Let’s talk shotgun balance and balancing a shotgun close to hinge pin. Let’s for the sake of simplicity say we now have a barrel heavy gun. Where do we add weight to the stock to balance the gun close to the hinge pin? Let’s say given that we have a gun with a stock bolt and we already have a huge hole in the Butt stock allowing access to the stock bolt. Is it best to add weight close to the stock bolt and therefor closer to the action?? Or, is it better to add weight closer to the butt pad? How does the difference in weight distribution change things given the same/identical amount of weight?

The closer to the butt plate the more mecanical advantage the weight will have. Thus less weight is required to balance the barrel .
The result is a lighter gun that is balanced.

bill

One easy way to play with that, Buzz, is to find some pvc, or other type plastic tubing that will just slide in the stock bolt hole, and leave it long as possible. Epoxy some shot into one end of it, just guess at the amount needed, to get started. You can then insert the tube into the stock hole with the shot at either end and try it with the weight forward, or rearward. You could even make one up with the shot midway the tube, or add more, until you get what you want.

Do you have a general set of shotgun dynamic measurements that you like?
If there is a number you are working toward, you can do that on paper and then add a set of weights to accomplish it.

If you are doing it iteratively, I have seen someone take a 2 ounce sinker, thread a 3/8 inch hole through it and use a piece of threaded rod to move the weight for and aft within the butt stock.

I don’t find shotguns balanced exactly on the hinge pin to be satisfying for my shooting.

An inch or two ahead of it seems to be a much steadier configuration for me

Or you can go the "moment of inertia" route, as did the late British gun writer Gough Thomas.

I totally understand your question, Buzz, and it’s an interesting one. Very similar question to placement of weight in my airplane. If I put 100 pounds in my aft baggage compartment behind the rear seat the plane will fly well. But the same weight placed near the tail would create a very dangerous aft of Center of Gravity situation. But 10 or 15 pounds near the tail would probably have the same effect on CG as the 100 pounds in the aft baggage compartment. So I surmise a weight in the buttstock near the buttplate would be much lighter than one closer to the action.

It’s a pretty simple weighted average calculation.

Recognizing that the barrels weigh several times what the rear half of the stock weighs.

Unless they are very short.

So, once a person cuts the pistol grip off which is behind the center of balance, it magnifies the barrel heaviness.

You end up adding a pretty heavy piece of lead in the back to counteract the concentration of mass in the barrels.

or you could cut the barrels back

I would put the weight as far away from the barrels as possible. That way a smaller weight, near the butt plate will be able to balance the heavy barrels. Theoretically you could do the same thing with a greater weight nearer the hinge pin but why make a gun any heavier than needed. You want balance not extra mass to tame recoil. But even a balanced gun may not swing well. Heavy barrels can be balanced with weight in the butt but they are still heavy barrels.

Thank you for responding to my question. I bought a 32” carrier barrel for my sporting clays gun. It weighs about 6 Oz more than my 12 ga barrel. I was hoping the weight would be a bit closer, but not to be. I’ve got another similar gun to my 12 that I’m going to set up for sub gauge and I may shoot some skeet with it too. So, I need to balance this barrel heavy gun and try to get it to at least feel better. I’m thinking a couple ounces of lead close to the butt pad may do the trick, but the gun will weigh about 8 Oz or so more than the 12 bore. As long as it feels good and is well balanced, I think it will be ok. It is what it is, but I wish the total weight was closer with the two guns.

Do what you describe, Buzz, and shoot it as much as you can. Muscle memory is an amazing thing, and eventually, within a few shots, that memory will take over and you'll shoot it well I'll bet. I shoot an array of different guns for subguage events, and do fairly well. It helps if you can shoot a few targets with the gun before you start on the scoring targets. Works for me.

Is balancing a shotgun important in trap/skeet shooting? I've never heard of a shotgun hunter speak of it.

Just trying to learn something new.

Ken

Absolutely imho!!! …..and for sporting clays and hunting guns too.

A lot of hunters go with "feel", which is hard to measure. And as with the various clay target games, the "feel" you want from a field gun can vary depending on what and how you hunt. Waterfowl hunters like heavier guns with longer barrels. Grouse and woodcock hunters prefer lighter guns with barrels no longer than 28", with some liking even shorter barrels.

Preferences also seem to change. Mostly as a result of sporting clays (where barrels as long as 34" are used), the longer barrel trend seems to have crept into other games . . . like skeet. When I first started shooting skeet, now almost 50 years ago, 26" barrels were extremely popular. Not so much any more. At least not with those who are serious competitors.

Not hard to measure at all. Just take a gun that has that "feel" to Don Amos and he will give you a set of numbers forthwith that can be duplicated in another gun to make it have the same "feel". There is no nebulous feeling that is something magical, or unexplainable. It can be measured in several different ways, and again, duplicated.