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I have recently purchased a new shotgun with a synthesis stock. After trying out and doing some research on the subject, I know the the length of pull is too short and it needs more comb drop. I was thinking about making some angled spacers/shims to drop the comb and spacers for the recoil pad to increase the length of pull. Has anybody had any experience with this?

Thanks for your help!

Some guns makers sell different LOP pads. If yours doesn't, spacers on a recoil pad can be installed by any gunsmith. The drop and cast shims are a bigger challenge. The gunsmith probably could do that, too. But it will cost more.

What gun do you have? Your gun maker doesn't offer a drop / cast kits?

Might want to spend the $20 on a set of Dead Ringer sights. Pulls your head up off the gun and fixes your point of aim issue. Buddy of mine had the same problem and that fixed him right up.

Take your gun to Tod Nelson in Cherokee Alabama. He'll fit the gun to you and may offer some pointers on your mounting and shooting style. His Dad (Jerry) fit my stock on the trap gun to me back in the early 90's and got me over the 89% hump. Over the next 2 years, the last 1000 singles average went to 97.7%.

Several things have to come together to hit consistently.......you've nailed one of them - gun fit. The other one is your visual position and reading the target. With practice, the eyes move with the target, the hands move with the eyes, and the gun moves with the hands. If they're all working together, you'll hit the target most of the time.

The bead on the end of a gun is only to assure sight alignment while fitting the gun and as a visual reference while developing basic shooting skills (i.e. leads). As you rely more on your eyes and hands to put the gun where it needs to be to intercept the target, the less you are aware of the bead at all (or, the less you should be).

When I first started shooting trap (1985), I bought a gun with a Broadway rib (about 3/4" wide) - I never learned to shoot it and after reconciling this fact, sold it. In hindsight, I don't remember shooting other guns very well, either (apparently) - so it wasn't the gun/rib. I was just looking in the wrong place when I should have been trusting my eyes and keeping them on the target.

50K targets later.......About 5 years ago I bought a gun for the barrel/choke configuration, engraving and the wood. It's bored IM/F and I use it for everything but ducks.....i.e. Trap, Skeet, Doves, Sporting Clays, upland birds.

Interestingly enough, it has a Broadway rib but now that I developed some better shooting (visual aspect) skills, I never notice it because I'm not focused on the barrel / rib / bead configuration anymore. The gun fits me perfectly and as long as I'm looking at the target and keep my eyes moving through the it, I usually hit what I'm shooting at. But the key is.....it fits.

So, you are on the right track IMO.

What does getting a gun fitted normally cost? I have always heard of this, but didn't know what all is involved.

I would guess (not including expenses) - maybe $100 or less.

Thanks for the help everyone!

TTT for good advice from Anatidae and another question.

20+ years ago my grandfather gave me a Browning A5, Belgium made, very nice gun. I hunted with it for a year or two in high school and slightly scratched the receiver pulling it from the case behind the seat of my truck. Well that pissed me off given the obvious sentimental value so I stuck it in the safe and haven't hunted with it since. It also never fit me. Stock is about 1.5" too long. The current stock and forearm have a high gloss finish, that I don't particularly care for in a hunting situation. I guess my options are to cut down and refinish the original stock, purchase an aftermarket stock/forearm and cut to fit, or find somebody that can do this professionally closer than Cherokee, Al. Any and all suggestions/advice appreciated.

DanP, you can buy quality synthetic stocks for the A5, fairly easy to swap out and you can modify without feeling bad about it. Put the wood up in the safe and hunt that gun.

Auto 5 composite stocks:
http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgw ... s/B1111176

Or, get in touch with these folks, they probably have beater wood you can have dipped, too:

http://www.gun-parts.com/browningstocks/

I have the Browning made stock set from MidWest gun works (bought a complete spring set from there as well) and like the stock. I am just going to have to modify it a touch to fit the trigger group in correctly. Surprised it didn't fit perfectly from the factory. But is is a good stock none the less.

Gulf Coast, being the resident Browning guru, if you run across a set of synthetic stocks for a 16 gauge A5 would you please let me know.