Replies

Myrddin
I am a gunsmith, and I build and shoot rifles in the “light rifle” category at longer distances.
A light rifle by their definition is in the 12# range. I've shot shoulder to shoulder with many competitors and I've never see a single one of them step up to the line with a 7# rifle. I can get rid of recoil without adding a lot of weight with brakes or mercury recoil arresters. The heavier rifles are much easier to hold steady in all of the mandatory shooting positions. Bench rest is not the only long range shooting sport. I also build and shoot wildcats so I do a bit of reloading.

Sounds like a fun line of work. I just do it for recreation...including minor gunsmithing. I purchased a 20" S&W 500 Magnum "Katahdin" barrel for my Encore rifle last September. I had expected to achieve better accuracy and less punishment than shooting the Performance Center Hunter revolver in the same caliber. The rifle achieved neither. A 400 gr round (with the standard walnut stocks and "limbsaver" recoil pad) still delivers quit a bit of recoil. Accuracy was around 3" at 50 yards. The revolver can do that. I put the 28" 30-06 Pro-Hunter barrel on the same frame. Groups are under 1/2" at 100 yards. Others have reported accuracy issues with the 20" barrels in S&W 460. None of those setups comes even close to 7#.