Don,
I'm not sure if I read that you made it to zero pitch or it was already.
Just to be clear, zero pitch is when the butt is exactly 90* from the rib. Most modern guns have about 2-3" of pitch muzzle down. Pitch is measured with a straight edge or framing square, flush to the butt and contacting the rib. If it contacts the rib at the breach end and is about 2-3" above the muzzle, it's typical. The classic "farmer method" is to find a hard floor in a square doorjam. Set the gun on the floor with the butt in full contact, slide the butt along the floor until the rib contacts the vertical doorjamb. zero pitch is when the contact is all along the rib.
