Help, I need a stock fitted for my wife

[DSMITH1651]

My wife loves to hunt but standard stocks don't fit her attitude all. My a3 Sporter is better but still seems wrong. I can't help her I don't know enough. I need a professional to fit her but I don't know of anyone in the area. We live in Central MN
Duane

 

[HARPERC]

.....I can't help her I don't know enough. I need a professional to fit her but I don't know of anyone in the area. We live in Central MN.........

If there is one of the big chains in reach do some serious amateur investigation. Check out the various youth, and women's rifles available. The Weatherby Camilla is the first one that comes to mind. Length of pull is one measurement, but look at the area around the grip as well, with an eye toward how easy it is to reach the trigger. Weight is an issue as well, especially with cartridge selection, as felt recoil goes up fast. The Ruger Hawkeye Compact Rifle is working well with us, across a variety of sizes. After she has in mind some things she likes, a pro consult may be more beneficial.

 

[WildRose]

Measure from the crook of her elbow to the curled trigger finger first pad as though she has it on the trigger ready to fire. That will give you a close approximation.

 

[FEENIX]

This is one of the best illustration I have seen and hopefully you find it helpful as much as I did ...

 

[sable tireur]

Here are a couple of shops that might be able to help with the fitting:

http://www.dunawaycustomarms.com/

http://stusgunsmithing.com/

http://www.ahlmans.com/main/

Unfortunately, women have added features which can make it slightly more difficult to fit them for convenient mounting of rifles and shotguns. That's why I suggest trying to get in to actually see a gunsmith with the experience to fit your wife. It doesn't have to be a 'custom' stock but a stock which can be modified to suit her frame and posture.

Regards.

 

[DSMITH1651]

We have done the simple things like try different guns and lop measurement the real problem I think is that she has a long neck. She has the exact opposite problem as most women, she is 6' tall with long arms and neck she has a hard time looking through a scope and Shee seems very scrunched up on the stock. The biggest reason I want a professional is she has a hard time telling me what's wrong she has been hunting since she was 14 but she was just handed a gun and told to shoot the deer when it showed up she has know idea what the proper fit is. I have zero problem buying a custom stock in fact that is what I want to find the expert for so we can get the right one.

 

[sable tireur]

She has the exact opposite problem as most women, she is 6' tall with long arms and neck she has a hard time looking through a scope and Shee seems very scrunched up on the stock.

Tall Lady!

There are stocks available with adjustable cheek pieces and are adjustable for length of pull, both of which are an easy solution to what you describe. But a 'smith with experience fitting stocks will be a big help spotting anything more that might create a problem. Any of the three I posted links to can help with the solution.

Regards.

 

[Canhunter35]

Check out these adjustable stocks
http://www.atonegunstocks.com/

Another thought I had is hold up a stock with a higher comb, like a Weatherby, might fit her better. But with an adjustable stock it's just a matter of making it fit.
Another thing, maybe you have to bump the scope ahead so she can lay her head comfortably onto the cheek piece without scrunching up her neck for proper eye relief

 

[WildRose]

Sounds like she probably needs more drop than most people and probably an inch or so more length than the average stock.

That will raise the natural sight line so she doesn't have to crook her neck so much and get her face back further from the scope.

You might want to talk to Joel Russo about a custom stock for her.

Another option is a fully adjustable stock that allows for the pad and butt plate to be dropped below the normal line which would in effect raise the comb giving he a more natural sight line.

Being short and stumpy I have the exact opposite problem. Fortunately my wife likes shooting AR's and I have adjustable length stocks (cheap on AR platform rifles) so we can shoot the same rifle with just a rapid adjustment on LOP.

 

[DSMITH1651]

Thanks for the help guys.
Duane

 

[midnightmalloy]

So there are a lot of good points thus far in this thread. The process is the same for anyone. I used to fit lots of stocks and the easiest way I have found is this process:

1-place a piece of blue painters tape along the comb of the rifle from the top of the action to the butt pad

2-find what shooting position is best for her hunting situation. For me it's prone.

3-have her get behind the gun (obviously the gun will be unloaded and with the bolt out) and have her close her eyes and just get comfortable.

4-with her eyes closed when she is comfortable mark the location of the end of her nose on the top of the comb on the blue painters tape

5-mark the location of the second knuckle of the thumb as it wraps around or on top of the stock on the blue painters tape.

6-measure the distance between the line marked from the thumb mark and the nose mark.

7-their should be right at 1" between those marks so subtract 1" from the distance between those marks. That's how much you should cut off the stock.

The most important note is that women are anatomically differently than men and thus need a different butt pad on their rifles. Kick ezz makes a pad with a substantial round over at the toe which helps immensely with the pressure a standard butt puts on the top of the chest/breast of a woman. Once you have the ideal length of pull from the above steps you will need to adjust for the thickness of the aftermarket butt pad you choose.

Let me know via pm if you would like any further help.