Well we have a shop here in Houston that builds ultra lites and he will cut weight off of just about anything. Except the 98 and the Ruger MkII. The easiest way I've found to lighten the 98 is to replace the trigger guard. You can go with an aftermarket aluminum. Or if you have the option what I do is get a lightweight kevlar stock and build it wilh a blind magazine. Use a Rem ADL trigger guard. With scope your finished rifle can be in the 7-7.5# range depending on the barrel.
Posts: 12881 | Location: Mexico, MO | Registered: 02 April 2001
The best alternative is to use a small ring action such as the G33-40...Skelatonizing the bottom metal and such stuff is a waste of time in my book...Making rifles light is just an interresting toy to play with, actually has no basis in reality..One can shave off 6 oz.'s but hell I carry that much change in my pocket.
If you take care of the ounces, the pounds will take care of themselves. The only safe way to remove weight is to take it from "noncritical" places. You will find it very hard to lose much more than the 6 ozs. like Ray said. Swiss cheese the mag box, grind the rear receiver ring to the correct contour, hollow bolt handle, holes in the bolt handle, slots in the side of the receiver, holes in the firing pin(need a stiffer spring then),contour the trigger guard, remove the tab from the bolt release. A lot of time for 6-8ozs. A smaller contour barrel, and a lightweight stock, and alloy rings and bases instead of steel. Look at the whole package not just the action.
[This message has been edited by DuaneinND (edited 08-20-2001).]
It depends on what caliber, and how light you wish to go. I have a .308 Winchester with a very light 19.5 inch barrel on a Lawson Mounaineer thumbhole stock. Scope is a 4x Leupold Compact. Magzine capacity, 4 rounds, just barely. Action was a 1912 Steyr Mauser, made in Austria. I used Weaver bases and rings to help keep weight down. With sling attached, the whole package weighs just five pounds even, and no metal was removed from the action other than removal of the clip feed guides. It can be done. This rifle will put five rounds, using 165 gr. Speer hot cores into 1.25 inches all day long. Recoil from the bench is more tha tolerable and in offhand position, hardly noticable. Paul B.
Posts: 2814 | Location: Tucson AZ USA | Registered: 11 May 2001
The intention is to build a -relatively- lightweight .257 Rbts. It won't be a superlight weight, as I'm using a wood stock. The suggestion of aluminum bottom metal is a good one. A small ring action would make sense, but what I have is a large ring! Basically, I want to build something that would be easily handled by smaller statured folks. Case in point-My wife has a Rem 7400 in .243.. Loves the caliber, hates the rifle. It must weight 9 pounds with scope and sling.
Basically, I want to build something that would be easily handled by smaller statured folks. Case in point-My wife has a Rem 7400 in .243.. Loves the caliber, hates the rifle. It must weight 9 pounds with scope and sling.
