doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Balance at hingepin question

As a gun lays, it has it's inherent qualities.
Now how it fits?????????
But!
The better the gun's balance as it lays, the better it is for either ground swatting, or sky blasting.

Some fact. Some myth. No majic.

And the problem remains, LG, that what you consider good balance may not be good for me. Good for quail may not be good for trap. So, we must consider balance (both the teeter-totter definition and the summation of handling definition)in the context of both the individual shooter and that shooter's application.

Shooter's needs and body types do vary, but has little to do with the natural balance of a gun in it's restful state.
It maybe perfection until you put it to your shoulder, and then into motion, but that's not the gun's fault.

There is a artical in the Jan-Feb 08.SSM."A Question of Balance".I will be Interested if there any 'Comments"!!!!!CC

Mmmmmmm! LG, would you then say, "That gun has perfect stock dimensions in its natural state and it is the shooter's fault that it doesn't fit him?"

XC - looking forward to additional points of view, data, and commentary.

Well, now that my Shooting Sportsman has arrived it would appear as though Mr. T. has enlightened us to the stockers way.

Hairy

SSM arrived and XC's article read. Comments as follows.

XC - congratulations on a well written and informative article. Second, you have my admiration for having the integrity to do a repair when you could have done more costly work - well done!!

I find several points worth noting and possibly discussing.

- Buying an expensive gun assures neither proper fit nor proper handling; both are personal needs and may require adjusting.
If you are going to buy a gun, other than a bespoke one, you will need to address fit and handling.

- Every shooter should keep records of the fit and handling of as many guns as possible. It is important to develop a personal envelope of fit dimensions and handling numbers, whether you are buying a London best or an 870.

- Balance moves as the weight and/or location of weight changes for the gun. Further, balance can be in a location that is unsatisfactory for the owner and can negatively inpact both the shooters accuracy and enjoyment of shooting the gun.

- Balance can be adjusted in planned and measurable ways.

- A temporary adjustment should be checked with the shooter for suitability.

- If the shooter does not have a known envelope of preference, a temporary adjustment to known average values will be a good starting point. There seems to be considerability variability in sensitivity to balance among shooters. Some can detect a 1/4" move in balance point and others require much more for detection.

- Recoil pads often approach the 6 oz XC used to rebalance these guns. Beware of unintended consequences to handling when dealing with recoil pads/reducers, etc.

As I said, good article.

It's been very interesting and educative to read this thread. But there's something I'd like toask y'all about. A few years back I read a very old article discussing balance. The author of the article claimed, that a (double) gun has perfect weight distribution if:

- the rear end of the gun (the stock and the action, with barrels and fore-end removed), taken separatly, balances at the grip (i.e., where the right* hand holds it)

- the front end (the barrels with the forearm attached, minus the stock) balances exactly where the left hand grips the gun when mounted

- the total gun balances exactly between the place where the right hand holds it, and where the left hand holds it.

Sorry if the description isn't clear enough, but I hope you see what's being meant. I don't know how much truth is in this method, since I'm not competent enough, but it seems rational and seems to work when tested on real guns.

What do you think about it?

___________
I'm being slighlty P-in-C here, speaking of right-handed shooters only, sorry...

HD, just tried the method you mention with an AyA 53 16 bore and the two "parts" do balance rather nicely when held separately as I would shoot it.

The gun has a total weight of 3.156kg or 6#15.2oz and the T-T balance point is 4 3/4" in front of the front trigger. When you pick it up for the first time it feels very "front" heavy.

Rocketman, according to your vast experience on the subject, would adding weight to the stock, i.e. moving T-T balance point backwards, improve its handling?

JC