Balancing a wooden gun

[Dobs]

Hi guys,
I just finished my new homemade teak gun and I'm wondering on how exactly to balance it. It is 80cm long rear-handle gun very similar to the Gimansub Labrax (http://www.gimansub.it/pag6.htm). I plan to use it with 19 mm bands and a 6.25 mm, 115 cm shaft if this is of any importance about the balancing.
I'm wondering how do you guys prefer your guns: heavier on the front or on the back? How should a gun position itself when loose under water with/without the shaft etc?
Any ideas and advice will be very much appreciated.
PS: I'll post some pictures soon.

[persiko]

ciao Dobs (I'll de even waiting for you!!!)
I prefer a little negative in front.

[Dobs]

Hi persiko,
I'll make some more translations today and will send them right away!

Can you tell me what position do your guns take when you leave them on the bottom while loaded with the shaft? My first gun (a 90cm long mahogany gun) stays at 45 degrees to the bottom with the tip of the shaft down and the handle up. This makes me think that the tip is negative and the handle positive. I did not put any ballast in it as when I impregnated the gun with epoxy, I put more layers on the front and this seems to make it heavy enough. Is there any trick on determining how much ballast (lead) you need to put on the gun?
Here is the above in Italian:
Mi potrai dire quale posizione prendono I tuoi fucili quando gli lasci liberi, ma caricati con l’asta sul fondo. Il mio primo fucile (lungo 90 cm e fatto di mogano) mantiene un angolo di 45 gradi verso il fondo con la punta dell’asta giu ed l’impugnatura in su. Questo mi fa pensare che la punta del fucile e’ negativa e l’impugnatura e’ positiva. Non ho inserito nessuna zavorra nel fusto del fucile perche’ quando l’ho verniciato con la resina epoxy ho applicato piu’ mani di epoxy verso la testata e questo sembra di esser stato sufficiente per farla abbastanza pesante. Hai qualche segreto per determinare quanta zavorra (piombo) devi inserire nel fusto del fucile?

[Murat]

without shaft it should be parallel on the waters surface.
with shaft, its tip should sink very slowly. This depent of the style of fishing though, if you will do deep aspettos negative tip is easier on your wrist. In shallow its better to be front little heavy.

[cece]

Originally Posted by Dobs

Is there any trick on determining how much ballast (lead) you need to put on the gun?

The best way is to put some lead, go in the water, try, then change the lead weight and try again as long as you find the right amount of lead!!!