I was wondering what is the best way to make sure your shotgun will fit, I have read somewhere where you shoot at paper and check the patterns and this tells you if you need to adjust LOP or not, but I don't remember the details. also how important is this??

Length of pull, cast off, and drop at heel can all affect your shooting scores. I do not know how to fit a shotgun, it requires someone who really knows what they are doing. I have had two of my shotguns fitted to me by experts and they use several methods, ranging from having me shoulder the weapon with my eyes closed (while standing in front of me), with my eyes open while looking at a particular point (such as their outstretched finger between me and them) and even some fancy laser gadgets attached to a special dummy gun. The point is, when you shoulder the weapon it should be precisely aimed at what you are looking at, without you taking your eyes off your target. You don't go down onto the sights, they line up right on target when you shoulder the weapon. This is only important of course if you want to hit the target.

The best way is to use a 'try gun'. This is a shotgun that has all the dimensions adjustable.With an experienced instructor who then adjusts things as you shoot you get your best dimensions. Then have a stock made to those dimensions.I did this at Orvis in Vermont and have been happy ever sonce !

to shoot well with a shotgun, it is essential that the gun fits you. all stock dimensions will influence how the gun suits you, with comb height being about the most crucial(with your cheek on the stock, the rib or barrels should be flat and level with your eye)if you have to struggle to look straight down the rib after you mount the gun, then you will never shoot well with it.
"dry" mounting practice with an empty gun will help, and also show up any problems in gun fit.
good luck,
good shooting

Cummins Cowboy;

You might try the old method - Pick out a target - Close your eyes - Throw the shotgun up to your shoulder and point. Don't adjust and try it again. That first time was it!Make a note of where the muzzle was! It's only a crude test - but it does have the enormous advantage in shotgun shooting of telling you if you were 'over" or "under" shooting. ( "Lead" is easily solved because your swing will tell you so)

Cummins Cowboy:

I should have added to my last post - Are you planning to use a shotgun in Trap/skeet or in the field as a game shotgun? I meant my remarks to be for game shooting. You can adjust to handling almost any kind of shotgun when you use it in the field. You're not supposed to kill "25 out of 25" in shooting game birds as in trap/skeet. (In fact, you won't!) Bird shooters are less persnickety than trap/skeet shooters - who complain if someone coughs!

I just want to be good with a shotgun, be it on birds and trap and skeet. It seems like I am looking to much down the rib of the barrel, meaning my face seems a little high on the gun, it doesn't have hardly any pad, so maybe a think pad would help place my face lower on the stock. I seem to like stocks with a little more drop at the heel than most folks, infact many guns that where fittied for open site use, work best for me scoped, at least for off hand shooting.

It will take a bit of practice to find out. I'm the opposite of you, I like a bit straighter stock than most people, mainly because I like to see some daylight between the bead and bird. Experiment with several to see what you shoot better than others, then see where it actually shoots, you'll have a guideline. I've picked up a lot of them that really felt like a natural in the shop, yet just never worked in the field or on the range. I don't think anyone can tell you what dimensions will work, just make generalized recommendations. Shoot enough and someday you'll know, that's not a bad thing to shoot a bunch and trade guns in your quest to find out what really works.

CC,

For you, a fellow Utahn, try this. Works pretty well to get you into the ball park. You will need a box of light target shells, your shotgun with it's tightest choke, a marker and either an old bed sheet or 3'x3' sheet of paper.

Get to the range and hang up the sheet/paper. Use the marker to mark an 1" aiming point in the center. Also place a large + through the spot because you might just shoot out the spot. Pace off exactly 16 yds to the MUZZLE. With the gun unloaded try mounting the gun, smoothly, several times. You want to start out with the gun at the ready position; butt lightly tucked under the armpit with the muzzle pointed at the direction of the target. Quickly, but smoothly mount the gun and "POINT" the gun at the aiming spot, squeezing the trigger. When you feel you are ready, load up and shoot 5 times, straight at the target.

Now, gun unloaded, try it again, but this time swinging from the left, then from the right, then from the top and finally from the bottom. When you feel you are getting it down, load up and shoot 5, coming from each direction. By the time you are done, you will have 25 shots on the sheet/paper and their will be a pattern.

Now, depending upon what your primary intended target/s is/are, will help decide where you want you pattern to hit. Most upland hunters want their pattern to hit 60% above and 40% below the aiming point. The stock needs to be adjusted 1/16th inch for every inch the pattern needs to be moved. Ie, to move the pattern up 4" you will want the stocks comb raised 1/4". To move the pattern to the right, you will need to have the stock "bent" to the right and vice versa for left movement.

Hope this helps.

Big Al

so how are these adjustments made?? I have a CZ O/U shotgun, with wood stocks of course. The gun may very well be a good fit to me, never shot it at paper.