Heavy Rifles

depends on your hunting style.spot and stalk maybe if not long hikes and not steep.for mountain hunting i will say no.most guys try for 6-7 pounds for that kind of hunting.if from blind or stand where you just sit and wait it will work.
 
Sitting in a stand, it ain't too bad.
Having it slung on your shoulder all day = you'll soon be in the gunshop looking for a new rifle.
Hunting in the mountains = you'll seriously hurt your chances with a rifle that heavy no matter who you are. More weight means less ground covered.
 
ryanshaw44 said:
ITs a 300wm, more for long range hunting. I wasnt intended for hunting sheep for 10 days at a time
Click to expand...

Try it, long range hunting is usually walking to a spot and waiting. You'll learn pretty quick whether you think it's too hard. I've taken a pretty heavy rig to a long range spot, 2 hour walk I just put it into the pack and it's no big deal. On a sling on the shoulder it would get old pretty quick.
 
If you are planning on putting any miles on, no. My varmint rifle is a heavy #####, and even though I shoot from a fixed position - it's still a pain in the ass to lug in and out.

I'd sooner have to eat some recoil than work harder than I have to.
 
I hunted in Africa with a 12 pound double rifle, and while it wasn't arduous, with much walking in more heat and greater elevations than I was used to, it was distinctly enough. What determines if your rifle is too heavy is your physical prowess and level of heath, your style of hunting, and where you hunt. If you were to attempt a 10 day Dall sheep hunt above the tree line, you might find an 8 pound rifle more than enough, but if you are driving a 4X4 across the prairie in southern Alberta, a 20 pound rifle wouldn't be any burden at all. If you hunt moose from a canoe, the weight of the rifle doesn't have much relevance, but it sure does if you have to pack it across wet muskeg. Determine what your hunting conditions will be, and pick the appropriate tool for the job.
 
I've used a 17 pound .338 Edge for hunting. The heavy long range guns have their one use, but when considering general hunting conditions they are a disadvantage for most of it. Its not so much the carrying weight, it's that these pigs have the handleing characteristics of a railroad tie. My 17 pound Edge got replaced by a feathery 14 pound version that still allows one to spot his own hits.

The way I work with the weight is to hunt with 2 rifles. One for carrying and 1 for shooting. Another way is to hunt with my kids, who are still at the age where they hunt at arms length. They always get every easy, short, normal shot by default.

Some guys have packs for the heavy rifles. So far I've got by with the sling, or more often an over the shoulder African carry. Mountains, forests or swamps don't factor into the equation.
 
I have a 15+ lb target rifle that I find even heavy to carry from the truck to my shooting location.

I'd never want to carry a rifle that heavy for any extended distance. (and for that matter it would be still too heavy to whip out a truck window if you're road hunting)
 
You can use what ever you want. For me personally it is not the burden of carrying a heavy rifle it's the ability to make the shot when needed.

15 lbs it to heavy to take quick field shots so it's no good for general hunting. 15lbs is great if your going to lay it down on sand bags in a comfy stand with a heater and good chair and have to make a 500 yrd shot on a big buck.
 
If you actually hunt, it will be way too heavy. If you just ride around in stuff all the time until you see something to shoot at, it won't matter.
 
I have an anchor of a 300WM that I use. Built for target and hunting but came out much heavier than I expected, robably closer to 20 pounds. I have carried it for over 4 hours at a time and it was cumbersome. But I mostly use it from a blind to cover a lot of terrain along a field near a river valley, and for that it works well enough.

I defiantely wouldnt want to take it up and down the mountain for goats or sheep, but Id much rather shoot it than another rifle when I was up there.

An eberlestock backpack may be what is needed to cope with the extra weight, but id rather have a sling over my shoulder when in the thicker brush in the dark or near the river around spawning season.
 
Do you plan on hunting elephants ;) ?

Seriously 15lbs is twice the weight of what I consider to be the perfect weight for a hunting rifle (7.5lbs)!
The maximum acceptable weight for a "normal" hunting rifle is around 9-10lbs but heavier weight is sometimes required (dangerous big game and long range hunting).

Alex
 
15lbs is very heavy for a .300 Win Mag. I've used, and still use, rifles in the 9 to 9.5lb range. IMO you don't need a rifle that is that heavy, even for long range work. A fine example is Eagleye's .308 Norma built by Bill Leeper. I bet it is under 9lbs ready to go and his groups are under 1/2" at 200 yards! How much more accuracy can you use? What does the extra 6 lbs give you?
 
Well, I had the rifle built with a 1.25" 25"long bull barrel, and it ended up being quite a bit heavier than I intended. First time I had something built so I didnt know any better. My other go-to rifle has been problematic so Ive been using the "anchor" which is more fun than recoil to shoot :)

As far as the difference between a 8 or 9 lb rifle being too heavy to carry around the bush all day, do any of you actually shoot game and get out it out of the bush? Or do you take it out in individually wrapped steaks and roasts? Same goes to the quip about them only being for truck hunters.

I gotta say if your perspective is that 9 or 10 lbs is too heavy to carry, and that 10+ pound rifles are for truck hunters, am I talking to as bunch of little people on here? Any of you drag a buck out of the bush by yourself before or have to get a moose or elk in the back of a pickup with a friend? Im pretty sure the last game Ive moved was more than 10 pounds...
 
cody c said:
Well, I had the rifle built with a 1.25" 25"long bull barrel, and it ended up being quite a bit heavier than I intended. First time I had something built so I didnt know any better. My other go-to rifle has been problematic so Ive been using the "anchor" which is more fun than recoil to shoot :)

As far as the difference between a 8 or 9 lb rifle being too heavy to carry around the bush all day, do any of you actually shoot game and get out it out of the bush? Or do you take it out in individually wrapped steaks and roasts? Same goes to the quip about them only being for truck hunters.

I gotta say if your perspective is that 9 or 10 lbs is too heavy to carry, and that 10+ pound rifles are for truck hunters, am I talking to as bunch of little people on here? Any of you drag a buck out of the bush by yourself before or have to get a moose or elk in the back of a pickup with a friend? Im pretty sure the last game Ive moved was more than 10 pounds...
Click to expand...

I'd like to see you take a 200 yard off-hand shot with your 20lb rifle at a Mulie in the alpine after a quick 500 foot elevation gain that you had to make to get into position.

Or any number of other possibilities in real hunting conditions.

The point is not whether you are able to carry such a rifle around, but rather do the advantages of such a heavy rifle outweigh the disadvantages. I think that anyone who has actually hunted will anwser a resounding "no".

Like I asked before - what advantage does such a rifle offer over a rifle such as Eagleye's .308 Norma?

Edit:

Here are some pictures of Eagleye's performance with his .308 Norma - stolen from another thread:

180gr TTSX
308NormaMagGroups006.jpg


168gr TTSX
308NormaMagGroups004.jpg
 
10+ lbs if fine for .458s and up but not over 11. I personally don't like my guns too light and my light Deer guns (270,338) are 8 1/4 lbs. Don't see what dragging game has to do with the weight of your rifle. A heavy gun is a boat anchor when dragging long distances.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom