ready to hunt rifle weight.

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regulate34

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I looking to see what your rifle weight is ready to hunt?
scope/sling/full ammo.

i put a rifle together for the wife. She thinks it’s heavy. i think it’s average and she needs tuffin-up lol.

it’s a savage 16 7-08 22” bbl
leupold 4-12x40 with alumina caps
leupold backcountry mounts
slogan outdoors rubber sling.

8lb 14oz with a loaded mag

it’s an average amongst my scoped rifles.

what do you think. should i buy her a Kimber/Christensen arms or gym membership.

😂
 
I don't like to carry anything over 7.5 pounds. Doesn't matter what it's chambered in. After 7.5 it starts to feel heavy after a while (I hunt in BC and it's always spot and stock)

One day I'm going to build myself a sub 5 pound rifle with the scope.

Although I will say my current favorite rifle is 8.25 pounds scoped and loaded so it's not that I don't carry them I just prefer a lighter rifle if I'm walking more than shooting
 
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Depends……

My wife runs a .270 Win REM 700, 22” bbl and a shortened Boyd’s laminate stock.
It runs 8 lbs 15 oz with 4 rounds and a 3-9x 3200 Bushnell. She often runs a short Harris bipod on it which adds a full pound extra, she like it to tame the recoil a bit.(reduced load 130’s @2820)

If the weight goes down the recoil goes up, I’ll wager your Mrs won’t care for that either.
 
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Evanguy said:
I don't like to carry anything over 7.5 pounds. Doesn't matter what it's chambered in. After 7.5 it starts to feel heavy after a while (I hunt in BC and it's always spot and stock)

One day I'm going to build myself a sub 5 pound rifle with the scope.

Although I will say my current favorite rifle is 8.25 pounds scoped and loaded so it's not that I don't carry them I just prefer a lighter rifle if I'm walking more than shooting
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i just don’t feel the weight i suppose. it’s more if the weight is sitting comfortably. i tried lot of slings to find somthing that hold in place.
 
I think 8lbs is average, I prefer nothing above but I do have a few that are above the 8lbs marks and they don’t really care much unless I’m in the real mountains then it is my Merkel k5 at 6.5lbs ready to roll!
 
regulate34 said:
i just don’t feel the weight i suppose. it’s more if the weight is sitting comfortably. i tried lot of slings to find somthing that hold in place.
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That's realistically what I need to do. None of my rifles but one(1 of 44)have a sling on them and that includes my shotguns. I always carry in hand and on mountain hunts I often use the butt if my rifle as a walking stick.(No round in the chamber of course)I've wanted one of the kifaru gun bearers for a while now to try out since my pack is a 60L kifaru. I always sacrifice comfort, weight and items way too often. I'm always too basic/barebones.
 
Evanguy said:
That's realistically what I need to do. None of my rifles but one(1 of 44)have a sling on them and that includes my shotguns. I always carry in hand and on mountain hunts I often use the butt if my rifle as a walking stick.(No round in the chamber of course)I've wanted one of the kifaru gun bearers for a while now to try out since my pack is a 60L kifaru. I always sacrifice comfort, weight and items way too often. I'm always too basic/barebones.
Click to expand...

Evanguy said:
That's realistically what I need to do. None of my rifles but one(1 of 44)have a sling on them and that includes my shotguns. I always carry in hand and on mountain hunts I often use the butt if my rifle as a walking stick.(No round in the chamber of course)I've wanted one of the kifaru gun bearers for a while now to try out since my pack is a 60L kifaru. I always sacrifice comfort, weight and items way too often. I'm always too basic/barebones.
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have a look at the https://www.sloganoutdoors.com/slings/p/mag

i bought 2 magnum slings and a regular one.

they are great. don’t shift at all.
 
The .30'06 I just finished weighs 9 lbs, and I think it's too heavy. I've been packing it all week on a moose hunt, and I'm wishing it had a featherweight barrel. There's more to it than just 'toughin' up, or getting fit. I don't carry my rifle slung, it stays in my hands ready to go, and at the end of the day it just starts to drag you down.
If I bother going for deer, I'll probably take a nice, light 30-30.
 
9lbs all in would be the top of the range for me, save a few exceptions like my .375s.

I think my preference is around 7.5-8lbs if any reasonable amount of walking is involved but I still want a rifle that can be be shot easily off hand.

I have a few that go under 6lbs scoped, maybe a bit over with sling and ammo. They're a joy to carry, but a bit of a chore to shoot well.
 
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Evanguy said:
I don't like to carry anything over 7.5 pounds. Doesn't matter what it's chambered in. After 7.5 it starts to feel heavy after a while.
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diemaco said:
9lbs all in would be the top of the range for me, save a few exceptions like my .375s.

I think my preference is around 7.5-8lbs if any reasonable amount of walking is involved but I still want a rifle that can be be shot easily off hand.

I have a few that go under 6lbs scoped, maybe a bit over with sling and ammo. They're a joy to carry, but a bit of a chore to shoot well.
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+1 on both of these points.

My current setups are just over 7lbs (by my scale). I don’t use a sling, but have Spartan UL Bipods adapters on them.

- 700 Mtn 30-06 22” bbl w/a Leupold VX IIIi 2.5-10x40
- M77 UL 270Win 20” bbl w/a Leupold FX III 4x
- Weatherby VG2 .300WBY w/a Bushnell Elite 4200 3.4-10x40 (no longer have this one)

The .300WBY was just at 8.5lbs and is the top of my range for Magnum Cals, but it balanced well and carried decently. At some point the Mtn will get a diet via a Wildcat Stock, I’m gonna hazard somewhere around 6.8’ish lbs when thats done The Ruger UL will stay as is given its a super clean original tang’er and Rugers recent announcement.

Somewhere in the multitude of UL/Backcountry/Moutan Rifle & Sheep rifle build threads I have saved on here, the consensus is 7-8.5lbs is the sweet spot for those of us that are or move around a lot. That weight range borders both LW and Average weight setups, not UL (5.5-6/7) and not into the 8.5-10lb I need to hire a Guide to carry this thing either.

These days I tend to look at being around 7.5Lbs max all in, so in the LW’ish category.

YMMV
 
9.3mauser said:
The .30'06 I just finished weighs 9 lbs, and I think it's too heavy. I've been packing it all week on a moose hunt, and I'm wishing it had a featherweight barrel. There's more to it than just 'toughin' up, or getting fit. I don't carry my rifle slung, it stays in my hands ready to go, and at the end of the day it just starts to drag you down.
If I bother going for deer, I'll probably take a nice, light 30-30.
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i use to carry my gun in hand as well. found it exhausting and changing positions all the time. good sling fixed that.
 
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regulate34 said:
I looking to see what your rifle weight is ready to hunt?
scope/sling/full ammo.

i put a rifle together for the wife. She thinks it’s heavy. i think it’s average and she needs tuffin-up lol.

it’s a savage 16 7-08 22” bbl
leupold 4-12x40 with alumina caps
leupold backcountry mounts
slogan outdoors rubber sling.

8lb 14oz with a loaded mag

it’s an average amongst my scoped rifles.

what do you think. should i buy her a Kimber/Christensen arms or gym membership.

😂
Click to expand...
I am not sure that absolute weight, as shown on a scale, makes much difference - but balance and stock fit does - many moons ago, I set up a Remington 788 in 243 Win for my wife to use - 22" barrel was too long - rifle was too "front heavy" for her to hold - so that barrel was cut off to circa 19". I mounted an older Weaver K3 scope on it - weaver "low" mounts, as I recall. Then the butt stock was too long for her to aim well - so that got shortened. Then the hand grip area was too fat for her hand - trigger finger placement on the trigger - so that area got slimmed down. Fully epoxy bedded from rear action tang to tip of the forearm. She got her one and only mule deer with a single shot. Some years later, our son got his first whitetail with the same set-up. Some years after that, our daughter got her first whitetail with that rifle, but it had a 22" 308 Win barrel by then. At some point, I mounted a Leupold 2-7 power variable - the rifle was last seen off to wife's brother on Vancouver Island - perhaps 10 years ago.

The "test" that I used for rifle fit for standing off hand shooting - wear your hunting duds - with both eyes open, look at potential target. Close both eyes - mount the rifle to be "aimed" at the potential target - open eyes - the cross hair should be near to the potential target - no fussing to move head back and forth to find "view" - if too far up/down/left or right, then alter the stock (or alter your grip). If "black" in scope view, then move scope forward or rearward as needed.
 
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boxhitch said:
Been married long? you can't argue her point and you won't change her mind and you'll go nuts trying to pacify her
maybe just keep buying until she finds one she can handle, for the win-win
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It would be better to buy/build what She wants.
I can see from the ops post there are but a couple of weight saving options.
Get a different Leupold Scope and ditch the Aluma caps for starters.
But, hey at least he has his S/O out there with him in the woods.
Rob
 
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