As a simple eyeball test, Smyrl had me repeatedly mount the shotgun to my shoulder while he stood at the barrel end and checked the position of my eyes in relation to the top of the barrel. Since my focus was on dove hunting, we set up on a skeet range to try shooting clay birds on various crossing angles. I broke 13 of the first 25 birds and 15 of the next 25, for a total of 28 out of 50. That was better than I expected, but nothing to brag about. Smyrl made little comment until the final shot was fired, then he got down to the basics of shotgun fit.
Cast is the measurement of how the centerline of the stock fits to the centerline of the receiver.
Many standard shotguns have a slight cast off for right-handed shooters, which can be a disadvantage for southpaws. Smyrl said many shooters could benefit from a cast that centers their eyes on a shotgun's sighting rib. Length of pull is the measurement of distance between the butt of the shotgun's stock and the trigger. For a simple test of length of pull, Smyrl said a shooter can bend his or her shooting arm into a right angle at the elbow with the palm open and flat. Then, place the butt of the shotgun against the crook of the elbow, with the receiver flat against the palm.