West London Shooting School chief instructor Mark Heath tells Alex Sayer why you should have your gun fit checked regularly
Have you ever had your gun professionally fitted? Many shooters buy a new gun that ‘feels right’, or trust the gun shop’s assurance that it fits, and just go shooting. Perhaps you had your gun fitted when it was new and have shot it for years, confident that it’s right. Mark Heath, chief instructor at the West London Shooting School, says that’s not enough. He reckons you should not only have your gun fitted from the start, you should also have its fit checked regularly, and certainly when something has changed – perhaps if you’ve lost or gained weight, or your scores aren’t progressing as they should.
“Shotgun shooting is a hand-eye coordination sport, so it stands to reason that the better the relationship between hand and eye, the better the results will be,” Mark explains. “Once you’ve had your gun correctly fitted it can last for years, although with occasional checking with regard to changes in eyesight or build.”
Besides affecting accuracy, a poorly fitting gun can be downright uncomfortable to shoot. “You should never feel any pain or discomfort when you fire, and there certainly shouldn’t be any bruising,” Mark says. He points out there’s a mental aspect to gun fit as well: “Frustration will soon set in when the gun isn’t behaving how you would like – which is certainly the case when it won’t shoot where you are looking.”
Shotgun shooting is a game of skill not chance, but a properly fitted gun will increase your chance of success because it makes the communication between you and your gun much clearer. In short the gun will do what you want it to.
It’s important that your gun fits properly, and the only way to achieve that is to have it professionally fitted. Once that’s done, however, things can change over time. “Bad habits can creep in, and even things like weight loss or gain can make a surprising difference,” says Mark. “If that sounds familiar, think about the last time you had a professional fitting; you may be due a re-fit.”
What is gun fitting?
“Gun fitting is as much an art as a science,” Mark says. “It requires astute and acute observation by the gun fitter.” The process is all about achieving the correct relationship between eye and muzzle. That means taking into account the shooter’s eyesight and build.
