Light weight = More Sensitive?

Have y'all found that light weight rifles with thinner profile barrels are more sensitive to consistency in shooting form? Shooting from a solid rest like a Lead Sled, it seems to me that my featherweight rifles require much more focus on consistency in the way it sits in the rest, how my body interacts with it, hand position, where and how much pressure is exerted, trigger squeeze and follow through. Much more so than standard weight and heavy weight rifles. Not saying they aren't as accurate, just not as tolerant of sloppy shooting. I've never noticed the difference in hunting accuracy, aside from appreciating toting a lighter rifle while humping up the hills.

I love lightweight rifles, but you really have to work hard shooting them. About 7.5 pounds or so seems to be the point for me.

I had a Barrett Fieldcraft in 6.5... amazingly accurate rifle at 5 pounds, but I had to work hard to make it shoot great. Conversely, my Christensen MPR isn't as intrinsicly accurate, but is very forgiving in terms of form and is far easier to shoot well.

I use to think that as well. My first rifle was a sporting contour Rem 700 SPS stainless in 270 win. For years shot I shot Rem 150 and 130 core locks. It shot 2 moa . I changed to a houge aluminum beded stock it close down to 1 1/2 moa. I thought it was exactly that bad shooting mechanics. So I built a AR10 in 308 Win had a Black Hole Weaponry 20” bull barrel. I would have been happy to shoot 1 moa. So I sighted in first round shooting MEM 7.62 x 52 m80 ball. Next five shots did not making any new holes at least from the Bench, went to the target and you could just see they were corn holing the same poi. So spotter barrels just have more flex. Where and how they shoot depends on the exit time and the consistency of the barrel whip with each shot. It can shoot great at 80 degrees with a load take it out at 45 deg and your groups open way up. Every rifle even the same make model and lot have small differences in alloy materials etc. Which is why hand loading is the only way to get maximum accuracy out of any given bullet. The thicker the barrel the more rigid the barrel. the tighter they group and the more consistent when taking multiple shots as it takes longer to heat up the barrel. Is what it is. But hell yeah some times you get a spotter that just flat out shoots out of the box with certain rounds. In most cases 1 1/2 moa is good for hunting out to 200 yds. So they work and people get to eat venison. If your aiming to take 500yd to 600 yd shots it’s a whole mother game

Light weight = more sensitive? I think so. Toughest rifle I have to shoot as far as making me pay attention from shot to shot what I done the previous shot, is a Rem Model Seven in 6mm. The older lighter model with the 18.5" barrel. The thin lightweight barrel is what makes it tougher to work with in my view.

That said none of that makes it inaccurate or inconsistent, it's just not as forgiving of mistakes. It's a 1/2" rifle with select loads. Took some work to get it there.....bedding, trigger work, etc.

The only LWT, short barrel rifles I shoot well are leverguns and M4 clones! I have fought more LWT rifles than any other, even big elephant rounds ( except the 416 Weatherby, godawful!). I discovered that I do very well with "Sporter weight", even 22", but prefer 24" if I rebarrel one. I found that if I zeroed "spot on at 100" via holding that MGA LWT 338WM down hard into a Buddy bag that it hit 2-3" High at 100 from hunting positions! Its worth checking out! Good luck to you Pard. I would go ahead and tell you this...IF you don't get it mastered soon. sell/trade that money pit, aggravating devil off!

preacher":25bgm8wo said:

The only LWT, short barrel rifles I shoot well are leverguns and M4 clones! I have fought more LWT rifles than any other, even big elephant rounds ( except the 416 Weatherby, godawful!). I discovered that I do very well with "Sporter weight", even 22", but prefer 24" if I rebarrel one. I found that if I zeroed "spot on at 100" via holding that MGA LWT 338WM down hard into a Buddy bag that it hit 2-3" High at 100 from hunting positions! Its worth checking out! Good luck to you Pard. I would go ahead and tell you this...IF you don't get it mastered soon. sell/trade that money pit, aggravating devil off!

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:lol: :lol:

My favorite Mod 70 Featherweight Classics were the ones I had "rebarreld", ha. I then went to a #2 Shilen, which is a tad heavier, but still a lwt.

I only have one lightweight pencil thin Brux barrel, Sako M995 in 7mm Rem Mag and the rest of my rifles are heavy with those McMillian A-5 stocks. I have seen a difference between the light rifle and the heavy rifles. The light rifle tends to be more sensitive to hold on small itty bitty targets than the heavy rifles that flat out sit snugly in the bullbag or on the bipod. Since I ,mainly, use the lightweight rifle for hunting and it does not bother me much since I am not shooting small targets with it. I use the heavier rifles occasionally for hunting but a pain to lug around but use mostly for long range target shooting.

preacher":3hiomy0t said:

My favorite Mod 70 Featherweight Classics were the ones I had "rebarreld", ha. I then went to a #2 Shilen, which is a tad heavier, but still a lwt.

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The one that's giving me fits now is a newer M70 fwt in 308. If I REALLY pay attention to what I'm doing and shoot with a completely cool barrel it will be under 1", but let 1 thing slip and it's 3 MOA...Swapped scope, mounts, you name it and no joy. I dropped it off with a gun smith buddy of mine. he's going to check it over, but he suspects the factory bedding may be to blame. I have several M70 FWt's, and they are all a little bit touchy, but nothing like this one.

I don't like shooting from lead sleds.
From sandbags. I have not noticed;
"that light weight rifles with thinner profile barrels are more sensitive to consistency in shooting form"

My first "revelation" of how a LWT rifle is sensitive was with a 80's model new to the market Ruger Ultra Light, in 308 no less! Man it was a "wand". I put a Leupold 1x4 on it and killed a big doe at 10yds from a tree stand. Woods walking, pure joy. when I set a 2 Liter coke bottle out at 200yds, and leaned against my jeep ( like I would down this one old unused Tram road on the lease) I could not hit it at all! I then went to a benchrest, and I nicked it once! I traded it off. ha It kicked like heck too.

RaySendero":15ykncfu said:

I don't like shooting from lead sleds.
From sandbags. I have not noticed;
"that light weight rifles with thinner profile barrels are more sensitive to consistency in shooting form"

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I would agree that the Lead Sled is not helping anything.

Move to proper sandbag-type rests front and rear. I use a Caldwell Shooting Bag in front and often its companion piece in the rear. I may add a small sandbag under the rear if needed. I do not use the longer V (or X or H)-shaped rests for the front, as you end up torquing the rifle if you do not have it EXACTLY placed towards the target.

Only time I use a lead sled is for un-braked magnums. I like to shoot and having a deep bruised and sore shoulder after a session with those bruisers will make shooting something as light as a 300 savage after words, a chore.

Other than that I use a front rest I made up, and a sandbag under the rear.

ShadeTree":39mlh17c said:

Only time I use a lead sled is for un-braked magnums. I like to shoot and having a deep bruised and sore shoulder after a session with those bruisers will make shooting something as light as a 300 savage after words, a chore.

Other than that I use a front rest I made up, and a sandbag under the rear.

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ST,

From bench, I also put sandbag on my shoulder for the heavy kickers.

Seems it was a bedding issue. He said he removed all of the factory bedding and then re did the bedding with Score-High Pro-Bed..Gave it 36 hours cure time, and this afternoon it shoots about like any of my other FWT's, and is not nearly as sensitive to shooting form as it was.

Ah, talk about lightweight rifles. I have a Remington Model 700 Titanium in 7-08 that weights just 6lbs with a 2.5X8 Leupold Scope. I've shot it off the bench on many occasions just prior to Deer season and with care groups are under an inch. Yes. it is subject to breezes, your improper breathing and anything else that can move a rifle that light. What a pleasure to carry around in the woods!

If that light rifle has a slick stock it's even worse. I've had my Tikka lite stainless for several years and it has always been a chore to nail those tight groups. It was light enough to be hard to anchor in sandbags and so slick it moved on it's on.
So last year I refinished that plastic stock so it would be easier to hold onto. Final finish got me just what I wanted and it's like a new rifle.