I'm getting ready to order a McMillan stock for a CZ 550 magnum I plan on buying early next year. I have three McMillan's with the standard 13.5" pull and they work fine for me, but since this stock will likely do duty first on a 416 Rigby and later on a 500A2 should I specify a longer or shorter LOP?

I tried to shoot my Lott with it's original LOP of 13.5" when my length of pull is 15.25". That was a big mistake as the recoil blasted my trigger hand back into my cheek. After five rounds and a swelling cheek I wanted to saw the thing in two and throw it away. I had the stock lengthened to 15.25 and tried again. It was much more enjoyable when I wasn't punching myself in the face each time I pulled the trigger. I hate to think what might have happened to my eye if I had a scope on it.


You can borrow money, but you can't borrow time. Go now.

As usual I am probably a majority of one but I fail to understand how length of pull can change. My arms remain the same length and my neck is still as short as it has always been, I understand that people shrink as they get older but that seems to be in overall height.ALL my guns light and heavy have the SAME length of pull.

I agree zimbababwe.

I'm 6'3" with a big long neck and shoot a 13 1/2' pull on everything.

turfman

its simple
when a gun has 30# of recoil, the scope probably isn't going to give you a melon cut over your eye if it is too short

in a bigbore, it is critical, and if too short can lead to injury and bad shooting habits

so, get the stock to the correct lop, and see how it all works for you

I own and shoot a .470 Capstick with the older stock with a bit of a Monte Carlo hump, LOP is 13.75". That gun rocks me back quite a bit.

I fired Jeffe's .458AR with the longer LOP (Jeff and I are both 6'4" with long arms), and the gun barely moved me. Even Neal's .550 Express didn't rock me as much as my 13.75" LOP .470 Capstick.

George

....For me it is an individual rifle situation ....Some rifles are best kept standard some long ,, some high combed ,,,,others low combed .,I think ALOT of short stroking the bolt and slowness of getting another round ready to fire comes from too long a length of pull for that individual ......I like a 13" lop....But I have short arms , short neck and a big head ,,,,[my best feature] ..Also I require my rifles to be easy to cycle from the shoulder .....Haveing the comb the correct height is even more important to me tho,,,That makes for fast AND accurate shooting .........One thing to think about ,, if you scope your rifle , most variable scopes are 1/2-1" longer from the rear of the rear scope ring to the rear end of the eyepiece ,than a fixed power scope .....I like the eye piece to not protrude beyond the rear of the bolt ......JMHO...My CZ 458Lott has a 13" lop and with 3 different variable scopes I have never been touched yet ......

Being from Michigan, I have found that LOP is definatley longer on my African rifles(read warm weather) because I don't have the extra 1/2 inch of clothes on. And, 1/2 inch too short on my .308 or .06 is no biggie, but that changes a little when I go to the bigger calibers!

To summarize, I have my African rifles 1/2- 3/4 inch longer LOP.

I've shot most factory calibers including the .460 Weatherby Magnum. Have also helped at our range's sighting in days. One thing I've found is that very few hunters really know their correct length of pull. Many have a recoil pad put on at what they find is the standard rifle length. Where this works is when sighting in/hunting with the heavier clothes used. Length of pull is slightly longer than when in shirt sleeves. People say the gun kicks less, crediting the clothing. They also have less half-moons over the shooting eye from the scope. (Many scopes are set too close to the eye in the first place.)
At six foot and 34" arms, I like a 13-3/4" length of pull for hunting guns in cold weather. I have several, including big bores that are a 14" LOP.

I finished my CZs in .375 and .416 off at 13 7/8", the same as all my rifles. The .416 drives my thumb into my nose hard enough to be annoying after awhile. Conclusion? I should have left the stock a little longer on that one, due entirely to recoil. Next rifle with equal or greater kick will be set up accordingly? Besides its easier to take off, than put back on.

I am only 5' 9" and I prefer a little longer LOP. I like 14 to 14 1/2" on just about everything I shoot.

More people have to short stocks on their rifles than to long. Correct fit is always best, but as Jeffe says, it becomes more critical as the recoil stiffens.
The amount of clothing is essencial for your LOP. That meaning, Your elephant thumper might not serve well on a polarbear hunt, with an inch more padding on your shoulder than when you were roaming the plains of Africa.
So one have not a specific LOP - it varies with the climate you hunt in.

I really hate to-short clients guns that need testfiering. I once had to get help from a midwife to get my thumb out of my nose - nasty stuff....

If my memory is correct McMillan has a maximum length of pull on their stocks, around 14 and 1/2 I think. You can always shorten it later, alot easier then making it longer.