short stock 12ga.?
Question:
Suggest you take her to a gun shop .i;e, Not a Walmart type of operation, which offers stock alterations, and have her fitted. Most women should use a shorter than normal stock, because of their physical structure. Unless she us unusually tall/lanky, she would probably measure out to about 13 1/2 or shorter. Remember to check out the length with her in the clothing she would be typically dressed for the occasion. If a short pad is installed, you could recover about 1/4 to 3/8 inch, if you ever wanted the added length, before resorting to spacers, etc. My $.02. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
>(huge snip) >I should also comment that the assumption that a 20-bore will have >less felt recoil than a 12-bore is not necessarily a valid one. In >general, 20-bore guns weigh less than 12-bore guns and, so, felt >recoil can be as severe as that of the 12-bore or even more so. >Take nothing for granted.
—— Absolutely correct…and very often unappreciated fact. I learned to hunt birds with a very slim Belgian 28 ga. hammered double. That thing kicked the crap out of my eight year old frame. I got a little older and wondered how a 28 could have punished me so. When it came time to introduce my own sons to shotguns I got a rather cheap Spanish 28 ga. double, cut the stock, and chose only the lightest loads for them to shoot…still after 10 rounds or so they had had enough. Remembering my own experiences with the 28 at that age…I was constantly trying to find a way to reduce recoil. Of course a cut stock on what is already a very small butted gun makes finding a recoil pad *very* difficult. Plus I needed a slip on to see if it helped much before permanently installing one. I found just such a pad from Galco, Inc. I think they are in Phoenix, if memory serves. The "extra small" size was a perfect fit. I wouldn’t expect to find such a pad in stock in any but the very best stocked store…you can call Gaco and order by mail…just have the toe-heel measurement of the buttstock if you try this. How can a measly 28 be so punishing? The Belgian gun weighed less than 5 lbs, and the butt on these guns is very slim, shoot that with max load for the 28 ga and you will see how a kid or a small woman, (or even a big man who isn’t terribly recoil tolerant), can be intimidated. joe Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
I’m interested in finding a short stock 12 ga. for my wife. My 870 is just too long for her to shoot comfortably. I know Rem. makes a youth 870, but I think it is only available in 20 ga. I looking for something <$300; the 870’s go on sale around here for $179. Is it possible to cut down the factory stock, or is there an aftermarket stock available. Also, anything that is lighter than the 870 would be a bonus. Thanks, -Bill Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
: I’m interested in finding a short stock 12 ga. for : my wife. My 870 is just too long for her to shoot : comfortably. I know Rem. makes a youth 870, but : I think it is only available in 20 ga. : I looking for something <$300; the 870’s go on sale : around here for $179. Is it possible to cut down : the factory stock, or is there an aftermarket stock : available. Also, anything that is lighter than the : 870 would be a bonus. : Thanks, : -Bill A couple of comments… If she’s too small of a frame for the 12Ga, then the 20Ga might be just right for her. Remember that the 20Ga spits out >80% of what a 12Ga does. It will kill just as far, but with a few less
pellets. Point two, yes you can cut down a wooden stock on the 12Ga. The problem is that the end of the stock may be curved, and you’ll need to duplicate that curve, and once cut, since the stock is tapered, the buttplate will need to be trimmed down to the same size as the stock. For $179, you will not be getting prime grade walnut, so cut away on the cheap stock, and later on you can replace it with a higher grade. samg Hewlett Packard/Colorado Springs Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
Simply have a gunsmith cut the stock !" or so and have a new recoil pad mounted. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
= : I’m interested in finding a short stock 12 ga. for = : my wife. My 870 is just too long for her to shoot [...query about cutting down stock...] = = Point two, yes you can cut down a wooden stock on the 12Ga. The problem is = that the end of the stock may be curved, and you’ll need to duplicate that = curve, and once cut, since the stock is tapered, the buttplate will need = to be trimmed down to the same size as the stock. For $179, you will not = be getting prime grade walnut, so cut away on the cheap stock, and later on = you can replace it with a higher grade. Or replace the existing butt plate with a recoil pad which come flat so duplicating the curve that some stocks have at the butt won’t be a problem. Personally, I like the Pachmayr Old English pads. They come in either two or three different thicknesses. Since you’re trying to shorten the stock, you’ll probably want to get the thinnest so you won’t have to cut too much off of the stock to compensate for pad thickness. Be sure to get the size for the *new* butt dimensions. Or, if she isn’t sensitive to recoil and doesn’t mind bare wood, chamfer the edges after cutting it off, seal it up with a good stock sealer, and use it as cut. Do seal the cut end even if you plan to put on a pad or replace the butt plate. And, of course, you don’t want to cut it so short that the through bold no longer fits…. — Best regards, Charlie "Older than dirt" Sorsby Los Alamos, NM "I’m the NRA!" Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
> I’m interested in finding a short stock 12 ga. for > my wife. My 870 is just too long for her to shoot > comfortably. I know Rem. makes a youth 870, but > I think it is only available in 20 ga.
Another fella suggested you go with the 20 ga. I agree. You’re talking about an autoloader here, so the weight of a 12 may be a bit much for her. If she can be accurate, the 20 will serve well enough. In addtion, simply cutting a stock isn’t always the solution. A lady’s stock should be slightly longer at the heel than the toe, and cast is a definite plus. Some dealers can even get her fitted with a Monte Carlo style comb (no drop to heel, or some reverse drop forward from the heel) that will eliminate all facial recoil. The experience will be a whole lot more pleasant for her if the gun fits properly and the recoil is minimal. IMHO, take a little more time to look around before you break out the saw. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
> I’m interested in finding a short stock 12 ga. for > my wife. My 870 is just too long for her to shoot > comfortably. I know Rem. makes a youth 870, but > I think it is only available in 20 ga.
Take her to a gun show and have her shoulder old(er) shotgun after shotgun. It may not all be length either. The mossberg 500 is lighter, better balanced imo, and easier for me to shoulder then the 870, even though it is slightly longer in the reach. My wife is partal to an old Higgins 16 gauge she appropriated years ago from her father. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
Response:
Not all of my comments relate to James’s post–I make them here simply as a matter of convenience. = > I’m interested in finding a short stock 12 ga. for = > my wife. My 870 is just too long for her to shoot = > comfortably. I know Rem. makes a youth 870, but = > I think it is only available in 20 ga. Most posts in this thread have assumed that it is the stock of that 870 that is "just too long." Don’t overlook the possibility that it is (or is also) the overall length that is a problem. I comment more about this later. = Another fella suggested you go with the 20 ga. I agree. You’re talking = about an autoloader here, so the weight of a 12 may be a bit much for = her. If she can be accurate, the 20 will serve well enough. While I mostly agree with your comments about the 20-gauge, a 12-gauge is not necessarily "a bit much." It really depends upon many factors and, in my opinion, the sex of the shooter is not one of them. But stature is, as is experience. With the information given, it is difficult to comment on just how the poster’s 870 is "just too long." Aside: I should also mention that I believe that the 12-gauge is a good all-around cartridge that has definite advantages over the smaller gauges in terms of pattern and versatility. If one reloads (or, now, with the 24-gram target loads, even if one does not) it can be loaded from 20-gauge loads up to quite heavy loads. I simply don’t believe that using more shot is as effective in a small-bore as in a larger-bore gun. One factor in gun fit that is often overlooked is the overall length of the gun. For a person of small stature, regardless of sex, a barrel that seems short to a taller person can seem tremendously long. Because of the long receiver of repeaters, the effect of barrel length can be exaggerated. This effect decreases as the shooter gains experience but, at first, it can be significant. When my daughters began wing shooting, it was with a Remington 1100 Lt20 Limited, the predecessor of the Youth Model. The barrel length was only 22 inches. Yet, because they were still rather small and, more importantly, inexperienced, even that short barrel seemed long to them. At first, they tended to lean back like a rifle shooter instead of slightly forward, into the gun, as a wing shooter should. Don’t discount this effect in evaluating how a gun fits any given shooter. Now I’d like to make a few comments about recoil because it has been my observation that any post about a female shooter almost invariably brings suggestions of a light cartridge, suggestions that often are not made if the query is for a male shooter. When I began shooting skeet, there was a couple who shot regularly. The wife routinely shot a 12-bore 1100 while the husband mainly shot the lighter gauges, also in 1100s. My point is that the assumption that, just because the shooter is a woman, she will automatically be more sensitive to recoil than will a man, is a faulty one. It just ain’t so. The original query suggests that this woman has shot the 12-bore but that the length (of the stock?) is a problem which suggests, to me, that the recoil was not much of a problem–at least in that gun. Clearly, though, changing stock dimensions could well change that. Stock fit is one of the factors that influence felt recoil. In my opinion, one of the major factors in recoil sensitivity is whether the shooter is relaxed. If the shooter is nicely relaxed, with the gun snugly to cheek and shoulder, upper body acting like a spring, not a barrier, recoil will not likely be a problem with any but the hottest loads, if then. Don’t fight the recoil, go with it. Allow it to push the entire upper body back, like a damped spring. I should also comment that the assumption that a 20-bore will have less felt recoil than a 12-bore is not necessarily a valid one. In general, 20-bore guns weigh less than 12-bore guns and, so, felt recoil can be as severe as that of the 12-bore or even more so. Take nothing for granted. = In addtion, = simply cutting a stock isn’t always the solution. A lady’s stock should = be slightly longer at the heel than the toe, and cast is a definite = plus. And, if cast is an option, it is definitely one of the few things that is sex-dependent. As I recall, for a woman, there should generally be a bit more cast at the toe of the stock than at the heel. I.e. the centerline of the butt should be canted somewhat relative to the vertical–with the toe shifted toward the outside. This may affect how much (or whether) the stock length needs to be shorter at the toe than at the heel as suggested by James. = Some dealers can even get her fitted with a Monte Carlo style comb = (no drop to heel, or some reverse drop forward from the heel) that will = eliminate all facial recoil. The experience will be a whole lot more = pleasant for her if the gun fits properly and the recoil is minimal. = IMHO, take a little more time to look around before you break out the = saw. This advice, of course, applies to either sex. — Best regards, Charlie "Older than dirt" Sorsby Los Alamos, NM "I’m the NRA!" Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ To leave the Hunting listserv list, send a message with SIGNOFF HUNTING
