doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com re: stock bending

I have a SxS (LC Smith) and I need a 3/16 cast off to fit properly. Does anyone know who could bend this stock (and/or would it be possible to sand the comb to make it fit).


many thanks,
John

I do not think sanding is advisable. The stock can be bent by a competent gunsmith who works on wood as well as the mechanism and barrel.
The link below is hugh lomas who has done bending for me

http://hglomasgunmakers.com/contact.html

Every time I see a thread like this one that talks about such a small alteration to "fit",especially with thinking of bending or sanding, it makes me think back on all of the shotguns that I have owned or borrowed. I have just picked up them and fired, never thought for a second what the cast was. I have bought 20 plus new in the box shotguns (Remingtons, Winchesters, Mossbergs, Brownings) over 40 years and never checked one for cast. Hunted with them all and never had a problem. Also I have never checked cast on any of my collection of Model 21s, Ithaca NIDs, Parkers, Remingtons. LOPs vary from 13 1/2" to 14 5/8" And if shooting in cool to cold weather with various layers of clothing they would all change.
They have drops of 2 1/4" to 3" and I hit with them all. Am I magical or are there others out there like me?? I really believe, like with any subject, you can go off on the deep end!

Yeah, im the same never had a gun fitted...but if i did maybe I would be a better shot /wink

I agree 100%....I've never bought any gun that has had a pad added or had any owner modifications, extra holes, choke changes etc. Hunted all over the world with them and always hit what I shot at.....

You are not magical M2128, many others out here like you ....

I've seen lot's of folks spend a lot of money 'fitting' this and fitting that and they don't shoot any better after spending the fitting money than they did before, very interesting for sure.........

Agreed, Off the deep end.......

If it is a nice gun and you plan to own it for awhile, adjusting yourself to the gun doesn't make sense to me. When you buy a new car, do you adjust the seat, steering wheel and rear-view mirrors, or do you leave it like it was set in the factory? Except for the fortunate few who can buy a suit off the rack, most people pay to have a new suit tailored - why not a gun (which usually costs much more and you will likely own a lot longer than a suit?)

LOP is a little more flexible but drop and cast affect the gun's vertical and horizontal alignment relative to where you are looking. If I remember the calculation correctly, 1/4" castoff translates into a 30" change in R-L alignment at 40 yards, which is the difference between centering a target or hitting it with the edge of a full choke pattern. Why make the shooting game any harder by forcing yourself to adjust up/down/right/left everytime you pick up one of your guns?

Shoot the gun, check the fit, and have it altered as needed.

John - got distracted by the larger discussion and forgot to answer your inquiry (funny how that happens on this forum).

Not sure where you are and if proximity mattters. Rich Cole in ME does great work:
Cole's

Mike Orlen in MA does stock bending but I have not worked with him directly:
79 Salem Street • Amherst, MA 01002 • (413) 256-1630 • fax (413) 253-5665 • michael.orlen@verizon.net

A shooting instructor/gunfitter friend whose opinion I highly respected has recommended British Sporting Arms in Millbrook, NY for stock bending work:
BSA

John,
If you're so inclined, stock bending is the easiest gunsmithing that I've ever done. Much easier than hollowing out the comb which requires refinishing the stock. You may need to do both as the cast is to fit the width of your shoulders and the comb thickness to fit the width of your face.

I am not a qualified gunsmith and this advice is worth what you paid for it nor do I know how you decide how much to alter your gun. I was lucky to inherit a gun from my grandfather that fits me like a glove (actually I've never had a pair of gloves that fit me nearly as well as this gun. Most gloves are like most guns, designed to sort of work for the average, and fit nobody well) and strive to get my other guns to match it, including bending the stocks and thinning the combs. I am not a good enough shot to be able to hit things consistently if I have to screw my head around on the stock to get my eye over the rib.
My bending technique is to set the action in a vise and rig something on the bench top so I can pull on the butt with a large c-clamp. I put a little linseed oil on the wrist and set a work light on either side. I set the lights close to heats things up and back them off when the oil starts smoking. I then fiddle around with something else close by for half an hour or so then start trying the stock to see if its limbered up. When there is less resistance to bending I crank on the clamp about the desired amount or a bit more and turn off the lamps. Wait for the wood to cool and try it for fit.
I experimented with a stoeger condor before trying a nicer gun.

Don't get me wrong here guys, I'm not mocking, but some people just have better physical capabilities, hand-eye coordination, faster reactions, better vision, etc.. Some have these capabilities in the extreme. Some, like me, struggle to get to mediocre or not so bad. I have a friend we used to shoot every week with that had no formal training, yet was capable of shooting international skeet with the big boys...on occasion. The rest of the time, he was just impressive as hell. He can literally see targets moving so fast, I can't see them, and he'll actually analyze these things and shoot them. He shoots a gun way too long for him, yet has no desire for a pro fit session. He "stock crawls" all over that gun, but really fast.