Rifle Weight; Heavy vs Balanced

[Rogerthatout]

Just wondering how most guys and girls feel about a heavy rifle vs a balanced rifle if you had to pick one or the other...whats more important to you?
Today I took off my weighted bag rider and secondary rearward weights off my MPA chassis. I love the gun now because it is very balanced, but I did fall below 17lbs. I'm at 15.8 lbs (no mag).

Would you prefer a balanced rifle or would you take the extra weight so you can keep weight at 18lbs. I ask because cals "what the pros use" article about weight brings most top PRS shooters at between 18 and 20. I was able to keep the extra weights in the forward part of chassis and under my proof carbon barrel, but rear weight was removed to balance the rifle.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

I prefer a lite rearward balanced rifle myself, for all around use. Heavy has it's places but my hands nor back is one of them.

 

[Olen_4504]

you need to put your gun on your shooting bag on a barricade then see how it balances. i don't think laying it on that case or whatever is a good test.

usually the balance point is a few inches forward of the magwell.

i USED to think i needed my gun to balance right in the middle right in front of the magwell. but when you put your gun on a bag on a barricade - the center of gravity needs to be further forward or else the gun will want to tip back toward the rear.


personally i think you can find a happy medium of both. balance and weight. but i'd lean towards a balanced rifle over a super heavy rifle.

having said that - my gun is around 20-21lbs. which is light compared to some guys. but it balances perfectly with a 28" heavy contour barrel.

 

[jsimonh]

I just switched out my MTU barrel for a Marksman contour and removed all the weights from my MPA folding chassis. Went from ~24 down to ~19. I dont free recoil, but when the gun was perfectly balanced I found that it was harder for me to control the wiggle. Now the gun is balanced right at the magwell and feels better to me. It will tilt back when you set it on a bag perfectly level. Hard to explain but when I have to use a little muscle to stay on target I seem to be steadier. YMMV

 

[Rogerthatout]

I just switched out my MTU barrel for a Marksman contour and removed all the weights from my MPA folding chassis. Went from ~24 down to ~19. I dont free recoil, but when the gun was perfectly balanced I found that it was harder for me to control the wiggle. Now the gun is balanced right at the magwell and feels better to me. It will tilt back when you set it on a bag perfectly level. Hard to explain but when I have to use a little muscle to stay on target I seem to be steadier. YMMV

A sniper gave me a shooting tip years ago, to gently squeeze the rifle and trigger together, funny you're seeing steadier with "some" muscle. The gentle muscle approach is pretty nice, I've done this ....it works nicely.
I'm trying 16lbs see how it goes.

As far as balancing rifle on a baracade instead of my box or stool to balance it...makes perfect sense but I've run out of room for adding weight in front, or removing in rear... so I'll probably see how this works for me.

 

[MakeSawdust]

There is a balance point where everything comes together. It depends on the bag you're using and the width of the barricade somewhat.

When the balance point is in the right spot it is magically easy to hold inside a one moa target. When the balance point is not in the right spot the gun wiggles because it constantly wants to fall off the bag.

A rear heavy gun is easier to manage from a barricade than a front heavy gun, but one that will just sit there is even better. Even when using some muscle to hold the gun, a gun that forces you to apply force in a certain direction is not as good as one that sits there and allows you to apply force in the best direction to steady the rifle and manage recoil.

At some point, a braked 6 Dasher that weighs 25 lbs basically doesn't move. The discussion of managing recoil becomes less important than managing your wobble zone. A lighter gun in a heavier caliber swings the pendulum slightly.

 

[Wssickta]

Great conversation, I’ve been playing with weights and seem to prefer a bit of extra weight on the front

 

[Rogerthatout]

I removed my rear weights for a balanced system rather than staying heavy to manage recoil.

I'm at 16lbs w a 6.5CM and I'm ok with that, even though most guys shoot heavier systems.....