the parallel comb - Clay Shooting USA

PERSONALOPINION
The major attribute of the parallel comb is that
the eye at the drop is the same no matter where
one’s head ends up on the stock. Theoretically
that is true, but only if the attitude of the head is
the same. The classic example centers around
one’s head being in different locations on the
stock on high and low targets, a point that is
tremendously over emphasized if one’s length of
pull is appropriate. If, however, one is shooting
with a stock that is too long, the head may move
DO YOU KNOW WHY THERE ARE NO PARALLEL COMBS IN DISNEY
LAND? BEAUSE THAT’S THE ‘MAGIC KINGDOM’ AND PARALLEL COMBS
DON’T HAVE ANY MAGIC. WHILE THEY ARE THE FAVORITE OF SOME
STOCK FITTERS, AND NOT WITHOUT MERIT, THEY LIKELY AREN’T WHAT
BEST MEETS THE AVERAGE SHOOTER’S NEEDS FOR ONE VERY SIMPLE
REASON – ANATOMY. THEY DON’T FIT ALL FACES.
THE PARALLEL
COMB
IS THIS REALLY HEAVEN
ASKS DAVE HOLMES
back and forth on the comb – so a problem that
shouldn’t exist finds a ‘band aid’.
The correct length of pull is one that allows
the head to be in the same position (or very,
very close) on high and low shots, as well as
the flatter stuff. If the eye position remains
within even a half inch from the original spot, I
would consider that a maximum variation. The
average sporting stock will have about a 10"
comb line and in that 10" will drop from .5 inch
on a typical 1.5" to 2" drop comb line. That
translates to .025 inches of drop per half inch,
about 3 /32s of an inch difference in the elevation
of the eye. That’s a 3" difference at the point of
impact at 32 yards. The math should help you
understand why I view the parallel comb’s
constant drop feature as being overstated.
LINE OF SIGHT
ZYGOMATIC ARCH
A SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION TO SHOW THE
NATURAL ANGLE OF THE CHEEKBONE FOR
MOST FOLKS. YOU CAN SEE THE DOWEL
SLOPING UPWARD AND THAT IS THE SAME
ANGLE THE COMB NEEDS TO TAKE TO
‘LOCK’ THE EYE IN THE PROPER POSITION
OVER THE RIB. THE COMB LINE SHOULD
MATCH THE NATURAL CONTOUR OF THE
FACE.
THE DROP POINT TO FIT A PARALLEL
COMB IS LIKELY GOING TO BE THE
BOTTOM OF THE ZYGOMATIC
ARCH, THE ROUNDED PART OF THE
CHEEKBONE AT THE OUTSIDE OF
THE EYE SOCKET.
THIS ILLUSTRATION
GIVES A FEEL FOR WHY
THE ZYGOMATIC ARCH IS
THE NEMESIS OF THE
PARALLEL COMB. YOU
CAN SEE HOW EASY IT IS
FOR THE STOCK TO
‘ROLL’ AROUND THE
RADIUS OF THE ARCH.
126 C L AYS H O O T I N G U S A

PERSONALOPINION
HEAD ROCKING
The drop point to fit a parallel
comb is likely going to be the
bottom of the zygomatic arch,
the rounded part of the
cheekbone at the outside of the
eye socket. That is the point that
allows one to shoot in the head
up position favored by some,
particularly trap shooters. It
sounds good, but the problem
comes with that “arch” business.
That means there is a radius.
Radius means a rounded surface
that can rock back and forth on a
flat surface. It is perfectly easy to
rotate the head forward on a
parallel combed gun. Remember,
there is nothing “sticking up” in
front of the cheekbone to
maintain head position. It isn’t
hard to rotate the head back a bit
on a high target, either. So while
the drop is theoretically always
the same, the head position isn’t
necessarily the same – so one
can still have a problem with
alignment.
Another aspect of the parallel
comb that is less than positive for
many shooters is the lack of a
lateral anchor point for the front
of the face. While the vertical
anchor point on the comb gets all
the attention, a slightly rising
comb line positions the comb
nose, or forward part of the
comb, where it can help keep the
head from turning laterally
across the stock. It literally props
the head up and in position over
the center of the barrel. That can
be a good thing.
I was recently shooting with a
friend that shoots a very flat
stock that lacked lateral support
at the front of the comb. He’s a
Master class shooter. The target
was a high chondelle from the
right at 35 -45 yards, depending
ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE
PARALLEL COMB THAT IS
LESS THAN POSITIVE FOR
MANY SHOOTERS IS THE
LACK OF A LATERAL
ANCHOR POINT FOR THE
FRONT OF THE FACE.
WHILE THE VERTICAL
ANCHOR POINT ON THE
COMB GETS ALL THE
ATTENTION, A SLIGHTLY
RISING COMB LINE
POSITIONS THE COMB
NOSE, OR FORWARD PART
OF THE COMB, WHERE IT
CAN HELP KEEP THE HEAD
FROM TURNING LATERALLY
ACROSS THE STOCK
on the wind. He shot and shot
and missed and missed. I walked
behind him to see what was
going on. He was going four feet
up the left side of a target that
took maybe 30" of daylight. It
was brutally ugly. The more he
tried, the uglier it got.
The cause? His head was
turning across the comb and his
eye was looking down the right
side of the barrels. With his eye
out of position on the comb, the
daylight he saw had no relation to
reality. The lack of comb nose
made it easy for him to get himself
in the pickle he was in.
The cure was simply keeping
his head in the proper position
over the comb. Then it was eight
hard breaks in a row on a target
that he had just missed a dozen
straight. The flat comb line didn’t
cause the problem – but it aided
and abetted it.
So, what’s the benefit of a
parallel comb? It has to be for
those who shoot pre-mounted
NOTE HOW CLOSE
THE BOTTOM OF
THE LENS IS TO
THE STOCK.
HERE THE COMB HAS
BEEN ANGLED GIVING
FULL SUPPORT TO
THE FRONT OF THE
FACE. NOTE THE
POSITION OF THE
LENS RELATIVE TO
THE COMB WHEN THE
HEAD IS IN THE
CORRECTION
POSITION ON THE
STOCK.
128 C L AYS H O O T I N G U S A

PERSONALOPINION
because the variables can be
eliminated during the set up. The
attitude of the head can be
controlled and mated with the
stock (precisely) with the
muzzle(s) already on the flight
line. The relationship can be
maintained and controlled
throughout the shot. To the best
of my knowledge, parallel combs
migrated to sporting from the
trap fields. If ever there was a
controlled environment, it is
American trap. Parallel combs
certainly keep recoil away from
the front of the face, something
trapshooters and their heavy
loads really appreciate given the
high numbers of shells they may
shoot in a tournament. The
parallel comb’s reputation was
established in a venue that was
immune from its weaknesses.
If flat isn’t it, then how much
drop should there be on a comb
line? In my experience, the 1 /4 to
1
/2 inch range works very well for
most shooters. That will provide
adequate support without having
a comb nose with so much
incline that it mashes the face on
recoil. Of course, for some
shooters, that amount of incline
for the face will require a Monte
Carlo stock to get the butt in the
proper place on the shoulder.
Shooters who just don’t want a
Monte Carlo stock may end up
with quite a bit more drop to get
the comb line down to the
shoulder, but that often produces
less than optimum support for
the face. I really don’t care to see
more than 3 /4 inches of drop
without going to a mild Monte
Carlo.
EXAMINE THE ISSUES
Perhaps the most common gun
example to illustrate the point is
the parallel-combed 391 target
gun. While I was working retail, I
found very few shooters who
cared for the feel of the gun as it
came out of the box. However, if I
swapped out the factory shims
for the 65mm shims found in
field and sporting guns, giving
the gun a bit of drop, many more
customers instantly found the
gun more appealing.
For those of you who may be
chasing the perfect stock
during this off season, may I
suggest that you evaluate your
choices carefully, particularly
when it comes to the parallel
comb. Before you plop down
the money for a new stock,
make sure you examine the
issues as related to your
preferred shooting style – gun
up or down. When you do, you
may find you are much better
suited to a stock that isn’t
quite so flat. ■
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY BE CHASING THE PERFECT
STOCK DURING THIS OFF SEASON, MAY I SUGGEST THAT
YOU EVALUATE YOUR CHOICES CAREFULLY, PARTICULARLY
WHEN IT COMES TO THE PARALLEL COMB. BEFORE YOU
PLOP DOWN THE MONEY FOR A NEW STOCK, MAKE
SURE YOU EXAMINE THE ISSUES…
130 C L AYS H O O T I N G U S A