New to CAS - shotgun "fit" question

[TheOtherLeft]

Hi guys,

I am new to CAS and new to shotguns. In fact I shot my first shotgun today at a CAS event. It was single trigger Stoeger SxS.

After a lot of reading, mainly from trap/skeet shooters it seems the fit of the shotgun of vital, i.e. fit to your shoulder and how well you sight in with respect to the stock/comb etc. Is there any truth to this for CAS?

Is it the same process as finding your "fit" for a rifle? I also shot a Uberti 73 lever action today and it took a little getting used to. It was the first time I've shot a lever action as well.

I did hit all of my targets though, including with the pistols. I've shot many pistols matches (ISSF, Service etc) though so was most comfortable shooting these compared to the longarms.

[St. George]

Shotgun 'fit' is vital when shooting Trap and Skeet - where you actually have small, fast-moving targets to hit (or try to) at various distances and angles.

In C&WAS - you can pretty much point the weapon at the target and hit it, because of the ridiculously close range, so it's not like it's difficult, when compared to trapshooting.

Concentrate on staying calm during your event - accuracy counts for more than speed.

As to the rifle's 'fit' - get out on the range, and practice, practice, practice - and do that with everything you shoot.

It pays off.

Scouts Out!

[Shotgun Franklin]

Yep, you'll go to fit the gun. Shoot a couple of hundred rounds through it and it'll fit just fine.

[Major 2]

There a few things that will help you to fit a particular Shotgun ( or rifle for that matter )

Trigger pull   ( or length of pull ), determine which eye is Eye dominate , drop at cheek or comb and Butt Plate shapes & or angle and amount of drop.
You can just take for granite, the average shotgun for the masses is a compromise...I:E that Stoeger SxS
These shotguns are designed for a right-handed male of average height , with a 33-inch arm length.

You can adjust the length of pull and even the butt plate angle with these, though
Little, short of a re-stocking will change amount of drop cheek or comb.
Nor will it be a perfect fit if you are a Lefty.

Frankly, they are just fine for static distances in CAS, here you will not need custom fitted Trap shotguns.

The best way is measure your own length of pull and adjust angle fit at the shoulder by  
Contacting qualified gunsmith for a "TRY GUN" .
The try gun will determine your length of pull, stock drop and other measurements that may help you find that best fit.

[Camille Eonich]

Being a short person I find that fit of the long guns is a little more crucial for me.  For a general fit you can lay the stock on your forearm with the butt hitting the bend at the elbow and the trigger should be a comfortable fit for your trigger finger.  The stock can be cut to adjust the fit.  I like my stock a little shorter than that because I load from the right and I like for the port to be "right there".  "Right there" is right there where the shell ends up if I am loading from the right correctly and "Slapping" the shell in.  My forearm should be doing all the work feeding the shells and loading.

If you load from the left then you may want to adjust there accordingly.  In other words I think that getting the stock length correct for loading is much more critical than for sighting because our targets are close.

For now just make sure your stock isn't too long and you will get it dialed in better later.

[Lead Waster]

I was told that to see if a shotgun fit, do this (this is for skeet/trap). Close your eyes and shoulder the gun, then open your eyes ... what are you looking at? If you are looking along the top of the barrel, it's a pretty good fit. Obviously there's more to it than that, but that shows you what your body would do if you weren't forcing it to do something else to meet your eyes.

For CAS shotgun, I bought whatever SxS was at the local sporting goods store at the time I bought my Rossi 92. Why? Because I'm in California and it costs you $25 of extortion for every gun you buy, but you can stick two long guns onto the same form and pay only once. What the heck, Chinese hammered side-by-side ... why not! Fit? It's not for skeet, it's so that I can play cowboys.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

The most important item is the "fit" of the nut that holds the butt.

For a shotgun, as has been mentioned, the targets are usually large and close. But; They can be missed! For the shotgun, there are two common pitfalls. 1.  Sloppy placement of the butt to the shoulder, and 2. Carelessness in failing to weld your cheek to the butt. Each one will usually cause a high shot, and doing both will surely add up to a miss.

Take care in your shooting; - QUICKLY! But remember that a miss costs a lot more time than a than a good hit.