sdkidaho Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I'm not sure what a lot of things mean, such as this: Originally posted by mudhen: Change the drop shims to raise or lower pattern. Or this: Originally posted by pbro21: I read that a larger front bead will bring the point of impact down to where I need it to be. Does anyone know if this is true, and if so, how do I go about removing the stock bead to install a new one. Thanks. Drop, cast, shims, adjustable comb, etc. I mean, I know what some things are, but I don't know how you adjust them or why you would. Is there a newbie guide for such things? And can all shotguns be adjusted or just certain ones? I dislike sounding like I am completely uneducated, but over all I probably am. I can hunt and have done since I could pack a rifle, but there is a lot to learn still, and I would like to become a proficient shooter. I have a lot of questions but am often unsure of how to ask them or what to ask, even. Simple things, like how often to clean a gun, and how to clean it, how to properly aim, how to adjust things on your shotgun to make it fit you better or to help improve your aim, etc... etc... Thanks for the advice if you have any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudhen Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 This is all just basic stuff. Much info comes from catalogs and books. All you ever need to know about Benellis is in their instruction manual or can be answered by Benelli CS. I bought my first Benelli in 1990 and the drop kit was described in the catalog. If your rifle shot high or low, you would adjust the scope, right? Shotguns are no different. The adjustable drop (and cast on the Comfortech) is a great custom feature found on few production shotguns, another great reason to buy Benelli. Read, read, read, read, read...... did I mention read?..... mudhen - CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucker301 Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Here's how I adjusted my SBEII LH. With my eyes closed, I shouldered the gun with my cheek down on the comb as if sighting a target. Without moving or adjusting, I opened my eyes and looked at my sight picture. I then tinkered with different shims until I achieved a near perfect sight picture when I repeated the process. I felt this was as close as I could get it, and stuck with that setup. I don't shoot a lot of clays, but I do shoot live birds every chance I get, and so far, I like the way mine is set up. One thing. If you do try this method, take 15 minutes between each adjustment to prevent yourself from making the adjustments in your body position. In other words, if you shoulder it blindly once, and open your eyes, the natural thing to do on the next try is to adjust your body's positioning to provide a better sight picture on the next try. The time buffer will negate that effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdkidaho Posted August 16, 2005 Author Share Posted August 16, 2005 I think I'm not conveying things very well. I can read the manual and that in and of itself is good advice for learning about the gun, and how to properly maintain it. RTFM. I guess I'm wondering more if I'm "doing it right", how I'm holding it, how I'm aiming, and the "why's" of the situation. Why do I do it this way or that way, type of a thing. I found a site with some tips and what not, though I'm not sure how great they are: http://www.ospschool.com/know.html#tempo Any good books on how to shoot properly that you guys would recommend? I mean, I can go out and hunt and knock birds down, but I'd like to improve how I'm doing it, and know that I at least am doing it properly rather than just tossing shot around and getting lucky once in a while. Does that make sense or am I babbling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MG Dave Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I'll take a stab at this. While I'm certainly not an expert, here is my understanding of the way a shotgun should fit. When you shoulder a shotgun, your natural sight picture should have you looking almost directly down the barrel. You should see just a "slight" amount of the rib (assuming you have a rib), in front of the front sight bead. If your shotgun has a center bead, the front bead should appear to sit directly on top of the center bead. Sort of like a figure 8. This sight picture, on most shotguns (not counting specialized guns for trap, etc) will usually give you a 50/50 shot pattern. That is, 50% of the shot will hit above your POA, and 50% will hit below your POA. Now obviously, if your eye, which is your rear sight, is too high or too low to give you this sight picture, then your shot pattern will also be above or below your POA. The purpose of adjusting the drop, comb, cast, and pitch of the stock, is simply to make the shotgun fit you properly, thus giving you the "correct" sight picture. By changing the dimensions of the stock, you also change the position of your eye, or "rear sight". Since we do not live in a perfect world, the 50/50 pattern will not hold true for all shotguns. It is just a basic rule of thumb. And, everyone is different. Some people may like a gun that shoots a little high. Trap shooters sure do. The only way to know for sure, is to go out and pattern your particular shotgun, and see how it shoots, relative to the described sight picture. Once you have done that, you can then begin adjusting the stock of your particular shotgun so you will have the perfect fit. Hope this helps. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdkidaho Posted August 16, 2005 Author Share Posted August 16, 2005 Good information. Read the manual. Adjust in the manner Tucker and Dave suggested. Also found a couple books. Not sure if they are worth anything but they talk about what I'm asking, essentially. Wing shooting hand book. Shotgunning: The art and the science. Thanks for the advice, gentlemen. [ 08-16-2005, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: sdkidaho ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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