Heavy European rifles

Rob

Rob

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Why are the new European rifles so heavy? I know that a few always were (e.g. Schultz and Larson) but many more were svelte, light and handy (e.g. Mannlicher-Schoenauer, early Sako and HVA, most Oberndorf Mauser Sporting Carbines.) Lately I had a look at the current Steyr Mannlicher fullstock carbine that is advertised as being an heir to the original M-S Model 1903 (that weighed 6.5 lb.). Even with a short 20 in. barrel, the Steyr-Mannlicher weighs 7.5 lb without a scope or rings. The lightest alloy rings and a compact scope will still add at least 1 lb. to that weight...more likely 1.5 lb. That takes you up to 9 lb. unloaded. And this is their compact carbine. Presumambly their full length rifles are even heavier. Likewise the current Sako Bavarian fullstock. That Sako is heavy and handles like a log. I know stand hunting is overwhelmingly popular in Europe and many European hunters don't have to lug their rifles anywhere, but it is not just carried weight, it is also a matter of handling. Upland game shotgunners and sportbike riders will understand.
 
Rob said:
Why are the new European rifles so heavy? I know that a few always were (e.g. Schultz and Larson) but many more were svelte, light and handy (e.g. Mannlicher-Schoenauer, early Sako and HVA, most Oberndorf Mauser Sporting Carbines.) Lately I had a look at the current Steyr Mannlicher fullstock carbine that is advertised as being an heir to the original M-S Model 1903 (that weighed 6.5 lb.). Even with a short 20 in. barrel, the Steyr-Mannlicher weighs 7.5 lb without a scope or rings. The lightest alloy rings and a compact scope will still add at least 1 lb. to that weight...more likely 1.5 lb. That takes you up to 9 lb. unloaded. And this is their compact carbine. Presumambly their full length rifles are even heavier. Likewise the current Sako Bavarian fullstock. That Sako is heavy and handles like a log. I know stand hunting is overwhelmingly popular in Europe and many European hunters don't have to lug their rifles anywhere, but it is not just carried weight, it is also a matter of handling. Upland game shotgunners and sportbike riders will understand.
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European rifles have to be optioned a certain way. You have to remember these are brands that use to be more of a custom gun maker.

The steyr SM12 or CLII can be ordered in lightweight version with shorter fluted barrel, etc or go to a steyr scout

The other problem is Canadian importers, when I ordered my light weight Sauer, it took almost 2 years before I got it. In Europe it was available on the shelf.
 
Heavy rifles, my kind of rifle. Many Europeans hunt on stand or on driven hunts, for the most part, they don't mind the heavy rifles.
 
And they throw a 50 mm objective 30 mm tube and silencer on these guns too.

Maybe partially to do with the amount of rounds fired in some battue situations as well as stand hunting

Their single shots go the other way, svelte
 
conor_90 said:
And they throw a 50 mm objective 30 mm tube and silencer on these guns too.

Maybe partially to do with the amount of rounds fired in some battue situations as well as stand hunting

Their single shots go the other way, svelte
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I like svelte European single shots. But they are real "less is more" rifles: less rifle and a lot more money.
 
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conor_90 said:
And they throw a 50 mm objective 30 mm tube and silencer on these guns too.

Maybe partially to do with the amount of rounds fired in some battue situations as well as stand hunting

Their single shots go the other way, svelte
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they do not use 50mm in battue at least not when i hunted ...
 
I have a Sako Bavarian full stock Carbine that is a pleasure to carry. Never found it to be heavy but quite comparable to most hunting rifles.

I also have another Bavarian in 375H&H that was much too light to manage the recoil. Crazy accurate for a medium bore with any weight of bullet but was unpleasant to shoulder. Had to drop it into a laminate American style sporter to increase the weight.

Despite the trend towards lightweight rifles here in North America, I find most of the mainstay brands and models to be quite heavy.
 
My Sako 85 Black Bear weighed 7.26 lbs without a scope, with a scope added about a pound. It was a good, balanced rifle. The Lee Enfield No 4 weighs 8.8 lbs.
 
medvedqc said:
they do not use 50mm in battue at least not when i hunted ...
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I was thinking of heavy rifles in general not the optic. 50mm for stalking and stuff we can’t do in Canada at night right?

Weird to see k95 and blaser kipplaufs online with massive scopes on them. More than a few with red dots though
 
I have this Mauser 66 stutzen which weighs 6.75 lbs

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conor_90 said:
I was thinking of heavy rifles in general not the optic. 50mm for stalking and stuff we can’t do in Canada at night right?

Weird to see k95 and blaser kipplaufs online with massive scopes on them. More than a few with red dots though
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yes but you do not use a 50mm for stalking either lol ... the hunting at night is a specialized things where you use specific tool: i had a 7x50 for that task many were laughing as it had no red point and not a 56mm objective but the pigs on the other side were not laughing at all ... today getting older and being wise i will have a red dot on a scope for that task for sure.
243 was the caliber of flavor for it and i used a 9.3x62 ... i do think a 308 will be perfect for that task.
 
They don't put much value on superlight rifles, that's a craze that's strictly North American, it has little to do with how much or little they have to carry them. Most Europeans don't have a safe or two full of guns, they have a few that they use and that's it. One thing I'll add is that obesity isn't normally a thing with most European hunters, so that's a factor.
 
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