What's the heaviest gun you would take on a hunt (without scope weight)?
Does every ounce count at the expense of recoil and accuracy or is there a general sweet spot that you've found?
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The heaviestI would take on hunt would be 8 or maybe 8.5 lbs.Even in a lightweight magnum, you can learn to deal with the recoil by shooting the gun a lot.
Well my current Sako Finnbear weighs 9 pounds on a bathroom scale, so with a scope, she's probably around 10 pounds. Think I'm going to slim the stock down on it a bit this winter. But I have to admit,this 10 pound 30-06 with a Pachymear (sp?) recoil kicks about the same as my 6.5x55 Swede that weighs about 6 pounds (For those that don't know, that means none at all).
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I hate light guns. The idea of carrying them in the woods sure sounds sweet. But, in practice the difference is minimal. Without proper preperation even a 6 lbs weapon fills heavy carrying it up a mountain. But, if you train properly a 8.5 lbs weapon will not be noticed.
I tell you what you take a 7 lb 300 winnie and try to shoot it enough to be profiecient and you'll agree with me. the only thing you will do is develop a flinch and have a sore middle finger from the trigger guard. My remington 700BDL in 338 win isactualy lighter than I like. With a Leupold vari-x III 2.5-8 it weighs in just about 8 LBS. And another thing, a heavier weaponsettles in your handbetter and you are more accurate from field positions.
I tell you something else.The gun companiesstarted all this light gun business so theycan save money. The plastic stocks cost them next to nothing. Heck the mostexpensive part is the recoil pads.Little flimsy, light weight tonka toys are what those guns look like to me. Give me aWalnut stock anyday. And don't giveme the weather sensitive BS either. You take a walnut stock, seal the barrel channel,free float it, pillar and Glass bed the action and weather will not affect it. Then you will have a real weapon.Now I digress.
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Weight means nothing to me if it shoots well.I used to have a old Ruger varmiter in 25-06,this beauty would shoot 1/2" groups all day.I loved this gun,I packed many a mile up hills and down coulees.It weighed 10+ without a scope.The weight never bothered me,I had a freind long time ago that had a benchrest 30-378 WBYcustom with a 8 lb barrle.He would pack that thing for elk 7-8 miles a day,that rifle had to weigh 20 lbs I swear.He held accuracy over weight.
I do like a rifle's that weigh between 8-10 lbs for most hunting.
BBJ
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My main hunting rifle is my .30-06 with a scope and it weights a total of 7.5 lbs. I used to have a heavier magnum and found it a pain to carry due to the weight and longer length getting hung up. If you're walking a few hundred yards to your tree stand any gun will work, heavy or not. I'll walk/stalk sometimes 6 miles in a day and have found the longer you are out there and the further you walk, the lighter you'll want your rifle. This all holds especially true in elk country. Elk are generally found above 7,000 ft., in rough, steep country and you'll feel every ounce. Years ago when I just starting hunting elk I read some books by Jim Zumbo and he mention the importance of paying attention to the weight and length of a rifle. After hunting elk for a few years I came to the same conculsion.
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I don't find having an ultra-light rifle to be all that important elk hunting, or even dall sheep hunting. As long as it is not overly heavy- like a varmint rifle, it should work fine. I'd say my whole set up weighs maybe 9-10lbs loaded, and I routinely walk 10+ miles a day deer and elk hunting, over very rough terrain with no problem. The way I look at it, if you can't haul around a little 10lb rifle all day, how are you going to pack out an entire elk?
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I hate heavy guns! And i've tried my best to not have to carry one in the bush. My drilling weighs just under 7 pounds, and that's where i prefer to have the weight of my guns or even lighter...
If you don't pack it, i guess it doesn't matter much. Many folks these days just sit someplace and don't walk much. For them, gun "weight" just isn't an issue.
I don't care for high recoiling rifles either and in my hunting career i haven't needed them. I choose the proper bullet design and weight for my cal/cartridge and i haven't needed to use high recoiling rounds, not evento flattenbrown bears.
Each to there own, but the above has worked for me...
10+ pounds,
4 miles in,
4 miles out
1-2 miles while there.
When there's elk on the ground, what pain there may be is sweet.
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Never go undergunned, always check the sight in, perform at showtime.
Learn from the mistakes of others, you won't live long enough to make them all yourself.
My first rifle was a 1917 Enfield which weighed 12.5 lbs unloaded. I carried that thing everywhere and didn't think about it. I started hauling that thing at age 12. It served me well to about age 22. Now, I just got a second hunting rifle. With scope, it too is that weight or maybe a pound heavier.
Heavy rifles don't hurt to shoot and they lay on a rest better.
Rifle weights
