Do I really need to have my gun fitted?

Q: Is there really any need to have a gun fitted? My factory-stocked Beretta is perfect in every respect. A couple of friends, though, are forever tinkering with their guns, with mixed results. What are your thoughts on this?

A: John says: A lot of folk are fortunate in that “standard” stock measurements are a suitable compromise but others, however, aren’t quite so lucky.

It can’t have escaped your attention, but people come in all shapes and sizes and, depending on individual physique, some change might be needed to enable them to get the gun to shoot where they’re looking.

Badly bruised

Tell someone being bruised by a badly fitting stock that he should just grin and suffer the problem, and listen to what he has to say! The same goes for anyone with longer/shorter arms than the average, or a face that’s fuller/thinner than the gunmaker’s idea of normal.

With this in mind, there’s certainly a need for proper gunfitting where individual circumstances dictate it.

However, fitting only pays if a shooter is able mount his gun properly to the face and shoulder, automatically, shot after shot. If mounting isn’t second nature, or you continually change stance when addressing a target, then the value of any gun fitting will be compromised.