Thread: Super light thinking

Originally Posted by Tentman

Now there are some interesting thoughts, my "classic" riles are not suppressed but I wouldn't think of leaving a suppressor off a modern superhighway. The suggestion of supressor + brake is very interesting, not something I've considered before.

I put one of DPT new screw on brake thing onto my DPT surpressor on my creedmore not to reduce recoil but muzzle jump it does a great job, while still reducing noise.
So I'm sure it will do wonders on a heavier caliber light weight rifle.

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If you are trying to reduce overall rifle weight by as much as you are able, then consider break open or falling block single shots. Bolt actions do tend to weigh a bit more as does the mag well (and the 3-5 extra rounds...) But going really light (getting well under 3kg) then you may want to reconsider the longer 500m range - If you drop to a 300m range then you can include lighter calibres like the ones based on the x39 case or similar. You can also reduce the size and weight of the scope as well.

Recoil when shooting a 308 that weighs in at 3kg is very close to shooting a 300win mag out of a normal 4kg gun........

Another point to consider is that when looking at carry weight, it iis easier to drop a kg or two from your pack rather than the rifle.. it all comes down to what you need to take versus what you want to carry....

Originally Posted by timattalon

If you are trying to reduce overall rifle weight by as much as you are able, then consider break open or falling block single shots. Bolt actions do tend to weigh a bit more as does the mag well (and the 3-5 extra rounds...) But going really light (getting well under 3kg) then you may want to reconsider the longer 500m range - If you drop to a 300m range then you can include lighter calibres like the ones based on the x39 case or similar. You can also reduce the size and weight of the scope as well.

Recoil when shooting a 308 that weighs in at 3kg is very close to shooting a 300win mag out of a normal 4kg gun........

Another point to consider is that when looking at carry weight, it iis easier to drop a kg or two from your pack rather than the rifle.. it all comes down to what you need to take versus what you want to carry....

Much as I'd like a K95 ( and I do have the poor man's version, in the form of a Thompson Centre Contender, plus other single shots) for a maximum use rifle I'm still a bolt action repeater guy . . . and yes pack weight, but even before that we won't discuss losing it from one's waistline, my wife's new years "target " for me to lose is eye watering!

Originally Posted by Tentman

Much as I'd like a K95 ( and I do have the poor man's version, in the form of a Thompson Centre Contender, plus other single shots) for a maximum use rifle I'm still a bolt action repeater guy . . . and yes pack weight, but even before that we won't discuss losing it from one's waistline, my wife's new years "target " for me to lose is eye watering!

Ooh. I feel a boot camp with akaroa1 coming on.
I once guided a German guy for a week tahr hunting in South Westland and he lost 8kgs

More than 1 kg per day.
Well fed
Just 15 hours a day of constant activity and very different from a working day

Have a look at 6arc

Kimber with 18" bbl in 308 shooting 165s and can see my shots hit with a optima 45 suppressor. They're bloody brilliant

Originally Posted by Tentman

Considerations for an optimun cartridge for a super light hunting rifle that would suit most NZ hunting scenarios:

Low recoil to enable one to spot ones own shots, and to keep the rifle pleasant to shoot

Have an extensive range of suitable projectiles available to give choice if the first options don't shoot

Have enough energy to ensure projectile performance/expansion up to 500M

Economical to feed

And what else?

22cm

Balance accounts for a lot. On the 6.5grendal in the Elude chassis and 12.5” barrel, I used the suppressor as a balance weight, removing and adding baffles till I was happy with it slightly weighted forward which made a massive difference in point ability while not sacrificing much in weight gain. It’s a bit noisy but not overly so and there’s no recoil to speak off. The other factor was my age, as I don’t hold the rifle as steady as I used to. Noticed it first with my 270 Mountain Rifle but had a spare barrelled action so just swapped out the pencil for the standard weight, chopped to 22” and made all the difference. Back to shooting offhand with confidence. Probably could have done the same thing by just adding a suppressor but I preferred this rifle uncluttered.
You’ve got lots of caliber options in the 22’s up to the 6-6.5 range but I second the 22cred choice. There’s a lot of talk about barrel life but realistically, it’s going to be a hunting rifle so can’t see you blowing through several thousand rounds.
Hope you go through with it, you’re no amateur and it’ll be a cool wee build.

Yup balance is a critical factor alright, and I suppose harder to adjust in a super light weight as the margins are very small.

I'll let you know how my kimber 6cm goes. I put it together for exactly what your thinking of, but i needed it short barrreled as i bush hunt alot as well as tops bush edge shooting to 500m (usually both in the same day).

My rifles data chart with 103gr eldx. It also shoots 108 eldm good, but they too explody in the bush.

Haha @Roarless20 My two current 6CMs both run 103s, I ve sucessfully shot the Eric Cortina "Ethical Hunter challenge" with the Bighorn/criterion combo and the $750 Ruger Predator shoots just as well, but they are both a bit heavy, they have only accounted for two deer as I havent been hunting much in the last year but cripes all the 6CM is is a "modern" 243 so it doesnt need to do anything more to qualify its pedigree. Between your recent build posts and a comment by @Gkp you guys are costing me money but it's great fun . . . as was this thread, I've learn quite a bit from it which I'll put into the build I have planned, the Criterion barrel will get a close shave and go into a Howa superlite action.

I'll incorporate several of the ideas this thread raised into the build details.

Very nice, But what aftermarket support do I need? Remember my byline.

I could do what I wish with a Howa and have a finished rifle at not much more than the cost of that action by the time I got it here.

The only thing that sucks about the superlite is the difficulty getting an alloy floorplate to replace the internal mag setup. There is one made now available in the states from a company called Oregon Smithing LLC but I haven't looked into the logistics of getting one here. Surely there's enough of them around now for some aftermarket parts to start becoming more obtainable

Originally Posted by Tentman

Considerations for an optimun cartridge for a super light hunting rifle that would suit most NZ hunting scenarios:

Low recoil to enable one to spot ones own shots, and to keep the rifle pleasant to shoot

Have an extensive range of suitable projectiles available to give choice if the first options don't shoot

Have enough velocityto ensure projectile performance/expansion up to 500M

Economical to feed

And what else?

Fixed


You had the dies for it already https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.nz/f15/6gt-110425/


Sufficiently low recoil to actually spot impacts precisely in a lightweight action is quite low recoil.


To be fair I 50% wish I'd built the 6GT as another .223