If you just want to measure cast lay your straight edge along the side of the receiver and back across the side of the butt. measure over from the stock on both sides to the straight edge and that will give u your cast.
Full Answer
What does a cast off stock look like on a shotgun?
A shotgun with no cast is straight and a line down the rib will continue straight down the center of the butt stock, when viewed from above. When looking from the back of the gun, a cast-off stock will show the center of the butt slightly right of the center of the rib line. The opposite is true of a cast-on stock.
What does stock length mean on a shotgun?
Length or the shotgun length of pull is the measurement between the centre of the trigger and the centre of the butt. Typically, this will range anywhere from 14 1/4″ to 15 1/2″ for a gun designed to be used by an adult. ... If the stock length is too short, you’re likely to feel more recoil and have less control when handling the gun.
What are the Stock measurements for a rifle?
The pertinent stock measurements are: Length of Pull, Cast, and Drop. They are defined thus: Length of Pull: the distance from the front trigger to the center of the butt. Drop at Comb: extent of vertical offset between the top of the barrels ( rib) and the comb of the butt-stock.
How do you measure a shotgun for a shooter?
One of the most important measurements in fitting a shotgun to a shooter is length of pull (LOP). Shown as measurement ‘A,’ it is measured from the center of the butt to the center of the trigger and is seen as a fairly direct measurement of the length of the butt stock of any firearm.
How to check for cast issues?
To check for cast issues, get back in front of the mirror (again with a proven empty and safe gun) and see if your eye sits centrally on the rib of the gun (without having to roll your head). The image below shows the correct position plus two wrong positions.
Where is drop measured on a gun?
Drop is measured in three places – at the face, at the comb and at the heel although the latter two are the most common. See the diagram above for a visual of where the points are on the gun. Also note the degree of pitch on the diagram, this is a measurement of the angle between the line of the butt and the line of the rib.
What is the correct gun fit?
Correct gun fit is one of the three fundamental building blocks to successful shotgun shooting. We have already covered the other two – eye dominance and gun mount so this article completes the foundation series.
What happens if your stock is too short?
If the stock length is too short, you’re likely to feel more recoil and have less control when handling the gun. When it comes to temporary solutions for remedying a short stock, a slip on recoil pad can be helpful and some come with different sized foam inserts which allow you to extend the stock by different lengths.
What should the iris be on a gun?
The iris should sit central and directly on top it of it, like this: If you see any of the below, the drop on your gun is either too much or too little. If your eye sits too high in relation to the rib, seek advice from a good gunsmith as alterations to the stock may be needed.
How long is a shotgun pull?
Typically, this will range anywhere from 14 1/4″ to 15 1/2″ for a gun designed to be used by an adult.
How to tell if a gun is too long?
A sign that the length is too long is if when mounting the gun, you aren’t able to mount the gun into the shoulder pocket but instead it ends up being mounted on the end of your arm.
What is a cast off stock?
Cast allows a shooter to look straight down the rib, so a cast-off stock is meant for a right-handed person and a cast-on stock for a leftie. Mounting a cast-off stock left-handed results in the shooter looking down the right side of the rib, meaning their eye will not align naturally with the rib.
What is shotgun fit?
Shotgun Fit: Understanding Stocks. There are many factors involved in shooting a shotgun accurately, but one of the most important and least understood is gun fit. Most manufacturers offer a standard stock dimension, something that fits the average shooter. Since shooters don’t have an opportunity to choose between different stock sizes ...
How to find drop at comb?
To find drop at comb, a perpendicular line is drawn down from the rib line to the point of the comb and a measurement is taken (‘B’). This drop is one of the most critical of all the factors involving fit, allowing the cheek to rest at the right height, which in turn allows the eye to fall naturally in line with the rib. The proper drop allows the gun to be thrown up for a quick shot and not have to be adjusted before firing.
What happens if you shoot high with a comb?
If the comb is too high, the eye is forced high and we will tend to shoot high. To counteract this, shooters mash their cheek too hard against the stock, trying to lower the eye. This isn’t a comfortable, natural way to aim and will lead to more felt recoil from the gun.
Why is pitch important in shooting?
For those shooters, a stock with too little pitch will distribute recoil with only the toe section of the butt, creating an uncomfortable experience and many times bruising their shoulder.
What does "cast off" mean?
The terms ‘cast-off’ and ‘cast-on’ are used to describe stock configurations for either a right-handed or left-handed person. This measurement is shown in the diagram below and is designated ‘G’.
What does a small pad do to a gun?
A small pad, having little difference between drop at heel and drop at toe, will result in a gun that sends all its force through a smaller surface, resulting in more felt recoil .
What is cast in golf?
The cast is the amount a stock is bent to the left or right and acts like the windage adjustment to get your eye aligned in the left to right plane behind the rib.
What is pitch in a shotgun?
Pitch. Pitch is the angle of the back of the recoil pad or butt plate. This measurement is important because it affects how recoil is transmitted to the shooter. For details on shotgun pitch adjustment check out this GunsAmerica article.
What are the final tests to ensure the gun is hitting where you’re looking?
The patterning board, clays courses, and birds falling from the skies are the final tests to ensure the gun is hitting where you’re looking. Once you own a shotgun that really fits, nothing else will ever do because you will see the difference, but you will also know just what to look and ask for when buying.
How does a shotgun feel when thrown up?
I’ve had several shotguns that felt really good but never delivered when it was time to hit the targets. Sometimes it’s the point of impact due to rib design but most often it comes down to the true fit of a shotgun where small errors are magnified as the distance increases to the target.
How far behind your hand is the recoil pad on a shotgun?
Typically you will want the stock length to be a length so that when mounted, your face is about 2 inches behind your hand grasping the grip of the shotgun.
Where is the drop on a shotgun?
Drop. This is the distance that the top edge of the stock is below the line of the rib or barrel. The drop is typically measured at the comb and at the heel, but the drop where your face actually sits is what is truly important. Your eye is essentially functioning as the rear sight of the shotgun and it needs to be aligned vertically with ...
Should you stretch your thumb when recoiling a gun?
You don’t want your thumb hitting your nose during recoil, but you don’t want it so long that you have to stretch to support the gun. Your other arm should be able to support the forearm with a generous bend at the elbow, not a straight arm making it hard to hold up the front of the gun.
How to check for cast on a gun?
To check for cast, use a mirror and your unloaded gun.
Why do you need to line up cast?
You need to line up cast to check gun fit so that when your gun is mounted in the correct position, your dominant eye sits centrally over the rib without the need to move or roll your head in order to put it there. If the cast is wrong for you it may cause you to miss to one side as your eye is in the wrong position.
What is the difference between a right handed gun and a lefty gun?
You should have a natural and upright head position that puts your eye in the correct place. Right-handed shooters will need a gun that is ‘cast-off’, while ‘lefties’ will need a gun that is ‘cast-on’. In drawing below we can see the difference between the two ‘casts’.
Do left handed guns have casts?
Most new guns have very little or no cast and are usually cast only at the toe of the stock, effectively presenting a very slight twist to the stock. I think that in reality this allows for most left-handers to shoot most guns without noticing any adverse effects.
Can you adjust a shim on an auto?
Autos. Autos are generally very easy to adjust as most manufacturers provide shims to alter both cast and pitch or comb height. Shims, such as those pictured here, fit between the butt and the action, which then allow for various alterations to fit. In the diagram above, we can .
Why Is Gun Fit Important?
Gun Fitting Terminology
- If cast, drop, pitch, length, comb, toe, rib and heel all make you scratch your head and want to run a mile, wait! Read on and all will become clear… Firstly, it will help if we break the above into two distinct categories. 1. The physical parts of the shotgun which are important to gun fit 2. The measurements between those parts The diagrams below will help you to understand the anato…
The Proof Is in The Pattern
- Most shooting grounds have a pattern plate which you can ask to use. The purpose of a pattern plate is to allow you to shoot at it from certain distances with different cartridges to see how it impacts your shot pattern. One other use of a pattern plate is to aim at the centre and see whether your pattern is high, low, left or right of where you th...
Summary
- Hopefully you now have more of an understanding about gun fit and how/why the different measurements are used and taken. There is no substitute for spending some time with a seasoned gun fitting pro and as mentioned a number of times in this article you should absolutely do this before having any alteration work carried out on your gun. If you have been wondering ho…