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I haven't finalized my purchase yet am looking for some experienced opinions from guys who have done mountain hunting or walking all day. x-bolt pro 300 win mag has 26" light sporter fluted barrel and weighs in at 6lbs 9 oz bare rifle. Rifle balances very nice. x-bolt pro long range 300 win mag has 26" heavy sporter fluted barrel and weighs in at 7lbs 8 oz bare rifle. Rifle is barrel heavy. My intended use is mountain elk hunting. When just carrying the rifle in glassing scouting mode the rifle will be carried centered in the middle of my backpack which keeps weight on hips. When in hunting mode I'm planing on putting it on my shoulder using a sling that will put some weight on hips and some on shoulder. I'm not going to be using the muzzle break. So the heavier the better for this. I'm planning on shooting out to 600 yards and I'm concerned about the barrel whip and accuracy on light sporter barrel. Is that extra pound going to really add up at the end of the day considering how I'm carrying it? Opinions please. Thanks, Adams | ||
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That depends on your age and how well you have conditioned yourself for the hunt. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. | |||
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I'm 55. Walking a couple miles a day right now. Will get that extended to 4 miles a day this summer. | |||
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I have found that: 1) on extended wilderness trips, I never wished for a heavier rifle 2) Rifles are carried a lot and shot a little 3) You never notice recoil during field shooting 4) You can always wear a pad at the range 5) It is much easier to add weight to a gun then to take it off a gun. Heavier scope and mounts, cartridge holder on the stock etc. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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You will shoot the heavier rifle more accurately in the field. | |||
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My thought is you will shoot the more accurate rifle more accurately in the field. Establish accuracy by practicing your shooting with either handloaded or compatible factory ammo until you can confidently place your shots to the limits of your ability. Other factors excluded I don't know that barrel whip is such a deal breaker as all barrels, light or heavy, whip to some degree. A compatible load causes relatively consistent whip which is a single component of the accurate shot. You are right also to build your physical strength for wilderness hunting although, for me at least, 4 mile hikes would be pretty minimal to insufficient. My routine is 14 km ( 8 mile ) hikes, up and down hill, wearing a 9.50 kg ( 20 lbs ) weight vest and 1 kg ( 2.2 lbs ) weights on each ankle. Does wonders for me. Hunting.... it's not everything, it's the only thing. | |||
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If you are walking 4 miles a day, 5 days a week at a brisk clip you will be in fine shape. Last month or so start throwing on your day pay pack. Also try to find some hills or high school stadium steps to throw in. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Thanks for the replies. I think you confirmed my initial plan. I know I'm second guessing myself. But you're first gut instinct usually is the right choice so I'm going to stick with the lighter rifle. I do have a 7* grade hill a 100 yards from my house so plan on spending some time there this summer. | |||
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I find that muzzle heavy rifles are easier for me to shoot well if I am the least bid winded. Surely there are more experienced elk hunters around, but I have taken over 40 elk over the years. Mostly the elk were taken at elevations over 10,000 feet with an 8.25 pound (bare) 300 Win Mag with a 26" tube. Years ago I joined the lightweight rifle club and used some light wands like the Forbes. They always felt like feathers at the beginning of the day and felt just as heavy as any other rifle by day's end. The biggest trouble was that I just did not shoot them particularly well when I was fatigued or stressed. | |||
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A light rifle could be converted to a more-barrel-heavy one by adding a bi-pod later. I have a lightweight bi-pod on my 270 WSM now and it adds steadiness on off-hand shots. As to fitness, do what you can beforehand but don't wear yourself out on the first day or two of the hunt, esp. because you are probably hunting much higher than you live at home. | |||
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I'm thinking that I will add a lightweight bi-pod. Going with the heavier rifle might make a bi-pod undo-able. Something I wasn't taking into consideration. | |||
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Carry the bipod in your daypack; if you need, it will have time to dig it out. If 300 or less, you either don't need it or need to practice more. | |||
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That would be a gamble to assume you would have time to day pack a bipod. Losing an animal because of that would be a shame story to tell.  | |||
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