My 338 RUM is well underway, using an MRC action , Lothar Walther barrel and D'Arcy Echols stock. The gunsmith has asked me about what length of pull I want. I am unsure about the correct method of working this out. I am 6'3" tall so I am assuming I will require alonger LOP than standard factoory rifles.
My second question for future reference , is who makes the best chambering reamers. I imported one for this rifle but my gunsmith has found it to be very roughly made.
Mark

LOP - hold your arm out and bend at the elbow at a 90 degree angle.

Measure from the base to the first joint on your index finger, or wherever the trigger rests.
For example, I have about a 13" LOP.

Always have used Clymer reamers.
I have heard good things about Dave Manson.

I think it is PTG that I thought were bad, looked like they had been sharpened with a dremel tool.

-Spencer

Mark;
Chamber reamers - no question, talk to Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool and Gauge:
http://www.pacifictoolandgauge.com/chamber_reamers.asp

Besides producing the best chamber reamers made IMO, Dave will deal with you personally and will make sure that you have exactly what you want. You will not regret buying from him.
Length of pull is really subjective, again IMO. So much of what works depends on you and how you mount the gun. I would spend some time looking at all of guns you can and mounting them to your shoulder. I personally like about a half inch cast off in scoped rifles, others don't.
Good luck. You are taking a step from which there is no return. Once you start down the custom rifle path there is no hope for ever going back to "off the shelf stuff!"

lop....

easist way to CHECK it is, in short sleeves, hold the EMPTY rifle in your right hand, bend your elbow 90degrees, where the back of your hand points to the floor... there should be ~1" between the butt and your upper arm..since my knuckles drag the ground, i take a 15 3/8 lop


reamer.. manson, PPG, clymer... all good stuff

jeffe

It needs to be long enough that you can cycle the bolt without it coming into or so near your eye that you will want to unshoulder the rifle.

Thank you for your helpful comments. Unfortunately I wont be able to use brassbenders' approach as I only have access to factory rifles. My LOP is 15 inches so you must have long arms Jeffe.Your comments on reamers match my limited experience spencer.
Hopefully my wife does not read your comments on custom rifles brassbider. But I dohave another 4 MRC actions and 2 Brno 602's to play with.
Mark

Mark;give Dave Stendell (Kopje Custom Rifles) a ring.Top bloke and won't mind giving you his take on it.

Just after my above reply my gunsmith rang to say my brand new reamer has given up the ghost. Wally tells me it is not repairable and I will have to buy a new one. He wonders if the Lothar Walther [stainless steel] is very hard.
Mark

Mark,
Hate to disagree with the opinions you have just heard but the length of pull is not determined by the length of your forearm. The old wives tale is just that. The length of pull has more to do with your neck and the way you lay your head down on the stock. Mount your gun in a normal fashion and have someone check the distance from your thumb (the one that is over the top of the grip) to your nose. You should have 1 1/4" to 2" space there. That will place your eye in reasonable distance for rifle scope eye relief and stop you from gettng banged by the scope and or your thumb under recoil.

Mark,

What Chic says is a better method, short of actually having someone properly fit you.

Do you have several rifles and does one seem to fit you better? Then use that rifle as a beginning (best to use one that has a stock design as close to your new stock as you can get). Measure that rifle's LOP. Now use that rifle to do the test that Chic outlined above. Now you the know the LOP of a rifle and based on the measurements from Chic's test you extrapolate the LOP for your new rifle. Not perfect, but better than the length of forearm test.

Regards,

Terry

If you are going to hunt in cold weather make it a little shorter to compensate for the thick clothing.

The human body is infinitely adjustable, and will never know 1/2" difference in LOP if using iron sights and a swept handle.

Most LOP issues stem from the use of a particular scope or mounts that create a small window of eye relief. The other issue is the use of straight European bolt handles, as used on Mausers, Brnos and Mannlichers.

I would make sure that you have your scope, mounts and bolt handle selected before deciding on a LOP. I always have at least 14" to start with, as you can always shorten it later.

I'm six feet tall, with long arms, and I shoot using a cheek weld position with my cheek bone resting on top of the base of my thumb.

I found that using the Brownell's LOP gauge works great...if I ignore the instructions and shoulder the gauge like a rifle rather than measuring my forearm/trigger finger distance. Using the instructions gives me a LOP of 14 3/4 inches. Shouldering it using the sliding bar as a buttplate and the hole as the trigger and assuming a cheek weld gives me a 12 1/2 inch LOP, which is exactly the LOP on my rifles.

There is no way I could get into my cheek weld position with a 14 3/4 inch LOP because my neck ain't long enough!

Customstox is right on! I never take a ruler and measure it, but place my index and middle finger across the stock between the persons thumb and cheek/nose. If I have a smidgeon of distance between them I am happy as all of my clients have been pleased.

One of the things you will find with a rifle is that a lot of the dimensions are very forgiving. You can make adjustments, particularly with a scope, since your eye is not the rear sight.

With a shotgun that is not the case and you are building a platform for the rear sight (your eye) to rest and be positioned on the stock.

I have heard several comments on the hardness and workablility of Lothar Walther stainless barrels. If you do a seach there is a long thread about it maybe 4-6 months back.