doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Worth the extra $ to have an AYA built to fit?

I have my heart set on a 16 gauge no.2

I am wondering if it is worth the money to buy one brand new so that I can have it made to my dimensions as measured by Fieldsport in Traverse City, MI..

From the looks of it I can only save around a thousand dollars by buying used.. and since I have never had a fitted shotgun, I love the idea of having one built to my specs. and I might learn a lot in the process.

Any thoughts?

Will you shoot it better than one on which the stock is set to fit you? No!

Will it light your fire? Maybe, maybe not. It wouldn't mine. I have maybe 20 guns, all with stocks set up to my specs. They all shoot as well as if they were bespoke guns.

Will you benefit from a fitting? You bet!

One thing that I forgot to mention is that I really love plain checkered stocks with no pad.. So that must be factored into the equation

If you are physically fit and move fairly fast for your age, and have eyesight better than 20/20 uncorrected...then stock fitting is a complete waste of money IMO.

If you have poor eyesight or wear glasses and/or contacts and can't move too fast, then it may help....?....That so called perfect fit changes from summer to winter with the clothes....

This is just my opinion, others will vary for sure.

I have a lot of shotguns and none of them are fitted. I do use a removable leather slip on to protect the butt plate and or butt checkering as I set the gun down while hunting. Most were bought used, but all have LOP at or over 14.25" as I am tall with long arms.

I've seen an awful lot of men who can pick up any unfamiliar gun and shoot it accurately and consistently, so I think shooting and practicing is the most important factor with any gun.

Regards,

I can't speak to AYAs. But I have had 2 bespoke guns made to my specs by Verney-Carron. A 20ga game gun and 12ga Pigeon/Clays gun. In both cases the guns have made me a better shooter.

As Doug said, other opinions will vary. Mine does. I personally think a fitted gun is far more enjoyable to use than one that doesn't fit and you have to compensate for the poor fit when you use the gun.

But a fitted gun only makes sense if you have a proper and consistent mount. If you do and if you like the AyA 16 ga then go for it! Amortize the thousand bucks over the years you expect to use the gun and it becomes trivial!

By the way, is the 16 ga AyA build on a 20 ga frame? Have you shot a 16 ga AyA?
The AyA #2 is a great shotgun I have a 20 ga that I use a lot and love. But I do not like the 12 ga. Big handling and feel difference. Make sure you try out a 16ga before you drop the nickel.

I wouldn't know how to order a fitted gun. Fitted for what? In October I'm after ruffed grouse, practically in my shirtsleeves. In November, around 8C for ducks and geese, it's light jacket and nylon chest waders. In December, it's heavy jacket, white smock, heavy neoprene chest waders. No particular specification meets all those conditions. I suspect most bespoke is affectation.

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely look into the frames. I know fieldsport has a few different #2s I can mess around with before ordering mine if I go that route.

I plan to only use this gun for grouse hunting and skeet ( practicing for grouse)

I am thinking that I will have it fitted wearing what I would be on a chilly grouse day, and then add on one of those removable orvis leather slip on pads for when Im at the skeet range or hutning in warm weather.

Drop and cast are much more important than LOP when it comes to gun fit. LOP may affect how well you can mount the gun, but when it comes to shooting where you are looking, too much drop or too much cast are a bigger issue than a stock that is too short.

Cast and drop can be fixed by bending potentially - my success on that front has varied, as it seems to depend on the wood involved and the amount of change needed. If the gun in question is close to your dimensions, then bending may be an option.

If your are going to order one, I would second the suggestion to have it made on a 20 ga. frame.

It depends ....

Firstly - I have to completely disagree with the post that says you will shoot no better with a fitted gun and stock fitting is a waste of money. I happen to believe quite the opposite. So do most of the worlds shooting coaches, best gunmakers, most if not all gunsmiths and the vast majority of thinking shooters.

You WILL shoot better with a properly fitted gun - and IT IS money well spent.

Secondly, if you are fairly conventionally sized, need a standard(ish) LOP, and are right handed/right eyed, I would buy a standard stock gun - and go to a good gunfitter and have it altered to fit.

If however you need a very long LOP, or other unusual dimensions, it would be worth thinking about a custom made gun.

What I would do FIRST is visit a good gunfitter, get some measurements, discuss the issue with the gun fitter and see if its practical to alter a standard stock gun. If not, you have to weigh up having a custom built item. Remember that you can see the wood of a standard gun before alteration and choose the wood from stock. To choose a blank and have it made for you will be expensive and involve a long wait.

See that gunfitter first - if necessary more than one - and talk it through with them - as they are experts at this sort of thing.