Hope this hasn't been covered recently, I can't get the search function to work.
Whats the best way to measure myself for the lop I should use on a rifle? I'm only 5'7" and most factory stocks seem to long in the butt. Thanks.

It depends a little on the position of the pistol grip, but a quicky rule is that your nose should be about two fingers away from your thumb when shouldering. HTH, Dutch.

Another quick rule of thumb guide (recommended by Sterling Davenport) is to bend your arm 90deg and hold the but of the gun on top your bicep. The trigger should just reach the first joint of your finger. This doesn't work for everyone but should for a majority of shooters.......DJ

Dutch,
no one told that to the army when they deisgned the 1903... jesus, how many times have i "wiped" my nose with my thumb on those old stocks... course, i have a 15 3/8 LOP, so i can do the same thing with a model 70 (or pick up a scope cut)
jeffe

Whichever method you select to do the measurement, don't forget to wear your hunting clothes when doing the measuring. That will usually shorten the LOP by 1/4-to-3/8" but that's when LOP is really important...when you're hunting (or shooting an in-motion sport, such as Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Running Boar, etc.)...

AC

Thanks for the advice guys. At least now I've got somewhere to start.

There is no formula for a rifle. There are way to many variables.

Drop at heel
Open or closed grip
Eye relief (if scoped)
Amount of recoil
Layers of clothes
Benchrest or offhand
etc, etc, etc....

The best thing you can do is save that for last. Do everything else first and then shoot the rifle as you would for the majority of your shooting. Start with about 14.5" and a slip on pad, and cut to fit. You can always take off more wood, you can't put it back.

I've tried the elbow crotch to finger method with three different LOP rifles. Each one fit perfectly. That is the good news....the human body in infinitely adjustable, so don't worry too much about 1/4" here or there.

Jeffe, sounds like you learned much like me..... then again, I have a 15 3/4" pull on my shotguns -- but I like it about 3/4 to 1/2" shorter on my rifles.

Kurt is right, too, drop, comb hight, length of pull are all important. However, the "elbow to the crook of you finger" method doesn't do it for my 38" arms..... FWIW, Dutch.