complexity. This is because the height of the eye relative to the rib, is determined by where on the comb the cheek makes contact when the gun is mounted.

To get back to your original question, longer-necked (usually taller) shooters need longer stocks. Trap shooters use longer stocks. Low, gun mounts require longer stocks. Shooters who face targets more directly need shorter stocks (with more cast.)

Recoil pads and spacers usually require the fitting of the pads and spacers (and longer screws) during installation. Fitting can be done by scribing a line arount them along the edge of the stock, removing the pad or spacer and rough sanding them to get them close. (Be careful to maintain the angle at the bottom of the stock/toe.)

Fine tuning of the final fit can then be done by carefully sanding the pad and spacer down to the stock after it has been taped to avoid damaging the finish. (You don't want to cut through the finish so close to the end-grain of the stock where water could easily infiltrate to swell and crack the wood.)
As was mentioned, this is best done using a rigid sanding disc. All in all, it is a job best left to someone who has had successful experience. If you have someone do it for you, ask them to check if the pitch on the stock is correct for you. 870s are notorious for having too little pitch. (The bottom [toe] of the stock sticks out too far.)

All this hasn't brought you any closer to learning just how long your stock needs to be. Mounting the gun with your eyes closed demonstrated that your cheek wound up farther forward on a higher part of the comb than it should be indicating that the stock is indeed too short for you. Just how much too short it is, is impossible to say. As was mentioned, the height of your gun mount and how you stand when you shoot are things that will affect your correct stock length.

Oh, yes: You have also demonstrated that a serious corruption of the way you shoot (shooting form) can "correct" things but don't expect to be able to hit anything if you shoot with the top (heel) of the pad above your shoulder. This holds true with other compensations for illfitting stock dimensions, as well. All affect shooting performace as compared to shooting potential.[urlhttp://stockfitting.virtualave.net[/url]
 
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