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Had a guy interested in the Model 70 Winchester Extreme in the Bell and Carlson stock I'm selling, was all keen but decided it was too heavy, until then I had not considered it's weight, so what is typically a max weight most are finding acceptable as a general carry?
Most rifles I have had for hunting have been in the 7.5 to 8lb range complete, occasionally heavier in bigger calibers, always carried in the hand, never slung.
Depends on how far you'll having to carry it lol
My first centre fire weighted nearly 11lb with it's bloody bi pod & I carried it high'n'low, now days my mountain rifle weighs well under 7lb & my 338 Edge weighs 9.75lb.
So for a general alround hunting gun, yes 8lb is plenty 8.5 - 9 with a suppressor max, balance & how nice it is to carry also comes into the equation though.
Depends on the individual and typical use I guess. I had a varmint 204 that was 10lb bare, I'm solid enough to carry it around but the weight was annoying enough to often make me take something else instead. So I sold it for a 7lb 223 which shoots just as well.
Most of my rifles now are around 7lb bare and that doesn't worry me, but I can see the appeal of a lightweight setup for trips with more walking/less shooting and big height gains etc.
How much is the 50 @Kiwi Greg? :D be about max for tops hunting with no chopper aye ;)
How long is a piece of string
Double the distance from the middle to the endQuote:
Originally Posted by northdude
Rifle weight is very much like coffee. To put clarity around this statement, there is no such thing as strong coffee, only weak men. Therefor there is no such thing as a heavy rifle, ....... Check out Philipo's post. He has reduced his rifle weight by four pounds..... Fuck me dead, who can't carry four fucking pounds? Not picking on you Philipo, just using the example you gave to make a point. I have no trouble with people that want to lighten their kit but if a man wants to carry a heavy rifle, good for him I reckon.
7.5-9lb would be acceptable, surely? I have kept my rifle weights down of late coz I carry the extra on my hips these days :D
+1 but that's my reason for not worrying about about the rifle weight... Got plenty more to lose round he waist before I think lightweight gear.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathias
Horses for courses, if your doing lots of climbing light as possible, if your only walking a few mins from the truck and sitting who cares if your carrying a cannon. Another consideration is if you do shoot something what do you do with it? Carry it out whole or put it in your pack. Had a few trips home juggling whole deer, pack and rifle!:O_O:
I seem to use the light weight rifle from the truck and carry the big'un if I'm walking. I find all the assistance I can get to push the cleats of my boots into the ground the less I slide.Quote:
Originally Posted by 223nut
When you chuck it into the leatherwood
On long walks and big trips into the back country you wouldn't wanna be much over 9 lbs I reckon, weighted rifles are easier to shoot steady.
Personal preference really, I have a .260 MT rifle 5 lbs 2oz, great to carry, prick to shoot well,
Have been getting rid, of all rifles scoped, over 9 lbs, with only two exceptions, my sako 6ppc target rifle, and a M70 Ew in .264, my long range rig, sits at 9lbs 4 oz, not too bad, but its noticeable how weary, a guy gets, after a full day lugging it around, esp if fighting threw scrub and bush.
My preference is about 7-7.5lbs, 3-3.3kg, best comprise for shootabilty, esp. off hand. as long as well balanced.
Or they go and want a light weight rifle and then want to put a gay stock pack on it wtf
I do not weigh my rifles. I just think does the weight justify its purpose. Even for the same gun it may serve a different purpose for different person.
I think the issue can be broken down to individual components:
1. do you need a long barrel for 300m+ shots, or just a short one for >100m shots?
2. do you need a bull barrel twice the weight as a sporting barrel?
3. do you need a 600g suppressor?
4. do you need a weight fancy wooden stock?
5. do you need a big 6-24 x 50 scope? or will a 3-9 x 40 be sufficient?
6. do you need a 223, or 308, or 338?
In the end of the day, you need what you need. and if what you need weighs X, you will just have to put up with it. But what one should do is to avoid having to carry more than is needed.
In open country or easy bush like pine blocks up to 9.5 pound and bush hunting the lighter the better ( around 7 -7.5 pound) Most of my rifles are around the 8 -8.5 pound which are ok to lug around all day.
My Sako 75 (not finnlight) with 30mm optilocks and a vx6 and 25 inch barrel could never be called a light weight but is still quite acceptable I think.
Any of the custom gun crowd on here who have picked it up have always said "shit thats heavy" or words to that effect but not one of the many people who have shot their first,second,third,and fourth deer with it have complained it is too heavy.
It is my only scoped large game rifle so it has to do it all, I have considered a carbon stock and other weight loss options and all are a significant expense but that is not the only reason it has not lost weight.
178gr @ 2975fps gets the job done at ranges I am capable of shooting and recoil while there is not offensive but it is certainly lively off of a bipod and my rifle is used for new shooters/hunters.....lightening the rifle I think would make it more difficult for both new(possibly off putting recoil)shooters and myself to shoot well necessitating a suppressor or brake putting the weight saved back on with a suppressor:wtfsmilie: or necessitating hearing protection being worn for guide and shooter in a hunting situation where communication is paramount.
I would like a second rifle in 223 or 260 that is a light weight but the reality is I just am not shooting of late so cannot justify another rifle.
I'd consider anything over 8lbs heavy.
Ha ha, good topic.
I've always had traditional weight rifles. From 8.5 to 9.5lbs with scope. Current set-up is closer to 10lbs, bloody accurate but I find it pretty heavy, for bigger trips/tahr hunting.
After a pretty tough trip with a big tramp last year, I'm keen to set up something lighter (and stainless, bloody rust!), as my mates rifles were really nice to carry both at around 7lbs, including a suppressor on one of them. So my intention is to go under 7lbs scoped, no suppressor, which should be really easy to do in this day and age. In fact one could go under 6lbs if one was happy to pay the sort of $$ needed, but that is probably be getting too light.
If we were to take the Winchester SS extreme long action as an example, its weight bare, according to Winchester, is 7.2lbs so would getting on for 8lbs scoped.
And yeah, working on the weight around the middle too....
I got talked into taking my long range rifle on a goat culling trip in steep country 'to clean up the far away ones'. We never saw anything more than about 150 metres while on the hill! On the way out we spotted a couple at around 600 metres and about 45 degrees downhill. Two shots wasted! I was so knackered that I forgot to hold under. 14 lbs is way to much rifle weight when you are 69 and a smidge porky!
Good exercise though right?Quote:
Originally Posted by gundoc
I think if it's carried In hand always, like a bush rifle then the lighter the better. I had a howa that was 4.5kg all up and while that doesn't seem much after 12 hours of carrying it in hand the old arm starts to get pretty tired. My tikka is over a kilo lighter and the arm definitely feels much better after a days hunting.
With the many quality options in the 6-6.5 lb class that will shoot lights out, I don't see why you would want to carry anything heavier.
Yep! I now do a lot more hill walking to keep fit (and am losing a few Kg's in the process).:DQuote:
Originally Posted by 223nut
you will know when you are super fit when you can keep up with your dog !!Quote:
Originally Posted by gundoc
Yes and no... A lot of synthetic stocked rifles can feel quite unbalanced and nose heavy (especially suppressed) because the main weight saving was in the butt. Sometimes the better balance and handling/feel of a wooden stock is enough to justify a bit of extra carry weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick-D
I have a couple of 22lr rifles, one ~5lb synthetic and one ~7lb laminate thumbhole. The extra weight doesn't worry me for that sort of carry but the heavier one (obviously shape etc plays a part too) is so much steadier for off-hand shooting.
As light as practical. Don't see any point carrying extra weight if it's not making the rifle shoot better myself?
As mentioned already, too light is a prick to shoot off hand and even off a bipod can be a hassle....if the balance is not right. Balance is a very important factor which is often overlooked with too much focus on weight saving additions.
Never worry about the weight, when I'm not carrying something isn't right.
my answer is to avoid the scales...both for rifles and myself..... one will tell me the rifles are all 8-9lb the other will scream " get off me you fat hua" if and when Ive lost 25lb from my waist....then the rifle weight wont matter anyway as will be a lean mean shagging machine.
Never seemed to matter few years back you bought a rifle took it hunting never thought about lbs ,but that was when men were men and sheep were scared :D:D
A hyper-active heading dog? Yeah, right!Quote:
Originally Posted by gonetropo
I was always one those that said man up and carry it but I must admit that last year I relented and bought a rifle that weighs 6.5lbs with scope, sling and 3 rounds in the mag and I have to say that it is such a pleasure to carry all day up and down steep hills and through thick bushes, I hardly notice it on my shoulder.
The poor old Brno ZKK has unfortunately become a bit of a safe queen now, still never part with her!
What did you go with. Rifle, calibre, scope, sling etc if you dont mind saying.
Howa Alpine Mountain Rifle in .308, just got a VX2 2-7x33 in talley rings on it and a Butler Creek sling, not sure model but pretty light and the rubber grips my shoulder well, nothing worse than a sling that keeps sliding off.
Considering chopping it to 17" and fitting a dpt but a bit hesitant to chop it, dunno, we will see!
Jeff Cooper proposed that you should be able to hold your rifle in one outstretched hand for a minute.
Whos he?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagheera
Famed American gun writer......really Gibo, you should get out more :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Gibo
Also the father of the scout rifle concept.
Meh you lost me on the second word :D
My second rifle I bought was a tikka. An I decided to make a few custom changes and put a 600grm waitaki engineering suppressor and a laminate thumb hole Boyd's stock without much thought to weight. It ended up getting to weight something like 11lb and when it weighed that much i knew about it going up a hill so I decided I was going to go light weight in my hunting gear. And bought a kimber mountain ascent weighs less than 6lb scoped and now I feel like I just float up the hills at the moment it's probably one of my best hunting items I've bought
Light rifles can still shoot well.... so why would you want a heavy one?