Looking over the Sako Finlight and the Remington Titanuim. I see that, yes, they are trim little rifles, but not really all that short.

The Seven youth series are nice, but only go up to .308 and I was looking for a 300WSM or SAUM.

The Seven Magnum series are another 3" longer @ 41.25", ok better ballistics.

The Titanuim is 42 1/4" and 41 5/8" @ 5.5lb. and it's not offered in my of the mags.

The Tikka T3 light is 44" long in the Mag, I'll assume the .300WSM is made on the Mag action.

The Sako Finlight is the beefiest of the series, 43" long and 7lbs.

It would be a few year years before the Kimber Montana will be availiable here so I'll have to rule that one out.

One possibility might be to have a Titanium reamed to .300WSM but would the action be strong enough?

I want a magnum cartridge because I may(hopefully) take this rifle out for a brown bear and definatly moose, the accaisional big boar...

Can anyone offer any other suggestions?

EXPRESS
I am a big fan of short light rifles. As I have stated previously I really like the Rem Mod 7 in 308. However it is no Magnum. I do have a SAKO Handy Rifle in 375 H&H. Sort of a Mod 7 on steroids, 20" bbl with a McMillian fiberglass stock, this was a factory rifle. I really like it too. However a light rifle in a long range magnum caliber deserves a longer bbl, for the extra velocity that makes a lomg range magnum a long range magnum. I have not found even a 26 inch bbl to be a handicap in the kind of country you need a long range magnum in. Although double rifles are shorter than bolt rifles my 28" bbl 450 No2 has not caused me any problems in the thick.
I would want at least a 24" bbl with any magnum I was using for long range. As long as the rifle is light,which means the proper scope and mounts too, I would not worry about a few extra inches.
Check out the Mod 7 in 300SAUM. A good scope would be a 1" 3x9 Ziess or a 2.5x8 Leupold.

Hey Joe, check out Mel Forbes' Ultra Light Arms website. Very light, can be ordered with a 20" barrel. Extremely well made. - Dan

Just measured my Encore 26" barrel in 300 win mag 40 1/2", 24" barrel 300 wsm only 38 1/2"
stainless&composite

pic of 24" in 243
www.jsi-guns-hunting-firearms.com

[ 11-16-2003, 22:35: Message edited by: southern utah ]

It's easy to shorten a barrel. That seems to be the way to go. For a handy rifle however I find that just a light weight and the correct (not too long) LOP is the way to go.

My buddy and I just compared our lightweights at the camp. He has had a Ruger Ultra Light for a while in .308. As you know that Ruger has a 20" barrel. Now I have a couple of Kimber 84M's with the 22" barrel and both rifles seem to balance well. If given a choice of barrel lengths in those rifles I prefer 22".

Of course if I were 6'3" then I could carry the 20" rifle with one hand held muzzle down while others were watching like he does. I see no other advantage to the short barrel.

What did you hear about the Kimber 8400 Montana's? I hope it does not take years.

Like short rifles? Like ability to travel with rifle easily? Like the option of a lot of standard calibers (not only short action calibers. Like option of switch barrel? Like great accuracy right out of the box?? Get a Blaser R93!

An R93 with a 25.5" barrel is still about 1" shorter than a regular Mauser with a 22" barrel. A short M700 action will save you, maybe 0.5-1.0"?? An R93 with a 22" barrel will save you about 4" of length compared to a regular (long action) rifle with a 22" barrel.

No particular need to get only short action calibers, unless they take your fancy. In terms of length of firearm, they offer no advantage in the R93. I.e. if barrel lengths are equal, a .300 Win Mag will be same length as a .300 WSM.

Take the rifle apart in about 30 seconds, travel with it inside your duffle bag. Get switch barrels for caliber options (.338 WM for brown bear and pigs, .243 for roe and fallow, say). I happen to like the one with a synthetic stock the best, also the cheapest. Your mileage may vary. Not for lovers of traditional rifles with hand fitting and steel only, I'm afraid.

- mike

Hmm looks like I'd overlooked the Blasers.

Ugly as they are (in my opinion) they are a very high quality product.

I'm not concerned with looks here, so this may be the answer I was after.

Not short barreled, but a gun smith can rectify that;

for light weight, the Weatherby Ultra Lights are pretty interesting. I am normally not a Weatherby fan, based on I think they are overpriced etc. However, this rifle did get my attention, especially in 338/06.

good luck on your quest.

I can second mho's statements on the Blaser's. They are currently my bolt rifle of choice. Not quite as short or light as the Mod 7 Rem, but they feel and handle very good, with an excellent scope mounting system.
I have 4 different caliber bbls [plus a 28ga. bbl]
and they all shoot very well.
You do not lose zero when changing bbls.
With bbls form 223 to 416 RMag you can hunt everything.

Short handy with decent barrel lenght single shots make great hunting guns. My ruger no.1 with a 22 in barrel is the same lenght as a 94 win. witn a 20 inch barrel. I preffer longer barrels to cut down on the muzzle blast. I own a 7mm mau and a 06 with 18 inch or less barrels. I hardly hunt with them any more because of the noise.

The Ruger #1A light sporter in 30-06 is an awesome rifle, and beautiful too (to second the motion made by p dog shooter). Now, if Ruger only made it in 35 Whelen....(C'mon Ruger!!!).

How about the Remington model 673 in 350 Rem Mag? It's relatively light, and 350 mag hits like a Whelen.

Of course, if you have LOTS of money, I might sell you my old model Ruger 77 in 35 Whelen...

Big Redhead
Doing better now that I got my buck.

Now if single shots are allowed (nothing shorter than a single shot!), then don't overlook the Blaser K95. Functionally, it is way out there ahead of the Rugers - in particular in terms of safety and out of the box accuracy. In addition to that, the K95 takes down without tools in about 20 seconds (better than the R93), wide choice of switch barrels available. GREAT for travel! Not my first choice for a wilderness hunt, maybe.

That said, I still think the Ruger #1 is one great looking rifle. Friend of mine has an "International" (I think it is called - i.e. full stock) with a 20" barrel. Short and sweet as anything! Not too keen on the safety, otherwise a great rifle.
- mike

I too like short,light rifles for mountain deer and elk hunting. Keep in mind the "mags" need longer barrels for correct burning of powders. Which is the main reason I opted for the .30-06 and sold the 7 rem mag. I do most of my hunting in timber and the longer mag was always catching on branches and was heavy. So after selling the mag (sold the heavy varible scope as well)I got a Win Model 70 in .30-06, purchased a light fixed 4x Nikon Monarch scope, Tally alum rings, and installed a Branser stock. Much lighter and shorter. In short, start with a light rifle of your choice that is not a mag and keep the weight down with light optics.

How about the Browning BLR Lightweight 81? In 300 WSM caliber, it is 41-3/8 inches long and weighs 6 lb 12 oz. They run around $600 in my neighborhood. Myself, I want one in 358 Win. Granted, the new aluminum-receiver ones look a little "pregnant" compared to the older steel ones, but they look okay. Detachable box magazine too. It's another option to consider.

Dang it, there are so many swell rifles out there that I want to own, but I can't afford them all. I have owned many, just not many at once. I trade/sell them to experience others. A few have stuck. A few I have owned more than once. Almost all I wish I had kept. A few I should have bought but didn't. Such are my gun habits.

Live well

What about the Remington 673 Guide Rifle in .350RM?