Shotgun cast, do you even know?

[jzdank]

I had been shooting the same Beretta 303 for about 17 years. I recently switched to a brand new Maxus. I like it, and I got a deal on it.

I went to pattern my Maxus for turkeys and the cnter of the pattern was off to left by 3 inches at 20 yards.

I don't want to make a long story longer, but after doing a little bit of homework, I found that my beretta was built with 1/4" "cast off" or that the butt stock was 1/4" right of the bore axis when looking down the barrel.

The Maxus comes with a neutral cast, and after putting in a shim to give it it 1/8" cast off, it brought the pattern halfway back to where I was aiming. I've emailed Browning to see if I can use two shims, and my problem will hopefully e resolved.

I knew I would have a bit of learning curve after such a lengthy relationship with the beretta, but I figured there might be someone else out there who might deal with the same problem.

Lesson learned? Pattern your shotguns.

 

[17 squirrel]

As a lefty, I see cast as soon as I shoulder a shotgun..

 

[Hookeye]

I run boring neutral Remingtons. Hit right where aimed (one turkey gun is single bead, the other double).

 

[jzdank]

Thanks Hookeye. My Beretta had a center bead.

Spoke to a Browning tech today on the phone. He advised a center bead because the guns aren't designed to run 2 shims.

 

[Zoub]

You can't run two shims and they only make one shim? Just make your own then.

 

[Mgderf]

Why are these "cast" that way to start with?
What advantage is there to casting off center.
Sounds counter-productive to me.

 

[17 squirrel]

I don't think any American Shotgun Co have positive or negative cast, they are built with neutral cast.
To my memory the purpose of both is simply to make it easier to align the eye with the sights.

 

[t-squared]

As 17 said, it's purpose is to help with eye alignment....which is essentially the rear sight on a scattergun. In the sports of skeet and trap, if you premount your gun before calling for the bird/s, you can adjust your cheek weld to compensate for an ill fitting stock. If you shoot a low mount sport like sporting clays, or hunt game, the mount becomes dynamic and you need a stock that easily allows your eyes to be where they need to be....right now.

The hard part about knowing if you might benefit from a custom or adjustable stock is you have to have a consistant mount....every time...and it can take a bunch of spent shells to build that skill..!!!

 

[jzdank]

T-squared has it right. Your eyeball is the rear sight. I've been shooting for a long time with the cast allowing my face to get over 1/4" more than normal.

Now, my face can't get over far enough, so it's as if my sight's are out of alignment. I'd have to reinvent my mount, which I think would be very difficult at this stage. A center bead would help me overcome it.

 

[tbhausen]

As a lefty, I see cast as soon as I shoulder a shotgun..

I share your inconvenience.