Fit is 90% of everything with rifles and shotguns, and something 90% of shooters don't understand. Maybe more. It's not just LOP, it's the entire geometry of stock and gun.
Some time back in the early '60s dad purchased a used Ithaca 37 for mom, a 20 ga. It never shot well and eventually the gun passed on to me. Investigation(s) followed. Someone had clipped the barrel a bit trying to open the choke from FC to something, it failed profoundly. Off to Briley for choke tubes, problem solved. Then I got married and the new lady wanted a scattergun, so I clipped the stock about 1". Worked for her. Then she fired me and left the gun behind.
Went quail hunting one long weekend and took it along for the ride. Friend admired it from a distance and fondled it a bit, said the LOP was way too short. (12-3/4") I ran 42 birds straight w/o a miss...he said in awe, "How the phuoc you doing that?" My dad smiled. I missed the next shot just to make them feel better, then bagged the next five. End of weekend, buddy still befuddled. He was primarily a rifle shooter and stuck in the basics when transferring his experience to shotguns. IT'S NOT JUST LOP THAT MATTERS.
I will however acknowledge that Danny DeVito probably couldn't use my guns effectively due to LOP. Probably....
