With the recent and current tend to light weight rifles, I though I would see what everyone was using in rifle weights.
The following link to Chuck Hawks detail observations on what is ideal weight, but these might be dated a bit now and not reflect the current trend to lighter rifles.
My 300 wsm A-bolt weighs in at 7.5 lbs. with scope. With that in mind, I do not shoot full bore 180 gr loads out of it. It just kicks too much with that loading. I choose instead to shoot 165 gr @3000 fps, and it is quite manageable then. The 300 win mag A-bolt that I have weighs 8.5 lbs and is much easier to shoot with the 180's. I have a Tikka t3 that weighs less than 7 lbs with scope in 3006 that isn't real pleasant to shoot with the heavy bullets either. I should mention I am 6'3" and 220 and in fairly good condition. Someone smaller would probably find my rifles unpleasant to shoot. I think the best deer sized rifle to have, of which I have 2, would be a 7mm08 with a nice 2x7 scope with a total weight of around 7 lbs. Pleasant enough to shoot and capable of taking deer out to 300 yards. The rifle is probably good at 400, but I an not going to try.
My rifles weigh any where from 4.5lbs (a TC carbine in 357max) to 16lb varmint rifles. My avg big game rifle weighs in around 8 to 8.5 lbs with my 416 tops at 10. After carrying my 416 around the 8 pounders seem light.
Posts: 19706 | Location: wis | Registered: 21 April 2001
I've had my rifles built with the idea of style and accuracy. I'm not really concerned with weight. I've hunted over some pretty bad ground and have never considered it necessity to have 3 or 4 pounds less to carry. If I get tired I can sling the rifle.
Here are a couple pictures of my two most favorite rifles. The first is a Moyer and McClausin .35 Whelen and the other is a Moyer and McClausin .405 Winchester built on a P-14 action. I don't know exactly how heavy they are, I believe they go around 10 lbs. each.
my sheep rifle is a .270 that weighs 5# 11 oz. with scope. I made it and would do some things different next time toshave another 3 or so ounces off. I am about to build a .243 for a guy that will weigh no more than 5# 2oz.
Posts: 2509 | Location: Kisatchie National Forest, LA | Registered: 20 October 2004
My lightest is a .280/M70/Leup. 2x7comp. @ 7.3# My heaviest is a .404/M70/Leup. 1.5x5 @ 10.5# Everything else comes in between 8.3# & 9#, anything heavier than that is too much for me to haul up & down the mountains after deer/elk all day.
Posts: 7752 | Location: kalif.,usa | Registered: 08 March 2001
The all up weight of my scoped guns runs like this Crossbow @ 11 lb.s .270 with muzzle brake 9.5 lb.s 7mm Mag beanfield gun with muzzle brake @12 lb.s .223 Varmint gun with bull brl. in composite @9 lb.s 70mm 08 Ti. light weight with muzzle brake about 6.5 lb.s I still trying to get some time with this one. For obvious reasons it is the hardest to shoot accurately.
Posts: 621 | Location: Commonwealth of Virginia | Registered: 06 September 2003
I have found the rifles under say 8 pounds are hard to shoot accurately. They bounce around with every beat of the heart. My rifle with few exceptions weight at least 8 pounds. Lawdog
Posts: 1254 | Location: Northern California | Registered: 22 December 2002
I like heavier, longer barreled rifles, 24" minimum. They weigh about 9lbs or so. My 'stand' guns are VSL and 6.5x20 scopes. I assume they weigh 11-12lbs. capt david
Posts: 655 | Location: South Texas | Registered: 11 January 2004
The back and hips kind of keep me from attempting anything like sheep and goat climbing so I see no use for the current trend towards lightweight rifles. I figure that if the shooter weighed less, his rifle could weigh more. My .375 weighs 9.25 scoped and empty. The .404, 10 even, empty. The Rigby 10.25 empty. I've never weighed the .318 but it seems really light, so I'd guess 7.5 empty. I'd not like a rifle any less than that. If I can't carry the thing, maybe I need more exercise.
Posts: 2690 | Location: Lakewood, CA. USA | Registered: 07 January 2001
I'm kinda like p dog shooter, T/C Carbine at the bottom and it goes up from there. Each according to application. I still hunt with "Short, Light and handy". It is a very strenuous form of hunting and my primary concern is light weight as accuracy inside of 30 yards is of little concern.
I don't mind humpin' the heavier stuff as required but the Zen Yoga thing in heavy cover isn't the place for that. Top end of my weight range in the current ensemble is around 10.5#.
It varies of course. I'm older now (67) so those heavy varmint rifles I own take their toll. Most of my standard caliber hunting rifles are about 7 lbs. The magnums run on average about 8 1/4 while I still have troubles geting my varmint rifles under 10 lbs. All of this is with scopes, and all are carry weights. My most accurate rifles are the ones I use at the bench, and they are also my heaviest, weighing between 12 and 14lbs., too damn heavy to lug around the woodchuck fields to be sure. I tried going the other route and bought a cute little Browning Micro-medallion in .308Win. It barely makes 6.0lbs., having a short, thin 20" barrel. It is brutal, kicking as bad as any magnum I own. I put a Pachmyer Decelerator pad on it to tame it some. Best wishes.
I had to walk two miles this weekend to get away from other hunters. Then I went up high, to the backside of hills were the deer were. Glad I didn't have a 9 lbs gun. Took a Rem 7 in .300 SAUM.
Whenever I read that someone doesn't care too much about 3 lbs, I assume that person doesn't hunt mountains or backpack much, which is fine.
Posts: 7580 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004
My Rem VS .308 weights somewhere around 12lbs. I use it for all my big game hunting here in Idaho. Heavy, long yes, but very steady, especially after an up hill climb. I dont mind the extra weight, it is very stable and easy to shoot. I always told my self, if Iam worried about a few pounds of rifle weight, then I should go to the gym and lose 10-20lbs. Now my wife uses a Win M70 Classic Compact in a .308, and boy is that one nice. Smaller framed people might have an issue with weight just like my wife. She really likes that M70.
Posts: 158 | Location: Grand View, Idaho | Registered: 13 October 2003
All his weights sound right to me. I have a .458 Win. that weights 9lbs. with scope. Ouch! I'm adding a mercury recoil reducer in the forearm and stock.
Posts: 426 | Location: Nevada | Registered: 14 July 2003
My lightest is a Rem classic in 300 Wby at 7 1/4,which was kind of brutal with max loads until I replaced the Remington/Goodyear/Marquis De Sade collaboration of a recoil pad, with a Limbsaver. Its now more comfortable to fire, than my Featherweight 270 WSM that wears a Decelerater(until I can replace it too). Heaviest is a 25.06 Sendero. I use the Butler Creek "stretchy" type slings on all of them and they seem to do a good job of releiving much of the shoulder jolt involved.
Posts: 236 | Location: Oregon | Registered: 16 October 2001
Quote: Whenever I read that someone doesn't care too much about 3 lbs, I assume that person doesn't hunt mountains or backpack much, which is fine.
Yeah, you got it. There was a day, back in my pre-arthritis youth when that was exactly the kind of hunting I doted on. Now . . . well, one of the things I like about Africa so much is that most of it is flat! At least in comparison with the Sierra Nevada.
Posts: 2690 | Location: Lakewood, CA. USA | Registered: 07 January 2001
I hear ya' AZWriter. I replaced most of my backpack gear last year, and my 3 day pack weight is now just under 20 lbs. My .300 Jarrett weighs 8.75 lbs scoped. I find this to be a good compromise between heft for stability, and carryability. I bought a Kimber Montana in .243 for a walking varmint rifle this summer. At the bench my first round of test loads yielded three shot groups that averaged .830, and at a lasered 265-274 yards I went four for five shots on groundhogs. It's a bit more difficult to hold steady than my 10.5 lb prairie dog gun, but it does the job it was intended for- an above timberline marmot gun- ideally. I'm going to lighter weight rifles. I have another Kimber in a 270 WSM on order.
Posts: 866 | Location: Western CO | Registered: 19 February 2004
Fewer doughnuts indeed! I used to feel as you do, but now I am on the wrong side of 40, and beginning to appreciate a lighter rifle. Of course, with age comes the experience to hold an ultra-light rifle steady enough not to need the extra weight for stability. Okay, truth is that my 8.75 lb rifle is steady enough to shoot well out to 500 yards and beyond, but the longest shot at big-game I've taken in the past 9 or ten years was a little over 300 yards. I can hold a super light rifle plenty steady enough for those ranges. Out here it is typical to hunt big-game at altitudes approaching 12,000', and I like to cover ground when I hunt, nearly always carrying a backpack. A light and accurate rifle fits my hunting style.
Posts: 866 | Location: Western CO | Registered: 19 February 2004
my tikka WH 338 WM blued synthetic, scoped weights in at about 7.5 lbs, shes no fun to shoot at the range but I think it will be tolerable in the field, i will find out this weekend I hope! I have it loaded with 200 gr NBT over 74 gr I4350, not sure the MV but it shoots MOA 3 shot groups if Im not slacking.
