How much weight is too much weight ?
- Thread starter Snowboy
- Start date
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
That's a personal question!
It depends on HOW you hunt, WHERE you hunt, and your own personal tolerances.
If you walk 500 yards to a stand or a blind across flat land, then a big heavy gun isn't a problem.
Other end of the spectrum is backpacking a full day up into the mountains and setting up a spike camp to hunt. In that case I'd like a very light weight rifle.
Much of the time I find myself going through steep coulees flanking the milk river, or out in the mountains in very steep terrain. I'll hike all day sometimes and cover 25km or more. I like light rifles. I don't have the $$ to get a custom-built rifle weighing less than 6 lbs scoped [but that would be nice] but I do have several rifles that come in under 7.5 lbs scoped. Those are about right for me. When the gun gets about 8.5 lbs with scope, then I'm not too keen on it.
Lots of guys pack around rifles weighing over 10 lbs and are perfectly pleased with them, even if they are covering a lot of country on foot.
Like I said... it's personal.
It depends on HOW you hunt, WHERE you hunt, and your own personal tolerances.
If you walk 500 yards to a stand or a blind across flat land, then a big heavy gun isn't a problem.
Other end of the spectrum is backpacking a full day up into the mountains and setting up a spike camp to hunt. In that case I'd like a very light weight rifle.
Much of the time I find myself going through steep coulees flanking the milk river, or out in the mountains in very steep terrain. I'll hike all day sometimes and cover 25km or more. I like light rifles. I don't have the $$ to get a custom-built rifle weighing less than 6 lbs scoped [but that would be nice] but I do have several rifles that come in under 7.5 lbs scoped. Those are about right for me. When the gun gets about 8.5 lbs with scope, then I'm not too keen on it.
Lots of guys pack around rifles weighing over 10 lbs and are perfectly pleased with them, even if they are covering a lot of country on foot.
Like I said... it's personal.
If you aren't going to be doing much walking and plan on doing a lot of stand hunting, fixed-position stuff, then a bull barrel isn't going to matter much. In my younger days (20s) I actually carried a 700VS in .308 hunting moose in Newfoundland (my home province). With scope and sling it weighed a good 12-13lbs and by the end of the day tramping the bogs and barrens I felt every single one of them. As much as I loved that rifle, I eventually made the switch to a custom BDL that was much more hunt friendly. However, if you're young, strong and in good shape and don't mind carrying the extra poiunds of the heavy bbl. Remington, have at it. For most hunting situations, you're only going to be firing 1-2 shots, so the bull barrel/heavy barrel really doesn't add any extra accuracy or advantage to the equation. Good luck with it, whatever your decision, as Milspec 5R is really a nice rifle no matter what. 
From experience with heavy .22s and ultralight .308s, I'd say that the average weight and size of a rifle at 7-7.5 pounds and 42" overall is an act of evolution. Standard hunting rifles are the ideal compromise between portability, ease of shooting, noise levels and stamina in average terrain for average people. The standard hunting rifles are the Honda Accords of rifle-dom. Most else is tailoring compromises to your specific conditions.
If people can sweat their bags off with 12 pound guns all day in Africa, then why not a 10 pound .308? Your muscles and your happy hunting grounds will tell you if it fits.
If people can sweat their bags off with 12 pound guns all day in Africa, then why not a 10 pound .308? Your muscles and your happy hunting grounds will tell you if it fits.
For a rifle to carry all day while walking, why carry more weight than you have to? If you already had a heavy-ish rifle, I can see that, but if buying a new one, why not a lighter one?
I would rather carry a M70 featherweight than an 5R...
I would rather carry a M70 featherweight than an 5R...
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
Carry that rifle for 5-10Km everyday , those 10 pounds will be gone by the end of the season anyways
I won't hike but I might walk 5-10 kms with it hunting moose or deer
maybe I should lose 10 pounds or more to compensate for the rifle
thanks for your advice
SB
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I've hunted with the 5r and it wasn't that bad. Think about what a soldier carries around all day. We've got it pretty easy when it comes to firearms.
Instead of shedding pounds on the rifle... lose the spare tire (if you have one like me) and do some walking in the off season. It'll be more beneficial all around. I even toss on my day pack when I go for the evening walk with the dog... makes it feel like it's not even there during hunting season.
Instead of shedding pounds on the rifle... lose the spare tire (if you have one like me) and do some walking in the off season. It'll be more beneficial all around. I even toss on my day pack when I go for the evening walk with the dog... makes it feel like it's not even there during hunting season.
- Location
- Eastern Edge of the Foothills
The weight of the rifle does sap ones energy during a long day, and the loss of a half pound there and there on the gun, to me, makes a big difference. But more importantly the weight of the rifle makes for sore shoulders a lot more quickly. With a 9 pound gun I find I'm switching the sling from shoulder to shoulder a lot more often, and by the end of a several day hunting trip my shoulders are quite stiff and tired. With my lighter mountain rifles I don't get that.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
As long as you're not doing your 5 - 10KM up and down mountains, you should be fine.
Two of my most often used rifles weigh in the 12-13 lb range and it doesn't bother me.
Personally, I find that rifles that are a little longer and heaver tend to point better and are easier to hold steady when shooting. Felt recoil is also less, but that matters very little in a hunting situation, where you basically never notice recoil anyway.
Two of my most often used rifles weigh in the 12-13 lb range and it doesn't bother me.
Personally, I find that rifles that are a little longer and heaver tend to point better and are easier to hold steady when shooting. Felt recoil is also less, but that matters very little in a hunting situation, where you basically never notice recoil anyway.
