Gun Fitting Guide: How to Fit a Shotgun to Yourself / The Yorkshire Gent
Correct gun fit is one of the three fundamental building blocks to successful shot gun shooting - - -

Finding the right gun that fits can be a hard task - and the more help one can get the better. Below is a post from a friend who has done some research regarding how to find that fit - especially for women. She graciously agreed to let us repost - this is what she wrote:
By Ariana Winder, from Bitches with Birddogs.

What is the length of pull of your top 1 or 2 shotguns?
And what is the length of pull you should be shooting?

I've been shooting with my dad growing up recreationally, took some time through grad school and to wait for my first adult bird dog, and have been back heavy for the last three years. Just this year I had the opportunity to shoot demos at an event hosted by Orvis and was shocked at just how well I shot a line of the guns they carried for women. I came home and built out a spreadsheet of specs related to my top 2 guns and the ones I was shooting. My conclusion is it's chiefly related to length of pull.

Length of pull I understand to be the manufacturers average gunner which they usually use a right-handed shooter who stands 5-feet, 9 inches, weighs about 165 pounds, has a 33-inch sleeve length and wears a size 40 regular suit coat. It's the measurement from your trigger to the center of the butt.

My 12g Berretta A400 Xplor is 14.5"; my 12g O/U Winchester 101 Japanese version is 14.5". The demo guns averaged 13.9", presumably so they allow sufficient length to cut down farther.

My expected length of pull measured by the DIY tape measure and square based measuring methods across 6 measuring attempts were from 12" to 12 1/2". For perspective, it's the size of my chipmunk rifle the first my dad ever gave me. It's a juniors gun.

I'm going to go to a local gunsmith to have them independently measure but am posting it here to garner more feedback on what has helped others and for general awareness. I'm especially curious if anyone has any professional gun fitters they would recommend on the East Coast I could go to for my shotguns and/or rifles? I mostly shoot 12g and .257 Roberts gauge/caliber and am looking to add a 20g to my collection.

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