Light Done Right

[No_Regerts]

Seems like lots of folks are carrying heavier rifles with a yard of scope attached by rings and rails that outweigh the average downrigger ball. Anyone here appreciate a more svelte, easy to carry, less complicated hunting rifle? You know, the kind you keep in your hands so you might actually react to a deer you bump? The same kind that doesn't make your arm go numb if you sling it? The kind you can easily crawl up on a deer with and pop him out of his bed because you wanted to see if you could? The kind where deer don't get away while you fiddle-fart with turrets and knobs and adjustable objectives because you dare to use a fixed powered scope?

This guy here is 6 3/4 pounds field ready. 700 mountain rifle in 280 with a mcmillan KS stock and leupold FXII 6x36.

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[edslhead]

Nice!! I like to pack around at least 9 lbs. Tryin to beef up my arms

 

[No_Regerts]

I do think its funny when a guy is fifty pounds overweight and he obsesses about having a ultra-light rifle....

 

[mjbskwim]

I carried my 700 tacticool 308 with a houge overmold and a ,750 barrel with a Buriss Elite scope last year.
Then I traded my buddy to get my M70 hunting taper,wood stock 308 back. I ave a nice little VXIII scope on it and it's perfect weight for carrying.
My problem is most new guns,including the $900 m700 the shop owner showed me,have cheapo light weight stocks.Seem too flimsy to me.
Light weight is good but flimsy isn't

 

[mjbskwim]

I do think its funny when a guy is fifty pounds overweight and he obsesses about having a ultra-light rifle....

That's weight in food I could carry

 

[No_Regerts]

The only way to get a gun really light is the graphite type stocks made by companies like McMillan. The EDGE stocks are super light an stiff.

 

[MountainBear]

The .300 Wby I built is as overweight as I am. This, however, is not due to a yard of scope or anything of the like. It is due to a #4 contour, 24" barrel and a walnut stock. The rings and bases are standard Leupold and the scope is a 3-9x40 Nikon Monarch. But I'm not small and svelte, so I didn't build my rifle to be.

 

[No_Regerts]

With a 300 wby, a little weight can be a good thing!

 

[rdb241]

My deer rifle is a Winchester model 70 short action with a 26" heavy barrel and I have a cheap Tasco $120.00 3x12 power scope with Mil dots. Just like the OP above I leave it at 10 power and use it as a fixed power scope. I use the Mil dots to judge distance. I have a smaller fold up bipod and the entire gun weighs under 9lbs. Because I hunt wheat fields in Eastern Washington, I have it zeroed at 200 yards. I have harvested 9 deer with that rifle. My 10th deer I harvested with a Winchester 30-30 with open sights. I love my model 70. I have had it for 20 years. I call it my sniper rifle...lol

 

[scrub buck]

Nice setup... I have a 700 ss MT Guide in .243 with the same scope with the long range duplex reticle. I plan on toting it quite a bit this yr. My .280 is nervous....

 

[Stomper]

.308 Ruger American Rifle with a 4-12x40 Luepold VX-2 (w/sun shade tube), nice and lite, nothin' fancy, but all business with one Blacktail buck under its belt (so far).

 

[308]

I imagine a LW rifle for hunting is best, but I like to shoot a lot and have found the thin barrels heat up too much after 2-3 rounds and causes the POI starts shifting all over the target. With that in mind I prefer the HB Rem700 PSS for sitting on the bench taking multiple shots.

 

[Stomper]

It's not an issue for hunting, one maybe two shots is all one SHOULD need.

 

[308]

It's not an issue for hunting, one maybe two shots is all one SHOULD need.

Right. But it's hard to practice with a LW rifle since it needs to cool down between groups. It aint like I got all day ya know

 

[The B]

My bush buck rifle is a 5lbs MK18CQBR (ar15 SBR w/ 10.3" barrel) with a T1 RDS on a LT751 VFZ and no BUIS.... just can't get any lighter than that - which was the point

And uh.. I weigh in about 155lbs. So no misappropriation of efforts there.

 

[No_Regerts]

Those Ruger American Rifles are going to be a game changer. Light, handy, and accurate for a decent price.

There has been no real advancements really in bolt action technology yet the prices have gone through the roof. Now, companies are able put stuff out there that people can afford.

The RAR will be the Glock of bolt action rifles once some of the magazine issues are resolved.

 

[Stomper]

Right. But it's hard to practice with a LW rifle since it needs to cool down between groups. It aint like I got all day ya know

If you can almost always put the round "on the dot" with the first shot, practice is over.

 

[Stomper]

My bush buck rifle is a 5lbs MK18CQBR (ar15 SBR w/ 10.3" barrel) with a T1 RDS on a LT751 VFZ and no BUIS.... just can't get any lighter than that - which was the point

And uh.. I weigh in about 155lbs. So no misappropriation of efforts there.

You ever bag something with that kit? I've got a 6.8SPC AR that I'm going to use this year.

 

[The B]

You ever bag something with that kit? I've got a 6.8SPC AR that I'm going to use this year.

I'm sort of embarrassed to answer, but no... I actually have never fired it in anger. Built it up about three years ago, only got a few unsuccessful days with it the first season (spikes during legal hours, and the only legal rack I saw the whole week was about 20 minutes after legal hours), and haven't even bought a buck tag the last two years - life's gotten in the way, thus far. Hope to get out there this season though.

 

[Stomper]

You ever bag something with that kit?

I'm sort of embarrassed to answer, but no... I actually have never fired it in anger. Built it up about three years ago, only got a few unsuccessful days with it the first season (spikes during legal hours, and the only legal rack I saw the whole week was about 20 minutes after legal hours), and haven't even bought a buck tag the last two years - life's gotten in the way, thus far. Hope to get out there this season though.

Yeah I hear you. Year before last me and the son scored a forked horn blackie with my Ruger American 1.5hrs into opening day, then last year I was too buried in other commitments to go out. THIS year I am determined to take the son out again.