weight variance of cast RBs

[Bigsmoke]

One other thing that has not been mentioned for good shooting from an offhand position is upper body strength.
I know that as I have gotten older my aim has not maintained as steady as it once was.
I have also noticed that my strength has visibly decreased over the years as well.
Putting those two factors into the theory, I have no reason to believe that my less than firm stance is to blame.
What this means to me is that I could be casting ball that is 20 grains difference and it wouldn't matter one little, tiny bit.  I'd still be throwing them all over the hillside.
This is not so prevalent with a shorter barreled rifle as it is with my long, Tennessee Mountain Rifle with the 42" barrel.  And it's a flinter to boot, so I gots a ton of excuses on hand for every miss I have.

[No Powder]

Very well put John. If I go to the range, shoot my long range target, then a few shots to familiarize myself with the trigger pull on the gun I'm using , then my postal target, I'm ready to pop the top on a can of spinach.

[Bigsmoke]

Popeye notwithstanding, I have never felt a strength surge from eating spinach, canned or fresh.
Color me disappointed.

[KDubs]

Good point John
 I noticed this , well last year now, when I shot my deer with the TC .54 I had a great amount of difficulty holding the gun on point and waiting for the deer to present itself.
 I like to come up on aim and hold like a Statue just to minimize any unnecessary movement.
 In years past I could do that with the hawken no problem but this past season I found it to be quite hard and longed for a pair of shooting sticks. This is a 8- 9+ lb gun .
 My left arm , being right handed just could not hold that muzzle up for any long period of time .
  I may have to switch the kibler next with the swamped longer barrel, it's much easy to hold but I'm sure shooting sticks will become a constant companion.
Kevin
 

[RobD]

Gun weight has also become an issue for me.  Strutting around with an 11lb Bess or Charlie gets old real quick.

The Kibler Fowlers are a total joy, with the 16ga @ 6lbs 6ozs!  Even with its 44" bbl offhand for me is reasonably doable.  I can now hit the broad side of a barn where with those other guns I was missing ... all the time! 

[Bigsmoke]

I have a bench rifle that weighs 22 pounds.
Many years ago (like decades) I could shoot it offhand and actually hit a target with it.
Silly, I know.  They call it a bench rifle for a reason.  Nobody with a brain functioning at more than 10% would try to shoot it offhand.
Anyway, time passes as it usually does.
Today, I would have difficulty even raising it to a shooting posture, let alone being able to actually aim the darn thing.
Gee, I miss those good old days.

[No Powder]

Kevin, here is what I use instead of shooting sticks. As you can see, there are two heights that can be used. Along with some rope for dragging if needed. I've used this one for many years. Works for a walking stick also, but should be a longer than mine is. Just food for thought. I've seen pictures of long hunters and Mountain men using their hand and ram rod, so certainly doesn't have to be elaborate. [ Invalid Attachment ]

[Bigsmoke]

So Tom, not having a point of reference there, how tall is it?
Looking at it, it appears about right for a sitting position for the top notch and a reclining position for the bottom notch.
How far off am I?
And boy, didn't we get on a rabbit trail concerning the weight of round balls?

[KDubs]

https://share.google/cDU30BH5aCKmjv6JF
 I use the primos trigger stick.
 I really like them.
Kevin
 

[RobD]

A set of height and angle adjustable cross sticks is easy to make out of box store 1x2 red oak.  I used this set for over a decade.

[No Powder]

You're close John. I generally use the upper one while kneeling. The other one while sitting. But both could be raised a bit. And the over all height should be about 8-10"  higher for use as a walking stick. With Rob's you could take care of all those necessary changes. I'm going to check out Kevin's link to look at that.
And you're right about the rabbit trail. I wish we could start a few more of them.

[Winter Hawk]

I've noticed that with the Hodgepodge Rifle, 32" barrel & half stock, I wave the muzzle a lot more than the Shenandoah rifle, 34" barrel and full stock.  Both weigh a tad over 7 pounds.  The difference showed in my shooting last year with much smaller groups for the Shenandoah.  I'll do more field work to determine which works better for me.

~Kees~

[No Powder]

John I apologize for not giving you the rest of the dimensions on my stick. The top fork is at 4'. The lower one is at 37".

[Bigsmoke]

Thanks Tom, from looking at the photo, I could not really tell.