how should a rifle's weight be balanced?

I like a forward balance myself. The center should be between your hands while shooting, but I find the rifle settles faster with the weight forward. More of the weight on the forward hand. That's not tons of weight, just a bit.
One of the reasons the tube magazine leverguns have fast target acquisition for close range shooting, is that they are so balanced.
The reason you see big barreled rifles, and handguns, sometimes with barrel weights on the target range is this steadying effect.
 
It should be balanced at the action and most hunting rifles are except for heavy barreled varmint and target versions. When choosing a gun, pick one up and bring it to the shoulder repeatedly. Pick the one that fits and feels the best. Sight acquisition should be natural and immediate.
 
I have always felt a good hunting rifle should balance within an inch of the front guard screw. Balance isn't the whole story though. Weight distribution is just as important. Two rifles which weigh exactly the same and balance the same can feel entirely different according to where the weight is carried.
A rifle in which the weigh is concentrated between the hands will handle more quickly than one which carries more weight at the ends. Now, there are times when qick handling is not an asset so it might be advantageous to move the weight toward the ends. I dislike too much of a forward weight bias on any type of rifle which is intended to be carried in the field. Regards, Bill.
 
Woodsman said:
It should be balanced at the action and most hunting rifles are except for heavy barreled varmint and target versions. When choosing a gun, pick one up and bring it to the shoulder repeatedly. Pick the one that fits and feels the best. Sight acquisition should be natural and immediate.
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I also feel sight acquisition is very important providing the gun seems to settle in and give a steady hold. Problem is new guns on the rack are often not scoped so the balance may not be apparent nor the actual fit. Sometimes one can find a similar model on the used gun rack which is already dressed. Don't worry about scope clarity etc just see if you can find the sweet spot where the full view of the scope comes naturally to your eye. Of course those who do not use scopes have it easier to make this determination.
One of my favourite rifles is a Browning B 78, certainly not a light weight but as I made the stock for it I can throw it to my shoulder and see the full scope view immediately with a perfect cheek weld and no movement of my head.
My muzzle loader and black cartridge rifles have a lot of weight forward as I used to enter target matches and I found it helps to steady the hold.
 
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