Here is a question on can a gun be to light?

Like the title says, can a gun be to light?  I am only talking about a 22.  I think most of the recoil has happened after the bullet has left the barrel.  I am basing this last statement on the slow motion videos I see out there.   I think the heavier the better but not sure on this.  So what's everyones thoughts?

A 2700 is a marathon. I would think.that you would want the lightest gun that gave you the best scores. I also found that with the same weight a euro angle in 22 helps my performance with 1911 in CF and 45.

That said, I wanted a little extra weight on my MP90.

Let me add that I am referring to indoor, 30 shot gallery course.  The reason for this question is back issues.  And I am thinking with a lighter gun it might help with the back.  But I would not want to give up points.....

If you have the strength to maintain your hold I feel like a heavier gun is more stable and helps with recoil, not that recoil matters with a .22. Also depends on the style, on a 1911 it balances further back than some european style guns so you can get away with more weight if its balance point is closer to the center of your hold/hand.

I have always preferred a heavier gun but didn't necessarily like it nose heavy.  Lately I have added a weight to my marvel conversion and have noticed an uptick in my scores with it.  I put it on the end of the barrel where their muzzle brake would go because it was the easiest place.  The gun is now nose heavy but it is steadier during slow fire and it moves less during sustained fire so recovery is faster.  I'm sold that it is better than the lightweight version it was.  All that being said, I'm fairly strong without any back problems so this works for me.  A lighter gun might be just perfect for you.  If you do find it hard to hold on target, add a bit of weight to the nose to steady it out.

Good luck.
John

I also have always preferred a heavier pistol. I did find one pistol in a lifetime of shooting that was light and balanced perfectly. If I could get a dot on it without changing the balance ( or damaging it) I would still be shooting it today. The Browning on the bottom is about the lightest I would use.

I have a Ruger 22/45 Lite and boy is it light and hard to hold steady at least for me.  I have bad back problems and need surgery which will require pins and medal and I refuse to have it done but I still like and shoot 1911s best.  

Too light is hard to hold still.  Too heavy is hard to hold up.  Just right is for Gold

Yes I had a Browning with a tac sol barrel and it was too light. Xesse is borderline and I do not like Larry's mount, I may be the only one. However, barrel weight and steel rings balances that gun nicely. 


For me, I found the M41 too heavy with a bull barrel the longer barrel seems to balance better?

LenV wrote:I also have always preferred a heavier pistol. I did find one pistol in a lifetime of shooting that was light and balanced perfectly. If I could get a dot on it without changing the balance ( or damaging it) I would still be shooting it today. The Browning on the bottom is about the lightest I would use.

here's one way - my design 

Thank you to all that chimed in......
I guess you need some weight to make the gun stable.
I have a 22/45 and was thinking about adding a Volquartsen LLV barrel which would be close to Magloads 22/45 and probably just as hard to hold steady......

For your situation, you may want to try a compensator.  At least it will help with recoil and faster recovery, plus put just a little bit of weight on the muzzle to help steady up a bit.

Aprilian wrote:

Ok.  I'll bite.  What's the story behind this?

I inherited my dad's FN Target pistol (sold as the Browning Challenger in US).   He bought it in the UK in 1965 and transported it to the US on his lap with some ammo in his briefcase under the plane seat (that was pre D.B. Cooper).  I have the sales receipt, his UK pistol license and some other paperwork that all reference each other.   

I wanted to ensure that I could hand it down to my son as a shooter, so I embarked on finding sufficient spare parts and later came across a whole gun minus the frame.  I wanted to see how it would shoot with a red dot, so I designed a mount out of a Leupold AR mount.   I had a gunsmith mill the mount and drill the spare barrel plus slide and used a Duracoat metallic finish to simulate a brushed stainless.

It shoots very well and I can swap everything back to exactly how my dad bought it in about 10 minutes.

Is that enough "story"? 

The barrel, mount and matching slide are always available for sale as I am always looking for ways to fund "the next project".

This was its maiden outing - I seem to remember it was off-hand at 35 ft. with SK Magazine.