.44-77 and paper patch?

[Distant Thunder]

Don,

I really would like to go with the 32" barrel, but I just feel that the 30" will have a better balance offhand and I need all the help I can get there.

For gong matches I would like to use irons, but for silhouette I really have to have the scope if I want to hit anything, at least on purpose. I do fairly well with simple geometric shapes and iron sights, circles, squares and diamonds, but those darn silhouettes are very ghost like for me through the iron sights. I never came close to shooting a master class score with irons, but with scope I'm often right on the edge of master.

The scope will add almost 2 LBS to the rifle and 14 or more LBS tends to wobble all over creation on me when I'm standing on my hind legs!

My .44-100 was a 32" and I can't say it held any advantage over a 30". I'm not sure how much that 2" of barrel will weigh, but it is right out there on the end where it matters the most.

My .50-70 has a 30" #1 heavy and I shoot that better offhand than almost any other rifle I have except maybe my .40-65 which has a 31" barrel. It's 31" because that was the longest I could get from the blank!

Choices have to be made and I'm trying real had not to get talked into 32"! Just maybe at 30" I would be able to make weight for irons. Maybe?