Term - Light Contour

[Photogg4eva]

Being new to the Forum, I see the term "Light Contour" every so often. What's the meaning of light contour?

[Synchronizor]

It generally refers to a shotgun barrel made with thinner walls to reduce mass - making for a lighter gun that swings with less effort. Shotshells are pretty low-pressure compared to other types of ammunition, so the barrel really doesn't need a lot of meat to contain the propellant gasses (especially once you get far enough out from the chamber), and a light-contour barrel can be a very nice thing on a hunting or sporting gun that benefits from being fast and/or easy to carry. Reduced gun mass does mean more recoil energy though, and a thinner barrel is not ideal for rougher applications like combat for obvious reasons. Also, if a barrel is too light, the gun may become too "whippy" for the steady, swinging shots certain hunting and clay shooting activities call for.

[Photogg4eva]

I appreciate the detailed response, thanks. It's always good to know you can reach out and find out facts from such an informative source.