Measuring Stock Drop?

[Eric Krewson]

I am working on my stock design for my first rifle and have length of pull figured out but am unsure on the proper way to measure the correct drop. I tried all the guns in my gun case, shouldered them with my eyes closed and the only one that came up perfectly with the sights lined up every time was a 700 Rem bolt action. It has a relatively straight stock with the drop to the comb cheek-piece of only 1 3/4" from a straight edge laid across the sights and over the butt stock.

Am I doing this right? I plan a Beck style gun.

 

[pcrum]

I may be wrong here, but I think you measure from the sight plane to the top of the comb.

 

[Zonie]

IMO, The drop is measured at the butt plate, not at the cheekpiece. Other than that, it sounds like you've got the right idea but here are a few thoughts about drop.

Most people who are used to shooting modern guns have learned to cock their heads over to the side, down a bit and forward to get their sight alignment. This becomes a conditioned responce for most of us.

The large drop many of the old rifles have can be 3 to 4 inches and at first seems a little awkward, but after shooting these guns one learns to break the old conditioning and go with the new guns requirements.

I, and many others have learned that the large drop on the old style of guns is actually more natural and comfortable.
It brings the sights to the eye faster than craining our necks to bring our eye to the sights.

The drop on my unmodified TC Hawken is 2 1/2 inches. The drop on my restocked TC Hawken is 3 inches.
Many people who also own TC Hawkens are amazed at how much more naturally the restocked "gun comes to their eye" when they shoulder it.

My only negative comment on large drop deals with large caliber guns when they are loaded up towards the max load.
The large drop will cause the gun to rotate upwards more than the small drop when the gun is fired.
This can cause the stock to hit your cheekbone, and some people do not like this.
In my experiance it only becomes objectionable when heavy loads are used.

Before you invest your money in a gun with very little drop, try to find an old style gun with a lot of drop somewhere where you can handle it and try sighting it. It may surprise you.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Easiest way I know of involves a doorway and a carpenter's square. Place the top of the barrel against the door frame so that the sights are off to the side of the wood edge and the barrel is snug against the frame. Place the square against the frame and floor to measure the drop at the heel (top of buttplate) and slide it up the frame to measure the drop at the comb. I use a piece of masking tape to mark the stock where my cheekbone rests as that is the critical point on the comb. It is to the top edge of the comb with the gun held horizontally, not the cheekrest plateau.

My only negative comment on large drop deals with large caliber guns when they are loaded up towards the max load.
The large drop will cause the gun to rotate upwards more than the small drop when the gun is fired.
This can cause the stock to hit your cheekbone, and some people do not like this.
In my experiance it only becomes objectionable when heavy loads are used.

S'true. A gun with a bunch of drop (like my precious Lehighs) needs a dose of cast-off so you are not laying your head over the comb. They were not built for bench shooting.

Anyone who puts more than 50% of the weight of the ball in for a powder charge deserves all the face smacks he gets. ::

 

[Eric Krewson]

I forgot to test a friends flintlock that I had on hand. It to comes up perfectly with the sights dead on with a drop to the comb of the stock at the center of the cheek piece of 2". I also pulled out a Beck rifle blueprint I have and measured the drop and found it to be exactly the same as my 700 rem.

 

[rich pierce]

Sight height matters so check if the 700 Rem sight height is different. if it's a scope it's very different.

 

[Birddog6]

The drop is measured at the heel or Top of the buttplate.(not the comb)

Also the type of buttplate intended will have a great bearing on the LOP. You measure the LOP from the front center of the front trigger to the Middle of the buttplate. Thus a Hawken style or TN style LOP appears to be longer than a early flats buttplate lancaster rifle. etc.

The more drop you put on the heel, the shorter the LOP gets. Thus a rifle with a 3" drop & a 14 1/2" LOP may fit you fine, as well as a 2" drop & 14" LOP... etc.

:results:

 

[Eric Krewson]

See through mounts on the Rem, no problem finding the sight plane but I didn't think about sight height which are pretty high compared to my various flinters.

The longrifle I tested has a 3 1/4" drop at the heel but a high cheek piece so it fits me well. I also checked two TCs, Gostomsky trade gun, 1187 rem shotgun, Rem 22 and a Knight rifle(it ain't mine!). I was surprise how few actually fit me properly. Never payed much attention to fit until I decided to build my own gun.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Here is where I am at now with a pattern drawn off a blue print with 2" of drop. Grade 5 piece of nice wood from Dunlap.

 

I think I'll jump in here and create some controversy. Most classic modern guns are based on the English sporting rifles of the mid 1800's. Rem. 700, Win. 70, L.C. Smith, Parker shotguns. They all have basically the same stock shape and a modern custom maker may take a dozen or more measurements using this shape as a frame of reference. But Kentucky rifles have all sorts of shapes. They are sculptures, not just the same shape changed slightly by a fitting. Everything that's been said on this topic is true, and as Birddog so well pointed out, one change affects the other. How does a Lehigh or a Bedford relate to a modern "fitting" and still be what they are. Peter Angstadt. Yikes! Yet they can still feel good. Really good. Pick a style that feels good to you and is apporopriate to it's purpose. .58 Bedford = bad idea. Then just get a length of pull and you're in business. :yakyak:

 

[Terry Zboril]

Eric,
You can build a "try stock" to determine your exact pull and drop. You only need a piece of 1x6 pine and an evening, and it will last forever, so that when you get to building rifles for your friends, they will be truly "custom". Put some sights on it. Set it so that when you throw it up with your eyes closed, the sights line up perfectly when you open them. The wrist is mortised to adjust to pull and drop with a wing nut. Sorry for the cheap camera. Here's mine.

Another trick about the so called "kick" on deeper drops , is to make sure that the buttplate is roughly at 90 degrees(perpendicular), to the line of sight (barrel). Most sand cast brass plates are easily annealed and bent to a more "open" position for a deeper drop. You have a lot of filing to do anyway. :results:

Regards, Terry

 

[Eric Krewson]

I like your try stock Terry. Looks better than the one Peter Alexander has in his book. I will make one this weekend.