Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Getting a rifle to balance perfectly in the hand. Tricks of the trade?

I've got a Kimber Talkeetna that seldom gets out of the safe simply because it's cumbersome to carry. A very accurate and functional rifle it's just so muzzle heavy that it's a bother to carry. It the balance weren't bad enough, the front sling attachment is so far forward on the barrel that the butt drags in the blueberry bushes.

Balance is a very individual thing. Over the years I have learned what works for me. Most of this knowledge was gained on the first rifle I ever built...an FN Mauser in .30-06 that I obtained in military dress at age 20. I learned to modify the bolt, restock the rifle, drill and tap and turn this rifle into a usable sporter.

After a season or two I began to modify things based on carrying the rifle in the field. I never thought about total weight or balance points....I simply modified the stock to a form that felt "right" to me.

The resulting form is "just right". A 23" small diameter barrel with a VERY slim stock. The forearm is short (like a British express rifle and small in diameter (round with just enough wood to grip. The butt is also very trim with a grip that is almost tiny. My thumb and fingers will actually overlap when I grip the rifle at the wrist. Wood was removed under the buttplate to lighten things and shift the balance forward (although I had no actual balance point in mind). Total weight ended being just under 8 pounds fully loaded and ready to hunt.

It just so happened that the balance point is just behind the front receiver ring....with scope mounted. That is, to me, a critical point in the "balanced" rifle. A scope too big (or more rarely too small) can easily ruin your best efforts at building the "perfect" rifle. It is a complete "system". The most perfectly built rifle can be ruined by mounting the "wrong" scope the ruins the balance.

Since that rifle was "perfected", it has been fairly easy to build more as I just copy the shape of the original stock down to the last detail. I then drill (or sometimes not) the butt and make small adjustments to the stock to get things "right". Different wood density means every rifle is just a bit different, but the end result is amazingly close. The weight of the barrel (and length) also effect what must be done to the stock. It's not an exact set of measurements....it's a "feel" thing.

My rifle is what works for me. Others have handled my rifles and most have loved them. However, a few wanted something radically different. It's that feel thing and is very different foe each individual.

Handling and balance can mean different things to different people. A well balanced rifle for offhand target shooting , where stability is important, will be different than one intended to be carried in the hand and used for quick snap shots.
The rule of thumb for English shotgun makers was that 1/2 the weight should be centered between the hands. Many of their rifles were built the same way. You can see that in the taper of their barrels and the use of integral ribs. The barrel on so many of the older rifles kept the taper and weight near the receiver until abruptly curving - not always at a straight taper - toward the muzzle.

See "The Engineering of Balance" by Harold (Hal) Davidson, pp. 52-58, Gun Digest 2005. The article is clearly written and well illustrated. Davidson also explains how anyone can measure the angular moment of inertia of any sporting rifle or shotgun, making possible comparison of one's own long guns.