source for tungsten rod/butt stock weights

R

retired

New member
gentlemen,
i am finishing up a rifle for extreme long range.
it is a 40 lb bench rest class.
i am close to 18 lbs with a 8 lb bbl and a long range stock( LRB ).
i would like to add some weight. to better balance and cause it
is a 338 edge with 275/300 gr bullets.
current center of gravity is 3.5" in front of the recoil face/10.5 from the front end of the stock.
long range guys where do you like your center of gravity ?

in the past i have cast 1" dia lead in 1 lb slugs. can still do that but thought
tungsten might be neater, maybe lower in the stock.
 
Last edited:
In some movie theater projector light bulbs there is a chunk of tungsten. They burn out regularly and are replaced.
M
 
retired said:
gentlemen,
i am finishing up a rifle for extreme long range.
it is a 40 lb bench rest class.
i am close to 18 lbs with a 8 lb bbl and a long range stock( LRB ).
i would like to add some weight. to better balance and cause it
is a 338 edge with 275/300 gr bullets.
current center of gravity is 3.5" in front of the recoil face/10.5 from the front end of the stock.
long range guys where do you like your center of gravity ?

in the past i have cast 1" dia lead in 1 lb slugs. can still do that but thought
tungsten might be neater, maybe lower in the stock.

source for tungsten rod ?
Click to expand...

eBay. Do a search for the size you are looking for
 
A quick Google search yielded this

Tungsten has a density of 0.70 lbs/in3, which means that a cube of tungsten one inch on all sides would weigh 0.70 lbs – 1.74 times more than the same sized cube of lead. ... Using a denser weight, like tungsten, allows you to more precisely place the weight.

It's not cheap! Ebay has been the best resource for me. No, I'm not an eBay fan either but when it's half the price...I have to bite the bullet at times.
 
I found a product on Amazon that is a bucking bar for rivets. It was just the right size and very easy to machine. About $90 for a 3" piece and weighed I believe 1.8lbs?
Do a search for "tungsten bucking bar" and it is down the page a little.
Hope this helps
Mike
 
Last edited:
Sir... You are Wrong

retired said:
this is a copper tungsten alloy...about the same or less dense than lead.

1" dia-1" long, 1/2 lb
Click to expand...

The density of lead is 11.36 gr/cm3.

A 0.5" x 1" carbide weight from the source I gave is reported to weigh 0.13 lb. That's 2.08 oz. I weighed one of the weights I have and got 57 gr which converts to 2.01 oz. Pretty damn close. A 0.5"x1" cylinder is 0.19635 cu in which converts to 3.22 cm3.

57 gr divided by 3.22 cm3 yields a density of 17.72 gr/cm3. Compared to pure lead, the tungsten weights referenced above are 56% denser.
 
If you gurgle "specific gravity of metals" you'll probably find a chart.

The way I read it;
-lead=11.34
-gold=19.25
-tungsten=19.25
-tungsten carbide (old milling bits)=14.29, still heavier than lead
 
BTW I have small removable cots of loose lead shot in my 600LG and it shoots. I use a "spring" of collapsable material to hold the shot forward with the buttplate.

I have an epoxy/shot matrix cast into my other 600LG and it too shoots.

I have some old milling bits set aside to be epoxied into hunting rifles, they lock in really stout!

I start my balancing act by using the action face as my balance point.

Some who post here (Boyd comes to mind) have more informed opinions on proper balance, I'm just a "wiggle til it shoots dots" hacker.
 
your math may be great but facts off life,
my lead alloy is 1 lb for 3" of 1" dia
the alloy you suggested was only slightly heavier in the same shape

i deal in 1" dia and lbs....you have a good day

Kyle Schultz said:
The density of lead is 11.36 gr/cm3.

A 0.5" x 1" carbide weight from the source I gave is reported to weigh 0.13 lb. That's 2.08 oz. I weighed one of the weights I have and got 57 gr which converts to 2.01 oz. Pretty damn close. A 0.5"x1" cylinder is 0.19635 cu in which converts to 3.22 cm3.

57 gr divided by 3.22 cm3 yields a density of 17.72 gr/cm3. Compared to pure lead, the tungsten weights referenced above are 56% denser.
Click to expand...
 
evidently lots of tungsten alloys out there
i see no significant advantage of
14.29 over 11.34 for the cost involved.
i am still searching for 1" dia x 3" long closer to the 19.25

alinwa said:
If you gurgle "specific gravity of metals" you'll probably find a chart.

The way I read it;
-lead=11.34
-gold=19.25
-tungsten=19.25
-tungsten carbide (old milling bits)=14.29, still heavier than lead
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like you will need to go to a place like midwest tungsten, Mike.
Good luck in your search.
I also misquoted the length of the tungsten bucking bar. It is 3" not 6" and weighed 1.8lbs
 
Last edited:
If you can get some broken 5/8 or 3/4" end mills from a machine shop you can cut them with a silicon carbide cut-off wheel to length. I used powdered Tungsten poured into holes drilled with a Forstner bit in the butt under the plate and in the 'pistol grip' and capped it off with about 1/4" of epoxy. I added 1lb of weight in this fashion of a X-ring wood F-class stock. Has been working well.

Robin
 
rardoin said:
Well then...might as well used deleted Uranium.
Click to expand...

DU is 19.1 gm/cm^3
Tungsten is 19.3 gm/cm^3


If you can find DU it would be an excellent mass source.

The government sort of has a corner on the market though.
They are about the only producer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top