Rifle Weight

I agree it's great that we have lots of choices nowdays. I grew up carrying a M94 Winchester into the deer woods, so 7 lbs is what I'm accustomed to for a "walking" hunting rifle. As I got older, I had the opportunity to buy scoped, bolt action rifles and was astounded to find out how heavy most traditional wood-stocked, scoped rifles actually were. I had one .243 that topped 9 lbs. and was a joy to shoot at the bench, but after 1/2 day on my feet in the woods, I wanted to just chuck it in a creek. I was so tired of carrying that thing around.

So I started looking for ways to lighten my hunting rifles. Just by swapping components (stocks, scopes, mags) I took an 8.5# Savage down to 7# and it became a joy to carry on hunts. But as you say, the tradeoff is always felt on the bench.

Recently, I sold a Tikka T3x Lite in 30-06 because it was just no fun at all to shoot at the range, so I was leaving it in the safe. That gun was 6 lbs. 15 oz. with a 3-9x40 Leupold scope on it, and with full loads it kicked like a mule. A limbsaver recoil pad helped, but not enough for me to enjoy shooting it.

The other day, I shot a .308 I gave to my brother for his 50th birthday. It's a Savage with an Accustock, real bottom metal and a large bolt knob. I had forgotten how gently a 9 lb. gun kicks. LOL!

I consider lightweight larger hunting rifles (including the 30-06 and above) to be specialty guns because most folks just aren't going to enjoy shooting them all afternoon at the range. They are specialized tools for infrequent trips. That's how I viewed my Tikka 30-06, but at the end of the day I really couldn't justify owning a rifle I was going to shoot so infrequently.

So for now at least, I've dialed it back to a pair of 7mm-08's - both just under 7 lbs. - and I enjoy shooting them AND carrying them on hunts. To me, that's ideal since I want to be so familiar with a rifle I hunt with, I never have to think about the act of shooting it.

Steve, I have been chasing the perfect hunting rifle for 50 years. As far as shooting long range I like a rifle and scope combination that weighs about 9 1/2 pounds. As far as carrying a rifle I like a rifle and scope combination that weighs about 8 1/2 pounds. It's basically the difference between a 22 and 24 inch barrel and the use of a long range scope on the heavier rifle. I have used light 308 rifles that were real whoppers. I solved the recoil problem on a featherweight Model 70 several years by using Sierra 150 grain GameKing bullets with moderate charges of IMR 4064. For some reason IMR 4064 will give good accuracy with less recoil than other powders. If you reload I would suggest that you tailor a load to that Kimber to make it easier to shoot.

sage5907 said:

For some reason IMR 4064 will give good accuracy with less recoil than other powders. If you reload I would suggest that you tailor a load to that Kimber to make it easier to shoot.

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I experienced something similar this fall using IMR4350 in a 270. 4350 gave me the same velocity as RL19 and 4831sc, but had probably 20% less recoil and muzzle blast, and less pressure sign on the primers.

I don’t own light rifles because I’ve had three shoulder operations and recoil flat out hurts. So I just have to put up with the extra weight when walking. I very much like the secondary benefit of my heavy rifles being easier to shoot accurately than a light rifle.

Kimbers get a lot of flak for being inaccurate. Most of the time it is not the rifle, but the fact that shooting a 5 lb rifle requires perfect form whereas a 7-8 lb rifle is much more forgiving. I've found Kimbers to be mechanically very accurate. But I don't shoot them quite as well. Still good enough for most hunting uses though.

Most of my hunting involves long hikes in rugged country and I've chased lighter rifles my whole life. A backpack hunt in 1977 drove that point home emphatically. I bought a Brown Precision fiberglass stock in 1983 and replaced the walnut on my 30-06 and saved nearly a full pound. I haven't hunted with a wood stocked bolt gun since. One of the levers goes out occasionally, but all my bolt guns are set up to be light and rugged.

I ended up with a Kimber 308 about 10 years ago and at 5 lbs 15 ounces scoped it is a joy to carry. But anymore it is reserved for only the most rugged hunts. My other bolt guns weigh 7-7.5 lbs including optics and I find that to be the best balance. Still light enough to carry easily, but heavy enough to shoot well. I can tolerate 8 lbs, but don't shoot anything heavier any better.

Recoil can be managed. My McMillan stocked model 70 in 308 @ 7.5 lbs has about 25% less recoil than a 30-06 of the same weight. My sub 6 lb Kimber 308 has almost identical recoil compared to my 7.5 lb 30-06 and most people consider 30-06 tolerable. No game animal inside of 400 yards will ever notice the difference and that is about as far as I can shoot.

If that is still too much recoil the 260 or 6.5 Creedmoor has about 25% less recoil than 308 and 1/2 the recoil of 30-06. Either of those rounds with 130-140 gr bullets will kill anything a 30-06 will kill and with recoil only slightly more than 243.

someguy2800 said:

I experienced the something similar thing this fall using IMR4350 in a 270. 4350 gave me the same velocity as RL19 and 4831sc, but had probably 20% less recoil and muzzle blast, and less pressure sign on the primers.

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I noticed the same thing with IMR 4350. Less perceived recoil. More like a push than a sharp kick.

For me anything under 7 pounds feels like its not there. About 9 pounds is the point that becomes a drag to carry. Not so much that it wears me out, more so that it just wants to flop all over and won't stay put on my shoulder. I have an 11 pound savage that I don't like to carry from the shed a 1/4 mile to the shooting bench.

One of the reasons I went with the 7-08 for my cast bullets is cause of the torque.Thinking lightweight sporters.So,shooting your sporters,see if you can feel the "twist"?Try something;instead of a typical bench/bag rest....find a 4' stepladder,throw a towel on top,shoot some cans ranging from 50-150 yds.It'll help you understand how recoil isn't just straight back.

Steve S. said:

I immediately noted an increased comfort shooting my new M70 .308 for the first time yesterday; I was accustom to shooting a much lighter rig (Kimber M84 .308). The M70 has about 2 additional total weight pounds which (for me) made the bench experience much more pleasant and (again for me) seemingly translated into more accuracy. My 84M is a beautiful, well made rifle that is certainly accurate however, I always found myself double checking my eye relief relative to the scope because the recoil was so violent. Also, this light rifle has a jerky nature to it - harder to stabilize because of it’s lighter weight. I found the heavier M70 to have what I would call an anticipated/ “normal” recoil that is much more tolerable and pleasant - it was simply more stable and more fun to shoot from the bench. Out in the deer woods, I am sure the carry nod would go to the Kimber; I am also sure that the “heat of the moment” hunting recoil difference would not even be noticed. What does this all mean for me in my shooting/ hunting future - frankly, I haven’t a clue. I guess the advantages/ disadvantages will have to play out at time of need. It is a great thing to have these choices - God bless this wonderful country! Good shooting.

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All my hunting rifles weigh between 8 and 9 pounds and balance at the front action screw. I try to keep everything near the same. I also set the trigger the same.

Newtosavage said:

Recently, I sold a Tikka T3x Lite in 30-06 because it was just no fun at all to shoot at the range, so I was leaving it in the safe. That gun was 6 lbs. 15 oz. with a 3-9x40 Leupold scope on it, and with full loads it kicked like a mule. A limbsaver recoil pad helped, but not enough for me to enjoy shooting it.

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Hold the presses! This is the rifle that you raved about a couple of months ago. I'm shocked to hear that you sold it but I can't argue with your logic.

When I first moved to MT a little over four years ago a good friend from Hawaii asked me for a rifle recommendation since her Tikka T3 in .270 Win was beating her to death. She hunts a lot in Hawaii and had changed the recoil pad, added a bunch of weight and simply couldn't stand the rifle. She was going to buy a tank of a Weatherby but I ended up buying her a Kimber Mountain Ascent in .270 Win with a Vortex scope. She came up to MT to hunt deer and elk a few months later and rather than get in her way I simply left a couple of boxes of ammunition for her and asked her to confirm the scope zero since I was off bird hunting for the day. The MA has a very effective muzzle brake but she told me that she was worried about shooting such a light rifle that only weighs 5lb 7oz (6lb 6oz with scope). When I came back later in the afternoon she had shot all 40 rounds and had a huge smile on her face. She couldn't stand shooting five rounds from the Tikka but had no problem shooting 40 rounds from the Kimber. The stock design and brake on that Mountain Ascent make all the difference. You can have your cake and eat it to.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ain-ascent-270-win-6-1-2lb-elk-slayer.761028/

I won’t use a muzzle break. I don’t allow them on my land, my BIL doesn’t allow them on his property and my friends don’t allow them on their property. I’d rather deal with a little soreness. Don’t think they should be outlawed, I just choose to not be around them.

I won’t use a muzzle break. I don’t allow them on my land, my BIL doesn’t allow them on his property and my friends don’t allow them on their property. I’d rather deal with a little soreness. Don’t think they should be outlawed, I just choose to not be around them.

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I feel the same way. I don't own or shoot any hunting rifle with a brake on it but for some it's a "necessary" evil. I'm trying to go the way of @Gtscotty by putting together a suppressed and relatively light hunting rifle but I'm not there yet.

MCMXI said:

Hold the presses! This is the rifle that you raved about a couple of months ago. I'm shocked to hear that you sold it but I can't argue with your logic.

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You are correct! I was in love with that rifle for a while. But after a dozen or so trips to the range, I found myself leaving it behind. Then as if by some miracle, a stainless Tikka T3 in 7mm-08 showed up in my hands, and all the sudden the '06 didn't look so shiny. ha, ha.

I was either going to rebarrel that Tikka '06 or put a brake on it until that sweet 7-08 came along.

I did have some lighter 125-grain deer loads made up for that '06, and they shot pretty well. But not as well as my 7mm-08.

Robert said:

I like a heavier rifle. I tend to man handle things and the weight keeps me in line. I also fine them much easier to shoot. My M70 375H&H weights about 9 lbs with scope and I'd really not want it to weigh less.

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If I had a 375 H&H, I also wouldn't want it to weigh an ounce less. LOL

I'm not a hunter but do like to shoot mostly from a bench,my go to rifle for this activity is my Shiloh Sharps Long Range Express 34"barrel with a Malcolm style scope. Has to weigh 15 lbs but shooting it with bullets weighing up to 500 grs is like shooting the world's biggest 22.

Personally, I like a lighter rifle, but I outgrew magnumidis LONG ago, so I don't have to worry about recoil too much...

My go to gun weighs 7 pounds, and I do have a lighter rifle than that, that I like very much.

DM

No cheating Physics.


A Very comfortable 30-06 to shoot.




GR

Fairly easy, cheap and effective way to reduce felt recoil..... https://graco-corp.com/product-category/mercury-recoil-reduction-systems/

I hunt almost exclusively with heavy barreled rifles. For me, added weight, and longer barrels make for more pleasant shooting. An excellent recoil pad helps too, of course.

JMHO,

Geno

BWS said:

One of the reasons I went with the 7-08 for my cast bullets is cause of the torque.Thinking lightweight sporters.So,shooting your sporters,see if you can feel the "twist"?Try something;instead of a typical bench/bag rest....find a 4' stepladder,throw a towel on top,shoot some cans ranging from 50-150 yds.It'll help you understand how recoil isn't just straight back.

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My Tikka in 25-06 is the most noticeably twisting gun I've ever shot. If you shoot it off a bipop with a loose grip it will pick one leg of the bipod off the table and twist around about 20 degrees.

cdb1 said:

I won’t use a muzzle break. I don’t allow them on my land, my BIL doesn’t allow them on his property and my friends don’t allow them on their property. I’d rather deal with a little soreness. Don’t think they should be outlawed, I just choose to not be around them.

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I agree. My Father in law had a muzzle brake put on his 270 encore. Not so much because of the the kick but because it was really bucky and you cant hardly keep the thing on the bags when shooting it. He hunted with it for about 3 years and was rewarded with permanent 50% hearing loss in one ear and 20% in the other. I only own one muzzle brake on a 223. I shot one round without ear muffs on and that was one too many. I took it off after that.