Barrel Weights

[Wonko the Sane]

I'll go with the "weight in the middle of the gun" thing and that is dictated by where the hands are placed and NOT the hinge pin.  And to me as a mounted gun kinda game player even that is mostly meaningless as a mounted gun doesn't care where it's balanced, only how the weight seems to the front hand - nose heavy or light.  

I suppose if the gun has grossly light barrels, not likely sort of special order these days, barrel weights might be tried.  Seems to me that the factory multi-weights thing is more marketing than some practical necessity but I'm sure that's just me.  The only weight I've added to a gun in the last couple decades (yes I did every lame idea in the early years) has been to compensate for light buttstocks to just get the total weight up to some usable level.  And to be perfectly honest I can't tell you what any of the guns weigh without checking the notebook.  Or where they "balance".  And I really don't care since they "feel" right.

all JMO of course and YMMV

 

[westley]

Westley, you state: "the balance of a gun is more critical than some people give account to"

And you have rejected the Blasers. Did you attempt to use the balancing system that is a major selling point of these guns? I ask because the movement of the internal threaded stock weights in my F3 makes a considerable difference to the handling of the gun, and a trial with those weights set in a position that makes the gun incompatible with your preferences is of course going to feel wrong.

In my view it's better to have a properly engineered system of weighting - two hefty cylindrical weights with locking screws and anti-rattle rings moving along a threaded shaft - than stuffing roofing lead and blu-tak down the stock bolt orifice...

On both of the Blasers, they felt OK in the shop, but, on shooting either of the guns, it was VERY much a hit or miss affair. When I miss with the Browning, I know why and what I did to cause it. When I missed with the Blasers I was completely unaware as to why or how. I would shoot a pair and dust them, I would shoot another pair, the same, and miss at least 1 or more often both. Sight picture appeared the same, gun movement and mounting the same too. I just did not know why I was missing. When I shot the guns, they appeared to ME, to be a bit 'vague'  !  I did not go out with the intention of buying the Browning, it just happened to be on the gun table when I went into the gun shop. I was persuaded to come out and try the gun on their gun testing traps at the back of the premises. I hit 1 of the report pair, asked for 2 of the target that I had missed, dusted them and went on to hit everything else that was thrown. The gun felt like it was around 7 1/2lbs. in actual fact it weighs in at 8 1/4lbs. It has an adjustable comb, which I hate, BUT I believe it is the ironwork associated with this deformation of a piece of wood, that is causing it to balance so well. Just as an aside, I have never shot a Beretta very well either, with 2 exceptions, my 20 bore 'field' model and my 303 auto. Maybe it is an age thing !       :wacko:

The shop had both Blaser models in stock and the Browning, they did not in any way try to sell me the dearer gun. They just let me make my own mind up.

 

[Salopian]

For any members information who loves Blaser .

Peter Boxall of Boxall and Edmiston has for sale a beautiful F3 for sale .

It was bought as project to advertise Boxall's engraving it is for sale now at a very good (cheap) price .

Contact Peter at Boxall & Edmiston and tell him I sent you , you will get a superb gun at a brilliant price .

This is a none commission sale , just trying to get an unused gun out there for someone to get pride of ownership .

I doubt he will take race gearboxes in part ex.

Matt. I hope this is okay to post , just trying to do two people a favour .

Salopian

 

[DolphinCTC]

It's going the right way then  ?

Just as an aside, the balance of a gun is more critical than some people give account to. I recently tested the F16, having already tried and dismissed the F3, and,  Philistine that I am, could not wait to give that one back too !    I  had,  by chance, the opportunity to try the Browning 725 with the adjustable comb and that gun felt to me to be around  7 1/2lbs. Anyway, I bought it. When I weighed that it was 8lbs 4ozs. I believe that the adjustable comb ironwork is balancing the gun perfectly. (I left the allen key for the comb in the gunshop !)

I agree that balance is very important and has a huge contribution to how user friendly a gun is to shoot. A few off the shelf guns have something about them that just helps, notable for me are 3800 / mk38 trap (not the sporters, they handle like a plank which I put down to the multichokes adding forward weight and I don't like the low comb) also old Remi 1100's which just seem to point so easily. I am not a fan of adjustable anything my self which makes it more difficult to buy a new decent competition gun these days. I do like the look of some of the montecarlo blasers but as far as I can tell they are only available with adjustable combs and high price tags :frown:  

 

[westley]

I agree that balance is very important and has a huge contribution to how user friendly a gun is to shoot. A few off the shelf guns have something about them that just helps, notable for me are 3800 / mk38 trap (not the sporters, they handle like a plank which I put down to the multichokes adding forward weight and I don't like the low comb) also old Remi 1100's which just seem to point so easily. I am not a fan of adjustable anything my self which makes it more difficult to buy a new decent competition gun these days. I do like the look of some of the montecarlo blasers but as far as I can tell they are only available with adjustable combs and high price tags :frown:  

A mutual Friend has a nice 3800 Trap that he recently acquired  !!!  Have to agree with the 1100 bit, I shot a Tournament Trap for many years but that was in the days when Shooters just got on with the job in hand and did not run whining to the Referee/ Scorer,  if a cow farted in the next County !  Yes,  the old 3800's and even some of the 800's fitted with a Monte Carlo stock, were superb 'pick it and shoot it well' guns.

 

[DolphinCTC]

Yep, have an 800HSW monte-carlo trap which I shot for a good few years.  First time I went to Hodnet I shot 92/100 at Sporting,  24 at ABT and 23 at skeet,  never done better than that with any other gun since.  Will be trying again on 28/1 in the re-run of their Christmas shoot but with my current clay iron,  MX8 monte-carlo trap!