doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How relivent are the dimensions from a gun fitting

Now the next obvious question and one that is in contention is how to pattern a gun to see if POI matches POA.

Do you mount as if you are going to shoot and then aim the gun using the bead?

Do you ignore the bead and just concentrate on the target?

If done right at 16 yards it will tell you how much to bend the stock but if done wrong it is useless.

I always pattern my guns using 3 shots on the same sheet of paper. I mount the gun and shoot like I would at the live bird. This gives me a good idea where I am shooting as an average. Hopefully all three are in roughly the same area. If not, I re-shoot a group of three. Since I am shooting easel paper with 1" squares from the office supply store I can easily see how I need to adjust the stock dimensions to make a specific gun shoot where I am looking. I always shoot at 16 yards to make the calculations easier. Once I get the gun adjusted I may move further back to make any POI that is off center more prominent.

I agree with virtually everything that's been said so far, particularly Mr Legg's comments on pitch being irrelevant to POI
within reason. Another issue that should be laid to rest is the 16yd thing. it's just not right( unless your eye is exactly 33.9" behind the bead). If you think about it the target/plate needs to be 16 X the distance from the bead as the bead is from the eye with the gun mounted. This will then give you the 16:1 ratio to allow 1" of impact adjustment to be achieved with 1/16TH of eye position adjustment.For a 6' person with a sxs using 30" bbls this means they need to be standing nearly 19 yds from the plate. With a semi auto it will be further yet.

Yep....Couldn't been said better.

All the variables can be identified and measured. The problem is that to do so takes more than a short time with a try gun. It takes skilled fitting that is repeated until "done," not just good enough. As I said, a relationship between the stocker and fitter. Those who DIY, can have that relationship to their guns. I does require considerable learning, though, to become good with the skills.

For anyone that shoots a gun, whether fitted by a pro, considering being fitted by a pro, doing it himself, or clueless, I highly recommend reading Michael Yardley's "Gunfitting" book. It's only about 100 pgs and will enlighten you beyond what you would have guessed.

How do you like how your body works? I mean, when you go to step on an ant or use your foot to close a door; do you like how it works? How do you like how your body works when you reach for the shave cream in the morning, or to pick up a pen on the desk? How do you like it when you point at something and you are actually pointing at that something?

Having a gun, fit, is akin to having it be a part of your body; not the guy next to you, or the guy next to him, but your body, your body parts.

If you like how your body parts work together in the types of movements/ activities above, then it is as relevant as having YOUR body parts, not someone else's which you are trying to function and move with.

Hugh:
Why 33.9"? Wouldn't it be 36" for 16:1?

As I understand it, the yard between your eyes and the front bead brings the raport of 16:1 so that the 1" deviation of POI comparative to POA can be corrected in 1:16th change of the stock dimension at the face. That is when you put the front bead at 16 yards from the target.
This method has worked very well for me.

Don't confuse shooting for POI with gun fit. When you're shooting to check POI you want to know where the gun shoots by removing the influence your mount and dimensions have. The best way to do this is to take two quarters and rest them on top of each other. Place them at the rear of the rib just in front of the breech. Aim at a spot on the board by placing the bead so it sits atop the two quarters. You've essentially created a rear sight for the gun. Shoot it like you would a rifle. This will tell you were the gun is shooting and let you be confident with applying your measurements.

It's possible that you may shoot a gun well that doesn't fit. I've found out that this tends to happen when the gun doesn't shoot where it's supposed too and it just so happens that the poor fit compensates for it. For example, the gun is too high for you but the POI is low which essentially cancel each other out.

It's much better to determine POI and then worry about measurements. You may be bale to correct for POI problems by using different dimensions than what the try gun says you should use.