A lot of it is circumstantial, for us cold weather hunters I've got 20 pounds of clothing and boots on, the scoped light weight rifle (with ammo) adds 8-10 pounds. I have a backpack with all the stuff I need during a day hunt/hike (snacks, water, knives and stuff, 10 more pounds. That's 40lbs of gear. THEN,,, then, if I'm lucky I'll be dragging a 80-200 pound deer back to camp. Keeping weight down is important, not that 3 more pounds is the end of the world, but when your cold, wet and tired, those 3 extra pounds feel like a hundred. Most people don't have the skills to repeatedly hit a 8" paper plate size target at 400 yards in a hunting situation. Furthermore, why can't they close that gap to 200 yards? If your driving around in your car looking for game you can take any long gun you want. If you're hiking and hunting, do what you can to keep weight down.