I don't think heavier barrels are so good

It is all in what feels good for you personally.

In shotgun sports there has always been a lot of talk over barrel length. The line of though used to be that you used a long barrel, 32"-34", for trap, a stubby barrel, 26", for skeet, and something in between for sporting clays. Now I see people hefting guns at the club who obviously can't swing 30" barrels but insist on buying them because they 'heard' they were better or because some pro they saw shooting had them.

A rifle or a shotgun has to fit you in order for it to be easy to shoot. The easier it is to shoot, the more likely you are to be accurate. As Antlurz points out, you will lose some technical ground if you choose a light barrel, or a short barrel, but I think you gain a lot more in 'shootability' to make up for it.

I like short heavy rifle barrels and 30" shotgun barrels in just about all cases. My brother, cut from the same genetic cloth, likes long skinny rifle barrels and 26" shotgun barrels. Some days I outshoot him and some days he outshoots me.

OK here is another version of the idea

Following the idea of drawing a circle or target on the wall and aiming a weighted stick at it, the idea I'm trying to express would be best magnified if the "stick" in this case were a sledgehammer. In the case of my CZ, the weighted end of the sledgehammer would be against my shoulder with my hands supporting the handle. I find this steady because the friction of my shoulder catches the weight and helps hold it and the support my hands give the handle seems to be steadier. Reverse this sledgehammer so that the weighted end is forward, and you have and exaggerated sense of what I feel with the 20" bull barrel on my 10/22. Also, and probably as important as anything else, a recoil on my forward weighted gun seems to be different than the rear weighted gun which rises vertically. No big deal in the small calibers, but my larger caliber guns insist on flipping upward, by design, a design enhanced with rearward weight I suspect. By the way, aren't some shotguns like beretta offered with some weighting system for adjusting balance to each shooter?

Thanks for your thoughts

Thomas

I agree with everyone! If you look at a heavy barreled Anschutz 1907 type rifle, the balance point is near the forward edge of the receiver. This balance allows you to hold the 10+ lbs. rifle in a fairly normal, tight, standing position. The 15 lb. free rifle, however, is a muzzle heavy son-of-a-gun. That's why you use a hooked but plate that fits under your armpit to keep the rifle in position on your shoulder. The heavy muzzle weight is also why they are used in world competitions. Many shooters even add additional weights forward of the stock. Getting back to 10/22 and the heavy barrel issue; many combinations of light stock, heavy barrel are not well suited for off hand shooting. That's also one of the reasons that many standard rifle silhouette shooters use a McMillan or B&C stock that is a direct copy of the Anschutz standard rifle design. IMO, more thought should be given to the type stock that will be used with the rifle before buying the barrel, or visa versa. Later dude.