Best way to give a long, heavy-barreled rifle good balance?

[Max Heat]

I have an R700 onto which I put a 33" non-tapered barrel. Needless to say, it is VERY front-heavy, making it difficult to hold a steady aim when firing it from an un-rested position. The stock that is on it (CUV) has 2 places where ballast (if that's the correct term) weight can be added. One is inside of the "pistol grip" area, and the other is inside of the "butt" where the recoil absorber is mounted to it. I assume that these cavities are supposed to be packed with lead shot, but I have no idea what the proper size is to use.

I also have concerns that recoil from fired shots will start to put dents (flat spots) on the shot balls, making them pack together more-and-more densely, creating empty space that will soon allow the shot to start "sloshing around". This would be something that I wish to avoid. Will it actually occur?

(If so,) Is there any way to prevent it from happening, or at least compensate for it if it does happen, by adding some substance that will take up the extra space as it is created? Now that I think about it, I believe that I "may" have heard (not 100% sure though) that "topping off" the shot-filled cavities with melted wax will solve the issue. Seems like it would be a very messy situation though, if for some reason you wanted/needed to remove it.

If shot with melted wax IS the accepted way to do it, what size shot should be used?

What (if any) other substances/methods can be used in the stock to give this long, heavy-barreled rifle better balance?

 

[Bart B]

Mix a bunch of lead shot (smaller shot may be heavier per cubic inch of it) with epoxy, drill a hole in the buttstock, pour that stuff in and let it harden.

That's how people added weight to the back end of heavy barreled M1 and M14 match rifles to get a better balance. One guy used pulled 7.62 NATO M80 bullets epoxied into his drilled out M1A buttstock.

Some people even put an inch or more of that lead-epoxy mixture in the bottom of M14 20-round magazines for added weight at their balance point.

 

[SaskShooter]

I've gone with the melted wax approach and had no issues, plus it can be undone later if need be. I used #4 buckshot (.24") and added 5 lbs to the back of a varmint rifle of mine- works like a charm.

 

[AZShooter]

I used some #8 bird shot and put some epoxy on the end closest to the recoil pad. Worked just fine with no movement. The cap can be easily cut through to remove all the shot if desired.

 

[brentc]

You could always flute the barrel for maximum weight reduction. This would remove barrel weight and reduce the overall weight of the rifle. IMO fluted barrels balance far better in heavy configurations.

 

[hemiford]

If you can find it in some usable form, the element tungsten
is much denser than lead.

 

[The Oregonian]

If you can find it in some usable form, the element tungsten
is much denser than lead.

You should be able to find it for non-toxic shot shell reloading...it can be very expensive relative to lead or steel, but it should be available from some boutique reloading places online. Given its cost I would just use lead. Tungsten or bismuth has more advantages relative to steel than to lead though is rarely used in waterfowl hunting due to cost.