Balance vs. Maneuverability

 

“I recently added extended chokes to my shotgun. This seems to make the shotgun heavier in the front, so I added some weight in the stock area.While that made it balance around the hinge pin, it still didn’t move the same way it used to. Can you explain gun balance a little better?”

 

Many think the “feel” of a shotgun is determined by weight and balance point and forget about weight distribution. It is these three elements that come together to yield the feel or maneuverability of a shotgun. A barbell, for example, is perfectly balanced in the middle—however, it is not very maneuverable. If you hold it like a shotgun, you will find that it takes a great deal of effort to move the “muzzle end,” and it takes great effort to stop the “swing” of the barbell with the weight at either end. Compare that with a padded weight bar of the same weight and overall length as the barbell. It is much easier to maneuver, stop and start because the weight is more evenly distributed across the length of the bar —yet the barbell and weight bar have identical weight and balance points.

It is the same with a shotgun. The weight and balance point of a shotgun do indeed tell us something about how a shotgun will handle, but the way in which weight is distributed over the length of the shotgun has an even greater bearing on the maneuverability of a shotgun. So, when you add a heavy extended choke to the end of your shotgun and some weight at the back of the shotgun to offset the additional weight at the muzzle, you have maintained the balance point but have altered the “moment of inertia” (MOI) or “feel” of the shotgun. If you don’t like the way your shotgun now handles after having added your heavy extended chokes, consider lighter chokes like Muller ceramic chokes, titanium chokes or even flush chokes and either pull some weight out of the stock or move the weight closer to the pistol grip. If you are interested in the physics behind the phenomenon of MOI, search for “moment of inertia tennis rackets” on the internet.

Don Currie is NSCA’s Chief Instructor, an Orvis Wingshooting School instructor, and Master Class competitor. To get free shooting tips and videos, sign up for his monthly newsletter.  You can also see more tips from Currie at www.doncurrie.com.