shotgun stock too long

[jen_in_southtexas]

My "other dad" passed on a 20 gauge shotgun that belonged to his late brother. He gave it too me because he knew I would put it to good use. I had a friend of mine clean it last week and all and for about one whole year i never fired it but i always felt that the stock was kinda long as i have short arms. I want the stock cut down some. Is this something that we can do at home or best to take it to a gunsmith? Doesnt seem hard to do. Recoil pad looks to have two small long screws holding it to the stock.
I used it yesterday for the first time. It worked great but again when aiming at white winged dove i felt stock was too long.
Any suggestions?

thx,
-j

[DM]

When i had my gunshop, i did a lot of them, but i never liked doing them! lol

How good do you want it to look when your done? It takes some practise to do them so they look factory done...

If you want it to look factory, then take it to a gunsmith, (unless you are handy and have a LOT of patience) but if you just want to get the job done, you can do it yourself...

The angle will have to be maintained while cutting the stock, and you have to trim the pad down to fit the stock again. If you shorten the stock very much, many times you can't reuse the old pad, and you will have to buy a new one for the smaller size the butt will be.

DM

[Mac_Muz]

DM is right, you want to either spend time researching the How To, or not care much how it looks..

If you do this yourself and want a fair look use wide masking tape to mark out on and leave in place for the cuts, which reduce splintering and chipping.

Since the stock tapers to the reciever it isn't just a straight cut either in any given plane.

Look 50 times, cut once.. Also a fine tooth saw is the best, it takes longer in time, seemingly slow as you allow the saw to do the work, but the finished cut looks much finer.

[Spikejerk]

What type of shotgun is it (Make & Model)? Some shotguns have youth models with smaller stocks. If you have one, then you might be able to buy a youth stock and install it.

[Mac_Muz]

Yeah what kind is it? It may be collectable and you could ruin any value.

[MadTripper]

If its an 870 or 500, I'm sure you could find some aftermarket stuff to replace it with. Like the others said, if it is a rare piece, you don't want to ruin its value.

Tripper

[Kevin]

If you go to a good smith they will measure you for the correct LOP (length of pull).

After you get measured you will have a LOP in inches that you will be able to use over and over.

Installing a recoil pad requires a jig to do correctly.

Many shooters do not do this and it can really effect your shooting. You should be able to cycle the action auto, pump. Lever or bolt with the stock mounted to your shoulder with out contortions.

Don’t forget to bring your hunting jacket and other layers of clothing you wear when hunting. This can make quite a difference in some locations.

My LOP varies almost a 1/2" with my winter gear on. I have no problems with the shorter stock in the summer.

I have one rifle that has adjustable stock inserts and I add one spacer for warm weather shooting.

It is easy to shoot a rifle or shotgun that is a little short than to shoot one that is a little or a lot to long.

Good Luck,
Kevin