Its one thing to get out of your truck and walk 15 min and hunt. Weight of a gun doesnt really matter. Its another to pack in at high elevations or pack meat in a frame pack etc.

I've saw a buddy of mine throw all his bullets for his hand gun away and everything else that wasnt tied down to lighten the load packing a Caribou in Alaska once, I thought he as going to throw the Pistol away too. The next yr he bought an ultralite rifle and ultalite everything else, backpack hunts can get hard.

1894MK2
The importance of rifle weight varies with person and hunting style/conditions.
As I am getting older I tend to gravitate towards lighter rifles. Loaded with scope, sling, cartridges I like around 71/2-8 lbs.
Balance point just ahead of the floorplate.
I do walk a lot, also in my forest terrain you are likely to jump a bedded moose or elk/deer.
My 10-50 yard shot is a often a snapshot on a moving animal, shotgun style almost. Not very often do you get a shot at an animal standing broadside staring at you. You need to carry your rifle at "ready position", if not, you will be lumped with birdwatchers as non-consumptive users of wildlife. Soo.......it is important to match the tool to the job at hand. I weigh 168 lbs, 5feet 11inch tall do power-Yoga to stay in shape and will be 65 in June.. My rifle needs are probably different then say from a 22 year old burly marine in top fighting condition.
Sooo...........it all depends. Do you walk, climb mountains for sheep/goats or hunt from your vehicle spotting game and then go for little stalks or...........do you shoot your game right from the truck? Or.........do you sneak along gametrails in forests, to surprise a sleeping moose? Well, whatever.
All those varying hunting styles and conditions besides the persons stamina and build, demand different rifle dimensions/weights.
In my view the large variety of rifles dimensions on the market are there to satisfy needs of the hunting public. And I am glad for it. What it gives us, is what we all cherish so much, namely choice.

I also have several rifles in different weights. My favorite and one that will always be in my hands or my safe, is a 375 H&H that weighs in at 7.4 pounds with scope, sling and empty magazine. My 404 and 416 Rigby weigh in at a shade over 10 lbs. I love them all. We hunted the top of Sleepy Cat mountain in CO about 12K if I remember correctly. I carried a big 300 winnie at about 10lbs. My son was using my 7 pound 30-06. When he gave out late in the week and stayed in camp to help with a sick fellow hunter, I was relieved to be carrying the 30-06.

Cariboo, very nice rifle & an excellant choice of cart.

When you climb an elk mt.every ounce counts.I hunted on foot over 110 miles last fall mostly up hill, it seems, and rifle wt. makes a difference. I started out with a 9lb 300 win. but my 375win was a welcome change for a few days...P

I pondered long and hard what to rebarrel it to. As in my hunting area grizzly bears are starting to become a bit of a concern I wanted something with a bit more clout than the '06 if needed. I considered both the .35 Whelen and the .338-06. After much research and talk with people who shot both cartridges the 338 version was picked and I could not be more pleased. I went with a 24" barrel to both provide a bit more velocity and also to provide a bit more weight out front for shooting off-hand. I now have a rifle that weighs in at 7 1/2 pounds scoped, holds 5 rounds in the magazine and launches a 225 grain bullet at 2750 fps.[/QUOTE]

This is one of the niche markets that the new 325 WSM is for. The Kimber Montana will weigh 7.3 lbs with a scope and shoot a 220 gr bullet at about 2900 fps.

I don't like light rifles at all!

Most of my big game hunting has been in Africa, and the rifle I use weighs 9 pounds with a full magazine and a Leupold 2.5-8x scope - 375/404.

I have carried it for many hours in the African heat, where the temprature stays above 100 degrees most of the time.

The longest I have carried it in one day was 13 hours. I felt tired at the end of the day, but I am not sure that I would have been less tired if I had a slightly lighter rifle.

You're also not carrying 25lbs on your back eigther.

Chuck

I think what Chuck meant to say is that we'd love to see a Canadian DVD out with you and Walter !! North American hunting, as you know, does differ in that some of the hunts are backpack only and in very rugged terrain.

Sincerely, we'd love to welcome you to hunt Canada- we have great game and mixed bag hunts for Sheep, Goat, Moose, Grizzly and Caribou- possibly elk and deer thrown in for an extended 21-28 day stay.

Let me know if you'd be interested- nothing like having a few fellow Canadians point you in the right direction.

My point was, that hunting situations vary a great deal.

I'm not a lightweight fan eigther and most of my rifles weigh in at right around that 9lb mark.

Chuck

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:
You're also not carrying 25lbs on your back eigther.

Chuck

Chuck, my lunch weighs more than that!


Your right,
The reason I am pro light weight rifle is for the reason of carrying a heavy pack. If it were not for that, I would carry a 'normal weight' gun.
When you are carring your camp & grub on your back, then add a boned out sheep, head, cape on top of it. the weight and *SIZE* of your pack gets extreme. Then, with this load, try and negotiate loose rock(shale too bolders) on very steep ground. Add frequent rain and snow to make things even more treacherous.
It is a matter of safety. I know of Sheep Hunters who have left thier rifle behind!

My light weight sheep rifle is light enough that I can use it as a walking stick in one hand for many hours at a time. I can tie it in my pack and if it shifts, it does not throw me off ballance.

Comparing this sort of hunting with any other is comparing apples to oranges.

In mountains that are not rugged or flat land hunts, it is not necessary for a light weight rifle.

I carried enough hunters 9lb+ rifles as well as my own, up and down a mountain to be pro light weight rifle.

If I ever get the chance to hunt Africa or some ground that is a little more forgiving, I have a safe full of 9 lb. rilfes to use.



Daryl

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
I know I only hunt in England where I am at most a couple of hours from my car but I am amazed at the current obsession around rifle weight that I see around here.

I have found to my cost that serious hunting requires something that soaks up heartbeat, breathing in the field positions that come with big game hunting.

When the going gets tough I break out my 9lb bolt and leave the 7lb Blaser and 8lb Sako at home - why? Because allthough I may feel slightly uncomfortable after 3 hours, the moment a buck that I HAVE to shoot appears at 250yards requiring a standing shot the discomfort is replaced by a sight picture I find difficult to reproduce at half the range with the lighter rifles (which by the way have excellent stocks, triggers and balance)

It is fun to use a lightweight rifle and the engineering that goes into them can be exquisite but I don't think that anyone with a trophy animal in the scope ever thinks 'If only my rifle was lighter'

Which seeing as the WSMs are lighter and shorter (and hence less muzzle heavy) makes me wonder what field performance will be like....

I believe that the "lightweight" obsession with American hunters has much to do with what they read on gun magazines. In reality, those who would need lightweight firearms the most would be sheep hunters and those who walk long distances. So we have a group of hunters who would really benefit from lightweight guns, but the majority hunt from stationary positions (stand, blind, etc., ride ATV's, RV's, and trucks to the hunt areas where weight is not of importance.

Then there is another group of hunters who hunt various game where dangerous game exists, and who use large caliber guns. Now, i would like to see a hunter shoot a 5-pound .577 Nitro!

Sooo, in my view, lots of American hunters spend time hunting through the eyes of gun writers. Perhaps we would be much cheaper to loose a couple of pounds from our waistline than from a rifle?

Light guns are only light one way into the woods. When you are packing out elk quarters by yourself, a two pound difference in your gun won't matter. I packed out my mulie on one trip last year, 3 miles from my truck. I deboned it, strapped my gun to my pack and starting walking. It sucked and a lighter gun wouldn't have mattered.

I just bought a rugerM77 compact in .308 winchester with a leupold vari-x 2 x 7 it weights in at 6 pounds 6 oz i cant wait to carry this rifle around . Rifle season in NY starts as early as Oct. and doesn't end till Dec. I think i'll even carry it all winter for coyotes.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcatcher223:
... strapped my gun to my pack and starting walking. It sucked and a lighter gun wouldn't have mattered.

You don't want to do that in Grizzly country. To me, a light gun is an advantage in this situation cuz the gun will be in my hand, not on my pack. And two extra pounds in your hand is very noticible when you have 85 to 100 lbs on your back!

Cheers,
Canuck

Like allen,I carry my .300 Win Mag around the hills of Idaho and after an all dayer it starts getting heavier towards the evening.I have a 45-70 Guide Gun that one can carry all day and night if he wanted to at 7lbs but it just don't shoot as far as the scoped .300.My son is 6ft 4" and 240 and he hates the .300 because he says it is to heavy yet weights are nothing for him and he is strong..No endurance though.

Love the kids and all his broot force (as he calls it) comes in mighty handy when you have an Elk down where you can't get Horses or ATV's.Them quarters are getting heavy.

Jayco

Best line of the year for 2004 was from Customstox. We were climbing a ridge while deer hunting in Idaho when he dead panned "Maybe it would help if I got rid of the brown M&M's in the bag in my pack"
I almost fell down the mountain.

Jeff