How can my 12 ga shotgun fit so badly?

I don’t get setting up a gun for rising targets when there are so many other kinds encountered. Seems to me the gun should be set up dead on and each type of target should be handled as encountered by appropriate lead.[/QUOTE]

Well, there are trap guns, field guns, and sporting/skeet guns. It's hard to shoot what you can't see, covering the target with your barrel is not conducive to high scores, just as a barrel throwing high is not conducive to splashing buffleheads strafing the decoys. If you're shooting trap with your hunting gun, you'll just have to compromise and live with it. I did for many years with a Field 1100 until I sprung for a barrel tweak. Didn't make a huge difference, but it got me that bird that always separated me from "almost" and "there!!!", There is a reason a "trap" gun deliberately shoots high, and a field gun deliberately shoots closer to center. Skeet and Sporting are generally in the middle. Sounds like you're on the right track with correcting the cast as you are LH, and that makes a huge difference. You might experiment with some HD foam taped to your comb and see where the rise feels "right" before you buy a product and add it to the stock.

This is what makes shooting my 110 year old M11 so nice. The older square backs seem to have a better quick comfortable sighting.

If you can afford fitting and coaching, you can afford a proper gun. So buy one. The Yildiz is a basic entry level field gun and won’t hold up to high volume clays anyway. Based on your issues, a left hand cast Browning Citori is a good place to start.

You can be into a used left hand Citori, which has a higher profile and is more likely to fit you than the more Italian profiled Turkish guns for $1500.

Believe what you want, but the Yildiz is an entry level field gun. $2000+ is the cost of a new entry level target gun.

Trust your fitter I think. My son who is a very good trap shooter uses an adjustable butt plate. I also was going to suggest a raised rib. But a gun fitter in person is better than anyone online.

rpenmanparker said:

I will explain it again. It isn't just the rib that is too low. Everything is too low when the butt plate is properly positioned in my shoulder pocket. Ideally I need a little more cast "on", but more importantly a lower butt plate and higher cheek rest and rib. Just raising the rib won't do it. I won't have the cheek rest implanted under my cheek bone. So for the least money I think I can get the adjustable butt plate to help with both the cheek rest height and rib height together.

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OP, have you ever owned or held a shotgun that felt just right?

rpenmanparker said:

Not just right for me. This is my first one. But there are lots of advisory articles. I read that I should have my head more upright with my eyes as horizontal as possible when the stock is properly locked into my cheek and shoulder pockets. Even with the gun raised halfway above my clavicle I still have to bend my neck forward and to the left to get low enough to and over the cheek rest and rib. The shift in the stock cast has helped some, but not enough. I’m pretty sure I will like it better when I am not so contorted.

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Yeah , you certainly should be comfortable - it is recreation after all.
The reason i asked was maybe if you had a local shop with several styles and designs of shotguns you could see if any of them feel correct. If so attempt to replicate it. Do you have any issue with rifle stocks fitting you correctly?

I would find a Browning CXT with an adjustable comb and shoulder it.

rpenmanparker said:

Raising the comb to allow the butt plate to fit in the shoulder pocket while the comb is at my cheek bone won’t help without raising the rib too. I would just be an inch above the rib. The rib and comb are in proper relation to each other as is. They are both too low for me. Thanks.

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The CXT, and other trap guns, have high, and in some cases, adjustable ribs. This is just one, among many, differences between a field gun and a target gun.

I recently shot a Browning CXT and 725 Sporting. Each had an adjustable comb. Both were great shooters.

rpenmanparker said:

Thanks. I like your idea, BUT I’m a leftie. Maybe the gases blowing out the gun across my face wouldn’t be a problem, but maybe it would. That’s why I gave up on the idea of semi-autos. Left hand models only come at the top of the lines of the major producers. Too rich for my blood.

Also If I lowered the stock butt with shims, I would still need to raise back the comb.

But frankly, the fitter basically said the gun fits pretty good. Let’s see how the change in cast works out.

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I am LH and shoot RH Beretta semis with ZERO issues; those guns come with shims so you can set drop and cast for either a RH or LH shooter.