Subconsciously floating, sure, I have a note on my cart to not float the target and sometimes I walk away from a station after still floating the target. My big thing in the last 8,000 targets or so is don't float the target but it only works sometimes at this point and I don't want to shoot another 10,000 getting my brain to change, maybe. As far as weight not so much, my K-80 barrel is a 32" that was fixed choke and was back bored to .732 with Briley thin wall chokes. The K-80 barrel is about 3 oz heavier in weighing the barrels, chambers and chokes included, which means something but the gun is by no means barrel heavy. The Kolar is also 32".
Reckoning Time Has Arrived
I have spent all of this year trying to get my Kolar to shoot well for me but it just hasn't worked out. I have shot around 7,000 rounds through it this year and I probably should have given up on the gun 4,000 rounds ago but I am not a quitter and apparently not real smart. I really like the gun but in over twenty years of shooting sporting clays competitively I have never shot nearly as poorly as I shoot with the Kolar. Let me repeat that I really like the gun, it is beautiful, it moves as smooth as butter, it is heavy but feels light in the hands, the trigger is one of the best, it feels good in the hands even when you miss a target, it is all you could hope for in a high quality high dollar shotgun. The Kolar is certainly on par with the Krieghoff and Perazzi and maybe better in some areas. Sure, part of the problem is me but I really can not explain the other part but there is something that keeps me from scoring well with the gun. I am going to make one more, last time, shooting the pattern board this week but unless a big light comes on I am going back to my Krieghoff. I am not blaming the gun, it is just a me/gun not bonding thing. I will probably keep working with it in the background but it is not going to be my main gun moving forward.
21 - 40 of 46 Posts
I have the opposite problem regarding ribs. Experienced shooter and always shot a gun with a flat rib, and could not adjust to a ramped rib. Kept looking down the ramp….
Agree - changing between flat rib and ramped rib is not easy in skeet or sporting.
And 3 ounces is a ton of difference from one gun's skeet or sporting barrel to the next. I would like to hear what you (Rocky) found with the "balance" as above. Do they balance the same, or differently? I'm guessing very differently.
And 3 ounces is a ton of difference from one gun's skeet or sporting barrel to the next. I would like to hear what you (Rocky) found with the "balance" as above. Do they balance the same, or differently? I'm guessing very differently.
I feel both of you are correct and I am not questioning your thoughtfulness that you are showing and just expressing what I am dealing with. The problem I have with raising the comb more is that it is uncomfortable to mount as additional comb offset to the right is also in play. It is also a looking down at the rib issue which is a problem for me. It also means removing the little screws in the comb because they are not that long which is no big deal but I think if the comb is taller than the screws that it is out of spec. The comb would need to be 1/2" to 5/8" above the base. This is where I was originally when I sent it back to Kolar. There is the option of getting the Kolar ramped rib barrel but I was looking for a flat rib when I bought the Kolar for eye dominance issues which is another subject altogether. Probably the best bet is a custom stock but that is throwing another $7k+ into the gun. I think I would rather buy a Cole headed stock Perazzi than doing a custom stock on the Kolar. In reality this is not really fair to the Kolar as my K-80 has a custom stock on it made by Bob James. My stock dimensions are not extreme but I am taller and wider that the average person that stocks are designed for which I believe is in the 5' 8-10" person.Yes I have seen a case of a minor amount of "memory" on a Kolar O/U barrel, but it's rare, and only happens if there is stress in there due to unusual sizes of spacer & hanger selected, then shooting it a lot so it gets hot can make it "return" some to where it was.
Anyway I agree with BirdHunter. And so I would raise the Kolar comb to get the same 60/40 as the K-80.
Also, the K-80 weighs 8 1/2 pounds and the Kolar weighs just under 9 pounds.
If you don't like right offset, just change it. Still need to hear about the balance. Don't underestimate the effect on swinging accurately to hit targets. A half a pound difference is not something you can casually switch back & forth and expect to hit similar scores.
When I bought the Kolar I was actually looking to buy a Perazzi. The reasoning for buying something new and not just continuing to shoot my K-80 which I have been shooting since 1998 was that I had life changes and I used to carry a back up gun which is no longer a possibility.
Well, I was told by S & S guns that as you raise the comb you also have to move it to the right which is what I experienced in the beginning. So, I don't want to shoot similar scores, I want to shoot better scores. My best explanation on balance is that they both basically balance at the hinge pin. The Kolar is a little heavier in the hands and getting it to the shoulder than the Krieghoff but the Kolar moves a little faster than the Krieghoff as I am approaching the mount and establishing lead. I shoot low gun. Since 1997 I have gone from a Beretta 686 to a 425 Browning to a 682 Beretta Gold Sporting to a Krieghoff to a Beretta 391 and back to the Krieghoff and it only took about a thousand rounds each to accomplish the change. I am closing on ten thousand rounds with the Kolar. I could easily go back to the K-80 or move on to something else but I guess I am stubborn and don't want to give up. I also like the theory of shooting 50/50 but I probably need to gradually move down from 60/40 since I have shot a couple hundred thousand rounds at 60/40.If you don't like right offset, just change it. Still need to hear about the balance. Don't underestimate the effect on swinging accurately to hit targets. A half a pound difference is not something you can casually switch back & forth and expect to hit similar scores.
FWIW, I shoot a Kolar Max Lite Sporting with the "ramped rib". I took a lesson from a well known "pro" and he mentioned that Kolar had introduced the flat rib model. I happened to be scheduled for gun fit with Jim Greenwood wood at the completion of the lesson. The "pro" mentioned to Jim that I am might be interested in switching to the flat rib (btw I never expressed interest in the change). Jim's comment was the "ramped rib" shot pretty flat, and was of the option the flat rib might shoot too "flat".
I would highly recommend having someone who knows what they are doing watch you shoot and work with you on adjustments your are making. As mentioned above as one adjustment is made another parameter may also need to be adjusted. The whole whole gun fitting is an amazing and complex process. I find it fascinating to work with someone who is truly an expert in this area.
Good luck on your journey!
I would highly recommend having someone who knows what they are doing watch you shoot and work with you on adjustments your are making. As mentioned above as one adjustment is made another parameter may also need to be adjusted. The whole whole gun fitting is an amazing and complex process. I find it fascinating to work with someone who is truly an expert in this area.
Good luck on your journey!
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.
W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields
I had an ill-fated relationship with a Kolar. Went to WI got a fitting, picked my own wood and a custom stock made by them. Beautiful, well made outstanding gun. NEVER could shoot the damn thing! Shot it for a year exclusively just could never make it work for me. Went back to my DT-10 and eventually had a Perazzi made to my specs. Best decision I've made with guns. They are awesome guns. American made craftsmanship at it's finest but, not for everybody. Good luck in your venture, Steve
So I have the Kolar which feels really lively and I have a K-80 with thin walls and a back bored barrel at 8 1/2 pounds and it is pretty lively. I have held 4 Perazzi's that people I know have and all but one felt lifeless to me. I think that part of the reason I bought the Kolar is that there is only one gun with different ribs. What is the spec on your gun that makes you like it so much. I am in Spokane Washington so to handle any Perazzi's would be a plane ride to CA or MI.I had an ill-fated relationship with a Kolar. Went to WI got a fitting, picked my own wood and a custom stock made by them. Beautiful, well made outstanding gun. NEVER could shoot the damn thing! Shot it for a year exclusively just could never make it work for me. Went back to my DT-10 and eventually had a Perazzi made to my specs. Best decision I've made with guns. They are awesome guns. American made craftsmanship at it's finest but, not for everybody. Good luck in your venture, Steve
For the kind of money you’re gonna spend on any of the big 3 brands, take the plane ride!So I have the Kolar which feels really lively and I have a K-80 with thin walls and a back bored barrel at 8 1/2 pounds and it is pretty lively. I have held 4 Perazzi's that people I know have and all but one felt lifeless to me. I think that part of the reason I bought the Kolar is that there is only one gun with different ribs. What is the spec on your gun that makes you like it so much. I am in Spokane Washington so to handle any Perazzi's would be a plane ride to CA or MI.
The total gun weighs 8#4oz.barrels are 32" 1.54kg fixed chokes. Slim field forend. I specified the gun to balance 1/4" forward the hinge. It just all comes together. It's as lively as I would want it to be. It's funny but after you've shot for a while and handled alot of guns you certainly develop a feel. Of course, They're ALL different even within the same make and model oddly enough. SteveSo I have the Kolar which feels really lively and I have a K-80 with thin walls and a back bored barrel at 8 1/2 pounds and it is pretty lively. I have held 4 Perazzi's that people I know have and all but one felt lifeless to me. I think that part of the reason I bought the Kolar is that there is only one gun with different ribs. What is the spec on your gun that makes you like it so much. I am in Spokane Washington so to handle any Perazzi's would be a plane ride to CA or MI.
Rocky,
It sounds like the Kolar just doesn’t work for you - you’ve certainly given it an excellent workout. You should really consider a trip to Pacific Sporting Arns in Cali. They have a large variety of guns to compare side by side.
It sounds like the Kolar just doesn’t work for you - you’ve certainly given it an excellent workout. You should really consider a trip to Pacific Sporting Arns in Cali. They have a large variety of guns to compare side by side.
A gun either works for you or it doesn't. I can't shoot Krieghoffs well and they are great guns. They just don't fit my shooting style, at least the ones I have tried.
I went back to the pattern board again yesterday. I still had some room to raise the comb a bit so I raised it up to it's tippy toes. The results were very good as it is shooting about 55/45 which will work well for me as I can now shoot it just like I shot my K-80. It was shooting a little to the right so I was able to bring the comb back I little bit towards center which was also good. I am not sure why except I have been losing weight so maybe my face isn't as fat, plus I was canting the stock a little which is more likely the issue. I shot the board at 30 yards with light full chokes and I shot it like I was shooting at a target. I am not one to put a shotgun on a bench rest because you don't shoot flying targets on a bench rest, that is for rifles. Also, the custom stock makers I have seen never bench rest a shotgun. Nothing against it I just don't do it. I also shot a round of sporting clays and it shot well. So I think it is good to go, I just have to regain confidence in the gun and see if I like the feel with the comb that high or if I want to get the barrels changed a little more if possible to get the comb lower.
What number hangar do you have on the gun?
If the number is higher the gun shoots lower. I have a kolar o/u barrel with a #2 hangar and it shoots 90/10. The one I have with a #8 shoots about flat.
It ma be something to ask kolar about?
If the number is higher the gun shoots lower. I have a kolar o/u barrel with a #2 hangar and it shoots 90/10. The one I have with a #8 shoots about flat.
It ma be something to ask kolar about?
I have a #6 hanger.What number hangar do you have on the gun?
If the number is higher the gun shoots lower. I have a kolar o/u barrel with a #2 hangar and it shoots 90/10. The one I have with a #8 shoots about flat.
It ma be something to ask kolar about?
You were fortunate to have worked with Mr. Greenwood. The thirty minutes (or so) that he and I shot targets as I neared the completion of my bespoke stock fitting was more helpful to me than any 10 hours I have spent with a “pro”.FWIW, I shoot a Kolar Max Lite Sporting with the "ramped rib". I took a lesson from a well known "pro" and he mentioned that Kolar had introduced the flat rib model. I happened to be scheduled for gun fit with Jim Greenwood wood at the completion of the lesson. The "pro" mentioned to Jim that I am might be interested in switching to the flat rib (btw I never expressed interest in the change). Jim's comment was the "ramped rib" shot pretty flat, and was of the option the flat rib might shoot too "flat".
I would highly recommend having someone who knows what they are doing watch you shoot and work with you on adjustments your are making. As mentioned above as one adjustment is made another parameter may also need to be adjusted. The whole whole gun fitting is an amazing and complex process. I find it fascinating to work with someone who is truly an expert in this area.
Good luck on your journey!
I think that the numbers are relative for those barrels, though. A #4 for my barrels may not shoot the same as a #4 for your barrels (I have two Kolars that shoot the same for me; one has a #5 front hanger and the other has a #4); each of us moving down or up 1 number will have the same effect though. Definitely best to double check with Kolar, in my opinion, to make sure you're going to get the result you want if changing hangers.If the number is higher the gun shoots lower. I have a kolar o/u barrel with a #2 hangar and it shoots 90/10. The one I have with a #8 shoots about flat.
21 - 40 of 46 Posts
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