doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com General Question: What do you do about low drop on older guns?

Over the years I have a managed to accumulate fairly nice collection of good shotguns, but I have always been hesitant to purchase anything made in the U.S.A. earlier than WWII because of the low drop incorporated into the stocks up to that period.

What you do guys do with guns that are stocked like this? Do you have the stocks bent or alterred?; or do you just restock the piece?

I am interested in getting something in a Ithaca NID or Fox Sterlingworth (20 ga.) to take into the field (NB: I'm a shooter, not a collector). Because I'm looking for something in a low grade that I won't have to worry about getting scratched up a little, I would like to keep the cost for stock alterations down to no more a couple hundred bucks.

Any suggestions?

We had a good thread going about this recently but it's all ready been auto-deleted. You've probably already adjusted your shooting to a more erect head position. Southwest Shooters Supply http://www.swshotguns.com sells several kinds of light weight and recoil absorbing stick on 'elevator' pads. And Gooey Pads http://www.trapdude.com/Original_Gooey_Pads/original_gooey_pads.html has some in lime green and hot pink! :rolleyes: The various wrap on/tie on pads tend to shift and are heavy enough to change the balance of the gun.

Get the gun you want, a flat of shells and spend an afternoon on the skeet field shooting the gun. You can adjust your shooting style with a little practice.

If you're not concerned about preserving the original stock, and are reasonably handy, you could consider sawing a bit off the comb and adding new wood. The dollar cost would be negligible and the benefits many. While rasping, test firing, sanding and finishing, you will

1) learn much about gun fit
2) learn whether you're cut out for stockwork
3) hopefully wind up with a decent pattern for duplicating should you decide to upgrade the stock later

I think it's an excellent place for a beginner to begin. Unlike metal work, you can't do any harm that money can't correct.

OTOH, with a budget of $200, you should be able to entice a stockmaker, or at least a skilled woodworker to do the job for you.

Not to pick on you, Jay, 'cause I've read a lot lately about learning to shoot the "old way" in the "head up" style, but....

Changing yourself to fit the gun instead of making the gun fit you reminds me of an old story...

A fellow with a nagging pain in his side was advised that surgical removal of the family jewels would alleviate it. Finally, in desperation, he had the surgery. He felt so great afterwards that he went to a tailor to treat himself to a new suit.

The tailor eyeballed him and said "That's about a 42 inhca chest you got."

The guy said "That's amazing! That's exactly what I wear and you knew it without measuring me!"

The tailor said "Hey, thatsa what I do. Also, you inseam is a 30 inches."

"Incredible that you can tell that!"

"Yes, and you waista size is a 38 inches."

The guy says, "Uh, nope. It's 36 inches."

Tailor says "I'm a tellin' you, it's a 38 inches. You wear a 36 inch waist, you gonna get a terrible pain in you side."


I'd rather have the gun that fits.

With something like a NID, I'd think that there are some stock providers out there that would have them rough cut, ready to sell for you to finish shaping. Most likely wouldn't cost too much either. Try http://www.wenig.com/ http://www.northwoodgunstock.com/
there are others.

Mike,

I agree with you, in principle, but the real question is what does fit mean?

This topic has been hashed, over and over and, my take away based on what I have read is this: the fit for field shooting is different from that used for clay games (essentially, low gun vs high or pre-mounted gun). Most of the coaching I have received at skeet suggested that I needed to get my head down. Ok, that suggests that I am not shooting enough drop. Ok, so that may help to explain why I can pick up my 16 ga Parker, with it's 3-1/2" drop and make hay in the woods and on the skeet field.

My personal opinion is that too much time is spent talking about gun fit when it comes to the average shooter, especially one who is primarily a hunter. What fits? Depends on time of year( how much clothing you are wearing) type of game (long open shots at phez) vs snap shooting at early season grouse and age (unfortunately, most of our bodies go through significant changes as we age or as we lose weight).

I have a close friend who spent $$$ getting a new shotgun built to "fit" him - lop is pushing every bit of 15". Shooting skeet with a mounted gun he almost always out shoots me. But the guy can't hit a grouse unless it is sitting in a tree. He misses all but the easiest of shots. I have spent years hunting with him and I think his problem is that his gun does not "fit" him for hunting situations where relying on instincts is critical.

I am not a pro and I am sure that there are a number of people who will take exception to the statements I have said, but I believe that there is no substitute for practicing with a gun and a fitted gun is no substitute for practice.

Jay is 100% right, or at least dang close to it.

Your neck will accomodate bendng better than the stock. Cheaper, too.

Mike: I like your suggestion about sawing off some of the comb and adding a new piece (and I find as much truth as amusement in your story). However, I'd better have a back-up plan (such as that offered by Casper), because I've not done very much wood work. But just in case I end up taking your advice, do you have any suggestions as to were I could get some seasoned walnut for the additive material? Or is the lumber yard just as good a source as any?

As this is all in the hypothetical--since I am still in the shopping-around stage for my next shotgun--I'm really interested in hearing how you folks on this board have dealt with this problem.

Sorry I missed the earlier thread on this subject, but I just discovered this site a couple weeks ago.

Again, I really did not intend to bring something up that has been done to death.

But here is where I stand. I am just a mediocre shot, but I try hard to develop a flexible field style (Churchill/Holland/Orvis/etc. method) that is dependent upon having the gun fit the shooter. My sole goal is field shooting; even at the target range, I use the same low-gun mount. As long as I pratice a lot, and mount the gun exactly the same way, I can do reasonably well. For me, consistency is an absolute must.

My other shotguns are all stocked to fit me, and with my modest skills, I'd really hate to have to adapt my style of shooting to a new gun. In fact, I'd rather scratch my plan to procure an American classic than do so.