Favorite "all around" hunting rifle weight....
 

What do you folks prefer your rifle to weigh for your particular style of hunting? Stand hunting over a power line/sendero.....still hunting timber....ect.

Ultralight? Sporter weight? Heavy/tactical?

Just curious...........

I think my lightest scoped out hunting rifle is 9lbs...

fer the kids i like a perty heavy 223 or 25-06..it makes carrying the gun like a job, even though they think its a privlidge....and it reduces felt recoil, which also helps prevent flinching.

my 300sm is made from aircraft grade aluminum and has a 50mm scope on it..i wouldn't say its light, but its not heavy, i never weighed it before, and i don't think my digi's go that high.

my buddy has this lapua, and its a beast..i wouldn't wanna hike anywhere with that thing. I'd rather have a cannon, cause it has wheels.

Regardless of caliber, I use the lightest gun I can find as long as it is accurate from a cold bore.
My .338 or 45-70 will really get my attention, but I go under the theory that I carry the darn thing more than I shoot it.
I don't know exactly what they weigh, but I am pretty sure that neither is over 7 lbs. fully loaded.
Yeah, they kick. But, like I said, I carry more than shoot.

Almost all my guns that I own started as Featherweights & as I put all my "must have" accessories on them they become heavier than expected or wanted. So I buy another gun in hopes it will be lighter... lol

I use the Model 70 ultimate shadow & it is the best made gun for the weight in my opinion...

-South

8.5-9lbs loaded with scope for the magnums for me, or 7.5 or thereabouts for standard calibers. I changed stocks to actually add a little weight to two of my model 70s actually. Now my 375, it starts at almost 9lbs without glass on it, and thats about right for it, IMO.

8.5 lbs without anything on it. The scope weight 10.5 oz plus sling and sometimes a bipod. I would guess around 10lbs if I have the bi pods on. I like guns that have weight to them.

I've seen guys that carry featherweight rifles and have 25lbs of stuff in their day pack????????????

What's weird about that?

-South

"I've seen guys that carry featherweight rifles and have 25lbs of stuff in their day pack????????????[/quote]" Blackelk


I'm with South on this one ! :wave:

My day pack, might need to be a night pack !



I normally start with a stripped rifle somewhere between 6 1/4 lbs. to 7 1/2 lbs.


Bi-pod only on .17 HMR & .204.

The rest are walking sticks, carry a bog-pod tri-pod.

this is why every guy needs 2-3 rifles....

but let's say a standard all around .270win, I think a 7-7.5lbs rifle is just about right.

Sheridan I would agree with that statement but most guys fill up their sacks full of unwarranted gadgets and gear.

this is why every guy needs 2-3 rifles....

but let's say a standard all around .270win, I think a 7-7.5lbs rifle is just about right.



Is that weight scoped or without scope?

i almost got a 270..glad i went and looked at balistics before i did...aweful

I like light weight rifles since I am mostly hiking here out west. My Remington Senderos are more than what I like to carry in steep terrain. I have a model Seven now that started out at 6 pounds and now with the Nikon scope it is right at 7 pounds. Perfect weight to carry around. The recoil is a little stout being that it is a .350 Rem mag but it get's the job done. My .280 Ackley weighs in at 7.5 with scope and sling. It balances well and recoil isn't bad at all.

Lots of mountains here, that is why I like to keep my hunting rifles light as possible. My favorite hunting rifle is my Ruger M77 MKII 280 with a B&C Carbalite stock, it is light and nice when you are hiking in the rough country. This is exactly why I perfer Leupold scopes over NightForce when it comes to a hunting gun, anyone that has ever had a NightForce in there hand knows what I am talking about. If I was a flatlander, I wouldnt mind the weight so much.

" Blackelk


I'm with South on this one ! :wave:

My day pack, might need to be a night pack !



I normally start with a stripped rifle somewhere between 6 1/4 lbs. to 7 1/2 lbs.


Bi-pod only on .17 HMR & .204.

The rest are walking sticks, carry a bog-pod tri-pod.[/QUOTE]

+1 to that!!!!

I hunt better with light rifles and shoot better with heavy ones. Back in the day I didn't care how much a rifle weighed as long as it was accurate. Nowadays I prefer the lightest rifle I can find and just deal with the recoil.

6 lbs full up sounds about right. Half of what my full up Sendero weighs.

I'm thinking most of my Rifles are 6 to 7 lb'ers...then You add the sling and scope with mounts and rings,but all in all thats not a bad weight for a Rifle especially for Deer or Coyotes?I tried out a Savage .204 with the heavy Bull Barrel and it weighed in at 8.5 pounds plus the scope and sling weight...it was awful to pack around,hunt with and try to aim free-handed....I'll never get get a Hunting Gun that weighs that much,especially for the type of Hunting I plan on doing.

With scope and sling my X-Bolt weighs a little over 7 lbs. It's not the lightest gun, but farthest from the heavyweights.

My CZ 452 weighs about another 1/2 lb over the my X-Bolt, but carrying that around in the fall when I have almost no gear on, I don't really notice that I have it.

I like my older model Savage in .308 with a Bushnell 3-9x40 scope. It's not too heavy, and not a "featherweight" either. It just feels right... I do have a padded sling for it, so I can hike for miles with it on and not worry.

Besides, as we all know the .308 cartridge is legendary for its accuracy. If it's good enough for military snipers, it's good enough for me as a hunter! :patriot:

My preferred rifle weighs between 10 LBS and 11 LBS with scope. This is a rifle my dad put together with a Springfield .30-06 action and barrel and a walnut stock that he made (perhaps from a blank). It looks very nice, shoots very well. The length of pull is 15.5" -- about 2" longer than standard -- which suits me very well as I'm 6' 2" tall. While this rifle weighs a bit more than is typical these days, I have no problem carrying it around. I go backpacking in the mountains in summer time carrying a 50 LBS pack. I don't see how carrying a 9 LBS rifle is going to be noticeable to me versus a 11 LBS rifle. I will say I'm going to be more sensitive to hauling out the elk quarters than carrying this rifle.

I would not choose a rifle based on its weight. If I were having a custom rifle made for me I would have it done in .338 Winchester Magnum, I would have the longer length of pull (15.5" as above), and I would like it to weight 11 LBS to 12 LBS with scope -- as a way to keep the recoil tamed versus shooting the same cartridge out of a 8 LBS to 9 LBS rifle. But that is just me. I see most people are very against heavier rifles. If weight was an issue, I would just train to carry extra weight. Instead of working out with 25 LBS dumbbells, workout with 30 LBS dumbbells and the deal is done. Alternatively, if a 5' 10" hunter can readily carry a 9 LBS rifle, why can't a 6' 2" hunter readily carry an 11 LBS rifle?

I like mine around 7.5lbs ready to hunt. My two favorites are a 1988 Remington 700 Mountain Rifle 30-06 with a set of talley lightweights and a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36mm and a Remington 700 MTN LSS 270 with talley lightweights and a leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40mm. Both shoot and handle very well and are easy to carry at around 7.5lbs.