I'm starting to get a bit confused on proper LOP setup, after reading this.
Early on I preferred a longer LOP, and blading my body for any kind of off-hand shooting, whether shotgunning or rifle. Especially where there might be a lot of swinging through a fast moving target. Fastforward to about 10-15 years ago, and a lot of guys start discovering and disseminating that you get far better control over your ARs by collapsing the stock a bit, bringing the buttstock in much more centerline to your torso, with almost no blading of the body. Basically, roughly the same posture as you would action pistol, just holding a different weapon. Which works phenomenally well in reducing the impact of recoil, minimizing point-of-aim shift, and in general just controlling the gun. Especially when running it hard.
The “squared up” stance wasn’t used by the top end shooters from 2001 when I started, mans mostly isn’t now. The “tactical” world did the collapsed stock, butt pad on pec thing. The highest performing rifle shooters in 3-gun/multi-gun “shot as much rifle as they could”, meaning they extended the butt-stock all the way out or close to, and placed their support hand as far forward on the handguard as possible.
And most recently, I'm seeing PRS shooters are bringing things more centerline too, whether prone or standing, to stay in the scope and on target better. Same stuff.
PRS shooters shoot 90% of shots from a tripod or barricade in an upright body position with 25-40lb rifles that functionally do not move. What they are doing is as nearly specialized as benchrest, and about as applicable to hunting. What happens when a rifle with actual recoil is placed on a persons “centerline” (clavicle) and is fired- especially from prone?
Furthermore, if you actually watch shooters shooting in stages and in practice you see that their shoulders are not square to the target, and they do have an angle relative to the rifle. IIRC it was MDT that did a YouTube video about “squared up” and then in all of their own shooting in the video, they are not squared up. The rifle doesn’t care how your body is angled, it cares that the surface it is recoiling against is perpendicular to the bore-line.
All of which necessitates shorter LOP. For me personally a bit moreso than average on top of that, as I have thick chest and shorter, muscular arms and shoulders. There's just less room for a stock in there, especially when I bring the buttstock more centerline.
Probably because you shouldn’t be putting the butt-stock on your clavicle.
In light of this, could you explain how you see proper stock setup for a field hunting rifle, esp with a Rokstock?
You I believe, like most are visualizing it as the scope stays in place relative to the rifle, and your shoulder and firing grip moves back- that is not what I am saying, nor how it should work. Instead, think- your firing hand stays in place relative to the action and barrel, but your shoulder and head move back
with the scope.
In other words your problem is increasing LOP but not moving the scope back to compensate, therefore you are having to scrunch up to get eye relief- this is exaggerated by trigger reaches being too long on stocks. Don’t do that- move the scope back when you increase LOP. Then your hand and wrist are in much better alignment to press a trigger straight to the rear.
Is there, or should there be, any difference between its LOP and that of an AR, or a PRS gun?
No, see above.