doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How to Manage Weight and Balance?

Ok-so I already do yoga.

The question pertains to my search for a lightweight game gun(6lbs-6lbs 3oz is the target). Everyone I have found so far will need a checkered wood stock addition or a recoil pad of some type to get to my 15"LOP -with the desired drops at comb and heel.

That adds weight at the back end. And, if the gun was "balanced" before the addition, it may not be after the addition.

How do I get rid of the added weight and restore the guns balance?

I have heard of drilling a hole in the butt stock to remove weight. My 12 ga AYA has such a hole. Are there any other tips or suggestions that you all can offer besides placing a custom order for a new shotgun, which I could do for an AYA, or having a new stock made for the gun?

Thank you.

Ya' betcha

Microcell pads are a little hard to work with however I think they are the lightest pad made. I have installed one and they are featherlight for sure especially since you remove a lot of the foam while fitting it to the gun. See here:

http://www.hastingsdistribution.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=49

It can be kind of hard to tell if the balance is really right for you when the LOP is way off. I recently asked a gunsmith to replace an old pad with a buttplate that reduced LOP by almost an inch. The gun was there for inspection, so I hadn't handled it before. The switch reduced the overall weight by about 6 ounces so had to affect the balance, but for me it handles just fine. It's possible that the new weight and balance are closer to what the gunmaker intended than they were with the pad.

So yes, it can make sense to adjust weight and balance by removing wood from the stock, but it might be good to go slow. Measure weight and balance point before adding the pad. then shoot the gun a bit and see if you want to adjust things to reproduce the original weight and balance. Good Luck!

Builder, have to shot with the microcell pads? Do you feel they do a good job reducing recoil? As light as they are, are they suitable for field guns? Any concerns about their durability?

Bill

Billwolfe,
I installed it two months ago but the flue and the cold snowy weather has kept me indoors. Sorry. I think the sides where you grind them get dirty very easily.

Micro cell pads while not traditional looking are very light and effective in reducing recoil. I find they grind well with a 120 grit 12in disc. You can reduce the weight at the butt from 3 to 5 oz by replacing with a Micro Cell pad.

Drew,
How much weight would you think that those drilled holes remove?
I'm not sure, but I believe I read somewhere the density of walnut and the area removed produced a calculated amount of wieght.
The reason for my interest is that my new Churchill came with a leather covered (heavy) pad, and I may need to rebalance it.
Karl

I think Crossed Chisels used to say , depending on density, a one in hole one inch deep will remove about 1 ounce. The deeper the hole the less effect on balance as it is closer to the balance point.

Mark,
Thanks for the follow up.
Karl

You read right, Karl. Volume times density equals weight. Black Walnut typically has a density of 45 pounds per cubic foot. A cubic foot equals 1728 cubic inches (12" X 12" 12" = 1728 cubic inches) and a pound equals 16 oz. So, a cubic inch of black walnut is equal to 0.417 ounces ((16 oz per pound X 45 pounds) divided by 1728 cubic inches per cubic foot). A one inch diameter cylinder one inch long has a volume of 0.785 cubic inches. And, 0.785 cubic inches times o.417 ounces per cubic inch equals 0.33 ounces. It takes about 3 inches of one inch diameter hole to equal one ounce. Somebody check my calculations, please.

DDA