How often have you heard it said by inexperienced coaches,
gun salesmen in retail stores or even some of your
colleagues, that gun fitting is unimportant? This is an
opinion that has evolved, and is based on people hitting
targets with a bad or in some cases the most bizarre of
stocks, that work from time to time. The outcome of this is
inconsistent shooting. Andrew Harvison and Holloway &
Naughton ® dispute this point of view, and believe gun fit
is of paramount importance.
Much has been written on gun fitting, and probably even more
spoken about it, however is gun fitting a form of Black Art
or Magic? In fact it is the contrary! With proper
measurements, along with an accurate specification
determined by the end use or shooting discipline for each
shooter, when combined with taking careful note of the
shooter’s size and shape, a properly fitting gun will
result.
Not surprisingly, there is a completely different set of
measurements needed for male and female shooters.
How often do you see gun fitters looking down the barrel
(unloaded) in order to determine the height, cast, and
pitch, believing this is the solution to a “professional”
gun fit? We believe the stock should be calculated from the
centre of the shoulder pocket, and before the measurements
are specified, the following parameters need to be
accurately determined.
Trigger and hand location, and therefore the position of the
nose of the comb, as well as the bottom of the grip in
relation to each other, should be determined. All of these
are of fundamental importance and must be classified as the
primary measurements.
Achieving the perfect point of impact having factored in the
end use, we believe is down to meticulous attention to
detail, plus an understanding of stock dynamics and
geometry. This is all based upon grip measurement, shoulder
placement, and face contact on the correct position of the
stock. The measurements on the following specifications
sheet (click on the pdf link below) all form the basis of a
properly fitted shotgun stock.
Click to
view pdf file
Andrew Harvison of Holloway & Naughton ® offers a gun
fitting analysis and stock adjustment service.
New stocks made for all English and Continental shotguns.
click on image to enlarge |
click on image to enlarge |
For immediate advice, guidance and further information,
press the “Contact ” button above.
|
