What to do when you're tall?

[Bob McBride]

Get a shotgun pad to add to the LOP and see if you can determine what you need that way or similarly. I’m 6’1’ and long armed. I like 14 1/4” as seen on my Allen Martin Early Lancaster (Newcomer) Schimmel.

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
The problem with two dimensional try stocks is they don't really mimic a gun stock which has thickness.

dave

 

[smoothshooter]

I'm sure there are gun builders who could build a rifle that would fit you but, the really good gunsmiths who specialize in muzzleloading rifles usually have a year or more backlog. They are also very expensive.

Since you are talking about building your own gun, I suggest that you call Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply Co. and ask to talk to Dick Greensides. The phone number is 1-815-968-1995.
He owns Pecatonica River Long Rifle Co and has supplied pre-carved stocks for well over 25 years. He is also very knowledgeable and an all around good guy to do business with.

I mention this because when I have used his stocks I usually end up cutting over 2 1/2 inches off of the butt of the stock to get a 14" trigger pull. If I didn't cut off that wood the pull distance would be around 16" after the butt plate was installed. Anyway, maybe Dick can cut a special stock for you that leaves more wood at the butt? It's worth asking and if anyone would know, he would.

Here's a link to the Pecatonica River site. They have a lot of different stock shapes to choose from.
If you decide to buy from them you will have the cost of the kit parts and stock forming plus the stock blank cost.
Their Curly Maple has a lot of figure in it. So much so that I usually end up ordering the #3 grade.

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/stockscomponents.shtml
By the way, because of the long barrel length used on longrifles (42" is common), it isn't unusual for the length of pull to be less than what would be found on modern gun stocks. That shorter length of pull moves the center of gravity back towards the shooter so the gun doesn't feel muzzle heavy. This is especially important if you use a straight octagon barrel rather than the lighter weight swamped barrel.

T

Hi all.

I'm looking to build a flintlock rifle. However I'm facing the same problem I have with any long gun. At 6'6" my length of pull is quite long. I measure 18" from the crook of my elbow to the tip of my index finger. Is there a stock maker out there who could custom cut a blank to fit me?

That measurement is not always a accurate indicator of correct length of pull.

 

[rkrcpa]

Hi,
Listen to Chris (Stophel). He is exactly correct. My LOP measured on my arm is slightly over 14" and I can barely reach the trigger on a gun with a 14" LOP. I can comfortably shoot guns with LOPs from 13 1/8" to 13 5/8". It is not just LOP that matters for big guys but also drop at heel and at the comb. I made the swivel breech below for a guy with an "arm measured" LOP of almost 17". The rifle has an LOP of 15" and a drop at heel of 4" and it fits him like a glove with or without a jacket. The real problem for me was to shape the stock so it did not look like a hockey stick.
dave

I am not much shorter than the OP and can relate to this topic. What I have found (mainly with shotgun stocks) is that the need for increased length of pull is more to put my cheek in the correct spot on the comb rather than a need for a longer trigger reach.

In order to line up open sights on a rifle your eye needs to be on the same plane as the sights. This is accomplished through cheek placement on the comb. This is why the drop at face is important.

While many things can influence this placement, for me, what comes into play is the slope of my shoulders. My shoulders have a severe slope and create havoc when trying to get dress shirts and shotgun stocks to fit me. Having a 20 inch neck does not help, neither does my tendency to "crawl" a stock. I find that I increase the stock length in order to place the correct portion of the comb where it needs to be. If I had a custom stock built I would venture to guess that with the proper drop in the stock I would not require as much length as I think I do.

YMMV

 

[beardedhorse]

Depending on the slope of the comb, extending the length of pull on a precarved stock will also add to the drop. Unless it is a perch belly design with the comb getting close to the line of the bore this added drop may throw off your check weld and sight alignment. The perch belly design has the line of recoil in line with the bore and give you reduced perceived recoil. I got a real nice tightly figured curly maple stock blank from Freddie Harrison of Tennessee decades ago for a Getz, 60 cal 48" swamped barrel. Length of pull and drop and cast off I can custom design to fit me but the front sight will be way out there and I need a shovel to dig a hole to put the butt in or a step stool to stand on to load. Figure it will come up to my eyebrows with a 13 1/2 inc pull. Eric's try stock is a smart concept. A stepped wrist style of longrifle gives you a little wiggle room to design the drop and position of heel and toe of butt to the length of pull.