optimum out-of-box weight for pistol

ben · Post by **ben** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 3:23 pm

Background: I am 73 and have chronic neck and shoulder pain. Physical strength has also decreased. Some years ago I obtained a Steyr LP5P and found repeatedly lifting same a real pain: fatigue setting in within 10 shots; and my grouping also was a pain. I saw a 60 shot course of fire as unachievable. I have 60 years of shooting experience, including full-bore pistol, and immediately felt that the LP5P was un-necessarily heavy.

Recently I obtained a Steyr LP2 Compact chosen deliberately for its lesser weight. I have to say that the weight problem is resolved. The Compact pistol gives absolutely NOTHING away to its heavier brethren in shooting quality: excepting that the back-sight notch is not adjustable.

The manufacturer's test group is the usual very small hole and the trigger is very good. I find with the out-of-box pistol that tremor now appears, separately, from the hand, and from the shoulder. That from the hand can be drastically reduced by the addition of a 24 gram weight up front. A 60 shot fire course now appears possible: and can be achieved on one filling of the air cylinder.

The handling improvement is so great that I an thinking of modifying the LP5P to a similar configuration. That is, if I can discover how to separate the barrel from the gun.

Some time ago I posted here a comment that reducing the weight of an overweight pistol was extremely difficult. I am led to the conclusion that all manufacturers seem to have overlooked the possibilities from making their premium products of lighter weight.

It is also a fact that such a product looks more like a real pistol: thus giving the UK authorities yet something more to get hysterical about!

hope this is of interest

ben

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 4:05 pm

ben wrote:The handling improvement is so great that I an thinking of modifying the LP5P to a similar configuration. That is, if I can discover how to separate the barrel from the gun.

Can I suggest that you contact Harry Preston at steyr.uk@virgin.net

He may have some ideas about how to keep the gun functioning with a reduced barrel length.

Mark Briggs · Post by **Mark Briggs** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:03 pm

One area where you can shave some weight off the LP5 is the barrel shroud. As you've found with the LP2, having a "bare barrel" does indeed cut weight. If you remove the LP5 shroud and install an LP2 compensator unit you'll shave about 20 - 25 grams off the mass forward of the centre of gravity.

There's another very important point that you may want to investigate, and that is pistol balance. I've been having difficulty supporting muzzle-heavy pistols (yes, shoulder problems) and have found that careful reduction of weight forward of the trigger, as well as addition of weight toward the rear of the pistol results in better control for me. This leads me to believe that my shoulder problems aren't so much a factor of total pistol weight as they are a factor of the amount of arm strength required to keep the muzzle up on a nose-heavy pistol.

Hope this helps...

Richard H · Post by **Richard H** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:26 pm

Distribution of weight is really the problem most people are having. The gun in front of the trigger acts as a lever so the mass rotates the gun forward around approx. the trigger. As this is a lever, weight is mutilpied by the lever length forward of the fulcrum. To counter act this the wrist tightens and the muscles and tendons on the top of the arm are subjected to lots of tension. This can bring on tendonitis or shoulder problems

ben · Post by **ben** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:37 am

Further to my previous posting the LP5P is now modified.

Harry Preston, www.steyr-uk.com , advised that this modification had already been carried by himself, and that cropping the barrel was unnecessary. A LP2 compensator fits directly to the LP5 barrel. I also fitted a LP2 Compact air cylinder. I find the handling of the pistol is transformed. The comparative weights of the several pistols follow:
LP2 Compact: 838 grams
LP5P out-of-box: 1030 grams
LP5P modified: 923 grams
LP5P reduction: 107 grams (3.75 ounces)
Note the weight reduction is entirely from the forward part of the pistol.

Shooting both the LP2 Compact and the modified LP5P suggests that the LP2 Compact might be improved with a little more weight in the vicinity of the breech: but that would be simple as compared with weight reduction.

Both Mark Briggs and Richard H. drew attention to the possibility that weight distribution was the real problem, rather than total weight. It would seem they are right. My thanks to David Levene for pointing me towards Harry Preston.

As usual, the TargetTalk input was very constructive.

Ben

David Levene · Post by **David Levene** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:45 am

Glad to have been of help. Sometimes it's a case of not what you know but who you know.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 12:58 am

An easy way to get more weight in the rear is a heavier grip weight.
The standard 25gm can be replaced with one up to 70 gms (if you drill your holes in the right place).