What is the formula to have the best fit for a stock. I am 6'5" and like most things, I can not usually buy right off the shelf.

I am assuming you are talking about a rifle? Because a shotgun is a whole different animal. With rifles, as with shotguns, there is no magical formula unfortunately. You want the gun to fit comfortably and without having to strain to see through the scope when wearing layered clothing.

The old method was known as the "hook and crook" method where you based the length of pull by the distance from the hook of the finger to the crook of the elbow. Some people are built like apes with their knuckles dragging, and some with necks so long they can eat out of trees. No formula for that!

I measure my customers based on a couple of things, but mainly by the distance between the thumb of the trigger hand and the nose. I find a distance of about 1" to be about right. Some feel a bit more distance is correct. You just don't want to have to strain to see what's in the scope, or, get whacked by it your knuckle.

Anyway, that's the place I would recommend starting when determining proper fit.

Westpac

I am not at all questioning what you say, as you do this for a living. But I am just wondering what getting wacked with the scope has to do with it. I only say that becasue obviously one can adjust the scope forward and backward so that one doesn't get wacked with it, even if the stock is too long or too short. As an example, my father once purchased a rifle that had a stock that was way to long for him because he is a short guy with short arms. But even though that stock was too long for him the first time he shot the rifle the scope smacked him in the nose because it was set to far back. Once he set it forward (but could still easily see through it) it no longer wacked him.

I think that idea of measuring from your thumb to your nose using the clothing that you are going to wear when you are out hunting is a good one.

There, hows that?

Is there a web site describing the LOP, "correct" drop at the heel and angle for the butt plate in stock making/fitting.
Picture would be great.

I'm asking a question . Not making a statement . Isn't 14.5 " a standard length of pull on most rifles (adult that is )?. For every 1 inch in height a man is over 6'2" , appox. .25" increase in pull is what I read or some one told me can't remember . Guide line only !.

I may be one of those knuckle dragging fellows some one mentioned earlier . I'm 6'4" and have 15.125" length of pull . I'm also ambidextrous but prefer shooting left handed except for pistols which I have no real preference .

The standard length in a rifle is 13.5". Length of arms has little to do with it, the length of your neck and how you mount your gun does make a difference. As Malm said it is clearance to your nose and with a properly set up scope you will clear the objective lens. You mount your scope as far forward as you can so you have a full image in the objective lens at the highest power. I like the distance to be 1 to 2".

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
I'm asking a question . Not making a statement . Isn't 14.5 " a standard length of pull on most rifles (adult that is )?. For every 1 inch in height a man is over 6'2" , appox. .25" increase in pull is what I read or some one told me can't remember . Guide line only !.

I may be one of those knuckle dragging fellows some one mentioned earlier . I'm 6'4" and have 15.125" length of pull . I'm also ambidextrous but prefer shooting left handed except for pistols which I have no real preference .

No, a knuckle dragger is a short person with long arms, and a leaf eater is someone with a long neck.

I think I read a formula that Jeffe came up with a while back that had the same or similar effect as this: Take your phone number, subtract your weight, add 2 points for each left foot in the family, subtract your house number and divide by your waist size... It was something a kin to that.

Westpac is correct. About 1" from the back part of your thumb that would wack you in the nose to the tip of your nose. Hard kickers, 416s on up, can use another 1/8 to 1/4 depending on how hard they do kick.

If length of pull is to be figured from the trigger, a number of things enter into it. The shape of the grip and how the shooter holds it. The location of the comb nose. Drop at heel and comb. In general, the thumb/nose relationship is the important one. I made a stock for my self once which felt real good but looked a little grotesque. Appearance has to figure in too!
A prone rifle stock will be a bit longer than one for offhand use. Regards, Bill.

just remember, it's easier to cut them off then to stretch them.


Doesn't seem to be consensus... 1" from thumb to nose AINT far enough for a big bore, and 2" is too far for most high powered scopes, as that puts the eye more than "eye relief" away from a high powered scope. Then again, I seldom build sub 35 caliber rifles, and getting a scope cut due to too short a stock SUCKS..



I am way to stupid to remember any complicated formula .. the "STUPID" formula (as I called it from the getgo) was (shirtsleeve length-hand length) , divided by 2...

only seems to be a gneralization,

quote:

Originally posted by Customstox:
...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.