Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders TRADITIONS .50 CAL. PENN. LONG RIFLE-MUZZLE HEAVY?

Sorry ,Im would have to greatly disagree with that statment . while it is a common thought , it has no real base . you can actually have a rifle that has a 42 inch barrel and yet still be Butt heavy in the hold . Off hand shooting that is


ok as to the traditions , easy answer , yep she Is muzzle heavy .
But the reason it is muzzle heavy is because of the build not because of the length of the barrel.
A rifle should balance nicely in one hand , when that hand is place just in front of the lock mortise forward to about mid point of the forearm . this holds true for rifles as well as smoothbores which for the most part have a whole lot lighter barrel
Now a strait barrel is harder to balance there and do correctly . But it is doable , without leading .
that�s with even barrel lengths of 42 inches .
There are however many variables to consider when doing that . If a person has a short pull . Your likely to end up with a slightly nose heavy gun . Currently Im finishing up a Beck for a lady . It has a strait barrel in 39 inches of 45 cal . Her pull is 12 inches . This combined with the barrel moves the balance point to the entry thimble .
But compared to a Lancaster I built last fall for a man with a 14 � in pull , using a 50 cal 15/16 strait barrel 42 inches long . I was still able to build the rifle to balance right in front of the lock mortise

Now a swamped barrel will provide you the ability to much more easily balance the rifle . But it also is harder to inlet . They also come in several profiles which provide different options for balancing . So when you ask about a swamped barrel , its good to know what profile your looking for and why
So the + to a swamped barrel is , easier to balance and an over all lighter rifle as as much as 8 oz can be saved in the weight
As a side note here , if we look at GM barrel chrts , we find that you can have a B profiled 50 cal swamped 42 inch barrel that weighs in at 4.5lbs . Compare that to on say one of their replacement barrels for a TC in 50 cal that�s only 32 inches long , yet weighs in at 6.6 lbs
With both being 1 inch at the breech
Now
If your looking for Period correctness for a long rifle , then the barrel should be swamped or tapered .
The Traditions rifles have neither and if the above is what your looking for then IMO they should not be considered at all .
But if its not a real concern . Then they can be found to be nice shooting rifles .

But understand the length of the barrel has little to do with the balance . For the most part a properly built long rifle with balance just as nice or better then a short barreled plains rifle


Something else for you to think on here though .
Now most certainly there is more to it then just what im going to list . However these are some of the basic�s
There are pro�s and cons to being muzzle heavy , balanced or butt heavy .

Lets start with muzzle heavy
A muzzle heavy rifle is slower to the pull and can be awkward to carry depending on how nose heavy it is . It also likes a shorter hang time on target
But its quick to settle on the target . Its also much more stable in the hang . IE it wants to hold much more steady then either a balanced or butt heavy rifle .
Its also much more stable in the follow through
All very desirable for target shooting.. Especially at longer distances . Less desirable for hunting . However the draw backs to the hunting application will be over come with use.

Now with balanced . , she carries well . And is quick in the pull
While less stable then a nose heavy gun , its still settle well to the target . But can like to wonder in the hang .and buck alittle in the follow through . This however is easily over come ..
It also provides for a much longer rifle to be built and still be a joy to carry in the field
This makes for a very good platform for a hunting gun while at the same time capable of target shooting even at long distances with a steady hand .

Butt heavy is the least desirable for a rifle .
While its quick in the pull and a lot nicer in the lead on moving targets . Its highly un steady and doesn�t like to settle well without a very steady hand . But it provides a long period in the hang . It also wants to drop the butt , while in the carry . Its also doesn�t like to rest in the follow through , allowing the muzzle to climb .


So in the end , understand and know what you want , why you want it and chose accordingly .
But never , I repeat , never assume that a rifle with a long barrel , is less balanced then a short barrel or for that mater heavier then a short barreled rifle