doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Straight stocks with lots of drop

I am tall and thin and find that I need a stock with about 15" LOP and about 3" DAH. I have a Parker and Sterlingworth that fit this bill because they have been restocked. I used to have a terrible problem with "cheek slap" until I started to shoot a gun with this amount of drop. Now I am in the market for a new grouse gun and was thinking of getting a quick pointing, straight stocked gun but can find none with the amount of DAH that I need. Is there such a thing? Should I stick with looking for guns that need restocking?

What about bending the stock down to achieve a DAH I need? I have had stocks bent for cast but never for DAH. Is that ever done and if so, how far can they be bent.

tom: lots of old guns out there with 14" length of pull and a 3" drop. put a 1" pad or wood extension on it and viola! you have your perfect grouse gun...should all of lifes problems be so easily solved...next?

I would say you'll have more problems finding a straight stocked gun than one with those dimensions.

Tom,

Interesting post. I've not seen a straight hand stock with 3" of DAH but I'm sure someone has done it but doubtful in a production line. I have been able to adapt fairly well to up to 2.75" of DAH on several vintage American SxS guns I own but beyond that I use a comb raiser (Velcro, not permanent). Some of these guns are field grade stocked in American black walnut which has a reputation for not moving much so I don't bother most times. Presently, I have a couple of straight hand stocks that I need bent but only to about 2 3/8" which is where I tend to like them with about 1 3/8" DAC. I'll admit that I have never had a formal fitting but have kind of just figured this out on my own by trying a lot of guns. I also use a Galco slip-on butt pad to extend LOP to about 15" when I hunt with some of my shorter guns with buttplates and original LOP which is typically 14.25".

-jmc

I'll second the use of the leather slip on Galco pads. I have a number of them and use them frequently, especially in warmer weather with light clothes. When the northern blasts hit and I'm bundled up like a stuffed toy I remove it and have the perfect length of pull. Far better than a screwed on recoil pad. And they are broader, giving about 20% more surface for the shoulder, which really softens recoil.

Tom, do you mean by " new " gun a new made or just a new old gun? I"m 6'4" and like a 15" pull and at least 3" DAH if not a tad more. I have about 12 old SxS's and all have a little over 3" DAH. I used to put on extra thick recoil pads [ 1 1/2' ] from Tony but have figgered out about 14 3/4" LOP is better. In the summer I use a leather slip on pad for 15" and can take it off in the winter when thick clothing is worn. The guns that didn't have 3" DAH I bent. Had one old Remington that would bend like a wet noddle but go right back when cool. Never figured out why. But to answer your question, yes a stock can be bent in any direction. I have a Parker lifter and a Remington hammer lifter with straight stocks and 3 1/4"DAH. They're out there, you just have to find em. Find a straight stock gun and add a recoil pad and get it bent to what you want. Good luck - Paul

If you use leather slip on pads, extra pieces of leather spacers can be made to fit inside the pad to adjust to any length. I keep about four 1/4" spacers in my shooting bag to get what I want.

By NEW I mean older than 50 years old. My feeling is that if it is not aqt least 50 years old, it has no character😏. I should have said "another" gun.

I have found that LOP is not as important for me as DAH. Modern dimensions for me leave me looking at a lot of rib and I have to float the bird to hit it. I also get terrible cheek slap to the point where I get a huge bruise. Flinching becomes a real problem.

I think the idea of the Gelco leather pad should help. I think I will try that and also have the stocks bent to get the drop.

Thanks for your comments.

Tom: You might enjoy this article that Researcher found in a 1909 National Sportsman. Not the best resolution but readable.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c7UkkNyMTZ9NAztILpzjSLKvgIneAw5i7eqkZ3d3Eno/preview

I'm tall, long necked, and thin also, like a 2 3/4" DAH, and shoot better and with much less perceived recoil 'crawling the stock' than using an upright head position.

Whatever this fella is using oughta work

Lots of early straight stocked Lefevers out there with those dimensions. I just converted a 3" drop pistol grip Lefever to a straight grip (it had a non-original ill-fitting stock, so I didn't feel bad about altering it while in the process of fitting it to the tang), and although I shoot fairly head erect, at 5' 10", that's just too much drop for me. So I added 1/2" comb height and shaved 1/2" off the bottom toe angle to compensate so I don't have a 6" tall butt. Fits like a charm now. Bending works too, but I don't like the perch belly created when bending them up.