Rifle balance

[blvedere]

How and what is the best way to balance a rifle? I know that smooth straight recoil is needed for accurate shooting and would like any instruction received. Thanks

 

[LHSmith]

To check the balance point, or the manner in which to physically obtain optimum balance? What kind of rifle?

 

[Shynloco]

Besides the rifle info as LH requests, what type of shooting equipment/set up are you using (i.e. style/make of rest and bags and even shooting surface/table).

Alex

 

[blvedere]

The rifle is a Savage PTA in 30 BR with a 3" stock, that I shoot in benchrest competition at our local range. The max yardage that I shoot is 600 yards. I have a Sinclair front rest, Greenlaw windage top and an Edgewood rear bag. What I am looking for is info to balance the rifle and get straight recoil, no jump.

 

[M-61]

The rifle is a Savage PTA in 30 BR with a 3" stock, that I shoot in benchrest competition at our local range. The max yardage that I shoot is 600 yards. I have a Sinclair front rest, Greenlaw windage top and an Edgewood rear bag. What I am looking for is info to balance the rifle and get straight recoil, no jump.

Same set up meaning 30BR, 3" stock. 20" barrel straight 1.15 in diameter. With a muzzle brake. The rifle has zero jump....everything is straight back.....so much so that a friend video'd it being shot purely to see if there was ANY jump.....there was no jump after watching the vid a number of times....all recoil (light for sure) was straight back.
Heaviest bullet shot was 125gr. I was just surprised at zero muzzle jump. I assume the brake is responsible as I have a 2nd 30BR with no brake and there is some jump. These all are light recoiling rifles but my answer is to your question regarding jump and my observations.

 

[Terry]

My Benchrest rifles balance at or near the recoil lug. Adding lead to the butstock is common. Drilling a hole/holes in the butstock and adding lead to balance. Watch your weight class limit if there is one.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Who says straight back recoil is desirable?

 

[R.Morehouse]

Who says straight back recoil is desirable?

Please explain further.....Thanks.....Rick

 

[Shynloco]

If I might suggest, that for the past several years, I've been using an Edgewood Gator rear bag while shooting my Benchrest rifles. My 30BR has a Benchrest stock with the bottom being flat, unlike your Savage stock that has a cant to the bottom of the rear portion of the stock. Recently I acquired a Protektor "The DR" rear bag (from another member of this blog) that is flat between the ears, and also has the "Super Slick" material on the insides of the ears. I have noted that the rifle "tracks' better with this rear bag and comes back on battery more efficiently and I have less adjusting (to my Greenlaw Windage top) for the next shot. In short, might I suggest you take a look at how your rifle tracks on the rear bag during recoil. I have a different Protektor reag bag that I use for my Savage Model 12 that helps compensate for the cant on the bottom of the buttstock even though I've had the stock bottom milled to help remove that slight up and down motion caused by the rear bag contacting the stock during recoil. Just something to consider.

Alex

 

[savagedasher]

My thoughts on balance it is the % weight from front to rear. With at in mind the longer the barrel and diameter longer the stock in the front or more weight in the butt. .
My new gun has a Python action and a tracker stock 30'' barrel straight 1.250 for 5'' tapered to 1'' with a tuner brake. the gun is heavy in the front. As a experiment I added 1/4 4'' + 9'' aluminum plate to the fore end. My front rest 1'' is forward of the fore end of the stock. the true balance point is 6'' forward if the lug. Saturday was my first test I tied for 1 st place at 1015 yds and lost in the shoot off.
For me I would like the balance point to be at the lug or behind. Larry

 

[blvedere]

Thanks for all responses.