length of pull ???

[alex e.]

I have a fellow I am building a fusil for. He stands 5'5" tall and is of average build. what would be a suitable LOP ? he is in Germany so finding something to measure him by proves to be difficult. I'm thinking  13.25" or so.
 Thanks in advance,Alex

[Herb]

That sounds good to me.  I am 5' 10" and made my Jim Bridger Hawken 13.25", like his, and I shoot it very well off-hand.  I just made a flintlock copy of the same rifle but with a 12.25" LOP, which I like even better.  Short is a lot better than long, and even tall people can shoot these short stocks.

[galamb]

While this method is rather "general", I have found it to be close enough for the average shooter.

"D" is how you calculate length of pull (It's not labeled clearly in the notes).

Worth a try.

[Virginiarifleman]

I have always measured with shooting arm in a bent position,trigger finger curled. measure from inside tip of finger to the bend of inner arm at elbow. this will give you the trigger pull. however you must account for when the firearm is being used the most. summer time in light clothing or fall winter hunting conditions with heavy clothing .

[rich pierce]

I made a rifle based on the length of my forearm once. I will never do that again.  I can't shoot it comfortably in a t short.  It's easy to make a gun that is too long in the length of pull.  Most of us can shoot guns in the 13" to 13.5" range comfortably.  I would ask him if he has a shotgun he shoots well and get dimensions from that.  It's what he's used to.

[EC121]

At 5'7" I like a 13.5 LOP.  Even a bit less will work with heavy clothes.  I would expect heavier clothes in Germany.  I have a 13.75" rifle, and it is a bit of a stretch for a good trigger pull.  My .30cal. is 13.25" with a single trigger and it fits well.

[Lucky R A]

Alex,
      I think you are right on with a 13-1/4 -13-1/2 LOP for your customer.  Good luck with the shipping.  I am having trouble getting a couple of guns to B.C. It seems that some Border agent is making a distinction between a "new" flintlock and an "antique" flintlock..Ron

[Curt Lyles]

Alex  I have 2 C Edwards rifles that have 12,3/4 and 13in lop and they fit me very well and I am just average size except maybe waist size seems to be a problem but that has nothing to do w/lop. It is easy to prove my point, just hand some one either rifle and watch the look on there face. They really shine when your suited up for a cold morning deer hunt.  Curt

[James Rogers]

Alex,
Using the crook of the arm fable, I need a LOP which puts my thumb up my nose big time. I think your estimate is within tolerance for an off peg gun for that individual.

[J Henry]

I'am with the Virginiarifleman,I'am 5'11" and my Lop is 14.5" ,, long arms,, I took a yard stick rested it in the crook,( elbow) with my arm raised at a 90 degree  and curled my finger , picture your arm in the drawing to be "B" This works for me,however as I pointed out,,my arms are long for my over all height. This also keeps the rifle/shotgun from pushing my thumb up under my nose,,
 And if you make it to long ,,he can have it resized,,to short,, not so easy to lengthen it!!!

[Acer Saccharum]

For offhand shooting, I can shoot a gun with a 12" pull, but I hate one with a 14". The longer the pull, the more it puts the barrel weight onto your left hand. (for a RH shooter).

I'm 6'1" and 13 1/2 is good for me. By the illustration above, elbow to finger, I should be happy with a 14", but I ain't.

[alex e.]

I appreciate all the input. Thank you all.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

For offhand shooting, I can shoot a gun with a 12" pull, but I hate one with a 14". The longer the pull, the more it puts the barrel weight onto your left hand. (for a RH shooter).

I'm 6'1" and 13 1/2 is good for me. By the illustration above, elbow to finger, I should be happy with a 14", but I ain't.

I'm with Acer all the way on this one. I too am 6'1" tall and I measured my pull length and came up with 14-1/2". But I love my 13-1/2" pull on my rifle. I like to give a person a rifle and let them try it for pull.

[Kermit]

This shows there's not one right answer. All my traditional smokepoles have LOPs exceeding 14". I'm 6'4"+. All this argues for the use of a "try stock" to fit a custom gun.

[Jim Kibler]

At the risk of raising the blood pressure of some, I'll say that I think stock fit on a rifle can become a bit of an obsession.  Particularly if looked at from a historical context.  My personal view is that as long as the sights can be lined up relatively comfortably and absent from the extremes, a fair range will work just fine.  But with that said, I'm not a serious shooter either.

[WadePatton]

This shows there's not one right answer. All my traditional smokepoles have LOPs exceeding 14". I'm 6'4"+. All this argues for the use of a "try stock" to fit a custom gun.

I made a simple try stock from 2x4's glued together (for centreline), strapped a steel bar to it for heft/balance.  Crude but gave me what i needed to know for finalizing the first one.  Could add an adjustable butt to it...hmmm.


I agree that a shooter can shoot about anything, just like a bicycle rider can ride anything---but FITTED can make a huge difference deciding the best trade-offs between comfort and performance.   I'm not saying that it's historically correct, but that it's a great way to enhance your shooting experience, whilst staying "in bounds".

To my mind, making an item for an individual without considering the fitment is akin to following a recipe without _tasting_ and adjusting as necessary.

[Daryl]

The length of pull that feels good, depends a great deal on how much shooting experience the person has, if he prefers to climb the forend of a stock or shoot straight back and necked.
The comfortable length of pull for any given gun also depends on the gun's geometry. The more drop at the heal, the longer the 'pull' to get the 'same feel'.

Taylor has one or more ML guns that feels great to both of us, yet has over a 14" pull, while we both prefer shooting 13 1/2" to 13 3/4".  We are both over 6' height and buy 35" sleeved shirts. Depends a great deal on the geometry.

I shoot my wife's rifle just fine, with a 12 7/8" pull, as well as my Daughter's modern Mauser also with the same "pull".  People who've done a passel of shooting know enough to move their shoulder forward for shorter stocks.

If a gun has a shotgun butt that is properly held on the pectoral/shoulder muscle joint, it will feel right with  a shorter length of pull than a hooked butt that needs to be held in the arm pit or out on the arm.  Geometry and furniture both effect proper length of pull.

The tendency today, is for people to 'say' they need a longer length of pull than they actually can shoot = it's very much like a @#$$%&* contest.

I was surprise and delighted to see so many suggestions in the 13.25" to 13.5" range. 

If you asked this question on a smokeless powder forum, you'd get answers from 5'8" people needing 14 1/2" pulls to 6.2" shooters needing 15" pulls. Yeah - it's good for a laugh.

[James Rogers]

I agree with a lot in Jim's and Daryl's posts. I will restate again that LOP is not an precision measurement but a chosen measurement out of a range of comfort (not too long where hard to mount and not too short where bumping the nose) for both rifle and shotgun. By choosing a measurement in that range the critical measurements can be exacted from that chosen LOP. Change the LOP and those critical measurements change as well. In reality, getting too technical and precise is a waste of time IMO in many circumstances. A general fitment is good enough. A wing shooter with a consistent mount for shotgun requires more precision.