Picking the right firearm...

[Red Badger]

How do I tell if a firearm is going to fit me?

Went cruising through the local gun store the other day and fell in love with a beautiful kentucky long rifle, price was reasonable, But when I threw it up to get the feel of it, I could not get a sight picture with the butt plate against me.. I wold have had to extend the stock about three to four inches to get a good sight picture.

I know I am not the only one with these questions so I thought I'd post them so we could get some answers....

Old Salt is going to help me measure my length of pull next time I see him, but what other measurements are needed to get a proper fit?

[Hanshi]

I've mounted a couple to my shoulder that didn't work.  Usually a too straight stock is the culprit.  Your experience is unusual.  Maybe it was a "youth" rifle.  Are you pretty tall?  I'm short and have had to struggle with stocks too long all my life.  Since I had my rifles built for me they fit for the first time in my life.  LOP is easy to measure.

[Red Badger]

I'm 6' with broad shoulders and about 26 inches from my shoulder joint to my fingertip.  When I put the rifle up to my arm and put my finger by the trigger I could get the rear sight up high enough to get a sight picture.  My Cabella's hawkin fits nice and I can get the sight picture though it but I want to get a fullstock flinter and every one I have  seen here in town seems to short for me.  I might be doing something wrong in the way I throw it up to me but for the life of me I can't figure out what. 

Harry said the next time I come to Kansas we would try some of his rifles to see what I need to do, but I thought it might be something others may be having an issue with so i thought I'd post the question....

The rifle in question was according to the salesman not a youth rifle and it stood roughly 53-56 inches... It was a factory rifle from one of the big BP company's (I wanna say it was a great plains but am not positive)  They also had a shandougha (SP) and it was to short in stock for me also... (and it was more than I could spend )

I guess I'll just have to wait until I go to Kansas and have Harry help me out.

[old salt]

Jim
The way I do it is to measure from the inside bend of the elbow to the
first joint of your trigger finger, this should give you, your lop, or at least
a starting point. Remember to place the stock on your arm and not in your
shoulder pocket,hold upper arm parallel to the ground, by raising or lowering the point of your elbow you change you site picture on most rifles.

Hope you can under stand what I am trying to say.

[Wild Ed]

LOP is more than just a measurement.  I fit shotguns to my shooting students all the time.  Remember that just by gripping the rifle or firearm further out or further in with your left hand for righthanders you can change or adjust the lenght of pull.  Fit is a combination of things but you can make adjustments. The further out the forearm you grip a firearm with your leading hand the longer it makes the LOP seem the closer the shorter it seems.  Try it as it is quite simple to make some adjustment depending on the firearm. 

[Red Badger]

Thanks for the advice,  I need to run into town again today and just might stop by the gun shop and see it they have anything in stock,  if they do I'll try these techniques and see how they work.  If not I think I am going to Kansas next weekend so I will spend some time with Old Salt and we can figure out what I'm doing wrong....

[Hanshi]

I think you're going about this correctly.  Fit is everything, except for the other things...ahem!  A short stock, lop on a rifle is usually not a great problem for taller people in general but a too long lop gives us shorties a fit.  The problem is probably a number of things that add up to poor fit, in this case.  I think you'll get fixed up, now.