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Gun Balance
- Thread starter shinny
- Start date
Shinny,
I don't know how qualified I may be to throw in an answer, but I have observed something with the rifles that my father and I shoot.
His stock, a custom laminate by Richard Franklin, is about 3" longer than my McMillan/Bruno fiberglass stock. It tracks very well and does not jump at all.
For my McMillan I had to move my forend stop back so that only 3/4" is hanging over the edge of the front bag. My father's rifle did not need this adjustment. This made my rifle track much better and no jumping occurred anymore. I do have a weight system in the buttstock to bring my whole setup to 13# 2 oz. My rifle balances just ahead of the front of the receiver as does my fathers. If your Leonard stocks are like those I have seen before you should have the same benefit in a longer forend, but if you are getting some jump in it you may have some luck with moving the forend back a bit.
Mike
I don't know how qualified I may be to throw in an answer, but I have observed something with the rifles that my father and I shoot.
His stock, a custom laminate by Richard Franklin, is about 3" longer than my McMillan/Bruno fiberglass stock. It tracks very well and does not jump at all.
For my McMillan I had to move my forend stop back so that only 3/4" is hanging over the edge of the front bag. My father's rifle did not need this adjustment. This made my rifle track much better and no jumping occurred anymore. I do have a weight system in the buttstock to bring my whole setup to 13# 2 oz. My rifle balances just ahead of the front of the receiver as does my fathers. If your Leonard stocks are like those I have seen before you should have the same benefit in a longer forend, but if you are getting some jump in it you may have some luck with moving the forend back a bit.
Mike
Boyd Allen
Active member
Excellent advice...I have done some experimenting with a scale under the rear bag. Shifting the front bag forward on the stock (assuming your stock will allow it) will get you farther than adding weight, particularly with the limits that a 10.5# weight limit imposes on how much you can add to the weight of the rifle.
I picked up a hand held Berkely digital fish weighing scale from Wallmart for just under 20.00 and it works great for checking and setting your weight on the rear bag and the front rest I found it to be money well spent for the purpose. I shoot a single shot falling block plain base cast bullet rifle that does not have a weight limitaion and mine is setup at 7lb 11oz at the center line of the rear bag and 7lbs 11oz at the center line of the front bag and I could not accomplish this task by using our weigh in scale at the club scale.
J.Louis
J.Louis
"How much weight, in %, do you want on the rear bag?"
In my opinion, as much as you can get. I think there are a lot of barrel heavy rifles out there that quite possibly hurt the full potential of the rifle. Some fellas think you need the biggest most heavy barrel your weight limit will allow. I think this is a mistake. Play with your rifle, and if you have a cheap digital scale put your rear bag on it with your rifle resting in the rear bag and your forearm in the front rest you use, and move that rifle back and forth. you will see were the weight is. I do this with all my rifles, just to get a starting point. i fine tune my balance on the paper. Lee
In my opinion, as much as you can get. I think there are a lot of barrel heavy rifles out there that quite possibly hurt the full potential of the rifle. Some fellas think you need the biggest most heavy barrel your weight limit will allow. I think this is a mistake. Play with your rifle, and if you have a cheap digital scale put your rear bag on it with your rifle resting in the rear bag and your forearm in the front rest you use, and move that rifle back and forth. you will see were the weight is. I do this with all my rifles, just to get a starting point. i fine tune my balance on the paper. Lee
Boyd Allen
Active member
Lee has it right. You really can't get too much weight on the back when working with a 10.5# rifle. If you notice, the wood and carbon fiber stocks take advantage of their stiffness to weight advantage combine with damping, to have longer forends. As Lee wrote, a little work with a scale will demonstrate this. On the barrel weight issue, Dick Wright once asked Tony Boyer ( in an interview that was published in Precision Shooting Magazine) if he would sacrifice with barrel weight for rifle balance. His answer was yes.
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M
mks
Guest
"How much weight, in %, do you want on the rear bag?"
In my opinion, as much as you can get.
I am not sure this is the case for 13.5# 30BR score rifles. Those who have seen my rifle know that it rocks and rolls in the bags. I have had several comments about it. Its balance is slightly behind the face of the action, so lots of rear bag weight. I've taken a little weight out of the butt and added it to the muzzle, but that hasn't changed the CG much, nor changed its misbehavior much. Wish I had more time to work on this...
Keith
Boyd Allen
Active member
Heavy scope?
H
HopeToBe
Guest
When the gun jumps, by experience - where does the bullet go most of the time?
H
HopeToBe
Guest
Should perhaps have specified that, but I am talking about when the gun is rising off the rear bag. I kind of see a system on the flyers hence this might be the origin of my problem.