How important is balance???

[Judd]

I recently had a 22 Dasher built and it's showing some promise but sort of on accident I noticed the balance point is further forward than normal. Normally my guns are right in front of the recoil lug. This gun happens to be in front of the lug by about 3-3.5".

Particulars...it's a Borden action, Kestros McSwirly with a straight contour barrel.

My plan was to put some lead in the butt stock but the gun is shooting well enough I'm not sure I want to change anything. So should I?

PS - Weight of the total package isn't a concern as the games I play don't have weight limits.

 

[BoydAllen]

The answer is it depends, in this case on your shooting style. If you are shooting true free recoil then rifle balance can be critical. On the other hand if you hold the rifle IMO it is less so, up to a point. One more thing, I think that the whole balance the rifle like a teeter totter may be the wrong way to look at it. I think that the issue is whether we have enough weight on the rear bag for the rifle to track well through recoil. There are a couple of ways to achieve this. One is to add weight as needed. The other has become popular in the short range benchrest game, having a longer forend and resting the front of the rifle nearer the muzzle than one could with a shorter stock. This reduces the amount of weight in front of the front bag, increasing the percentage of the rifle's weight that is supported by the rear bag.

 

[Judd]

Thanks BA, great explanation!