Re fitting: The fitter may be right about what fits you, but it may also cause adjustment to the way you shoot. Example:
Several years back, our Ruffed Grouse Society offered a pheasant hunt to be auctioned at an RGS banquet. Our hunt went to a banquet in Alaska, where a couple guys bought it. Showed up, having flown their dogs down to Iowa--so pretty serious hunters. One of them had two guns with him: A bespoke Spanish sidelock with dimensions from a fitting he'd just had, and an old Parker he'd shot for years.
First day of the hunt, the guy could not hit squat with the Spanish gun. So he tells me: I'm going to shoot my Parker tomorrow. He does, and he shoots it quite well. Suspicious that there's likely significant differences in fit between the two, I ask him to get out the Spanish gun. Suspicions confirmed. The stock on the Spaniard is close to an inch longer, and has significantly less drop. He told me that he shot quite well using the fitter's try gun with those dimensions.
At which point I broke the news to him that I didn't think he'd ever be able to shoot both guns well. Because of the difference, he'd have to stick with one or the other. As an experienced hunter and having shot the old Parker for years, he'd adapted to dimensions that would have horrified the fitter. But he was used to it. Given time, he'd probably get equally used to the Spaniard . . . but then he'd have to hang the Parker on the wall.
People new to the game often do better with a fitting than those who've been at it for some time. The latter group may have figured out roughly what they think their dimensions are, and have adjusted to guns that fit that way. Changing what they're used to . . . it's like teaching that old dog new tricks. It can be done, but it's likely easier with a puppy.
