Are You Shooting the Wrong Rifle?

Thinking about a new rifle?  Instead, outfit one of your favorites with a new Boyds gunstock.

Can you imagine if professional athletes had to use the same gear?  Think about a professional baseball team with only one-size bat.  Can you see Aaron Judge at 6’ 7’’ using the same size wood as an infielder? Or, professional golfers with one length of club and putter?

Ironically, most rifles and shotguns come in one-size-fits-all dimensions which can cause a host of problems.  First, length-of-pull is one of the most important shooting elements and is directly related to arm length.  Every archer knows that his bow must fit his personal measurements for any kind of accuracy, yet firearm shooters often ignore the need for a personal fit.

How you shoulder and hold a rifle has a direct bearing on trigger pull, one of the most important elements of accuracy.  If you can’t embrace the rifle properly and manage the trigger, you are doomed to flinching or such a slow squeeze that accuracy fails.

Felt Recoil

A .30-06 Springfield round fired in a rifle will produce the same physical recoil time after time, yet the fit of the stock has much to do with the degree of “felt recoil.”

If the length of pull is too short, your face will push near the scope where you are in danger of receiving a gash over your eye upon report.  Known as “scope eye,” most injuries are minor, yet some become traumatic and lead to flinching on future shots.  As a rule-of-thumb, when you shoulder a rifle, you should have four fingers (like a salute) between the scope and your forehead.

Comb Height

A good friend loves the .45-70 government cartridge yet chambered in traditional rifles with a straight stock and brass butt plate, the guns “kick the snot out of me,” to use his words.  Personally, I enjoy shooting the 19^th century creation because it always gives a feeling of the Old West.  However, I am sure to select a rifle that fits my length of pull and comb height.  In this way, the considerable recoil of the round is distributed evenly across my upper frame.

Personalize a gun to fit

Shooting is fun and it’s not the intention here to dissuade hunters and shooters, but to point out that a proper fitting rifle is critical to performance and comfort on the bench and in the field.  Boyds Gunstocks has a full line of stock shapes, colors, sizes and styles that you can personalize to fit your particular body size and shooting style perfectly.  If you are built like Aaron Judge with arms like tree limbs, they build a stock for that.  On the other end, if you have a young lad or lass who is just getting into shooting, why not create a firearm that fits their dimensions exactly?

Custom stocks need not be one-and-done.  Many varieties of stocks are adjustable so that as a person changes, the stock can be adjusted to accommodate that change.  This can be done to accommodate bad weather situations.  If you hunt in the Midwest or Great Plains where sub-zero temperatures require extensive insulation, you may want to shorten the length of pull on your rifle so that it shoulders quickly and won’t catch on a heavy jacket.  The Boyds At-One Gunstock adjusts the butt length and comb height with simply the push of a button. Boyds Gunstocks offer multiple interchangeable grip and forend options as well to ensure a perfect fit.

Great New Look at the Right Price

If you purchased a new rifle lately, it probably “isn’t your granddaddy’s rifle,” but it may look like it.  That’s not a bad thing, yet the world is changing and entrants into the shooting and hunting fraternity like their gear to look good.  If you join them in the field, you can bet they will be sporting popular brands.  Should you include a rifle with a new Boyds stock, don’t be surprised if it becomes the unanimous favorite among the younger crowd.  The distinct look and adjustability of the stock will generate instant excitement and improved performance.

When most people hear the word “custom” they think “expensive” coupled with months of waiting by the front door for their package to arrive. Starting out with a price tag of only $189.99, an At-One Stock won’t break the bank. And, when you order, it only takes Boyds a week to build with 2-3 days in the mail! See for yourself: https://www.boydsgunstocks.com/

Outfoxing a Coyote

I had the good fortune of using a Savage rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and a Boyds At-One Gunstock on a hunt in South Dakota.  We were driving across a huge alfalfa field when I spotted a coyote at 1,000 yards.  As we drove closer, I saw the song dog lay flat in the short hay, expecting us to drive on by.  At about 300 yards, I asked the driver to stop, bailed out, deployed the Swagger Bipods and squeezed off a shot.  Because the coyote was laying flat, I had only a two-inch target. Having a solid rifle that fit my body like a glove, made me instantly steady and able to make a quick and accurate shot.