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Stock Fitting Evaluation

5K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  stockmaker57 
#1 ·
Elite Custom Gunstocks is now offering a new service, Stock Fitting Evaluation.

We spend so much time and money on guns, ammo, lessons, club and target fees, but seldom see how well our guns fit us. After all, would a golf pro give you a
lesson with a set of clubs that don’t fit you…… of course not.

Having a consistent gun mount along with a properly fitted stock in shotgun
shooting is imperative to reaching your highest potential. If you are missing
either one of these things, you are shooting inconsistently and missing targets.

An evaluation session is 2 hours long at a cost of $250.00 for the session.
Itinerary includes:
• Evaluation of your gun mount technique.
• Laser evaluation to check gun fit.
• Checking your gun’s barrel regulation on pattern board
• Impact testing on pattern board.
• Final evaluation paperwork with suggestion to work on for mounting
technique along with written alterations, if any that need to be done
to the stock in order to obtain a proper fit.

Individual evaluation are done at Frankfort Sportsman Club in Mokena, IL by appointment only.
I will come to your club with a minimum of 8 shooters. (Your club must have a grease pattern on premises.)

Call Alan Braner at 815-955-2074 or email me at elitecustomgunstocks@gmail.com to set up an appointment or with any questions you may have.
 
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#2 ·
A well fit stock will help anyone. A pretty one won't brake one more target.

It is always better to be fit by the stockmaker if he knows something about your sport. Fittings by non stockmakers usually help you get closer. when you want it right the fitting and stockmaking should be done by the same individual or at have a close working relationship with each other.

Welcome to Trap Shooters!

Joe
 
#3 ·
Thanks Joe,

The goal here is to have their mount and fit checked especially before going out and taking lessons no matter what their discipline happens to be. If the stock needs to be adjusted with hardware or if a custom stock needs to be made, they can send it to me or to someone else to have the work done. But at the end of the evaluation, I will know where the problem lies and what need to be done to remedy it.

There are times when I see it’s all in their gun mounting technique and not the gun. In those cases I show them exercises and options for tools to help them develop that consistent and subconscious gun mount in the privacy of their own home that is essential in shooting a shotgun.

Either way, it's time and money well spent.
 
#5 ·
Completely agree on the concept and the price is well worth it. I built/modified a stock on my own last month, patterned it, shaved a little more off the comb and finish coated it. I got extremely lucky since now i am centering everything. last 2 times i shot ive hit 140 out of 150 from yardages 16 to 25. I know that may not be great in some folks eyes, but i didnt own a shotgun 2 years ago. Better yet, I know exactly why i missed those other 10. I started counting in my head.....
 
#6 ·
This is EXACTLY what I've been whining about for several years - AND you're right in my backyard.

I will be in touch for an appointment for both my wife and myself.

Larry J. Frieders
Grandpa's Arms, Inc.
340 Marshall Ave #100 | Aurora, IL 60506 |
Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm |
Office: 630.859.0333 Cell: 630.992.7513 FAX: 630.859.0114
 
#9 ·
If you are going to travel to a club, will you post where you’re going? Just in case it’s close to me and you can fit me in?

I'm 4 hours south, near St. Louis on the Illinois side. I would love to get this evaluation done. I will also talk to the guys in the club to see if I can get 8 people.

Thank you,

Tim
 
#10 ·
Would each person have their own time slot?

I read your BIO and it appears you have been working with wood for some time, but how long have you been making stocks? Did you learn by trial and error or did you learn from another stock maker?

I am also curious to know what your experience is when it comes to the actual fitting of a gun.

I understand making a stocks for another shooter allows to create a proper fit through design, but what about us those who cannot afford custom stocks and have to settle for what the gun came with?

Thanks

Bryan
 
#11 ·
I shoot trap and SC ( mediocrity is my best score). I have MX10RS and MX8/2000 SC . I wonder how differently would you approach making stocks for 2 different guns in the 2 disciplines?

Charlie
 
#12 ·
Well, Charlie, I think there should be little difference. But I don't do this for a living.

The goal must be to get the shooter comfortable on the gun with as little head-tilt as possible and STRAIGHT DOWN THE RIB, no compromise, no negotiation.

This is, of course, AFTER determining that the gun is OK, that when the beads are lined up side-to-side the gun shots straight right-to-left and at an OK elevation for the shooter, again when the beads are set up in a way that's OK for the shooter. This may take most of an afternoon and require a box of shells or more and there has to be a bench to support the gun on and so on. Everything else is, in my opinion, just a charade.

I think that these are the "universals" and my bet is that everything else is fluff. But, I repeat, I don't do this for a living.

Neil
 
#13 ·
I think it was Bismarck who said somethin like he would always hire the laziest person because he could rely on them to get the job done as quickly as possible. (I guess the "big stick" being carried was that if the job didn't get done at all then the hire would be shot.)

Anyway, somebody making a living from something doesn't mean they are actually making anything and could be the exact opposite of what Bismarck was looking for.

Andrew.
 
#15 ·
To answer your question Calkidd,

Each person would have their own time slot, I only work with one person at a time.

I started Elite Custom Gunstocks in 2001 as a full time business working on stocks as a hobby prior to. My father was a competitive trap shooter in the 60’s and from him is where I learned the important of a consistent and subconscious mount as well as gun fitting. I have taken many lessons in the past for sporting clays, as I mentioned before I compete in master class in NSCA tournaments on a regular basic. What I learned is that most instructors are not gun fitters and most gun fitters are not instructors. (although some think they are) I do not categorize myself as an instructor although I have years of experience to help entry and medium level shooter improve their skills. My goal in these “Gun Fitting Evaluation” is to give the customer a solid foundation in mounting, how to practice their mount, and to recognize and guild them to what needs to be done to their stock to get a more precise fit which translate to more targets being hit. It’s all about reaching your highest potential and having fun. This is what I do for a living, I do it every day and I see the same thing over and over, people shooting gun that don’t fit them, taking lessons with those guns and sometimes, being discouraged. I’m sure if you ask other stock makers, they have seen the same thing. For those who cannot afford a custom stock, most of the time, adding different hardware to your stock will allow the adjustments needed to get your head in the right spot.

Charlie,

It is not my intention to go into my theory on how I fit a gun to a certain discipline but rest assure, there are differences. I make made hundreds of custom stock though my process of a fitting stock, not a try gun for many reasons that I state on my website. My customers are varied in their respective disciplines and all are very happy with the stock that I have made for them. As I have stated before, the stock is only one piece of the puzzle. Some think just because you have a custom stock made, it will come up right every time, which is not the case. The shooter has to do his part by practicing their mount until it becomes an unconscious move and learn the strategies of their discipline. That is the information I am offering.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate the input. I shoot trap gun that is 90% high and SC that is greater than 60% high.
 
#18 ·
Okay. I dropped the coin last week and visited Al Braner at the Frankfurt Club. My gun fits now and I know that for a few reasons.

One, the shoulder pain I HAD BEEN experiencing disappeared and did not come back after shooting 100 shells on saturday.

Second, AL asked me to promise to devote one full box to shooting trap according to the method we developed together. I failed the method twice on the first squad and scored 23. The remaining scores were 23, 24 , and 21 - meaning that I broke down on the process 7 more times. I ended the day with a score of 91 - something I hadn't been seeing lately.

Al did many measurements and we spent considerable time at the patterning board. AFter adding more cast off I was putting shot after shot dead center on the board. I know where the barrels shoot and I am learning to trust the process of focusing ONLY on the target. I know that I miss when I look at the barrel - just a brief glance to check the beads. Practicing the mount Al helped me with does the job because I do it the same every time and the gun shoots straight. In that respect, it shoots where I look.

There was no pressure to have any work done. In fact, Al gave me a printout of my gun measurements and said I could have anyone I want make any corrections(such as changing the LOP). Al makes custom stocks and told me the process, though he never put on any pressure to have one made.

Perhaps I was just lucky, but it doesn't seem that way. My impression is that Al Braner took time one-on-one to help me and I'm seeing the benefits right away.

Now that the gun and mount are working for me I won't need to take time off to recuperate after a weekend of shooting.

If you have any questions about my experience fee free to call or write. Al did not offer any discount and did nothing to encourage me to write this post. I am delighted with what I received for my money. As always, free advice is worth what you pay for it.

Larry J. Frieders
Grandpa's Arms, Inc.
340 Marshall Ave #100 | Aurora, IL 60506 |
Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm |
Office: 630.859.0333 Cell: 630.992.7513 FAX: 630.859.0114
 
#19 ·
Larry,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I have spent many years developing this
program and it works very well as you attested to. Your experience is very
typical to what others have said after taking my “Stock Fitting Evaluation”.

This program not ony works for trap shooting, but also for Skeet, Sporting Clays, and Five Stand.

Continue success with your shooting!

Alan Braner
 
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