What is 'wood-to-metal fit' on a shotgun?

A sloppy fit around the action can cause cracks in the wood.

By Mike George

Wednesday, 14 July 2010

What does ‘wood-to-metal fit’ mean? How, for instance, can I judge if a gun is good or bad in this respect? Most of those I see have the wood standing proud of the metal – is this correct or should it finish flush? Is there a reason why so many stand proud?

Shooting technical advice
MIKE GEORGE
It means that the wood is in contact with the metal in every place it should be, with no gaps.

This is particularly important at the head of the stock, which is where the recoil forces are transmitted from the metal of the action into the wood.

A sloppy fit in this region can over-stress the parts of the wood where the metal touches, and cracks can result.

Usually, a visual inspection is all that is required to discover whether the wood-to-metal fit is good or bad.

It is desirable to have the wood standing slightly proud of the metal. Then, if the wood gets slightly damaged, marks or very small chips can be sanded out without causing unsightly low spots.

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Comments

Pierre

Thu, 22nd Jul 2010 10:52:12

Does the picture have anything to do with 'bad' wood-to-metal fit. Just yesterday I bought a Winchester Select II sporting, still have not tried it out on the range, but the finishing is impeccable even compared to guns costing Eur. 500 more such as the Beretta 686 or an entry level Browning.