TargetTalk

Just wondering, do any of y'all still use those "rod" weights (you know, the ones attached to the rail of your rifle via an adjustable rod) on your smallbore rifles for prone and/or 3p? If so, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

That's a great question. I've thought about it off and on for a while but don't really know enough about them. It seems as though the wieght in a certain spot may help stabilize the rifle a bit during kneeling or offhand especially. I would appreciate some inf or opinion from others out there as well

I have been using one while shooting kneeling. While I cannot say I have seen too many tangible benefits yet, I gave the rifle some front weight which made the position feel more stable to me. I shoot an Anschutz 1907 in a precise stock, which is not front heavy and rather balanced out of the box. I tried it in prone, and all I accomplished was extra pain in my hand. It is imperative that such a weight be adjusted to the cant of your position, such that when you cant the rifle, the weight is adjusted to a line directly vertical of the barrel. I rather like it in kneeling, and have enjoyed a little more success with it. I would not consider using it in standing. While increasing the weight of the rifle can reduce movement, it can also increase the swing of your movement (like a pendulum) if it gets going. I play with the balance of both my air and smallbore rifle, and I feel that it is an area worth experimenting with if it can increase your balance. Can't hurt to try. Champion shooters sells such a rod for I believe around $50, and Bill Earnest makes one as well (not sure of the price). Other opinions would be appreciated, this is just my personal experience.

I have used them in the past - I now have a tuner tube, so that's enough weight in front of my handstop for now...

One of my clubmates was having terrible trouble - his rifle was very back heavy. So we did a session with scatt and it transpired that adding weights (on a rod) balanced up his rifle and his hold became significantly smaller almost down to "bull sized". Observed recoil flip was much less too.
Too much weight and your support hand may start to suffer though.

Ken.

I have used a "rod weight" on my 1413 rifle for many year in kneeling to adjust the balance and stabilize the cant. these are inexpensive and like most items require a learning curve. In some ways i prefer this style to the weight system used on my 2013,