16ga.com ~ View topic

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

Howdy

I've been shooting for the past 40 years and have a few long guns in the safe. I don't shoot competitively but have been known to shoot sporting on occasion; just a bird hunter. I've been trading heavily in the last five years and my appetite has gotten into the Merkel/ Arrieta range, but I find I can't consider going any further unless I have more confidence in what fits me well.

My objective is to find the LOP, D@C, D@H, and cast that fits over several layers of clothing (grouse coverts) on which I can add a pad for t-shirt shooting doves in the deep south. I'm a Bristerian square load kind of guy that traded into a 28 with immediate equity for later trade into something else, bought a box of shells and was smitten, bitten, and otherwise awed. I then had to have a 16 that I have thoroughly enjoyed; shooting 1 oz loads squarely over the 20's I used to shoot.

I'm considering going to Traverse City for a fitting, where I'm convinced I can be satisfied but the price ($450) is a bit dear.

Suggestions would be very welcome.

Reno

Member Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 446 Location: Wisconsin

Peter Sykes of Trout & Grouse Wilmette Illinois is a gun fitter.
http://www.troutandgrouse.com/
He has fitted my self and my wife, has a 'try gun' and other measurement apparatus. I don't know what he currently charges but it will be less than $450 (no range though) and depending on where you live in Wisconsin and how you get to Michigan, maybe be easier to get to?
BTW, knowing your proper dimensions is usually useful for ordering a bespoke gun. Knowing your dim's can be somewhat useful in purchasing a used or off the rack gun, but unless you intend to have someone make the gun conform to your measurements(costly), if you have a gun that you shoot well, just measure its dim's. Use those as a guide in further purchases. One can usually shoot guns within a small range of your standard dim's.
Obviously, you live or hunt in Northern Wisconsin and learned what Winchester knew years ago, that you need a shorter LOP in cold weather. I think finding a gun that will suffice in both cold and hot will be difficult and since I am not a fan of add on pads, I don't know how sucessful you will be. My bespoke guns are all to my standard dim's with a shooting shirt on. They seem to work fine in both hot and cold weather. Of course the Winchester 13&5/8" LOP for the Model 21 'Duck' works great in cold weather! Good luck!-Dick

Twopipe:
Call Hugh Lomas in Elkhart Lake, WI. My guess is he will be quite a bit less than Brian in Traverse City, MI. You can reach Hugh at 920-876-3745. He is a gunmaker and can modify dimensions, and bend the stocks. Hugh is a member of the American Guild of Gunmakers, a rather small and accomplished group. Depending on how much needs to be done the cost is not all that much.

Nothing against Brian in T.C. he actually fit me a few years ago. Hugh fit both of my sons last year, but I forget the charge. I just know it was less than Brian was. They take a little different approach on fitting, but both use the same AYA try gun.

If you are going to purchase a gun I believe Brian does the fitting for free. My guess is Hugh might do the same. Hugh specializes in restoring English SxS. I have purchased English guns from both places. The nice thing about Hugh is he does all the work on site, Brian sends his work out to a number of accomplished gun smiths.

Good Luck
Chicago Mike

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

Thanks guys. I have some guns that I shoot better than others, but I don't know why. I'm just interested in establishing a benchmark of measurements from which I can point the gun more naturally and instictively. My pair of berettas are cast off and they seem to fit and shoot well, and I need to know if my frae will work better for more or less D@H; I have never considered a parker because of their large drops. But I've got this doubt that lingers and convinces me that I may not ever be satisfied until I know what fits. Trading up seems foolish until I know.

I'm shooting a svelte francotte 16 that I had the forcing cones lengthened and briley's installed and it truly is a pleasure; BUT, I think I have one more trade left for the bird gun I intend to retire one day. I've got several 20's and enjoy shooting them, but I'm hooked on the 16 gauge. Thanks to the forum I bought three flats of win light 6's at 5.99/ before they could mark them up to $10. They are great bunny and pigeon loads.

Reno

Member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 592 Location: Minnesota

Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who is located in the Twin Cities, MN area?

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

I spent a half-day with Hugh and learned a lot. I re-established my anchor point on my mount and saw first hand what the lack of same did to my consistency. That alone was worth the price. I'm now confident with my numbers and am pleased that what I have will work with slight modification, and am confident that if I upgrade that I can do so without concern. I even left him a gun that had lost a screw from the forend that will have to be remaid.

Reno

Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 14 Location: MICHIGAN

You could try Dave Holmes at 231-933-5374 or www.daveholmes.info - he worked for Brian Bilinski in Traverse City Mi and lives near Traverse and is more reasonable than Brian.

Joined: 23 Aug 2005 Posts: 23 Location: Minnesota

[quote="PatrickB"]Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who is located in the Twin Cities, MN area?[/quote]

I highly recommend Bob Fitzgerald of the Lock, Stock and Barrel Gun Shop located at the Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club in Prior Lake MN. He's fit half a dozen guns for me as well as for hundresd of other people. His phone number is 952-447-7600. He's open noon to 4, Tuesday through Saturdays.

Member Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 592 Location: Minnesota

Based on another members suggestion I did contact Bob at the MN Horse & Hunt Club. I finally had some time last week and drove out there. I didn't know what to expect and took his advice and brought all three of my shotguns - 12ga Benelli, 20ga SIG Rizzini and the 16ga FAIR Rizzini. Although my main focus is the 16ga he did a good job looking over all the guns and I learned a lot about each one.

As a side note - Bob also recommended a lesson (4 boxes of shells) so he could see me shooting first hand. I've never had a lesson and after 25 years of hunting I was not sure what to expect. It was the best experience I've ever had in terms of shooting improvements.

We decided to bend the 16ga stock slightly so I'll be back in 7-10 days and see how it fits. But clearly the answer I was looking for to improve my shooting was solved with a few minor improvements in my shooting style versus gun fitting changes.

Everyone's situation will be different but I found a lot of value in being able to walk out of the gun shop and shoot so he could observe first hand my style and habits with the gun. This approach made it easier to establish if it was the gun fit, my shooting style or both.