Heavy stock an issue?

[Chiquita]

FWIW, I mostly shoot off of my bench. ETA with bipod and rear bag.

If the stock portion of my rifle is heavier than the front half of the rifle, what effect will it have on POI, muzzle control, rifle will not recil in balanced way, .....?

TIA

 

[Bullzeye]

Following...I have the opposite problem. But Im fixing it. Too much weight on either end cant be good.
Everything I find online indicates it should be balanced someplace near the recoil lug. Sounds logical to me, but Im not a benchrest expert.

 

[CF Junkie]

If, shooting from a bench, you have a solid front rest and a firm rear bag, I am not sure it would make much of a difference.
I have two Savage 12 FV rifles with 416R SS bull barrels in 26-inch and 28-inch lengths that weigh 5.5 and 6 lbs. respectively. They make both of their rifles very front heavy.
The 26-inch .223 is mounted in a MDT LSS aluminum chassis and altogether it weighs 14 lbs. 6 oz.
The other 28- inch 6.5mm CM is mounted in an Oryx aluminum chassis and weighs 15 lbs.
Carrying them in their gun cases, it is a real challenge to keep the barrel end from scraping on the ground.

I shoot with a Sinclair F-Class bipod which is very sturdy and a large Protektor rear rest.
Even with these heavy barrels, the set-up is very stable.
Both rifles are the most accurate that I shoot. They are the only rifles that I own that are barrel heavy.

My .22-250 with a 24-inch varmint taper factory barrel mounted in an Oryx chassis is butt heavy.
It also shoots just fine in the same bipod/rear bag set up.

So I would conclude that if weight imbalance makes much of a difference in accuracy in a stable rifle bench set up, I sure haven't noticed it.

 

[BoydAllen]

IMO when shooting from front and rear rests, the main issue with balance is when the rifle is to be shot free recoil. It is going to be held, IMO it is much less important. I shoot both ways.

 

[Chiquita]

The front is a Atlas super cal rear is a sand bag.

The only way to find out is shoot it and see how it performs, but I was hoping to get feedback first.

 

[DShortt]

I haven't had good luck with your described configuration. Something with a fairly heavy recoil makes it worse. I'd rather have one heavy on the fore-end than the stock end personally.

You'll have to hang on to it fairly tight and 'steer it', based on my experience.

Good luck to you. No sarcasm intended.

 

[Steel Mover]

It is better to have a well balanced rifle that you can also shoot off the bench than to have an unbalanced rifle you can only shoot comfortably from a bench. So you should balance in front of the trigger guard. Easy to balance beam the rifle on a round pipe, then drill out the heavy end. If it is the butt remove the recoil pad first, if the barrel end take the barreled action out and drill under the barrel in the barrel channel, put some tape around the drill bit to stop before you drill through the stock. If you have a mill or drill press, better yet. Do not use a spade bit with a point, use a metal bit. Good luck.

 

[jds holler]

Within reason, I think heavy barrels are better for EVERYTHING -- except carrying. jd

 

[GetReal]

For a bench rifle - a bipod & rear bag - Im not seeing why it would make a difference.

Lotsa ppl obsess about lotsa irrelevant things.

 

[DShortt]

For a bench rifle - a bipod & rear bag - Im not seeing why it would make a difference.

Lotsa ppl obsess about lotsa irrelevant things.

All I can say is, shoot a caliber that's in a rig heavy in the stock. Shoot the same rig heavy in the barrel/front.

Then you'll know exactly what works for you.

I went out of my way to answer that question for myself.

Because I like to know things.

 

[GetReal]

All I can say is, shoot a caliber that's in a rig heavy in the stock. Shoot the same rig heavy in the barrel/front.

Then you'll know exactly what works for you.

I went out of my way to answer that question for myself.

Because I like to know things.

Proving my point - its about the shooter, not the rifle.

Anyway... How would someone test barrel vs. butt heavy?

Build the exact same gun where one is front heavy vs. butt heavy?

Btw... theres no such thing as the "exact same rifle." No 2 bores are identical. Bedding will vary. Different actions respond to fired rounds differently. And you can only shoot a single round once. Theres no such thing as the exact same round / load.

For a benched rifle, by far the main factor is the shooter. Each shooter should get the rifle that shoots well for them.

Beyond that, this whole discussion is hypothetical and theoretical. No technical explanation of whether butt or barrel heavy is universally better.

 

[DShortt]

Proving my point - its about the shooter, not the rifle.

Can't argue that at all. All I know is what I've tried/experienced personally.

But it's hardly irrelevant and that seemed to be your point.

 

[GetReal]

Can't argue that at all. All I know is what I've tried/experienced personally.

But it's hardly irrelevant and that seemed to be your point.

My point is theres no universal answer to the OP question. And theres a hundred more important issues here than a perfectly weight ballanced rifle, butt vs. barrel.

Maybe " irrelevant" is the wrong word, but its way low on the relevance list. Lotsa more important things to focus on.

You found what works FOR YOU. And Im happy about that for you.

 

[DShortt]

Proving my point - its about the shooter, not the rifle.

Anyway... How would someone test barrel vs. butt heavy?

Build the exact same gun where one is front heavy vs. butt heavy?

Btw... theres no such thing as the "exact same rifle." No 2 bores are identical. Bedding will vary. Different actions respond to fired rounds differently. And you can only shoot a single round once. Theres no such thing as the exact same round / load.

For a benched rifle, by far the main factor is the shooter. Each shooter should get the rifle that shoots well for them.

Beyond that, this whole discussion is hypothetical and theoretical. No technical explanation of whether butt or barrel heavy is universally better.

If you have the means, you can perform a barrel swap and know what matters most to you regarding handling characteristics.

No, it's not the same barrel so it's not going to shoot the same as another barrel. But.

If you're observant and honest with yourself, you'll know pretty quickly what you like and don't like.

Who cares what is considered 'universally better'?

I'm interested in what I shoot better.

 

[Bullzeye]

Everything adds up and its all important if trying to squeeze the best precision one thinks can be achieved from their shooting and setup.

 

[topclass2017]

Bear with me...when I shoot any off hand discipline, I prefer a barrel heavy rifle. For me, I have found this to be the most stable combination as I'm not fighting a barrel that floats around. It allows me to settle into and maintain position. Yes, there is more weight to balance vs a rifle with a lighter barrel, but my results are better, even when I shot a long (100 shot) smallbore offhand match.

I find the same to be true from the bench. A heavy barreled rifle is more stable than one with a light barrel for the same reason. Once I settle into position, it is easier to maintain that position.

for me, I believe it is about inertia and momentum.

 

[GetReal]

Everything adds up and its all important if trying to squeeze the best precision one thinks can be achieved from their shooting and setup.

Nice claim.

Im not spending a grand to move a few ounces a few inches.

There are too many things that *** I KNOW FOR SURE *** always matter.

Ive got "unbalanced" rifles that shoot 0.25 - 0 38 moa cuz I focused on things amply PROVEN to matter..

 

[GetReal]

Who cares what is considered 'universally better'?

I'm interested in what I shoot better.

The OP is asking us if weight distribution matters.

Thats a "universal" question.

Thats impossible to answer. He hasnt even told if he has a problem or what load / accuracy testing hes done.

Your response is better ...."it MIGHT matter FOR HIM. Maybe." Saying any more than that is unwarranted.

He'd hafta spend ALOT of money finding out. Alot. On a wild goose chase.

He'd be better off focusing on things *we all know* matter. As I said above , i've got supposedly unbalanced rifles that shoot far below half moa, because I focused on stuff proven to matter.

If he's a multi- millionaire... then have fun.

 

[Chiquita]

Beyond that, this whole discussion is hypothetical and theoretical. No technical explanation of whether butt or barrel heavy is universally better.

I am not asking which way is better.

I merely asking if one has experience with the buttbeing heavy.

 

[GetReal]

Anyway... whats a perfectly balanced rifle?

At the trigger?

In front of the magazine?

Behind the magazine?

I've owned all three types of rifles , and they've all shot well.

So does balance matter? Maybe. Maybe not. If my rifle's not shooting well , there's dozens of other things i'm gonna focus on before I start worrying about rifle balance.