Rifle Balance ?

[edge]

Not sure if this is the best place for this question, but here it goes.

I have a Savage model 110 that I put a #7 taper barrel on it. 1.250 at the lug. The rifle weighs a tad over 12 pounds and is VERY barrel heavy.
This is a carry rifle and I use either a rest or sticks to shoot it.
My question is, is there any advantage to adding weight to the rear of the stock to balance the weight? Recoil is not a big issue for me, but would it help the rifle shoot better?
Obviously I don't want to add weight if it will only help the feel of the rifle and not add to it functionally.

Thanks,

edge.

 

[James Jones]

To me , a rifle that is shot from a rest doesen't need to be ballanced as one that will be shot off hand. A gun that is very front heavy is a pain to swing on moving targets especialy off hand , but for me , 99% of my rifle shooting is done from some sort of a supported position.
as for the extra weight , it may help you settle the gun a little easier and have less movement during the shot so their might be an increase in accuracy , now if you try to shoot it off hand then yea the extra weight in the rear will help with the ballance but if its to heavy it'll be hard to hold up and steady anyway

 

[royinidaho]

edge,

my 270 AM is super barrel heavy. Weight is just under 12# w/30" Lilja #7 fluted bbl. Balance is about in the center of the checkering on the forearm. Also when on the bipod, if you put the muzzle brake to the ground it stays there.

Every thing that JDJones says is accurate.

I am just getting used to shooting it off the bipod. Its a bit different that a normal balanced rifle. I noticed that the bipod was a bit flimzy for the weight it had to support. Thus I've severly modified it to where it is nearly to my liking.

My sticks are a sling type support design for quick positioning on uneven terrain and are absolutely useless with the AM. However, they work perfectly with my 10# REM 700 sporter 338 RUM.

PS: because of the balance teh AM is not very comfortable to carry with a sling even a sling like I sent you. Thus I either back pack it in the drag bag or sled it in to the hide. Once it gets to the hide it is just there looking good on the bipod and rear bag until the prey comes along. If I had to carry it I'd add a couple of pounds to the butt.

BTW, was there any use in that sling thing?

 

[edge]

Roy, I had a chance last week to test it in a real hunting situation and not just walking around.

If I am just walking, as opposed to crawling or climbing, I normally leave the barrel down. To prevent snow or debris out of the muzzle while hiking I do put a cut off finger of a rubber glove over the muzzle. ( last year while hiking I went under a cedar tree and a load of snow came down on me and also lodging in the barrel, this year I am prepared /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

On Saturday I was doing a small deer drive for a friend who was using a shotgun. As he got into position he kicked out a buck that ran out of his range and toward me. Your sling made the rifle come up fast, and though the shot was only 100 yards offhand I doubt that I would have made the shot with a conventional sling as the deer was heading for heavy cover.

Thanks for your reply to this thread, and thanks again for the sling. As I wrote when you sent it, I liked it then, and now I like it even more.

edge.