A rifle should handle with predictability and feedback; without effort. John Taylor used the phrase “with ease and certainty”. A simple design allows this. Simple rifles are not only more reliable but are easier to use. A refined interface provides better feedback to the shooter because there is less technology between the shooter and the target: less technology to interfere with the shooter at a time when the only focus needs to be on the shot and on the target.

The prime components of shootability are a rifles natural line of sight and recoil resolution. Often, these two components are seen as competing and live in a state of constant compromise. This debate is made black-and-white; raise the stock and you reduce perceived recoil, yet sacrifice natural aiming qualities. Lower the stock and, while you increase those aiming qualities, you also increase recoil. A more mature approach is to first maximize the rifles natural pointing tendencies, then study recoil and minimize its effects.

A slight tinge of muzzle weight allows the rifle to inform the shooter where the barrel pointing and steadies your hold after a long hike or a quick run. A more perfect balance also allows a rifle to resolve its own recoil. As James Howe noted, a rifle that is muzzle-light is impossible to hold steady and has excessive barrel whip. A rifle that is muzzle-heavy tends to wallow in its own recoil, refusing to shed it. A perfectly balanced rifle weighing seven pounds has less perceived recoil than an imperfectly balanced rifle of ten pounds.

The prime factors involved with aiming quality are barrel weight, distance from the line of sight to the bore, and stock design. Up to a point, greater muzzle weight allows the rifle to inform the shooter where the rifle is pointing to target. Long-barreled rifles have a natural advantage here and hence a reputation for steadiness and accuracy. This is no fault of the short-barreled rifle because short barrels are often chosen for weight-saving reasons and little effort is made to resolve the resulting balance issues.