How much of a factor is weight in a target rifle?

G

gringojosh

New member
When choosing between two target rifles, should weight be a serious consideration? For example, the Savage lightweight varmint is 8.25 lbs, where the regular 12 Varmint is 10 lbs. Am I going to trade off accuracy for reduced weight?
 
What caliber are these rifles?

I don't know the point at which weight no longer contributes to accuracy. Maybe more weight always contributes to more accuracy based on the pictures below.

If you were shooting the rifle unsupported, then weight becomes a consideration. I have one 308 target bolt rifle which the barrel is clearly too heavy as I do not shoot it well off hand. It is too nose heavy and I get tired trying to hold it steady. I can shoot better offhand scores with my M1a Super Match: it is better balanced and lighter.

Once I am off my feet, the heavy bolt rifle shoots inside anything I can do with the Super Match.

I have noticed that F class categories are starting to have weight limits. Weight must have been climbing, I wonder if there were 40lb rifles on the line, and needed to be regulated before it became ridiculous. As most people know, F class is shot off bipods and sandbags.

When you are shooting off bipods, benches with sandbags, heavy is better. The less recoil that gets transmitted to you, the less will be your flinch.

If you want the ultimate accuracy, go heavy. If you want to carry the thing, stay under 17 pounds. My AR15 target rifle is 17 pounds and it is hell to carry to the pitts at Camp Perry.


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Wow - that is an amazing rifle. What caliber is that? I was thinking of shooting mostly varmint rounds, either .223 or 22-250.
 
I can't see how weight makes the rifle any more, or less, accurate.
Just like a quality trigger, it does nothing to improve the accuracy of the firearm per se, it improves the ability of the shooter...

Additional weight adds stability to the rifle, like most anything else.

Naturally, anything that is done to stabilize the rifle (like a shooting rest) adds further to the stability. The firearm pictured above (It's certainly not a rifle- a rifle is "a shoulder weapon") is a perfect example. I can't tell from the models you mentioned, Savage didn't provide the barrel contour on the pages I looked at. I would guess that the lightweight series has a factory contour barrel that contributes to the lighter weight.

In any case, for a target stick, you should opt for a heavy contour barrel if your shooting style is such that you'd be sending enough rounds to heat up the barrel.
 
I can't see how weight makes the rifle any more, or less, accurate.
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It doesn't, but a heavier rifle is more forgiving of less than perfect shooting form. A lighter rifle will shift while the trigger is being pulled and is more likely to shift after getting the sights aligned.


Personal preference, but all things equal I'll always take a lighter rifle. With practice you can always shoot the lighter rifle just as well. The heavier rifle will always be heavier and harder to carry around. Of course if you only carry it from your vehicle to a shooting bench it doesn't matter. I don't use my rifles that way.
 
A heavy rifle is perffered for bench shooting. It has less tendancy to shift and also has less recoil,making for faster come back for second shot ect ect. bench rifles also have heavier barrels.so in addition to make rifle more stable it also helps to balance the rifle with the heavier stocks. I have seen some that will drill holes in bottom of stock and add lead to help balance the rifle and add weight. My bench 223,weights in at 15.6 LBS. Some can be front heavy from the barrel weight. Is it more accurate--NO, Does it make you more accurate--YES.

As Slamfire indicates-F-Class is going to work on weights for rifles. Right now(correct me if i miss the weight) you must weight at least 9 and no more than 16 Lbs
 
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A heavier rifle helps the rifle move in the bags, reduce recoil and stick to the rest in field shooting.

So yes, a heavier rifle will usually be more accurate.
 
In a lot of light bench rest classes, you see a maximum rifle weight, not a minimum weight.
That should tell you everything.
 
Big business in Railguns
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Maybe, but railguns and unlimited class benchrest don't have anything to do with the OP's question.

He's referring to a typical target rifle, not a unlimited class benchrest competition rifle, or a railgun...that's an entirely different "sport" with different equipment.
 
tobnpr, As Slamfire mentioned "I don't know the point at which weight no longer contributes to accuracy. Maybe more weight always contributes to more accuracy based on the pictures below."

I was just showing picture of weight also in one picture had a group. I'm sorry that it offended "YOU".
 
To answer your question
Am I going to trade off accuracy for reduced weight?
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, it is yes and no.

There are a number of other factors besides just weight that affect the accuracy, lenght of barrel, barrel profile, rifling, compisition (metal) of the barrel as well as action and yes weight.

Bull barrels will heat up slower, longer barrels will produce faster FPS, benchrest stocks will provide a more stable platform for the shooter.

Here are two examples of what you might consider "Target Rifles" both different one a bolt action 20 inch bull barrel the other a Varminter 24 inch fluted barrel. Both are about the same weight overall. Both are extreemly accurate.

Jim

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While many a lightweight barrel will give tight groups for three shots, the longer strings of shots in a course of fire will see them "wobbling about a bit" as they heat up--and the group size will expand.

If a course of fire is ten rounds and with a time limit, the heavy barrels do not distort from heat buildup nearly as much.

Any metal will expand somewhat as its temperature rises. In gun barrels, this affects the harmonics to some extent, which in turn affects group size.
 
If you were shooting the rifle unsupported, then weight becomes a consideration. I have one 308 target bolt rifle which the barrel is clearly too heavy as I do not shoot it well off hand. It is too nose heavy and I get tired trying to hold it steady. I can shoot better offhand scores with my M1a Super Match: it is better balanced and lighter.
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I shoot a heavier rifle better offhand, but it has to be properly balanced. It takes some work to shoot a overly front heavy rifle unsupported, but if it balances where it should, it is no harder to shoot than a light rifle, easier actually, as the added weight doesn't seem to move around as much in position.
 
I have noticed that F class categories are starting to have weight limits.
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Starting?
I got into F class in 2005 and the weight limit was 8 kg (17 lb) for F-T/R (.223 or .308 off a bipod) and 10 kg (22 lb) for F-Open (any cal off a rest.)
Note that all are shot prone with scope sight and artificial support.

My .38-55 BPCR weighs about 10 lb and is comfortable for me to shoot offhand at the chickens, my .40-65 weighs a bit over 11 lb and is starting to get a bit unweildy.
A real scheutzen offhand rifle will be heavier than that but is stocked for the position.

As far as a bolt action centerfire goes, the heavy model will be steadier and the barrel will be stiffer and a better heat sink. Predicted accuracy over long strings will be better, but in mass production guns it is kind of a crap shoot as to how good an individual rifle will be.
 
I was just showing picture of weight also in one picture had a group. I'm sorry that it offended "YOU".
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I wasn't offended in the least. I find them kind of interesting.

I was simply pointing out that a railgun doesn't have much in common with the type of target shooting the OP was referring to, other than a barrel.

I'm not knocking them, it's just a different animal; it's all about machining, perfection in handloading, and timing the shot- I really don't see any similarities between them and "target shooting"- which is often done prone, or offhand, and not even from any sort of bench...
 
tobnpr said:
I'm not knocking them, it's just a different animal; it's all about machining, perfection in handloading, and timing the shot- I really don't see any similarities between them and "target shooting"- which is often done prone, or offhand, and not even from any sort of bench...
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Um,:confused: what exactly do they shoot with these guns if not "targets"?
 
One advantage heavier rifles have accuracy wise is they move less while the bullet's going down the barrel. Recoil starts when the bullet leaves the case. Then the muzzle axis moves up and to one side. Finally the bullet exits at some angle to put it on target down range. Note that the muzzle was pointing at a lower angle than when the bullet leaves. Such is life when the recoil axis is above the center line of the butt plate.

There's really no difference in accuracy between light and heavy barrels. While the lighter one will seem to heat up faster, as long as it's fit properly to the receiver and stress relieved correctly, it'll shoot just as accurate as heavy ones. Virtually all factory sporters' barrels are fit to receivers whose face ain't square with the chamber axis. So, as the barrel heats up it bends away from that point and starts putting bullets away from where it did when it was cold. And then some barrels aren't stress relieved all that well.

Light weight 30-inch Palma rifle barrels are about the same stiffness as a featherweight 22-inch sporter barrel; they'll put 20 shots fired 20 seconds apart from .308 Win. cases starting cold into 4 inches or better at 800 yards. You don't want to touch one after doing that; it'll fry your pinkie, or whatever you touch it with. Someone put 40 shots from a .308 Win. medium weight barrel fired every 20 to 25 seconds into 1.92 inches at 600 yards. Lake City Army Ammo Plant tested 30 caliber and 7.62 NATO match ammo shooting 200 to 300 round groups from test barrels. That mass produced machine loaded ammo's best lots would shoot under 7 inches at 600 yards shooting that many rounds about 30 seconds apart; hottest rifle barrels I know of testing ammo. These barrels didn't change point of impact as they heated up.
 
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Art hit the nail. I like a heavy rifle for match shooting. It’s a little easier to control a heavy rifle when shooting standing or offhand as it’s called. Once off hand is over the need for weight is reduced. If I’m going to the field to hunt big game, then I want a light rifle.
 
I shoot every weekend and other than pistols,i never see any one not using a bench or a rest or sticks or ect ect. Target shooting is done from one of those platforms. Very seldom do i see any one free hand at all. Even a quarter of those shooting pistols are using a rest. To say target shooting is done free hand or prone or ect is not really a true statement. A heavy barel is not something you want for hunting or walking around in the woods for sure. Unless you are using sticks or a bi-pod.
 
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