Hey guys,
When my son was 10 years old I bought him a Savage Model 10 in 308 Win. It's been a very good gun for him as he's killed 7 deer w/ it. He's now 6' 2" and will likely grow another inch or two. The length of pull (w/ the factory butt pad) of the stock is 13 1/2". I measured his LOP as 15 1/2". Granted, colder weather w/ more layers of clothes will "lengthen" the stock's LOP. I was thinking of getting a new Bell&Carlson synthetic stock w/ a longer LOP, but I'll have to special order it. That got me thinking: is the LOP really that important for most rifle hunting? I can always temporize by using a slip on recoil pad over the existing butt pad, but is it worth the trouble? What would you do in my situation? Thanks.

A 15.5" LOP is awfully long for a rifle. Double check that number and more importantly have your son try that LOP before ordering a stock. I'll bet he's going to be more comfortable with a 14 - 14.5" LOP (add .75 - 1.0" for a shotgun).

You may want to consider the conditions when and where you hunt. I have rifles I use in colder climate and those have a LOP about 1/4-3/8" less than my warm climate rifles due to the clothes required in a colder climate. Those heavy clothes take up some LOP.
I have a 16 gauge SXS I use specifically for pheasant hunting. It has a 3/8 less LOP than I typically use for hunting doves and quail.

The obvious response is, "If the scope isn't hitting him in the eyebrow, then the LOP is not too short." That said, for his ht. he probably could use a tad more LOP, but I wouldn't go overboard.

get a slip on pad and try that . OVER the existing pad, as that will give you a long LOP.. try that .. its a $20 solution

I am 6'4 and gorilla armed, and in a scoped big bore, i like 15" .. unless he's long necked and wearing 39 sleeves, that's not the realy issue.

Take into account a rifle LOP is typically quite a bit shorter than a shotgun LOP. That may sound a little strange but there is about 3/4" - 7/8" difference for me.

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A 15.5" LOP is awfully long for a rifle.

Maybe- a guy over six feet with long arms (me) will crawl all over the back of a rifle, never get a decent eye relief, etc.

15 1/2 is probably just approaching the pull I need; anything less and I have to be conscious that I don't punch myself in the nose with my right thumb.

Forget standard military stocks altogether.

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Originally posted by Gary T:
What would you do in my situation? Thanks.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'd do what my Dad did with me, and what I'm currently doing with my young fella in the same situation.

Provide whatever good and knowlegable advice you can, put him in touch with a couple of good stockmakers (if you're at the custom stock level) who know what they're talking about, and then step back... but like everything else in life, it's up to him to make the final decision.

To answer the question in the subject line, "not very" when it comes to a scoped hunting rifle. We adjust to the stock dimensions, and the scope confirms sight alignment. However, stock fit is infinitely more important (yea, crucial) when it comes to shotguns, where the eye becomes the rear sight.