Is there an optimal weight for a BE gun?

Is there an optimal weight for a BE gun? I'm super green to the sport, but have nosed around and talked to several shooters and handled a lot of different pistols. .22 mostly. I was kinda surprised how light the Pardini I handled weighed. Which got me thinking, are you giving up anything with a lighter pistol? Seams like most .45 weigh around 40 ozs and I can see were a heavier pistol might absorb recoil impulse better.

The heavier gun may feel better at the first string of fire, but how tired will you be by the end of the match.
Are you shooting a 30 round club match & done in half an hour, or you shooting a one day 2700?
Like everything else....balance.

Weight is a factor for some who may not have the conditioning to hold a heavy pistol up for a full match.  A 40oz .45 is about the same weight as a newer Pardini.

I think balance is very important. 2 pistols that weight the same could have a different balance to them. One could be heaver in the front which has some benefits for some people.  I like the Pardini for this because I feel like it keeps the front sight motion slower and helps my sight alignment.  I know of others who do not like it because it puts stain on their arm trying to support the weight.

42.375oz, +/- 0.025oz.

My 1911's, both a nelson dedicated .22 conversion and a Les Baer, both with MatchDot's weigh in right at 3 pounds, the .22 weighs about 1/8 a pound less according to my trigger gauge (use it kind of like a fish scale). Go as heavy as you can control and last the whole match. I'm 33 years old, 6'0" and weigh 210 (I should weigh about 180) and am in average physical condition, if you're 70 years old, 5'4" and weight 140 pounds you may need to drop nearly a pound off the pistol to last a match.

I also shoot smallbore 3P rifle, you want as heavy of a rifle as you can make it through a match with. A heavier pistol or rifle will help your hold but that does you no good if you're worn out halfway through the match. As stated above the balance also matters.

I am 70 and i really like the feel of a heavy metal 1911.  Guns should be made from steel and wood but then I seldom shoot more then 50 rounds a day.  i shoot 4 or 5 times a week so can't afford shooting hundreds of rounds on a retirement income.  Reloading components and buying a gun every month is hard on the bank account.   I may have to finish my first 2700 left handed. Don

Magload wrote:I am 70 and i really like the feel of a heavy metal 1911.  Guns should be made from steel and wood but then I seldom shoot more then 50 rounds a day.  i shoot 4 or 5 times a week so can't afford shooting hundreds of rounds on a retirement income.  Reloading components and buying a gun every month is hard on the bank account.   I may have to finish my first 2700 left handed. Don

Amira shoots left and right handed in the same match she figured it out =].  People like Adam Sokolowski shoot 2650 with left or right hand.

Light is good to some extent, but I feel you need a bit of heft to keep it stable. I recall having a hard time keeping a low-20 oz polymer gun stable shooting one handed (S&W M&P 22). It was simply too light. 35-45oz is probably the sweet spot for me if it's well balanced. Beyond that, I would need to start working out more

Thank you for the responses, I appreciate the input. I come from a trapshooting background and now in my mid 40s @6'4"/200lbs use a fairly heavy shotgun @11 pounds. Benefit is I can shoot 300 rounds in a teeshirt and not feel the cumulative effect of recoil and also like the follow through a heavier gun gives me, fatigue has never really been an issue. I help out with our youth trapshooting team and hate seeing youngsters get there filling lossened shooting a light filed gun.I guess with most things in life, a happpy medium is generally the sweet spot. I'll have to get busy working on some condition and go from there.

Nygord Pardini SP is heavier (and more muzzle heavy) than a 1911 wad gun with a dot or High Standard Victor.

When I went to a 1911 grip angle on the Pardini, I started having elbow issues.

trapshooter72 wrote:Thank you for the responses, I appreciate the input. I come from a trapshooting background and now in my mid 40s @6'4"/200lbs use a fairly heavy shotgun @11 pounds. Benefit is I can shoot 300 rounds in a teeshirt and not feel the cumulative effect of recoil and also like the follow through a heavier gun gives me, fatigue has never really been an issue. I help out with our youth trapshooting team and hate seeing youngsters get there filling lossened shooting a light filed gun.I guess with most things in life, a happpy medium is generally the sweet spot. I'll have to get busy working on some condition and go from there.

3/4 oz of 7 1/2's. Titewad powder. Kids don't think it's macho enough.

Seems like things have changed over the years. My dad has a 41 with the full weight set. Not sure what that weighs but it's heavy with everything attached. Didn't move when firing tho.

Has anyone considered polar moment or moment of inertia when considering the weight of a BE gun?

AllAces wrote:Has anyone considered polar moment or moment of inertia when considering the weight of a BE gun?

I know some people who are looking at this. No firm results yet.

james r chapman wrote:

trapshooter72 wrote:Thank you for the responses, I appreciate the input. I come from a trapshooting background and now in my mid 40s @6'4"/200lbs use a fairly heavy shotgun @11 pounds. Benefit is I can shoot 300 rounds in a teeshirt and not feel the cumulative effect of recoil and also like the follow through a heavier gun gives me, fatigue has never really been an issue. I help out with our youth trapshooting team and hate seeing youngsters get there filling lossened shooting a light filed gun.I guess with most things in life, a happpy medium is generally the sweet spot. I'll have to get busy working on some condition and go from there.

3/4 oz of 7 1/2's. Titewad powder. Kids don't think  it's macho enough.

Hmm, 3/4 oz? When a bag of shot that was at around $15 a bag for years spiked up ('90s?), I put a 1 oz bushing in the Mec Grabber. Everyone said I was nuts, but I saw no difference. I went to Sporting Clays when that came around, and still shot the 1 oz over Clays, in my Browning 325. I did just fine. Never thought to go to 3/4 oz. I shoot a round of trap ever once in a while, and haven't shot SCs in a while, although I thought it was great fun.  The promotional shells from Winchester and Federal are hard to beat reloading.

I loaded 1 1/8 trap loads over Red Dot in the early 60s a box cost me 67 cents to load.  Started with a MEC 400 and used every model up to the 310.  My friend was a dealer and I got loaders and supplies at his cost.  The club had a single throw trap that took one bird at a time so if I manned the house I could shoot for free.  Don

This thread made me get all curious.  All weights include basic magazine.

Hammerli 215 .22-
bare stock- 35.7 oz
with my front weight for iron sight- 40.5 oz
with LG scope mount and MD II - 47.8 oz

Marvel alu. .22 conversion with combo rib on SS Dan Wesson 1911 frame, irons only- 39.9 oz

SS .45 Range Officer with RRA alu. rib and MD scope- 48.3 oz

Now that I have checked, I guess I like stuff around 40 oz, but the RO and scoped 215 do not feel THAT heavy, but you notice it for sure.  The difference is kinda like "lift the gun" vs. "LIFT the gun".

The 215 balances right around the same point near the trigger with my weight or scoped.