Thread: Lightest weight survival rifle

Goat culling in my teenage years was hard on .22 rimfires, usually the extractor failure preceded the accuracy decline but the result was always the same, into the offal hole it went.

For some strange reason I had a run of lakefields and sterlings, and only one AR-7 which was on loan from my father, it has a plastic hollow stock that the action and barrel fitted into. Apparently it floated.

I progressed to modified Remington Targetmasters to remove all the weight, and made alloy skeleton stocks for them. The single shot platforms were reliable, but had the Marlin "Papoose" been around that would have been the bizzo.

I used my model 7's (saum's) for rafting and motorbike riding, they easily fit in a pack and are small.

Has anyone here any pics or ideas for a lightest weight "survival" type rifle, .22 or otherwise ?

http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-survival-ar7.cfm

http://www.packrifle.com/packriflepictures.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM6Q7m-HFj4

A good read here....
http://bubbleheadgunnut.wordpress.co...-down-part-ii/

Im guessing a single shot option would be by far the lightest... Could you get a carbon fibre stock made for one of the many break open options out there. Flute the barrel and then mill any other un required metal out. Replace all screws with lighter options.. No recoil pad to speak of just harden up. What other mods are there?

surprised to see such long and unfluted barrels. a chop and routing session will cut the weight of any of the above if you really cared that much

Thats true Bill999, your comment shows just how far we have come in the last 5 years, I know I have personally learned a lot from the forum and had the same thoughts as yourself.

I'd also say New Zealand is up there with the leaders in rifle innovations of late, there's some nice gear being made here now, and some outstanding rifles are in the development/testing stage as we speak.

We just need powder technology to catch up.

So, A big rifle is not needed for a 223, would this make for the lightest centrefire Survival rifle?

M6 scout is cool. Not the lightest, but cool. I want one. I will give someone money for one.

That .410 would be handy gimp, slugs, buckshot and waterfowl/upland game loads----- hard to go hungry with that combo

They look cool , but are very over priced , I brought a SS M6 Scout 22lr/410 model when they came in NZ , because , I HAD to have one , they looked so NEAT , it would have stayed in my safe if it was Harder , the SS barrel/chamber was so soft the rear of the chamber was getting penned badly by the hammer after only 10-2- rds , THATS not good enough in my book , and I flicked it on to some one else who had too have one .
Also the iron sights on the M6 Scout are crap .

I would NEVER buy a StainlessSteel one , my pick would be a 22hornet or 22lr in CM ( parkerised / blue steel ) .

worth really 400 & NOT the 800 + they go for usually .

A contender in 22lr or hornet would be a better option .

Later Chris

The AR-7 , was another case of cool looking over function , they where not very accurate or reliable , opps , the barrel was a thin barrel liner inside a aluminium outer ,

I hear you there chris, my fathers ar 7 would occasionally fire two rounds with a touch of the trigger or just empty the mag in one continous rip.

Had an ar -7 in store the other week. Very light and drew a lot of attention due to its novelty/cool factor . .

Its owner said it was a fun thing to use but not all that accurate.

what purpose is it likely to serve? they all seem like the they are overly simplified for no particular reason. ergonomics seem poor.
Id personally start with a 10-22 chop it to 16inches and bullpup it in a lightweight stock.
would eventually end up as a glorified pistol that could be shoulder fired.
Illegal, yes. compact and extreamly handy, also yes.

I'd rather have a Kel Tec SU16 stowed away if I was flying over "hostile" territory. Light weight and doesn't take up much space, but has balls.

Originally Posted by Bill999

what purpose is it likely to serve? they all seem like the they are overly simplified for no particular reason. ergonomics seem poor.
Id personally start with a 10-22 chop it to 16inches and bullpup it in a lightweight stock.
would eventually end up as a glorified pistol that could be shoulder fired.
Illegal, yes. compact and extreamly handy, also yes.

Bill999, its going to sit in my pack as I fish the mid/upper Hawkes Bay and lower Wairarapa Rivers. Very handy to have.

ATM i use a model 7 and am interested in a lighter/less bulky alternative, -and have resisted using a 454 Cassall

what is the legality of a rimfire up there?. If only pistols were legal to hunt with. Itd save alot of pussyfooting around.

Bill, I doubt a rimfire is allowed on doc land without a permit.