Cast can be applied in either direction and is referred to as вЂcast onвЂ™ when the butt ends up being left of the gunвЂ™s central line and вЂcast offвЂ™ when the butt ends up being to the right of it. The cast of the stock is simply the measurement between the central line of the gun and the central line of the stockвЂ™s butt. Whereas the drop of the gun is responsible for the shot pattern landing higher or lower, the castВ takes care of the right or left movement of the pattern. The good thing about a solution like this is that itвЂ™s a cost effective way of testing it out to see if it improves your shooting without making permanent alterations to your gun. ItвЂ™s a neoprene sock that fits over the stock and comes with a number of foam pads in different thicknesses that effectively raises the height of your comb to your liking. An example of this is the Beartooth comb raising kit. Fortunately, if itвЂ™s sitting too low, there are comb raising kits on the market that do a good job. 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. The iris should sit central and directly on top it of it, like this: You can go to the trouble of measuring your own gunвЂ™s drop or you can simply mount your gun in front of a mirror (of course it should be proven empty and safe first) and look at where your master eye sits in relation to the rib. 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.ДЄ typical drop onВ an over an under shotgun is around 35mmВ at comb and 54mmВ at heel. See the diagram above for a visual of where the points are on the gun. With a low stock, you can also experience inconsistent high and low shooting because of the need to raise the head вЂ“ when the drop is excessive, your eye will see the top lever which will put you off the target with a natural reaction being to lift the head for a clearer view of what youвЂ™re looking to shoot.Дrop is measured in three places вЂ“ at the face, at the combВ and at the heel although the latter two are the most common. A stockВ that is too highВ can cause you to shoot highВ and a stock that is set too lowВ can cause you to shoot low. LOOKING TO IMPROVE YOUR SHOOTING? CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT OUR ONLINE VIDEO COURSEДrop is the measurement that will determine whether your shot pattern lands higher or lower than desired. Below the images, each measurementВ is explained.

The diagrams below will help you to understand the anatomy of a shotgun and the measurements we need in the context of gun fit. The physical parts of the shotgun which are important to gun fit.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 clearвЂ¦ДЇirstly, it will help if we break the above into two distinct categories. When shooting at a target 35 to 40 yds away, 1/4вЂі out on/off the castВ means the shot ending upВ around 6ft away from where you intended it to go. ItвЂ™s this simple, if your gun doesnвЂ™t fit then you wonвЂ™t shoot straight. If you have figured out your dominant eye and have settled with a method to work with it and practised your mount so that youвЂ™re consistently mounting to the correct place each time then the final thing you need in order to shoot where you look is a well fitted gun. Improve your understanding of gun fit as a concept.Help you decide whether a gun youвЂ™re looking to buy is likelyВ to need major alterations in order for it to fit you correctly.Quickly check the fit of your own gun at home to help you identify the most obvious fit issues.This guide is intended to help you in one or more of the following ways: They can also make the necessary adjustments to your gun once the fitting has taken placeВ so if you are planning on having your gun altered to improve the fit or are looking to have a gun made to your specifications, this would be the recommended approach. Visiting a master in the art of gun fit is always a good idea.В Most gunsmiths have try guns and tend to offer a gun fittingВ service. In this guide we will simplify shotgun fitting and break down the different elements so you can check the fit of your gun at home.

Together, they make aВ platform for other things to be stackedВ on top of but remove one leg and the whole thing falls over. Think of theseВ three building blocks a bitВ like a tripod. We have already covered the other two вЂ“ eye dominance and gun mountВ so this article completes the foundation series. Correct gun fit is one of the three fundamental building blocks to successful shotgun shooting.

Sstock photo gun to head