increasing lenght of pull?

[Turtle]

 On my first build, a Peter Berry ish long rifle, I used a 13 1/2" length of pull. I wish I had made it 14" as all my others are. Without permanently damaging the original build, can you think of a way that doesn't look too stupid to lengthen it 1/2" so it's better to shoot? Have any of you ever seen an original that has been lengthened?
                           Thanks,Turtle

[bob in the woods]

Up where I live, Fall hunting season =cold= coat=problem solved     Seriously, my .62 hunting rifle [ big game] is about a 1/2 shorter LOP than my .40 target and small game rifle.   

[T*O*F]

can you think of a way that doesn't look too stupid to lengthen it 1/2"

Yeah, slide one of those rubber recoil pads on it that doesn't require screws.  Then you can take it off in the winter when you've got your heavy clothes on.

If you lengthen it, you'll have a glue line and a wood mismatch.  In addition, you'll have to stretch the buttplate or recontour the stock if you use the existing one.  Then it'll look funky.

[jamesthomas]

 I plan on doing the opposite, I need to shorten the length of pull on my SMR. about a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch myself.

[JoeG]

I find that a shorter pull makes it easier to hold a heavier rifle

[whitebear]

I think that T.O.F. has the best answer, but let me caution you to remove the recoil pad after each use.  My cousin put one on a double barrel and several years later when he removed it there was a definite, noticeable, lightening of the wood where the wood under the recoil pad,  This was a modern gun with a modern finish. I don't know if the finish reacted to the rubber on the pad or if it was the inability of light to change the color of the wood under the pad.  Just food for thought.

[bob in the woods]

You can also buy leather , lace on pads for your rifle. Try Cabela's

[Turtle]

  Thanks, but I was thinking of a more period correct permanent for now idea. I would only change it back if I sold it, which is unlikely, or to hand it down to my kids. I would shoot it at primitive events. I was thinking of a new butplate,1/2" longer on the top tang I could fit to the existing mortice and making a new longer toeplate and fastening it to the bottom of the new buttplate. This would still leave a 1/2' space between the butplate and stock to fill with something or leave open.
                               thanks,Turtle

[WadePatton]

Now i kinda like that idea.  The uber-thick buttplate that is.  It'll drive some mad. 

Careful with the balance, the hollow could be a hideyhole.   

I'd more likely just "live with it" and make more guns to fit as I deemed proper.  Maybe some proper styling could be carried over into the thickered butt.  And of course it could be returned to "normal" whenever you choose.

[Vomitus]

   It would look pretty funky. Build another or build a new stock.Just my humble opinion.

[davec2]

I like what Whaleman did......

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=32110.0

[Robby]

I like Whaleman's fix too because, well, I just like hand made things that are well done! If I was in this situation I would probably just make some kind of shoulder pad that I could put on and take off with no major fuzzitzing around! Assuming its a nice gun done to proportion for that pull, I would sell it before I would make it look less than it is.
Robby

[Turtle]

thanks guys! I like the leather add on-I would add some layers for length . Makes more sense than my idea. As this is my first build and a beautiful flame stripped maple, I don't want to mess with restocking. It an't perfect, but considering my experience at the time, I'm kind of proud of it.
                                                               turtle

[Pete G.]

Leave it as is. Anything you try to do will look funky.
It is much easier to live with a rifle too short than one too long.

Build the next one longer.

[Don Getz]

I am curious about your dimensions.   How tall, how long are your arms, etc.   I'm about 5'9", arms are somewhat normal,
and I like a  12 1/4"  to  12 1/2" length of pull.   It is a rarity to find an original kentucky with a 14" pull, and kind of common
to see a 12" LOP...........Don

[omark]

But people are quite a bit larger now than during colonial period.       Mark

[J.D.]

But people are quite a bit larger now than during colonial period.       Mark

Not necessarily. Many folks in the 18th century are as tall and long armed as anyone today.

Has anyone ever fired a 1903 Springfield, M-1 Carbine, M-1 Garand, M-14, or an M16 and derivatives? They all have a 13 inch LOP...and they are all comfortable to shoot.

IMHO, my advice is to adjust the software, rather than the hardware.

Just thinkin'...typin' out loud, so to speak...type.

[omark]

Of course I'm talking about the average size, not the basketball pros.     Mark

[shortbarrel]

The length of pull don't mean a lot. Springfield 03, Grand Rifle WW2 and It's Korean war version all had the same length stocks. If you were short arm or long arm, you were taught to compensate. These GI's were the best marksman in these three wars.

[Dphariss]

On my first build, a Peter Berry ish long rifle, I used a 13 1/2" length of pull. I wish I had made it 14" as all my others are. Without permanently damaging the original build, can you think of a way that doesn't look too stupid to lengthen it 1/2" so it's better to shoot? Have any of you ever seen an original that has been lengthened?
                           Thanks,Turtle

Live with it or put on a slip on pad. Its not a shotgun its a Kentucky rifle. Its aimed not pointed after all so unless your finger nails cut your face or lip its really more between your ears than real. If this DOES happen trim your nails, modify the hold or in my case I tied a big Chevron bead in front of the scroll on the DK Hawken TG to move the hand forward a bit.

My Garand is too short, 13 1/4", even with the "modern" Boyd's stock, my 1903 is too short and its got a repro "c" stock on it, my DK Hawken is too short (Don made these 1903 length).
The Garand will get me with my finger nails when shooting offhand sometimes , I found out a couple of weeks ago at a match,  since I need to crowd the aperture close to see the target well these days (   ). So I trimmed the things with my pocket knife between shots.
So make sure its REAL problem not just based in something you read or think about too much. Just saying someone as big as James Arness could shoot a M1 with a 13" pull....
Its not worth butchering the gun for.
Dan

[Turtle]

I under stand and agree to a point. If it were the only gun I shot adjusting to it would be fine, but all my other muzzleloaders, which I shoot a lot, are 14". It's hard for my switching back and forth. Maybe I'm just an old dog.
                                            Thanks,Turtle

[Dphariss]

I under stand and agree to a point. If it were the only gun I shot adjusting to it would be fine, but all my other muzzleloaders, which I shoot a lot, are 14". It's hard for my switching back and forth. Maybe I'm just an old dog.
                                            Thanks,Turtle

I have a number of rifles as well that I shoot, l some modern with modern pulls drops and pitches some with scopes some with irons, some I have stocked to fit both ML and BL, others "short", differences in pitch and drop too. I adapt.

Shot several successive sub 2" groups at 400 with this one looking for a zero at 400. Modern target type stock 13.5" over the pad.



This one I shoot off the shoulder its 14" IIRC many 14 1/4"  and feels too long but makes a lot of recoil and the length helps.



This was WAY long, built back in my younger days. Shot some great groups with it off hand and rest. Shot off the arm.



This is about 13 1/4  I think and I have won matches with it offhand, shot off the arm.


This one has too much pitch. But I manage to muddle through with it.


This one can hurt so I usually use a sissy pad of some sort.


I shoot and have shot a vast array of different rifles for fun and in competition.  I shoot AR-15 and M1 Garand on the some weekend sometimes at HP matches.

Its your rifle and you can do what you want. Me I would leave it alone and adapt.

Dan