increasing length of pull?

[matt85]

im in the works to pick up a new rifle and pretty much right off the bat i know the LOP is going to be much too short. the factory LOP will be around 13 5/8" and i usually need a 14 1/4" minimum. pachmyr sells 1/4" extensions but they weigh 6 oz each and i would need 3 of them which is alot of weight. not to mention the stock would look very ugly with a long plastic piece at the end.

is there a way to increase LOP without adding alot of weight or making the gun really ugly?

thanks
-matt

 

[richteb]

Matt,
You do not mention what type of gun you are talking about. However, any extension will add some weight. Short of replacing the entire stock I do not think there is anything you can get (especially of the shelf) that will not be highly visible. You could get a extending piece fitted to the end similar to that used in target rifles and comp shotguns, but again not very pleasing to the eye.

 

[sestoppelman]

What in the world is the 1/4 inch extension made of that it would add 6 oz to the stock?? Lead?! I too like a pretty long LOP but over 14 is a bit too long for me. I am just 6 ' tall but have a fairly long reach of about 6'4" so I know what you are talking about. I don't think there is another way other than what you mention, except a custom stock, though there are some pretty thick pads out there that added to a spacer or two might make it long enough. But again it may end up being a bit homely.

 

[ActionBob]

Does it have a thick recoil pad already? If not maybe that would do the trick and at least look better than a bunch of spacers.

 

[James.Grage]

Options:
Check for longer recoil pads. They make them in different thickness.
Most rifles come with a 1/2 to 3/4" recoil pad change that out to a 1 3/8" one.

Now if you go with Plastic extenders they also come in different thickness. from 1/16" to 1/2" they come in different colors is that makes a difference to you. The ones that i have are black. I have a group for different thickness to lengthen my shotgun stock and to shorten it for gun fit with added clothing.

If you go the plastic extenders, have a different screw system put in your stock for ease of removing the pads. The screw usually takes a allen wrench.

 

[matt85]

the rifle is a Montana Rifle Co. PH model chambered in 505 Gibbs and it comes with a 1" pachmyr recoil pad. i also made a typo in my first post, the spacers actually weigh 3 oz each which is still pretty heavy for plastic.

im 5' 10" but for what ever reason short stocks dont seem to fit me well. with stocks under 14" its hard to keep my elbows tucked in while shooting. ive found 14.25"-14.5" to be the most comfortable. my Searcy double has a 15" LOP which is a little long but still fits pretty well.

james.grage, where are you finding these longer pads and extensions?

the factory stock is a very plain field grade stock from Boyds so a few spacers shouldnt make it any uglier then it already is. restocking the gun would be nice but i really cant afford to unless i sell another rifle.

thanks
-matt

 

[DOC-404]

I used these, and honestly couldn't notice the difference in weight..

http://www.pachmayr.com/home/stock-spacers.php

 

[Red Leg]

I don't think I would worry about the weight of any extension piece. It will not be noticeable. On a really high end rifle or shotgun, the Brits will add a walnut extension to match the stock. A little creative use of stains can make it almost invisible. It is, however, an expensive option. Next level, and the one I prefer, is a piece of ebony as the extension. It can be cut and fitted to the exact length that you need (based upon the pad you want to use), and it will be far more durable than plastic are hard rubber.. Almost any competent stock builder could do that for you, and the cost would not be outrageous.

 

[matt85]

DOC-404 those are the extensions I was looking at. I appreciate the picture because I wasn't sure how they would look and it actually looks fine, the only difference is I would need 3 of them.

you take a 10.5 pound rifle add .25 pound rings, a 1 pound scope, a .5 pound spacer, and 1.5 pounds of ammunition. now your gun weights 13.75 pounds. not complaining, just making a point about weight.

using an ebony extension would look nice on a nice stock but the plain field grade stock on this gun isn't worth it. someday I will replace the stock with a proper piece of wood though. (just can afford it now)

thanks
-matt

 

[Marcos Rodriguez]

matt... my suggestin is to replace the stock!... Sounds a little tought, but, if the actua stock don´t fit to you, (and in your comments like it´VERY short) it´s very difficult to fix them!...
You should to try with the extensions too... Don´t forget a proper firing position and the eye relief distance, in a heavy rifle!

 

[rookhawk]

A good smith will drill out wood in the stock to maintain weight and balance of the gun. You'll be good to go.

I find your need of length to be dubious based on your height though. Any chance you need more drop at comb and you get that by having a gun too long? I'm thinking length of pull might be a symptom of another gun fit problem altogether?

 

[zephyr]

I lengthened the pull on two new mod 70 projects running them out to 14.5"s (would have prefered bringing it to 14.75") using a .75" spacer and a 1" pad. There is a lot of black spacer but you get use to it. Caution on too big and too soft of a pad say greater than 1" as it can get mushy when you pull the gun to your shoulder providing a unstable platform..
I went this way as the gun stocks on the new SC Win mod 70's are some what plain...
If I had a really spectacular piece if wood I would send it to NECG and put a wood extension than a pad, they have a smith that does a really spectacular job matching the grain even using a airbrush at times before finishing the stock, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
This is the type of job that you can do your self with a file and sandpaper.....
Good luck let us know what you do.....

 

[BRICKBURN]

You can honeycomb the spacers with a drill and lose some weight.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

This is commonly done:

It doesn't have to be done using contrasting wood grain, but this example makes it easy to see.

 

[Saul]

I think Limbsaver makes a 1" pad.

 

[lcq]

I went the cheap route and put a slip on Limbsaver over the existing pad. LOP was almost perfect for me. $25 and 5 min all done. Pretty close to the 3/4" you are looking for

 

[rookhawk]

I thought I'd give the "official" best gun answer. Obviously this is often impractical but it would be what any London gun maker would tell a client.

Options For Adding Length:

Best - restock the gun

2nd best - use a 1" silvers pad plus a slight spacer and wrap in English pigskin.

3rd best - use a 1" silvers pad on top of a long wood extension that is of the right grain that the gun can be refinished to conceal the wood extension.

4th best. Use a horn butt extension of 1/4"-5/8" followed by a silvers pad.

Official gospel: at no time ever shall a gun have a pad visible longer than 1" as it ruins the aesthetic of the gun and harms the balance of the gun.

Obviously all the above are not merited on a cheap gun but that would be a Rigby or Lang or Purdey answer I've provided above.

 

[DOC-404]

DOC-404 those are the extensions I was looking at. I appreciate the picture because I wasn't sure how they would look and it actually looks fine, the only difference is I would need 3 of them.

you take a 10.5 pound rifle add .25 pound rings, a 1 pound scope, a .5 pound spacer, and 1.5 pounds of ammunition. now your gun weights 13.75 pounds. not complaining, just making a point about weight.

using an ebony extension would look nice on a nice stock but the plain field grade stock on this gun isn't worth it. someday I will replace the stock with a proper piece of wood though. (just can afford it now)

thanks
-matt

..did you get it sorted, Bud..?

 

[matt85]

the new rifle ended up having issues and was returned for a refund. so I never got around to trying to fix the LOP.

this thread is still very valuable since many rifles made these days are too short for me.

-matt