cast off on fowlers?

[yip]

 are there cast off on fowlers? just wondering while looking at fowlers in Grinslade book it appears no, but pictures are deceiving.

[rich pierce]

I do and pretty sure most contemporary builders do.  1/4” is enough for the customer to be satisfied it has cast off.

[Eric Krewson]

I have only built one fowler, a combination of taking drop and pull measurements from a try stock and 1/4" of cast off sure makes it fit me well. As I plan to use my fowler a good bit I am more concerned with fit and function that following the fowler builders of old to the letter.

Mike Brooks will know the answer you seek, hopefully he will chime in.

[Pukka Bundook]

It all depends on the drop.  The more drop the less cast -off required. Some fowlers seem to have too much drop for good flying shooting, but won't require cast off in consequence.
Too much is worse than straight.   as noted above, 1/4" to 3/8" is about max, depending on the physical make -up of the intended owner.
There should be nothing taken as 'right' for the amount of cast -off.  It all depends.  :-)

[Mike Brooks]

3/8" is about max for guns I build. !/8"  is what I usually put on a fowling gun. I can shoot them straight or with cast off, doesn't make much difference to me , but drop is critical for me to shoot flying well.

[James Rogers]

Can't speak for the guns in Grindslade's book as they are American pieces from the north and I don't know much about them.  Some English guns have cast and a lot dont. Cast depends a lot on the stock width and the shooter 's build and stance as well as other factors. Most English birdin pieces don't need a lot of cast (or none) as they lack cheek pieces and even with a wide butt their comb is not wide.

[Waksupi]

I ended up with nearly an inch of off cast on one of my fowlers. Sure hadn't planned on it, but the stock decided to put in it's own bend as time went on. I've shot it enough over the years it doesn't bother me. I'm just glad it went in the "right" direction!

[Jerry V Lape]

Waksupi why don't you bend it back?  It isn't that hard to do.

[Fiftyfour]

 Ideally if a shotgun fits properly you can point a shoot without using the bead. Drop, cast and length of pull are the adjustments for fitting.
Some people make a try stock from plywood and adjust it till it fits and then record the dimensions.  If it is fitted properly
You should be able to mount the gun with your  eyes closed and the when you open them  you should have the correct sight picture.
This is critical for quick wing shooting.  There is a lot of info on the net about shotgun stock fit.

[Waksupi]

Waksupi why don't you bend it back?  It isn't that hard to do.

It's just never bothered me. I also notice that the wider I get, the better the fit. ;o)

[Daryl]

Ideally if a shotgun fits properly you can point a shoot without using the bead. Drop, cast and length of pull are the adjustments for fitting.
Some people make a try stock from plywood and adjust it till it fits and then record the dimensions.  If it is fitted properly
You should be able to mount the gun with your  eyes closed and the when you open them  you should have the correct sight picture.
This is critical for quick wing shooting.  There is a lot of info on the net about shotgun stock fit.

That is exactly the way my 14 bore rifle fit, when Taylor built it. No cast-off needed.