Thread: How heavy should a hunting rifle be?

I have found a very cool old wood and blued rifle that I want to buy for my first centrefire. It's a 30-06 and weighs about 3.6kg bare.
Every one of my mates that I've sent it to has the opinion of "too big calibre and rifle too heavy"
Do I need new mates, or are they right? I have decent legs and thought I'd be alright with a heavier older rifle? This post is not about the calibre, it's about rifle weight.

My first hunting rifle was a 308 zastava spec says 3.6kg bare. Was choppped and suppressed. So maybe ~3.4kg bare with shorter barrel.
Was soft on recoil and nice to shoot offhand. Not to heavy at all but definitely heavier than modern guns

went to a tikka 308. Nicer to carry but noticeable increase in recoil.
Had a carbon 260 and actually going back to wood stock as its stupid light and while its nice to carry a heavier gun isn't the end of the world.

My only comment would be what are you hunting and have you shot larger center fires? 3006 can be too much for people, especially beginners.

308 or 7mm08, 6.5cm would be better for ammo availability.

Have a look at different recoil energy as the weight reduces the recoil.
Plug in some numbers:

https://shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php

Originally Posted by Brad S

I have found a very cool old wood and blued rifle that I want to buy for my first centrefire. It's a 30-06 and weighs about 3.6kg bare.
Every one of my mates that I've sent it to has the opinion of "too big calibre and rifle too heavy"
Do I need new mates, or are they right? I have decent legs and thought I'd be alright with a heavier older rifle? This post is not about the calibre, it's about rifle weight.

You haven't given enough information for anyone to give you much advice.

What sort of hunting are you planning to do?
Bush bashing? Long walks up & down mountains?
Short trips in and out?
What are you planning to hunt? At what range?

Basically it will be you carrying the rifle.
How far can you reasonable carry it?
Is it to unwieldy for the hunting you're going to do?

You answer those questions and then you've answered your original question.

Opinions from mates are their views not yours and are like rectums - everyone has one but you don't have to listen to it.

Good luck and good hunting.

Light is nice but by no means essential.
My 223rem weighs 4.2kgs ready to shoot and I've carried that all over the place and I am by no means a Sherpa. A bit of heft in a more powerful cartridge can be a good thing too, when it comes to shooting it.

Yeah, I have been a bit vague. A bit of a silly post probably. I'm going to buy it anyway and find out.
I'm not doing multi-day hikes with this rifle, probably mostly day trips. I'm not experienced so max range 100-200m, probably less.
I will hunt anything that has tasty meat.
Super light stuff seems to be trendy, I'm not a trendy person though haha

Pretty open ended question as it really depends what you want to do with it. Easy short walks, farm hunts etc or long carry’s and big trips in the hills. Then it comes down to how much that bothers you. Personally for me it would be a touch heavy for any of my more serious hunting trips. But you might not mind.

I should've searched this before posting. This subject has been beaten to death on here many times it seems. Apologies

Originally Posted by Brad S

I should've searched this before posting. This subject has been beaten to death on here many times it seems. Apologies

No need for apologies, regardless of whether its been beaten to death in the past, a lot of us still enjoy reading the posts and offering advice. A Sako, with a 3-10 sounds about bloody ideal to me. And then chambered in 30-06 and i would say you have a lifetime rifle right there. Look forward to another post from you telling us you have it in your hot little hands, and how it shoots.

Originally Posted by Husky1600#2

No need for apologies, regardless of whether its been beaten to death in the past, a lot of us still enjoy reading the posts and offering advice. A Sako, with a 3-10 sounds about bloody ideal to me. And then chambered in 30-06 and i would say you have a lifetime rifle right there. Look forward to another post from you telling us you have it in your hot little hands, and how it shoots.

Thank you. I have not yet laid my hands on either the scope or the rifle. Will definitely post an update. Can't wait.

nah, it's always good to go over. same as pack weight.

for myself, i used to carry a bergara b14hmr which, by the time i had a scope, bipod and sling, was damn near 7kg all up. I loved that damn rifle, between it's sheer mass and a muzzle brake it kicked like a .22, you could use it to hold a tarp down in the wind, and it was so solid that it was basically unbreakable.

nowdays I carry an extreme hunter, which clocks in at about 4kg carry weight. less pleasant to shoot prone or seated but way nicer to carry up hills or shoot offhand.

Originally Posted by 16Tontovarish

nah, it's always good to go over. same as pack weight.

for myself, i used to carry a bergara b14hmr which, by the time i had a scope, bipod and sling, was damn near 7kg all up. I loved that damn rifle, between it's sheer mass and a muzzle brake it kicked like a .22, you could use it to hold a tarp down in the wind, and it was so solid that it was basically unbreakable.

nowdays I carry an extreme hunter, which clocks in at about 4kg carry weight. less pleasant to shoot prone or seated but way nicer to carry up hills or shoot offhand.

I've got an HMR they are great rifles, but whoever came up with the "H" is either an optimist or a masochist

To the OP I say go for it. 30.06 is a great round and heavy rifles are character building

Search function can be spotty so don't worry about it mate.

I was in a similar boat to you not long ago and everybody on here steered me right.

The best advice I got was not to stress about it! If you love to hunt and shoot it won't be the last rifle you buy. And until you try a few you won't know any better.

Motivation is different for everyone but it does help if you love your tools. If it shoots and handles as good as it looks then you'll forgive a bit of weight.

shit 7kg!
I am thinking specifically of a finnbear L61R. I have a z3 3-10 (360grams) for it, and it won't have a suppressor because i'd feel bad chopping those open sights, even if it is a 24" barrel. A bit of bailing twine for a sling weighs bugger all, and I think I will use a pack instead of a bipod. It should be about 4kg all up I think, if the google specs are correct for rifle and scope weight.
Actually a better question to ask is has someone thought of a way to protect hearing while hunting with an unsuppressed rifle??

Originally Posted by Brad S

Actually a better question to ask is has someone thought of a way to protect hearing while hunting with an unsuppressed rifle??

I can recommend the below, but at $1700 for a set they're not cheap:

https://soundgear.com/collections/cu...custom-product

Of course you can then use them for all your shooting sports (e.g. shotgun), not just hunting with a rifle.

The only thing you can do better with a light rifle is carry it.

The important part is always better with a heavier than light gun.