I have a great Remington 700 in 30-06 and as a winter project I am putting it on a diet.

What are the best ways for a rifle to lose weight?

I have milled a slot in the bolt knob and a slot in the bolt handle now I'm cutting deep long helical slots in the bolt. I drilled the mag box full of holes but I won't do much more cutting. I also thought an aluminum shroud and firing pin would also shave some grams.

You are saving fractions of ounces but it will keep you off the streets and in your shop. Easiest way is lighter barrel contour and get a 1# stock. There are several synthetics that weigh a pound or even less.

tt; I wasn't trying to save weight, but I put a titanium firing pin in mine. You didn't say anything about the stock, are you thinking some kind of composite? FWIW --- John303.

I have the factory plastic and it tips the scales at just under three pounds. I know this can be improoved on.

One easy fix replace the 3# stock with a 1#. If you want to do the other stuff have at it. Stock and barrel are the majority of the weight in your rifle. Go after the big fish.

You could cut two inches off your existing barrel.

Get some dumbells and start curling 3 sets of 25 reps at 10 lbs every other day for a week. Work up 5 lbs per week 'til you get to 40 lbs. Then your rifle will feel like it weighs 1-2 lbs.

Buy or borrow a model 7 for comparison. Remington engineers shaved a lot of metal off to make it lighter. I believe they actually shortened the short action as well, but you could do everything but that. Lex Webernick, of Rifles Inc, does the most drastic weight reduction of model 700 actions that I know of. There are articles out there written about his work. Kifaru rifles also does a lot of weight reduction on the Rem actions. You might check there work out as well.

I strongly agree with Bobster. Do some weight training and strengthen your body and you will see why I comfortably hunt with varmint barrels on my rifles and they don't feel heavy at all.

Most synthetic stocks I am aware of are not in the 1 lb range.

Look in the Brownell's catalog at the weights.

The only 1 lb or less stock stock I am of is from Lone Wolf and while great stocks may not be what u r willing to spend.

The most economical light weight stock is the High Tech Specialties at 1.25 lbs and it is the only one I am aware of that breaks the 1.5 lbs mark.

The other way to lighten a 700 is go to an ADL configuration. Stock material is lighter weight than bottom metal.

I have never found much practical use in the field for the floor plate. A floor plate saves you about 30 seconds 3 or 4 times a day and that's about it.

I have never been in a hurry to unload my rifle yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobster:
Get some dumbells and start curling 3 sets of 25 reps at 10 lbs every other day for a week. Work up 5 lbs per week 'til you get to 40 lbs. Then your rifle will feel like it weighs 1-2 lbs.

Bob,Dwight

I lift 3 to 4 times a week and run 5 to 6 times per week. I can't go back to 40 lb per arm....the girls at the gym will laugh at me

Just do the best that you can so you will have many more years in the woods. Strength slips away pretty quick if you don't work to keep it.

quote:

Most synthetic stocks I am aware of are not in the 1 lb range.

Mike the three I have use are:
Brown Precision make a 1# Kevlar
High Tech per their website lists it at 23oz
MDI makes one 16-20ox 13-16oz and list one down to 9oz.

I'e used the top two and the 13-16oz MPI. All worked fine. Yes they are expensive but a way to cut a lot of weight. If his stock is 3# even a 2# stock would hlep greatly.

Down side is for a stock that light (except for high tech) you pay through the nose.

That was my next question...what stock?

quote:

That was my next question...what stock?

You looking for a finished or blank? The Brown Precision I had came on a rifle I bought. It was a factory completed stock. I've used both High Tech and MPI blanks. The High Tech will take a LOT LESS work. I have not seen either of their finished stocks.

This is one of my High Techs

This is an MPI ]

Mike's got it right; the Lone Wolf Summit XL is among the lightest around at 15 oz finished (maybe 16 depending on what pad treatment is used).

I have a dim memory of someone posting that NULA may be marketing a drop-in version of their stock for the Rem 700. If that's the case it is also a good option.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobster:
Get some dumbells and start curling 3 sets of 25 reps at 10 lbs every other day for a week. Work up 5 lbs per week 'til you get to 40 lbs. Then your rifle will feel like it weighs 1-2 lbs.

I agree as well.

Also, don't underestimate the "balance and handling" of the rifle. I have a Ruger 375 H&H Mag, 10 pounds plus the scope and ammo (and heavier recoil pad,etc). Probably comes in at 12 pounds fully loaded and ready to go.

I'd much rather carry this rifle all day than my Remington Sendero 300 RUM with a bull barrel, varmint stock, and 2 " muzzle braker. The Remington weights probably a 1.5" less, but the Ruger has a shorter barrel (23" vs 26"+2") and this balances better.

I am going to take my Sendero, though, and go to a lighter barrel profile and a lighter profile HS Precision stock - and lose the muzzle brake as well.

I can assure you my physical ability is not the reason I want a lighter rifle.

As my post above reads...I lift 3 to 4 times a week and run 5 to 6 days a week.

I want a lighter rifle because…I do

It happens every time. Anytime a thread is started regarding lightening up a rifle, someone has to say just exercise instead. Of course fitness is important, but believe it or not, lightening up a rifle was the subject of this thread. Some people like light rifles, even if they are in good shape. I personally like rifles about 8 lbs, but to each their own.

By the way, eat some broccoli.

I have a Match Grade Arms and you can look at his website to get some real good ideas, or send your rifle to him and get the alterations done. My model 700 in 375 H&H is right at 7lbs with his glass stock, 3x9 Nikon scope w/ a 24" bbl plus a 2" brake attached. Even with that, I could had shed another 1/2 lb with his even lighter stock of kelvar/graphite. He has some pretty good weight reducing ideas for sure.

quote:

I have a Match Grade Arms

When I talked to them years ago they were using MPI stocks. Don't have a clue what they are using now.

Sell it and buy a Kimber 84L?

Change to a 308 - long to short action

Buy a titanium M700 - action weighs nothing

Buy a Mcmillan Edge tech mountain rifle stock - lovely slim and light stock

ADL - saves weight and money.

You will end up with a beautiful rifle that weighs about 6.5lbs with a scope. They you will use a heavier one because you can't hold your light one steady.

Don't ask me how I know this!

We first need to know a lot more info from you before we can give you good data and advice. Soa few questions first:

where exactly are you going with this? lightest weight possible Alpine rifle, lighten a hiking deer rifle, lighten a deer stand rifle, or...?

do you have a target weight in mind?

if not, what are you starting with?

are you willing to go with a new stock/barrel/action/scope?

How much are you willing to spend?

we cannot give you specific advice until we know these answers, plus additional details you can give us.

Some general weight savings tips:

You can search for pics of a 5# 11oz .270. There might even be pics of a 5# 2oz .243. the .270 is my primary hunting rifle these days. You can see soem of the things I did to save weight

You need to mill and turn off the extra metal. Actions have WAY more metal on them than is required for safe firing. Not that it is bad they are this way, just saying you need to get to work turning and milling.

A Ti action will save you a lot.

scope/rings/bases REALLY matter. Gentry or S&K are overwhelmingly my base/ring combo for lightweights. For max weight savings a Leupold COmpact is the way to go. A Swarovski 3-9 or 10 is the best scope for a little more weight that i have personally found.

You have to go with the Lone Wolf carbon fiber stock if you want the lightest stock. They look different but feel very good when used if all sorts of field positions.

if you are rebarreling, put a deeply fluted #2 Shilen countour or else go with whatever Lilja calls their #0 (or soemthing like that) contour. Both of these give you the weight shift you need for balancing.

look at what the guy at Kifaru and see what hedid to a Model 7. not saying to do it like he did, but it will give you some ideas.

lastly, ignore all of the lame people who say lose weight/get stronger. they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. These are people who read soemthing in a magazine and they think they will sound cute if they parrott it. I can't beleive people still say that after all of these years. It was cute the first time it was written decades ago. It just becomes more lame every time it gets repeated, showing that the posters are not only doing a poor rip off of a joke that have been told every day for decades, but they are also letting us know they have not been on backpack hunts in real mountains. I have yet to see a fat man on top of a sheep mountain, nor have I ever talked to anyone who lived off of what they carried who wished they had a heavier gun to lug around. Losing a pound of gun weight is significant. It has nothing to do with conditioning.

Plus you told people you lift and do cardio, and that smae old lame joke gets repeated anyway. Can you tell it is a pet peave of mine?

Oh, yes, the goal is to do things that shave off fractions of ounces. You do a lot of those little things to save full ounces. The full ounces add up to pounds. Shave off every fraction of an ounce that you can.

You really do need to study your current barrel or the new one if this is a rebarrell. A true fly-weight rifle can be steady as a rock to hold in every field position. And i am talking about hafter long humps up slopes breathing air a hell of a lot thinner than you used to. It is all about balance. If you have a factory barrel that shoots and is the caliber you want, then flute the hell out of it

Oh, since I am on a pet peave rant this morning, after we can hopefully retire the "lose weight/get stronger" bullshit lame response, can we next please once and forever kill the even more lame response "those things are worthless/unsafe/out of style/etc, so send it to me and i will take care of it/throw it away for you." Is their a single person over the age of 5 that thinks that is even remotely cute after seeing/hearing every day for a couple of decades?

OK, pet peave rants are turned off for the day.

Hey, one last thing. you can buy decent postal scales pretty cheap. I would advise picking one up and doing before/after weights of things that you mill/turn/drill/file on. Just some good data to help others out. I wrote down several weights like that and damn near every one of them had been a post on AR with someone wanting to know actual weights of all of the components.

Far from an expert but I have gone this route and will offer my experiences. Carryinhg a rifle is as much about balance as it is about weight. Cutting your barrel if its 30 cal and standard contour will save approx 1.5 oz for 2 inches. The best way is to buy a lightter stock. I have a standard bdl and bought a 700 mtn rifle. Cant hold it steady. Its muzzle light. Decided I like a very slightly muzzel heavy rifle, without two much weight. As a result my rifles have light stocks, in remington I use their classic stock pattern, which weighs two lbs or slightly less if you get a light one, and I focus also on a light scope and mounts. generally a leupold 2x7 or 2.5x8 or even a 1.5x5. Also the steel one piece mounts weigh close to 8 oz. weaver two piece rings and bases weigh 3.5 oz. Talley lightweights even less. One final point is bedding the rifle which adds weight. I dont do my own bedding but the last pillar bedding job I had done he used steel pillars instead of aluminum and he added a lot of glass. The total bedding job added 5.5 oz. Just too much for a lighweight rifle. Enquire before you do it. Most gunsmiths have one way of doing things and dont want to change. My gunsmith although he does excellent work builds a lot of benchrest rifles and doesnt worry about weight. Hope this helps.

FWIW my M700 ADL 30-06 weighs 7 lb 2 oz including sling and scope. How light are you trying to go? Mine is in a custom kevlar stock, no metal work has been done, has a Leupold 2-7 Ultralight in Weaver mounts and the sling is 2 in wide nylon web. Very comfortable to shoot or carry all day long. Trimming oz off of a rifle is like adding knots to an airplane, it can get very expensive for very little return.

Don't load it...every one knows that a loaded Remington 700 is dangerous and will probably go off if you put the safety on and pull the trigger!