doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What's the deal with drop?

What's the deal with drop? Everyone cautions me away from guns with a lot of drop and I guess I do not understand why? Perhaps I just have a long neck and shoot with a more "heads up" technique, but I feel that most guns do not have enough drop for me. Most of the time I feel like I need to smoosh my cheek down onto the stock to avoid seeing too much of the rib, but perhaps I am just ignorant on proper shotgun fit? I was always told to cut a piece of McDonalds drinking straw and tape it on the rib. Close your eyes, mount the gun, open your eyes and you should be looking perfectly through the straw and only seeing it as an "O" shaped silhouette. Is this incorrect?

Please share any and all opinions...

Modern shooters shoot with a more face down into the stock that shooters from the flintlock and percussion cap era. I think this is natural when you think about things making sparks close to your eyes you might use a more heads up stance to put a few inches extra safety space between the fire and your face. If you like a heads up style of shooting there are plenty of older guns to pick from, not so many new ones.

Most new shotguns are in the 2 inch drop area, in the 50's 2.5 was common. At the turn of the century (19 to 20th) 3 inch drop was common and even more was around.

bill

I believe that there is drop at comb and drop at heal involved and some stocks have a more straight comb line affecting the mount. I've become pretty adaptable with my various shotgun stocks.
Karl

I prefer stocks with what today is considered to be excessive drop. 2 3/4" to 3" with a drop at comb of 1 5/8" is generally about perfect. I don't have a long neck but definitely shoot with my head up and only lightly touching the stock. Not saying this is the way others ought to shoot but it works best for me. I'm hunting live birds and shoot with both eyes wide open and need to see as much as possible.

As with any other sport that uses a tool (golf, tennis, etc) there is no absolute right or wrong way to hold it. Do whatever works best for you and be happy.

If you shoot well with stocks that are today considered to have excessive drop you have an advantage in buying guns so stocked. Most of us current shooters would need a noticeably expensive stock alteration or replacement.

Blessings come in differing shapes and sizes.

DDA

It is pretty easy to accommodate a little too much drop, not so much too little drop. Most Italian O/Us have too little for me. Beretta is the exception. DAC is more important than DAH, but in most cases too little DAH means too little DAC. Too little drop and I have to float the bird, and that is a recipe for poor shooting.
I handled three of CSMC's Revelations yesterday. All had perfect drop for me. I think Lou said they were 2 3/8" at the heel, but the catalog says 2 1/2". Anyway, it was a fit for me.

SRH

For whatever reason, the British don't seem to have produced many sxs with what most shooters today would consider excessive drop--even back when 3" DAH was very common on guns made in the States. Vintage British hammerguns often fit American shooters without much in the way of stock modification. Not sure why the difference between their side of the pond and ours.

I am in the group with Joe Wood. I rough shoot birds.Shots taken at any angle sometimes with only one foot planted on the ground. I shoot best with guns having 2-5/8"- 2-7/8" DAH, 1-3/4" DAC. I can NOT hit a blsted thing with guns of "Modern" dimensions. When S&W first introduced their Elite Gold, 20ga, I handled several. Couldn't get down on that gun. Always looking an inch over the top having a great view of the top of the barrels. More drop makes you pull the butt away from your shoulder on high, overhead shots, but that rarely happens on quail, pheasant, or snipe. Ducks, driven birds, doves...a different matter.