Is rifle weight as big of a concern on Asian sheep/ibex hunts as it is on a back country hunt? See plenty of "sheep rifle" threads and lightweight weight is a common theme, however, they usually focus on hunting North American sheep where you'll be carrying in a backpack worth of items in addition to your rifle. Seems that in Asia, all you will carry is your rifle.

For those that have hunted Asian sheep an ibex, what did your rifle weigh and was it a factor you were as concerned about compared to a back-country sheep hunt in the US (where you had a pack to carry as well)?

I've used the same gun on backpack hunts,horse hunts and Asian ibex hunts.Most asian hunts your packing the gun over shoulder on the pony.I give my pack to one of the many"guides" that go along with their hand out.My model 70 264 win mag,with 9 shells in the stock sleeve,3x9 scope,sling,weighs 11 pounds.Biggest factor I shoot with confidence.Same gun for 31 years ,changed to a thumbhole stock a while back.I'm 65 years old and seeing the mtns are higher that they used to be.

Rather than rifle weight I feel the greater factor should be taking a rifle that you are competent with, confident with and shoots flat enough with authority for those longer shots at elevation that are not uncommon in Asia or other alpine environments. Such a rifle could be either a specialty lightweight or something more substantial that is not stupidly heavy. My view is formed from hunting in NZ, BC - Canada, USA - Idaho and Turkey chasing alpine species largely on foot, even if primarily accessing the actual hunting grounds by horseback, helicopter or 4WD vehicle.
I think your question is logical in that you will have more rifle weight leeway if that's all you carry all day long but most hunters will also carry some additional weight with a backpack containing a few essentials and it can be surprising how quickly total weight builds up with these items that individually seem to weigh nothing.
And rifle weight leeway would apply if you spend most of the hunt time on horseback but usually at some point country needs to be traversed on foot and the further the distance the more any weight carried works against you, especially in one's senior years and at unfamiliar altitudes. In my case I like the hiking and always have and have done several hunts entirely by hiking. As a younger man I could tolerate hill hiking with bulky, heavy gear but age brought greater wisdom and spending power thankfully and over time I consciously upgraded all equipment to achieve both higher quality and considerable weight saving, including the rifles I now use on alpine hunts.
My comments really apply to my preferred hunting style and experience and in that context I decided weights mattered to the extent that I set up with lighter rifles. It's worked for me. As they say, YMMV.

One should be far more concerned about ones own weight then the rifles weight.

PD is right. That said the mountains in Mongolia where I hunted were not steep and not a lot of vegetation or loose rock. Then again I was 40 yrs old.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
One should be far more concerned about ones own weight then the rifles weight.

Ah yes - the age old muddy statement. Bad thinking.
Weight is cumulative, not compensatory. Weight in your rifle is additional to weight on your gut. It adds to the load and doesn't offset it.

Being too lazy to lose gut, doesn't justify an unduly heavy rifle. Similarly, having a featherweight rifle doesn't get one off the hook for losing the gut.

A couple of extra pounds in a rifle being carried in your hands all day, will be far more burdensome than the same weight in your pack.

30.06 King has summed it up pretty well for me.

With what's available to us now in the way of things like carbon fibre stocks and alloy mounts, it is possible to have a rifle with a reasonably substantial 24" barrel and a little weight forward, and still stay around, or a little under, 8lb with glass. Add a little extra weight and a little more barrel length for mountain suitable magnum cal. I find such a setup easier to shoot well than rifles a couple of pounds lighter. The little extra barrel weight is more forgiving of a lapse in technique.

I carried a 9.5lb rifle on my first thar hunt, and swore never again.

BTW - I don't have a gut, but I am a lightweight, which makes weight proportionately more burdensome for me than for bigger people.

I do a lot of backpack hunting here in North America as well as horseback. Have been to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and New Zealand as well hunting mountain game.
I use a Remington 700 in 7mm rem mag. Standard profile barrel with a 3-9x40mm scope. I haven't weighed it but I would not consider it either a heavyweight or lightweight rig.
The really lightweight guns seem nice to carry, but don't seem to settle in as nice when it comes time to shoot. I have also had owners of these ultralight guns tell me that they will become quite inaccurate after 3 shots in quick succession.

Buy a Christian Arms rifle. Weigh little, dont recoil much, and look great.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:
Is rifle weight as big of a concern on Asian sheep/ibex hunts as it is on a back country hunt? See plenty of "sheep rifle" threads and lightweight weight is a common theme, however, they usually focus on hunting North American sheep where you'll be carrying in a backpack worth of items in addition to your rifle. Seems that in Asia, all you will carry is your rifle.

For those that have hunted Asian sheep an ibex, what did your rifle weigh and was it a factor you were as concerned about compared to a back-country sheep hunt in the US (where you had a pack to carry as well)?

I do backpack sheep hunts DIY in Alaska. I've also hunted MP and ibex in Kyrgyzstan. I used my light weight (7.25lbs loaded) sheep rifle for all of it. That said you likely aren't going to backpack so far that I'd worry about 1-2lbs on most Asian hunts from my experience and speaking to friends. Especially so if you shoot the gun well or better because it's heavier. One exception might be some of the Russian snow sheep hunts. Some of them sound like some legit hiking/backpack hunting affairs. Most of the others seem to have a fair amount of vehicle, horse, or human transporting your gear support.

Brett

quote:

One should be far more concerned about ones own weight then the rifles weight.

OMG. That is too funny! Thank you PD Shooter!

Ski+3
Whitefish, MT

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
One should be far more concerned about ones own weight then the rifles weight.

Unless you're already skinny. It's cheaper and easier to lose 10 lbs of fat than buy another rifle that weighs 1 Lbs less than the one that you have.