Making the front end heavier

[jimbo9t9]

Hi all just looking for some advice, I use a beretta silver pigeon game gun with 30" barrels and most of the time I shoot fine with. When I usually miss with clay shooting is that I'm slightly behind. I had a go on someone eles gun today that had 32" barrels and seemed abit heavier but this seemed to help my swing and I was dusting clays on a stand I usually struggle with with ease. Now I wanna try and see if making my gun heavier improves my score (it may be all in my head). What would be people recommend to do to make the gun slightly heavier to improve swing. Thanks all

[Rupert]

Barrel weight?

[jimbo9t9]

Yeah barrel weight, I'm thinking chokes but have not a clue about aftermarket chokes

[welshwarrior]

Lead weight for barrel (a barrel weight) or try extended chokes but you'll want heavy ones, think someone did a barrel extension that used original chokes that would put more weight forward.

[Rupert]

I have a weight £30 if you want.Its a brilley one,clamps on so you can move it up and down.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Rupert

[jimbo9t9]

Rupert where abouts are you based, was thinking heavier chokes but have hadn't heard of a barrel weight before so that may be the best way to go

[welshwarrior]

It's the more normal way of doing it.

[HDAV]

I havent weighed chokes but some long chokes that arent designed to be super light may help the weight just clamps on http://www.briley.com/BrileyClamponBarrelWeight-4oz.aspx

 

another option is to load the forend with lead but this takes more work, was the 32" same gun with 32" tubes or a different make/model?

Edited June 8, 2014 by HDAV

[jimbo9t9]

It was the same make but different model I believe it was a gold e and was also a sporting

[Rupert]

West yorks.

[HDAV]

682 Gold e is a different gun to the 686 silver pigeon there may be more than simply the weight of the barrel at play.

[jimbo9t9]

That's why I wanna try something fairly cheap to see if it was the weight helping the swing. May be all in my head as if I remember to give it a final push while swinging it seems to improve my kill ratio just seemed easier to swing though with a heavier gun

[jimbo9t9]

Another thing that makes me thinks it's the weight is when I use my mates other gun a beretta ugb25 (I know a totally different gun) what I think is fairly heavy I shoot well on that aswell

[HDAV]

By all means try a weight cheapest option

[jimbo9t9]

Cheers for everyone's help and input

[PhilR]

Two simple methods.

1. Glaziers use adhesive lead tape in different widths to make up false leaded lights on double glazed windows. 9mm is about the depth of the side rib, least ways it is on my Perazzi, you could stick that along both side ribs from chamber to muzzle and that'd raise the overall barrel weight by around 40-50gms on 30" barrels.

 

2. Scrounge some wheel balance weights from local tyre fitters, they're adhesive and come in strips of 10 & 5gms. They used to be lead once upon a time but nowadays they're iron and stamped up FE. You can again fit them either side of your barrels but if you do it temporarily by wrapping sellotape round them and the barrels you can do it in different positions to vary the point of balance to find what suits then use the adhesive backing for a more permanent job.

[Westward]

Or you could shoot maintained lead instead of swing through. That automatically gets you more stability and works best with a well balanced gun. Clay shooting technique has evolved largely away from swing through and apart from (some) trappies, most people these days dislike muzzle heavy guns because the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

[Gordon R]

Clay shooting technique has evolved largely away from swing through

 

 

I have to say I am not convinced about that. Clay shooters use a variety of methods for differing targets. Maintained lead doesn't work on a rising target, for example.

[dashman1]

Totally agree +1

[Bewsher500]

why would a lighter barrel have you missing behind and a heavier one speed up your swing?

 

is it possible that the fit of the stock on the other gun is better than yours?

[welshwarrior]

why would a lighter barrel have you missing behind and a heavier one speed up your swing?

 

is it possible that the fit of the stock on the other gun is better than yours?

It is all possible but a slightly barrel heavy gun aids swing but hinds fast changes of direction to get to a second target for example.

[Westward]

 

Maintained lead doesn't work on a rising target, for example.

Depends how steep and how fast. Swing through is okay for some shallow to medium rising and quartering targets where the lead is small to non-existant and some people use it on driven clays too, but the greater the lead the more swing through becomes inconsistent, even with a nose heavy gun.

Edited June 9, 2014 by Westward

[welshwarrior]

Clay shooting technique has evolved largely away from swing through and apart from (some) trappies,

I'm not convinced by that I see lots of sporting shooters and game shooters each week, the successful one will use different methods for different targets including swing through, pull away, spot shooting and maintained lead.

[jimbo9t9]

All other targets I'm fine on and it's mostly the crossers I'm slightly behind with unless I proper push the swing through but with a heavier gun it seems a lot beter. The gun fits fine so just thought I would experiment with different options to see if it makes a difference, it may not but with out giving it ago I will never know

[Hamster]

Hi all just looking for some advice, I use a beretta silver pigeon game gun with 30" barrels and most of the time I shoot fine with. When I usually miss with clay shooting is that I'm slightly behind. I had a go on someone eles gun today that had 32" barrels and seemed abit heavier but this seemed to help my swing and I was dusting clays on a stand I usually struggle with with ease. Now I wanna try and see if making my gun heavier improves my score (it may be all in my head). What would be people recommend to do to make the gun slightly heavier to improve swing. Thanks all

 

There's been plenty of good advice given if adding barrel weight is your objective but I'm afraid you've simply experienced the superiority of longer barrels.

 

Now before you all jump on the keyboards with size elevens and furiously try and come up with your particular reason why I am wrong (I admit I could be) just Keep Calm and Look Around You. Almost every single top clay shooter and most of the ones a step below have settled on 32" as the best compromise because it is, short enough to learn to move fast when needed and long enough to give fluidity, momentum and steadiness on the longer stuff.

 

There are millions of shorter barrel guns in circulation and of course everyone is in love with theirs so when subjects like this crop up they always attract the "depends on you" crowd but it doesn't at all judging by the evidence; all shapes and sizes of people male and female prefer 32" guns for clay shooting, it's nothing personal against those who have and love other lengths.

 

There is a perfectly valid reason to experiment with barrel as well as stock weights to arrive at your preferred set up but you will NOT turn a 30" gun into a 32" one by adding heavy chokes etc any more than you could turn a 32" one into a 28/30" in feel by putting light chokes in it or even removing some centre rib.

 

Incidentally the 682e is known for having very light barrels, (my 32" ones weight 1420 gram). I have bought, shot and sold on at least a dozen guns over the years and I can assure you heavier barrels can slow down the swing at the critical time and produce near misses behind even though logic says their greater momentum ought to negate this.

 

All this does of course assumes that fit is not the cause for the hits/misses but I gather you're experienced enough to know that.