If we consider the barrel line as the main axis, should the buttplate be perpendicular, shorter at the bottom. at the top.

Anyone know of online drawings of "correct" design of rifle and shotgun stocks.

Actually, what you really are asking here is what the "Pitch" of a rifle stock should be.

Stockmakers will be better able to tell you about it, but I think that if you have the line from the heel to the toe of the stock perpendicular with the bore of the barrel you would have basically no pitch at all. And then, if I am not mistaken, the more you shorten the toe in relation to the heel the more pitch you will have.

Maybe Customstox can tell you what the correct angle is, but I have a feeling it might be different depending on your size and whether you are shooting a scoped rifle or not.

You can measure the pitch by stading your gun with the buttplate level on the floor next to a wall and measure the distance from the wall to the bore of the barrel to determine the pitch.

22WRF

Where I was headed with the question is there is bound to be what industry calls "standard or normal".
What if this is changed a little, a lot? What is a little and a lot?

I know it really affects "feel" and thus accuracy in a shotgun. Again what is correct and what is the impacts of changing from the norm?

Any internet sources of information for the ingnorant?

A lot is personal fit. I like a 3or 4 degree toe-in pitch.

TCLouis

I think the lack of definate answers to your question should tell you just how difficult a concept this is for some people.

Clearly you need some "pitch" to a rifle butt, the heel should be longer than the toe. I know of no internet sources describing this concept or giving industry standards.

I believe the 'best" angle of the butt to the bore (pitch) depends on the amount of drop at heel and the amount of toe out. I know of no "standard". Too much pitch (short toe) may result in the heel catching the armpit when mounting, and drives the stock up into the cheek, increasing the perceived recoil. Too little pitch (long toe)drives the stock down, away from the cheek. This causes shotgunners to shoot over with followup shots.

I find my rifles "feel right in the shoulder" with about 7/16" of toe out (toe away from vertical) and the butt line perpendicular to a line from the center of the butt to where the forend tip meets the barrel. This results in about 4 inches of pitch, or barrel tip 4 inches from the wall when the butt is place flat and the cocking piece hits the wall. (depends on LOP, length of barrel, length of cocking piece etc) For a rifle stocked for open sights with a bit more drop at heel, I will have more pitch than one with less drop for scope sights.

(Mount a recoil pad with only the top screw so it moves freely, then mount the stock with eyes closed in a shooting position. Check where the recoil pad kicked out, that gives an ideal of the reason for the toe out.)

If you find a gun that really fits, steal the measurements or ask a shotgun fitter, they would give a more lucid explaination.

Roger

I always like to refer to the James Howe book of gunsmiting. He has several drawings of hunting rifles showing pitch and toe-in with dimensions. Here is one page. I should point out this is a shotgun.

Here is a short excerpt from Whelan- The Hunting Rifle.