I could not get the quote feature to work the way I wanted so I improvised with quotation marks around original text and replied is caps.
"Gun mount - where is the top of the recoil pad relative to your collarbone - under it, on top of it?
- it seems to be at about the bottom of my collarbone."
PUTTING THE RECOIL PAD JUST UNDER YOUR COLLARBONE IS PARTIAL CAUSE OF THE RECOIL PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, THE PROTRUDING TOE OF THE RECOIL PAD IS MAKING THE GUN PIVOT UP DURING RECOIL AND THAT DRIVES THE TECOIL PAD INTO YOUR COLLARBONE.
I SUGGEST YOU GET RID OF THAT RECOIL PAD AND GET A FLAT PAD. LIMBSAVER AND KICK-EEX MAKE SOME OF THE BEST ONES.
OTHER MEMBERS MAY BE ABLE TO SUGGEST A SOFT PAD IF YOU SHOOT WITHOUT WEARING A SHOOTING VEST THAT PROTECTS THE COLLARBONE.
RECOIL IS BAD, EVERY BIT OF IT. FOR THAT REASON, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND A SHOOTING VEST, IDEALLY ONE WITH AN INNER SORBOTHANE PAD IN THE SHOULDER AREA.
GIVEN YOUR HEIGHT COUPLED WITH YOUR RATHER LOW GUN MOUNT, YOU PROBABLY NEED TO LEAN YOUR NECK FORWARD WHEN YOU PUT YOUR CHEEK ON THE COMB. WITH A FLAT RECOIL PAD, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MOUNTI YOUR GUN WITH CLOSE TO AN INCH OF THE RECOIL PAD EXTENDING ABOVE YOUR COLLARBONE. (OF COURSE, YOU WILL NEED A SHOOTING VEST TO PROTECT YOUR COLLARBONE.
RAISING YOUR GUN MOUNT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO SHOOT WITHOUT HAVING TO LEAN YOUR NECK FORWARE, IT WILL ALSO ALLOW YOU TO SEE TARGEETW WITHOUT LOOKINE "UP" - WITH THE PUPILS OF YOUR EYES IN THE CENETRS OF THERI SOCKETS.
"Pitch - Slowly mount your gun using your normal shooting posture. When you bring the gun back to your shoulder, does the whole pad, top to bottom, make simultaneous contact with your shoulder or does the bottom, pointed "toe" of the pad make contact before the top "heel" of the pad?
- After doing it slowly, the toe seems to hit first, and then the rest of the pad hits as I pull the gun tighter to the shoulder."
THE PITCH ON THE STOCK IS WRONG FOR YOU, MADE WORSE BY THE SHAPE OF THE PAD BEING SLIGHTLY CONCAVE THE PROTRUDING TOE.
" (The apparent protruding toe of the pad may be part of the problem. That is why I recommend flat recoil pads for most shooting disciplines.)
-- Is there an advantage over a straight pad vs other styles? Specifically, a rocker style was mentioned."
A ROCKER PAD WOULD SNUGGLE INTO YOUR SHOULDER POCKET BETTER THAN THE PAD YOU HAVE BUT YOU WILL STILL NEED TO LEAN YOUR NECK FORWARD TO MOUNT THE GUN BECAUSE YOU COULD NOT RAISE YOUR GUN MOUNT LIKE I DESCRIBED ABOVE. (GENERALLY, I DON'T LIKE ROCKER PADS VERY MUCH.)
"Are you mounting the gun in your "shoulder pocket," which is the indentation inside of your shoulder joint? This is where the recoil pad should make contact with your shoulder.
- I believe so. I just lowered the pad even more to try and see if that will help, to try and take the pad farther from the collarbone."
THAT WILL SPARE YOUR COLLARBONE FROM FURTHER PAIN BUT IT IS TREATING A SYMPTOM AND IGNORING THE CAUSE. IN DOING SO, YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAN YOUR NECK EVEN FURTHER FORWARD AND IN SO DOING, DECREASE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU NOSE AND YOUR TRIGGER HAND THUMB, WHICH SOULD BE NO MORE THAN 1.5" AND WITH A CONSISTENG GUN MOUNT A 1" SEPARATION OR EVEN A LITTLE LESS WOULD BE OK.
THE REASON YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY DEVELOPING A CONSISTENT GUN MOUNT IS THAT AWRUL TOE PROTRUDING RECOIL PAD. A SLIGHTLY LONGER NECK THAT THE STOCK DESIGNER HAD IN MIND WHEN HE DEWIGNED THE STOCK (SPECIFICALLY, WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE "DROP AT THE HEEK" STOCK DIMENSION, WHICH DESCRIBES THE DISTANCE FROM THE TOP OF THE RECOIL PAD (THE HEEL) TO THE LEVEL OF THE RIB.
THAT DISTANCE COUPLED WITH A SHOOTERS HEIGHT/NECKLENGTH AND THE HEIGHT OF THE GUN MOUNT DETERMINES HOW NATURAL THE HEAD AND NECK POSUTURE WILL BE WHEN SHOOTING. IT DETERMINES THE QUALITY OF THE GUN MOUNT IS AND AIDS IN KEEPING THE EYE ALIGNED WITH THE RIB DURING SWINGS TO TARGETS. (WHEN THE EYE MOVES RELATIVE TO THE RIB DURINS A SWING, THE PATTERN ALSO MOVES IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
VERY LITTLE EYE MOVEMENT REELATIVE TO THE RIB IS REQUIRED TO MOVE THE CORE OF THE PATTERN, (WHICH ASSURES A TARGET BREAK) OFF THE TARGET TO THE FRINGE OF THE PATTERN, WHICH IS A "SOMETIMES" BREAK.
KEEPING THE HEAD STATIONARY RELATIVE TO THE RIB IS VERY IMPORTANT. IT IS AIDED BY A GUN THAT FITS AND A GOOD SHOOTING FORM, PARTICULARLY A GOOD, CONSISTENT GUN MOUNT.
WITH A FLAT RECOIL PAD AND WITH MOUNTING PRACTICE, YOU WILL DEVELOPE A CONSISTENT GUN MOUNT.
10 OR 15 PRACTICE GUN MOUNTS A DAY WITH AN EMPTY GUN, WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES AS YOU WEAR WHEN YOU SHOOT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS SHOULD ALLOW YOU TO DEVELOPE A CONSISTENT MOUNT.
IT'S BORING, A LITTLE TIRING, INCONVENIENT, BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!
