Getting back to your OP you've hit upon part of the problem that has developed with newer OR's as the crowns have gotten lower & lower. Some OR crowns now are as low as 5-3/8" open crown making them as low as 4" at the front dip which necessitates raising the dents higher so they don't touch your head. With just a bit of taper the hat is touching the sides & sitting on top of your head. The large deep elephant ear dents are impossible with anything under a 6" open crown. I don't think a conformateur measures it but I've had a custom hatmaker measure from ear to ear, up & over the top. Note the various crown heights & dents in some of my hats.
Vintage Stetsons with 5-3/4 to 6" open crowns
I'm afraid with new OR's about all you can do is test fit examples at retail. One of the reasons for the popularity of the CD that rarely gets mentioned is for an OR clone they are still close to a 6" open crown.
The current OR Deluxe crown is 4 1/4".... Do they "break in" in that they sit lower on ones head; the crown giving a bit? Could I get professionally slightly reshaped to fit better? I guess it doesn't bother me too much... but it's not a fit as a 6 7/8 should IME.
When I push it down it fits/feels better. Better in that I could wear out side with a breeze....
Still torn on what to do... I REALLY like the sage color and have never seen a vintage that color or my size.
I got to a local Stetson dealer and tried a few 6 7/8 that were perfect fits! They even took the time to measure the inside and confirm each was a standard 6 7/8 circumference.... I'd have bought one but again no sage and could not promise better than 12 week delivery.... I'm in desert AZ area and probably wont wear much once past April....
Dang it I really like the hat!
Thanks!