Balance point for .375

Shawn.54

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In another thread weight of a .375 was discussed now where is the perfect balance point.
My gun is an inexpensive.375 Ruger made by Mossberg it shoots well but at 6.9# without scope or sling it likes to push you around.
I made a spring loaded weight that goes into hollow stock and is held in place by a plate that spans recoil pad screws. This has moved balance point back to about center of the magazine it was about in line with cartridge head give or take 1/4".

It feels good to me but is there a point that gives the best results?

Thanks
Shawn
 
Hello Shawn.54,

Balance point on guns (and to a lesser extent, fishing rods and such) is a matter of personal preference.
But for bolt action hunting rifles, you have yours in a quite typical way (the magazine, AKA "between the hands" as they say in double barrel jargon).
For my taste, I prefer an ever so slight muzzle heaviness on rifles, shotguns and handguns, all pretty much the same.
For bolt actions, this ends up with the balance point for my rifles ideally being about on the foremost action screw, just at the front of the magazine box.
But, I've probably never been accused of being "normal".

Cheers,
Velo Dog.
 
Like I said this is an inexpensive rifle. My plan is to get a Boyd's stock for it in the future but until then I'm going to use some lead and epoxy up front to get the balance right if I mess up Boyd's will hear from me sooner.
Thanks for your reply.
Shawn
 
Sounds like you already have it darn close to what you like!
 
It's close but I thought I would get some more experienced opinions this is my first rifle bigger than a 35 Whelen and it started out 2.5 pounds lighter.
I like to know what works for others saves me time and money and maybe a little pain.
I shoot a lot of black powder rifles and they are front heavy and they hold well on target so I'm leaning towards a little front heavy with this rifle.
Thanks for your imput
Shawn
 
Shawn I'm sure no expert on balancing a rifle but one point I can tell you is that on the bigger rifles one should lean into them. They will push you but shouldn't really cause too much pain unless you planning on shooting up forty rounds at the range. With the weight you have added the rifle is up to almost nine and a half pounds so i suspect that's very close to being what it needs to be.
You might PM @matt85 and ask his opinion. He has done a lot with big rifles and seems to have a very good understanding of how to make one the best it can possibly be. Happy shooting sir!
 
In general, I've been taught a rifle desired to be fast handling and well carried should balance somewhere between 5.5" and 6.5" in front of the middle of the trigger. Heavier bores, or guys wanting a little muzzle weight (I'm one of them) will favor 6-7". I tend to find 7" pretty muzzle heavy and sluggish.

You also have to consider whether you're balancing the rifle with AND without the scope. Since scopes tend to sit over the receiver, behind the balance point, so when you remove be scope, the balance point tends to move forward. The lighter weight leaves most shooters feeling faster without the scope, even though the balance point is moved to a slower handling position, since it only moves a small amount. Closer to the rear hand, the faster but less stable you'll be, closer to the forward hand, the more stable, but slower.
 
It's really down to weather i want a gun that is set up for a steady first shot or a quick follow up on a moving target.
I could think myself in a complete circle here lol. Maybe I need a second gun.
 
You said it feels good to you and you are used to shooting heavy front end muzzleloaders, that's probably the best answer. No one else can tell you what it feels like to you, and you haven't said where you plan to use it, but in Africa you will be most likely to be shooting off sticks. Sounds like you are on the right track, now where to take it!!!
 
The dream is Africa the reality is blackbear that are driven and on the move.
And maybe a white tail that gets past the boys just because I like to hear people explain "overkill " to me.
 
i personally like my rifles to be a bit "butt heavy". this allows me to fire fairly heavy rifles off hand without wearing myself out trying to support the weight with my left hand. also, ive found that large bore rifles (.400+) are more comfortable to shoot when they use up some of there energy lifting themselves up durring recoil. now moving the POB backward will have drawbacks, this will cause the gun to have more muzzle flip which makes getting back on target a bit more difficult especially when your talking about rifles chambered in .500+.

as to an exact point of balance, that depends greatly on your LOP. a longer LOP will require a closer POB while a shorter LOP will require a further POB. you also need to consider that the POB may change when the gun is loaded so its best to load the rifle before settling on a final POB location. on large bore guns even a single cartridge can make a pretty big difference, my 505 Gibbs uses a 600gr bullet over 113gr of powder in a rather large heavy case. when fully loaded your looking at 2139gr or nearly 1/3 of a pound in just powder and bullets (too lazy to weigh my cases but you get the point).

-matt
 
I think that in the end the gun will tell me where to make pob I will add weight in a temporary fashion and shoot it then add or subtract until I find what works for me then make it permanent.
Thanks guys for the advice.
This gives me more reasons to throw lead down range now I just need time.
Thanks again
Shawn
 
Let us know how the shooting goes Shawn.
 
I will keep you posted,hope to get some time this Friday. But Saturday and Sunday are full. And they won't let me take it to work.
 

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