Length Of Pull

[Airborne]

Does anyone know if there is a standard? I am having a new gun built and the smith said, tell me what LOP you want so that I can get started on the stock. I went home measured the ones I have they range from 13 1/2 to 14". It seems that if I place the pad on the trigger and then fold my arm, I still have about 1" before the butt will hit my crease of the elbow area. Does anyone have a 15" LOP? I think that is too long. TIA

 

[kmassaro]

The average stock is made for a 5'11" to 6' man.

Add heavy clothing, and it may be too long. I am 5'6", and have mine cut to 13.1", so that it comes up quickly under all conditions.

That's the test. Close your eyes wearing your heaviest clothing for that hell freezing over day. Pull the gun up from being held low. If it hangs up at all, it's too long.

 

[kmassaro]

fyi, you can live with it too short a lot easier than too long. Jeff Cooper wrote about this in The Art of the Rifle. He thinks our stocks are too long.

 

[milanuk]

I think it has a lot to do w/ the application of the gun and how your sights are mounted. For shooting off the bench, I can usually get the scope far enough forward just using Leupold reversible dovetail rings, so they sit forward about 1/2", and maybe some spacers to take the LOP out to 14". Shooting prone from a bipod, the same stock is too short, and depending on the scope (some change eye relief almost 3/4 inch from min to max power) I end up w/ my neck cramped from pulling it in like a turtle or crawling the stock slightly, all the while w/ the stock off my shoulder. For shooting from a sling in sitting or prone, I usually have to go w/ a combo of an extended weaver rail and a longer (adjustable) stock to get comfortable.

I'd recommend going w/ a long LOP initially; you can always have it trimmed down if it is too long, and it will look better than if you get it too short and have to extend it w/ spacers or a ridiculously thick butt pad. I'm 6'5" and a 14-14.5" LOP seems to work well, but as I said, I favor a rail scope mounting system that allows me a fair degree of freedom in where I mount the scope, and this is for 'fixed' position shooting, either from a bench or a sling or a bipod. For more dynamic engagements, which is what I believe Col. Cooper is talking about, you might well have an entirely different set of requirements.

Monte

 

[COBrad]

If I recall correctly I believe the measurement for LOP is found by bending the elbow to a 90 degree angle, then, with the palm turned up, measuring from the inside of the elbow down the forearm to the second knuckle of the trigger finger. Make sense? I double checked by measuring myself. I'm 5'7" and shoot a 13 1/4" LOP. This is the length I have all my stocks finished at because I find it to be the compromise that fits me best in all circumstances.

 

[milanuk]

k2,

before you go getting uppity about what kind of posts about what kind of rifles is OK here, think of this: there are all kinds of 'long range' hunters here on the board. Some people hunt w/ a pack and a bipod/sling, some hunt in teams from prepared positions (including blinds) and some quite literally use some heavy duty benchrests w/ all the bells and whistles. Depends on what they are trying to do, what they are trying to hit, and at what range. Long range to me is anything beyond point blank. To others it doesn't even start til over a half mile. Thus what is 'right' for LOP varies greatly w/ what the users intentions are.

To each their own.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[Guest]

Monte,
Thanks for speaking for the rest of us! The ultimate intent of this site, is to share; "teach & learn" information, and we can do it much easier without the scrutiny of categorizing each minute detail before helping someone out.
I have gleaned much helpful information from this site, and I appreciate the person or persons; who founded it. Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Monte,
Thanks for speaking for the rest of us! The ultimate intent of this site, is to share; "teach & learn" information, and we can do it much easier without the scrutiny of categorizing each minute detail before helping someone out.
I have gleaned much helpful information from this site, and I appreciate the person or persons; who founded it. Thanks!

 

[JBM]

Nice rule of thumb. That certainly explains why I like a long length of pull -- that measurement is 15.5" for me.

 

[kmassaro]

This board is entitled long range hunting, so I am assuming that the posts are related to hunting, not benchrest rifles.

 

[kmassaro]

Monte,

I'm not uppity, I'm relating what works in the field, in practice, as opposed to what works in theory.

Perhaps the animals I hunt are different, but the antelope, deer and elk I kill at long range have a vested interest in staying alive, and that means they're a millisecond away from moving behind something that obstructs the shot, or presenting their backside....

Now, if you're looking at the ultimate 900 yd prairie dog rifle, that's another story.
Who cares if he goes down the hole, another one's coming up soon...

But elk are different. You may get one shot a year, and may only get 10 seconds of a broadside shot.

Hunting rifles are to be shot fast. Your target wants to stay alive, and is constantly on the move. I can take a rifle designed to be shot fast, and shoot slow with it, but not the other way around.

Talk down to me again after you've killed a hundred big game animals.

 

[milanuk]

Like you said, it's long range hunting, and I dont see it distinguishing btwn rock chucks or elk or coyotes. Your target is considerably harder to put down than mine (well, dunno about the coyote ;p), but also considerably larger. Each has it's challenges. If you want to thump your chest about hundreds of big game animals, all shot w/i a 'ten second window', knock yourself out. I think you can take a guess as to how impressed everybody will be. For what it's worth, the few deer I've either shot or been spotting for the shooter that have been at longer distances had absolutely no clue we were there. Completely unconcerned, grazing w/o a care in the world. No 'ten second window'. More like ten minute. That was kind of the point I thought.

Again, I think you're missing the idea here. To each their own. You define hunting your way, I define it my way. If you're happy and I'm happy, then it's all good and there's no need to naysay one method or the other.

YMMV,

Monte

 

[Holmes]

I prefer a 14.5" LOP, I'm 6'2" and the bent arm measurement yields a 15.25" measurement.
I hunt LR primarily from a bipod.

I've taken 100+ big game animals in my time and 'shooting fast' does not correlate to LR hunting for me. At several hundred yards I need to identify my prey animal, determine the distance, and evaluate the wind. I must now achieve a good shooting position and discharge the arm properly.

My LR hunting experience has definitely been enhanced by studying benchrest techniques and learning from BR shooters.

All in all, it's not a real speedy process!

Good shootin' to all.

~Holmes