A lot of guys these days deer hunt from a stand so gun weight is not much of a problem.Myself I like to hunt using Sharps rifles ,muzzle loaders and levers like the Winchester 1886 so carrying a heavy gun is a way of life for me .Like anything if you do it long enough you get use to it and it becomes second nature.Other advantages of a heavy rifle versus a light one is the heavy rifle is easier to get a steady hold from and doesn t make you flinch like shooting a stiff recoiling caliber in a light gun.The last one can affect your shooting for life if you subconsciously develop a flinch from doing this that stays with you even when not using large caliber guns
Heavy sporting rifles
- Thread starter Buckmastr
- Start date
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Having carried a 10 lb rifle for my first few years of hunting I have settled on 7.5-8lbs as a comfortable medium, I like a shorter heavy barrel so I’ll likely never have a light weight .30cal center fire option. I do enjoy the light rimfire or single shot 12g’s when wandering around for small game.
I've always felt that the comfortable rifle weight is relative to the weight and strength of the person carrying and shooting it. If you are 130 pounds soaked & wet, then maybe you want/need a 6 pound rifle. I'm 6'4" and 260 pounds, I don't need or want a rifle that light. Most of my hunting rifles are 7-8 pounds bare, they are all scoped, and with a full magazine, come in over 9 pounds... I have some a little lighter and some a little heavier, but I feel that 9(ish) pounds is a good place to be for heft and steadiness when shooting. As for carrying, I don't give a crap what the rifle weighs... a 12 or 13 pound rifle wouldn't bother me a bit lugging it around for the day... I took a 9 pound rifle goat hunting, and had zero issues with the weight, my pack weighed 65 pounds, so an extra pound or two in the rifle is no big deal... I think too much is made of the weight of hunting rifles... this race to featherweight rifles is counter productive to what the rifles are actually made for... which is shooting, not carrying. If you can't carry a couple extra pounds into the field to shoot the animal, how exactly do you intend on getting the carcass out?
A good hunting production rifle can be found from the mid to late 1980's. Known as the The Sako AV Hunter or Deluxe. Mostly produced in standard calibers. With scope mounted and loaded it will weigh 9.5 to 10 pounds. It does everything a good hunting rifle ought to do. Most common in 30-06 but they did make 25.06, 270, 280, 30-06, 7mmRM, 300WM, 338 WM and 375 H&H.
I have a Cooper 52 which came with aluminum bottom metal and light weight scope rings. I swapped these out for steel and added a steel scope rail. Now it weighs in at 10 lbs. To those who would say that’s too heavy to lug around all day I say « sit down and do some glassing (you can observe a lot by watching, eh), have lunch, relax. »
Btw, the aluminum bottom metal is for sale.
Btw, the aluminum bottom metal is for sale.
My thoughts are similar.
I also think part of the reason UL/LW rifles have a poor reputation as far as 'shoot ability', is that so few of them are well balanced. It's easier to find a medium/heavy sporter than is balanced for field shooting, than it is to find or build a ultralight with those characteristics.
When I was much younger and actually did physical work for a living a 10+lb pry-bar was nothing to pack around all day. Age and a slack a$$ job made me appreciate a lighter moosen tool. The lighter the better if you’re going to pack it all day for nothing, and when you do in theory you only need to shoot once.
This. - dan
Yeah, that's what you got from that, eh? Bragging about my size... not the point that in a conversation about rifle weight, the size and strength of the shooter is relevant to the subject? Me thinks he doth protest too much.
The hunters of the 1800s all carried heavy rifles when hunting for the most part.It all comes down to conditioning and staying fit and a lot of today’s hunters are far from fit that’s why some guys backsides rarely leaves the seat of their ATV.Another thing to consider is the rifles balance,a rifle that balances nice in the hand even if heavy is a joy to carry
Last edited:
dgradinaru
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- British Columbia
I carry 9-9.5 lb rifles on a regular even in the back country in the alpine. I shoot them better and the weight doesn't bother me at this stage in life.
A hunting book I have from 1974, recommends a hunters rifle should weigh 1/20th of the hunters own weight.
Interesting concept. 160 pound hunter = 8 pound rifle. 200 pound hunter = 10 pound rifle.
There are a lot of variables to consider though. Hunters fitness and strength, terrain hunted, style of hunting etc.
Interesting concept. 160 pound hunter = 8 pound rifle. 200 pound hunter = 10 pound rifle.
There are a lot of variables to consider though. Hunters fitness and strength, terrain hunted, style of hunting etc.
For the calibers I use i think around 8lbs is good(7.5 to 8.5 ish) it is still easy to carry and shoot and not so heavy that you wish you had something lighter!
My next rifle, the Bradshaw should be around 6.5-7 pounds with out scope so it should still be adequate!
My next rifle, the Bradshaw should be around 6.5-7 pounds with out scope so it should still be adequate!
...and have that rifle chambered in 7-08, ideal caliber for a teenage girl or the lil' wifey.
