A question of balance

Should weight be a consideration when buying a new gun?

Tony says: The weight of the gun will determine how the gun feels in your hands. It’s not just the dead weight of the gun but how it is balanced. You would be looking at around 8½lb for an average 28in-barrelled 12-bore Sporter. More recently, longer barrels are being favoured, which obviously adds weight to the gun up the front end and possibly more weight in the stock to help keep it balanced. Lighter guns for game shooting will move quickly, not only starting the movement of mounting and swinging but will stop quickly, too. Heavier guns will help soak up recoil and ensure a smooth, consistent swing. You have to be able to swing the weight of the gun around without too much effort and how the weight is distributed will determine how the gun will handle. A well-balanced gun may feel lighter than a gun of the same weight that is poorly balanced for you. We are seeing more guns being made with weight adjustment systems under the fore-end and in the stock to help you get the perfect gun balance.