Weight/Balance Conversation

[Adam Steinquist]

Hi all,

Question for the group on where you like your Parker to balance and if you have a preference for balance point based on different purposes. I recently picked up a very nice 16 gauge GH in a 0-frame. It’s a very lovely gun, but the balance is much more toward the rear than I’m used to. Total weight is 6lbs 7oz, which seems on the heavier side for a 0-frame, and while that doesn’t especially bother me, the barrels and forend only weigh 3lbs 1oz while the receiver and stock weigh 3lbs 6oz. This results in a gun that seems to “tip up” while I’m holding it, which is different from the other 3 Parkers that I own (2 16s on 1-frames and a 12 on a 1-1/2 frame).

Curious of this group’s experience with guns that are balanced toward the rear and how you may apply those guns in different ways than guns that are balanced toward the front. I believe I favor guns that are front heavy, but it may be that I just don’t have as much experience with guns that are the opposite.

[mobirdhunter]

Adam, that's a great 2:00 a.m. question, and one to ponder when you can't sleep. I'm sure you'll get lots of answers here that are thoughtful and based on lots of experience.

Obviously the gun that you have confidence in is the one that has the "best" balance, but what's the fun in using only one gun?! Here are my thoughts on my own shooting experience (which is exclusively at game birds -- my Forum friends who shoot clays will have very strong and knowledgeable opinions based on lots of shooting).

For game like grouse and woodcock I can shoot a rear-weighted gun as well as any. The shots are quick and seldom do I get the chance for long crossing shots. This kind of weight balance is great for helicoptering woodcock in very tight cover.

For birds in more open cover where I can be a bit more deliberate, I like the weight between my hands...or slightly weight forward. For the wild quail we most often hunt, longer barrels and weight stability works best for me. Shots are quick, but more deliberate. (For wild Bobs in the timber, I recommend leaving the gun home and just watching.)

For birds like dove and ducks that I can generally be more deliberate about, I shoot a weight-forward gun as well as any, especially on longer crossing shots (which I might add I am terrible at because I don't take many). I've noted that once I get the gun's speed up, that extra weight helps keep it going in the split half-or-less second I have to pull the trigger.

For snipe I like a gun that lets me get on the bird quickly before it starts "juking." A between the hands weighted gun works well for me here.

For rail, I've learned that a gun balanced to the rear works well. I also shoot guns that have more drop than my usual high-stocked guns work well, as often the birds get up close and drop almost immediately. (A gun that you don't mind getting muddy is also a plus.)

For the record, though, I can miss birds with any gun balance, and prefer to do so with a Parker.

[Aaron Beck]

Garry has spelled out a strong case for a variety of handling nuances. If your gun doesnt seem right to you, you could explore altering the balance a bit. For one thing, dense fancy grain stocks and rubber butt pads do generally make the stock a bit heavier. Experiment with adding weight up front and see if it shoots better for you. If so, you can explore shifting the balance without altering the overall weight much. Other fit factors can also contribute to the tip up effect.

[Reggie B]

I have found that I can remedy “butt heavy” guns by shooting lonnnnnng barreled Parkers!!

[John Davis]

As a trap shooter, I prefer a gun in the 7 1/2 to 8 pound range weighted slightly to moderately forward. An extra benefit of the BTF. Given it is a pre mounted gun game, it helps with a smooth and deliberate swing/movement to a target that is rising and traveling away from you.

[6pt-Sika]

I don’t think I can “define” what works best for me or I like best as to balance point . I can say if I pick the gun up and using a very vague term “like the way it feels” I can generally do fine with it on clay or feather targets . In the past changes in drop from gun to gun didn’t bother me in the least . But over the past several years it seems less drop is my friend . Obviously I don’t want an over eight pound gun typically for quail or grouse or walk up pheasants , but for clay targets , tower shoots , pigeon ring , skeet and trap heavier is okay . Although if it’s hotter than hell and I’m rushing around at Koneski’s or somewhere like that the 10 pound 10’s and the 15 pound 8 become a bit much in the heat . I shot a10 1/2 pound hammer 10 at a tower shot in October and by the end of the day that gun got heavy but it was in the low 70’s and I lifted and closed that gun easily 150 times in two hours . And no I didn’t fire each time .

[Adam Steinquist]

Thanks everyone! And thank you Garry for your very thorough and thoughtful response regarding your experiences hunting. Most of my time is spent chasing ol’ ruff and the timber doodlers and that’s how I expect I’ll be using this most of the time, so hopefully my experience is the same as yours in that regard and this gun ends up being especially well suited for the occasion.

Does anyone have any insight to the production approach Parker took regarding balance? Would a gun have been intentionally balanced forward, rearward, or between the hands because of a customer request or any other reason? Although I know nothing of their production, I would expect they would have had a process to match barrels with frame and wood to give consistent results unless built for various purposes or as requested by a customer.

I realize that we’re only talk about a few ounces, so maybe I’m overthinking it. Just curious if anyone has any insight on the topic.

[Dean Romig]

I don't ever want to be aware of a gun's balance - rather, I want only to be aware of a fast mount where the bead lines right up to what I'm looking at, without having to be distracted by whether or not it is muzzle or butt heavy. I guess what I like best is a gun, regardless of weight or barrel length, that balances at about the hinge pin or within a half inch forward of it, Behind the pin the gun is too whippy and too far forward makes it an effort and a distraction to bring it to the target.





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[Adam Steinquist]

Thanks Dean, I appreciate the input. Has that been your experience with the smaller gauges as well, or does it become harder to find guns that balance over the hinge pin as the gauge goes down?

[Dean Romig]

In my experience, original Parkers with original barrel lengths and original buttstocks all balance quite well for me... That's the way they were all made, unless ordered with specific balance points out of the norm. I have found that oftentimes a restock might radically alter the balance point and we all know shortened barrels most certainly will contribute to a change in balance from how the gun was manufactured.
Wood density is the major factor in poor balance after a restock... sometimes.






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