Youth 243 question?

[oktx]

My son has a Handi youth 243. with wood stock and forarm it weighs 7.5 lbs.  He is 11 years old but he is very small, he can shoulder it but not for very long and is not very steady.  He does all his shooting off of shooting sticks which I guess is good.  Can you add the synthetic stock to it and how much difference would it make in the weight of the rifle?  Does this make it a superlight?  p.s. that 7.5 lbs is with a Simmons 44mag 3x 10. Thanks. oktx

[scruffy]

It would probably drop a little less than a pound, maybe 3/4's.  I swapped out the wood for synthetics on my pardner 12 and there was a noticible difference in weight, but on the scale it was less than a pound.  

Edit: And most of the weight loss is on the back half of the rifle, the butt stock area.  I don't know how much this will help him hold it steady since it will probably be more barrel heavy with the lighter synthetic stocks.

One thing i'd also consider before dropping nearly a pound off a 243 is recoil.  A 6 3/4 pound 243 will kick harder than a 7 1/2 pound 243.  

If the shooting sticks are hard for him to control you might want to look into a harris bipod with swivel base (swivel is a must for uneven ground!).  If you get the harris S-25 the three piece legs will extend from 11" - 25" which he can use for prone, sitting, and kneeling.  Just another idea.

Hope this helps.

later,
scruffy

[oneshotonekill]

OKTX,
My synthetic stocks have a steel bar (counter balance) in the stock to reduce the barrel heavy/balance issues and probably serves to reduce recoil as well.  With the bar in place the synthetic stock is just as heavy as the wood.  Without the bar it would probably shave 1/2-3/4 of a pound off the weight but would cause the rifle to be muzzle heavy and would also result in additional recoil.  My barrel is the standard weight 22 inch model, if your is a youth model I believe it has a 20 inch barrel so the muzzle heavy feel may not be as bad without the bar in a synthetic stock.

[scruffy]

oneshotkill, can you give me the dementions of that bar?  I'd like to cut one for my synthetic stocked pardner 12 gauge.  Is it anything special or just a bar?  Maybe I should call NEF and see if they'll sell me one.  Hmmmmm.

later,
scruffy

[oneshotonekill]

Scruffy,
The bar is 3/8" solid bar stock (3/8"x3/8") that is 8 and a half inches long.  While I had it out I put it on the scale it weighs just over 14 ounces.  So the weight reduction would be slightly more than I expected.

[oneshotonekill]

Scruffy,
If you decide to cut your own you can go larger than 3/8".  The opening is just over 3/4" so you would be safe going up to 3/4" bar or pipe.  With the 3/8" thats in mine H&R puts foam on each side to help hold it in place.  The only thing special about it is H&R puts a rubber cap over one end of the bar where it contacts the stock bolt.  Any bar stock or pipe 8.5" long and less than 3/4" diameter will work.