Gunfitting
"A good stock on your gun is worth about anything."
Gustav Freiherr von Fürstenberg, The noble Art of Shooting
The old tour, which was good a hundred years ago, was simple and affordable back then. The shooter shot a multitude of targets with the try gun. After a few changes the gun was measured if the shooter was happy with it. Afterwards a new one could be built or many old ones could be altered.
Many a good shooter can be called lucky and this for more than one reason. He had, by chance or on purpose, an appropriate gun from the beginning and as he had developped his shooting techniques at an early stadium, he had no reason to puzzle over his shooting. The shot was where he looked and if he swung well, he met his target well and became better and better ...
However when the shotgun was not appropriate, he has to crouch down in an unconfortable position in order to have his eyes at the right level and direction over the rib. If a small and lanky man gets hold of a gun which was fitted for a larger and stronger shooter - as it is often the case - he can hardly be successful. With the larger gentleman, for whom lenght of stock, bend and cast is perfect, the shot will find the target easily, as everything fits together and not because he could shoot better.