barrel weight

[jmforge]

is there a general rule of thumb that says what percentage of the total weight of the rifle is barrel weight?  Im just wondering what I should expect say a half stock rifle with a 5 pound barrel to weight overall.

[Dphariss]

8 pounds? Many factors effect this though. How heavy are the TG and BP etc.

Dan

[jmforge]

They would be the iron fittings used on an English sporter.  Boy, that sure sounds like a .62 caliber using one of the 31 inch swamped jaeger barrels have the potential to be a bit of a featherweight butt kicker!!!!!  That makes for a good argument for using a straight barrel or one of the big Hawken sized tapered ones.

[Ben I. Voss]

I've found if I pull the barrel and weigh everything else three pounds is about "average". Try it on a few guns and see, that will give you an idea.

[jmforge]

I've found if I pull the barrel and weigh everything else three pounds is about "average". Try it on a few guns and see, that will give you an idea.

So that says that a .62 caliber jaeger could come in at under 7 pounds.  How nasty would that thing be to shoot with stout load? As best as I can calculate, between ball and a decent does of powder, you are talking about a "reaction mass" at least equal to say a .338 Win Mag in a rifle that weighs 2-3 pounds less than the typical .338 bolt rifle and doesn't have that nice Pachmyer recoil pad... 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

You cannot compare the recoil of a centre fire rifle with a muzzle loading rifle.  The first is a jab and the second is a push - no similarities. 

Given that if you'll allow me, a .62 cal jaeger rifle with 120-140 grains of FFg has significant recoil.  I would not want to shoot it twenty five times on a trail walk.  But for one or two shots in a day's hunting, it's a piece of cake.  We shoot my buddy's .75 English sporting rifle with 120 grains of powder at offhand targets without discomfort.  That rifle weights about 8 pounds.  I would not enjoy shooting the same number of rounds out of a .338 Winchester Mangle-um.

[jmforge]

You cannot compare the recoil of a centre fire rifle with a muzzle loading rifle.  The first is a jab and the second is a push - no similarities. 

Given that if you'll allow me, a .62 cal jaeger rifle with 120-140 grains of FFg has significant recoil.  I would not want to shoot it twenty five times on a trail walk.  But for one or two shots in a day's hunting, it's a piece of cake.  We shoot my buddy's .75 English sporting rifle with 120 grains of powder at offhand targets without discomfort.  That rifle weights about 8 pounds.  I would not enjoy shooting the same number of rounds out of a .338 Winchester Mangle-um.

True.  My brother has a Model 70 Classic Super Grade in .338 and he never thought it kicked much until he shot it off the bench out in Texas without wearing his PAST recoil pad jacket.  Full house loads with 250 Partitions will speak to you after about 5 according to him.

[JTR]

To give you another example, some years ago I took a hanging gong made of 1/2" thick steel out to the range. I blasted it with my .58 cal Hawken loaded with 120 grs of powder. It put a dent in the gong about 1/8" deep, and rocked it back and forth about 5 or 6 inches.
Then I shot it with my Ruger #1 375 H&H Mag with a stout load and a 300 gr boattail bullet. It blasted a 3/4" diameter hole right through it and spun the gong in a 360 degree circle twice!

John

[northmn]

Recoil is a function of good stock design.  The English understood that and made lighter weight sporting rifles in large bores but used straight stocks and wide buttplates with a design that had a more straight back kick.  The German Jaeger is another good one.  The absolute worst are the western plains rifles with the hooked buttplates designed to be shot off of the arm.  Their only redeeming grace was their relatively heavy weight and lighter calibers.  Early American rifles, ie prerevolution were also well designed for recoil absorbtion.  I built a 12 gauge fowler that fit me and inadvertantly loaded a double powder charge in a trap shoot.  The reoil was severe but I was not bruised it not hurt.  2"+ buttplate and straight stock design with adequate drop.  While these designs do not neccessarily make them comfortable to shoot for an aggregate bullseye match they do tame the recoil for comfortabel field use and busting gongs and so forth.  I recently built a 6 pound 12 ga. fowler with a 31 inch barrel recently that is still comfortable with 1 1/8 oz of shot using those principles.  Standing up it isn't all bad with a 690 RB.

DP