A VERY lightweight rifle?

Kimber

^ agreed

I looked pretty hard and for the cost the Kimbers are about the lightest gun you can get for the money. Couple that with a low power Leupold, or small dog sight, and an ultralight shotgun and your whole set ups probably 12-13lbs.

If your willing to spend more there are the Barret Fieldcraft, and NULAs, as well as custom builds, but they are well north of 1k.


With my rifle stuffed into the gunboot of my Badlands I'll sometimes forget I'm carrying it till it gets hung up on a tree branch of something. All of my rifle are quite long and stick a foot or two over my head.
If you have plenty of time to swap out kit, or run a short gun you maybe able to do something similar with your pack.

Christensen TI. 5.5 lbs. Tough to beat.

Or, haven't you just actually justified buying a drilling! 20-20 over 9.3x62 . Richtig verdamt.

Nothing beats a gym membership.

You can get a number Hunter for under $700. And there are kimber Montana's for $950.

troy fairweather said:

You can get a number Hunter for under $700. And there are kimber Montana's for $950.

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might be more for hq because of location and availability

Howa Alpine Mountain is an option

5.7# w/o scope and short action cartridges


Orrrrr super cheap, Ruger American compact listed at 6#

oh! might check out the savage lightweight hunter.

I spotted a brand new Kimber Hunter, SS/FDE in 7mm-08 on clearance for $525. At that price it’s screaming buy me now but I don’t have a practical purpose for it and my wife really wants a new cooktop to replace the one the kids busted. Deals are out there if you hunt hard though in this case it’s all location, location, location.

out of curiosity, can you take Moose with shotgun slugs? what is the range you're taking moose at? would it be possible to double up function of a shotgun, get a scope on it, and then have some sort of a quick disconnect for the scope if you don't want a scope for upland bird? I've never hunted Moose, but around here when you see them hiking, they seem to just wander out of the woods in front of you about 50 feet away and stare at you for a while, then slowly walk off. another thought would be bring along another person who wants to learn, and set them up just to carry extra gear for the group - let them take a few tries at some game birds, and that's one more person to help move a Moose when the time comes.

Don’t dismiss the Colt Lt Rifle.
The only “cheap” thing about them is the stock. However, it’s “fixable”.
Mine is my most accurate big-game rifle. It gets 2,900fps with a Nosler 180gr Accubond or BallisticTip over 60.0gr of RL22. Shoots 3-shot cloverleafs, 5-shots under 1”.
I’ve further releaved the forend, and slightly reduced sear engagement for a 3.5lb+/- trigger with a very clean break. I spray painted the stock camo and put some strategic strips of skateboard tape. With a Leupold VX2 3-9x, it weighs 6.8lbs. Recoils not bad.
I paid $400 for mine in 2008. It’s hunted Wyoming and Colorado.
I got my money’s worth.
Mel Forbes bad mouths them for obvious reasons. I like his rifles, but my two conversations with him totally turned me off.

I spent years chasing lightweight rifles. For the money a Kimber 84M is about as good as it gets. Mine is in 308 and with a lightweight Leupold scope in Talley Lightweight mounts it comes in at 5 lbs 15 oz. They are 5 lbs 2 oz naked. I've upgraded to a Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40 on it and weight now is 6 1/4 lbs. Which is still pretty light. I"m thinking they sell new for around $1200. Anything else in that weight class will be $3000+.

The 84M comes with a high quality hand laid Kevlar stock comparable to a $600 McMillan Edge stock. If you want to save a little money, the Kimber Hunter comes with a plastic injection molded stock that is a bit heavier, but a lot cheaper. The barrel and action is the same.

The Colt Light Rifle is a good option, but they haven't been made in years and are hard to find. If you do find one in 2019 it will be closer to $1000. But if you can find one I'd seriously think about it, especially if you want a long action cartridge.

That said. Even though I usually hunt in steep rugged terrain I've modified my thoughts on extreme lightweight rifles. I've come to the conclusion that somewhere between 7-8 lbs, but closer to 7 is about ideal. I don't have any trouble carrying a 7.5 lb all up rifle in my hands. Once the weight starts approaching 8 lbs I find it spending more time slung over my shoulder. From a bench I shoot the 5 lb Kimber as well as 9 lb target rifle. But from field positions shoot a rifle with a little more weight better.

If buying new, and not wanting to add a lighter aftermarket stock I'd buy a Tikka. Even with a heavier scope on one the weight will be just over 7 lbs. Choose the scope carefully and you can keep it under 7 lbs. And I doubt you'll find a more accurate rifle at any weight.

It’s certainly out of the budget, but the new Seekins Element is an exceptionally light action. I’m waiting for the action to be available, instead of simply complete rifles, as I’d love to stick a 20” Proof barrel out front, chamber it in 7-08, a Manners Compact stock underneath, and have an exceptionally handy, light and short, big game bolt gun.

Ruger American rifles are surprisingly light weight

The Ruger American Compact lists at just 6 lbs, but the OP has stated that 6 lbs is too heavy for him (post #6).....



.

Adding to my post above

My Kimber Mt ascent in 308 with 3.5 x 10 leupold is well under 6 lbs. it has accounted for 3 large elk and several deer. Also shoots under an inch groups. Better hunting rifle than my custom builds.

Varminterror said:

Adding to my post above

View attachment 866709

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That's the same weight as the Christensen Summit TI at half the price and nobody can question Seekins quality.

Personally, 30-06 180s would be my minimum for moose, but if you think that 308 can do the job, the Seekins above is gold.

The weight savings potential, for the money, is in the shotgun. Weatherby SA08 20 ga youth.

DocRock said:

Personally, 30-06 180s would be my minimum for moose, but if you think that 308 can do the job, the Seekins above is gold.

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Right now, the Seekins Element is only offered as a factory complete rifle (or factory custom), and only chambered in 6.5 PRC.

My personal interest in a hyperlight 308 is only an idea of using their aluminum/steel Element action, at a fraction of the cost of titanium, in a non-list, pure custom build. Someday, that is, when the Element action is available as a bare action, or when I find a great deal on a used Element rifle.

The Remington 600 is very light at 5.5 pounds. I just bought it, and have very minimal experience with it so I cannot speak on much other than the weight. Very handy.

Kimber, Proof Research, Christensen Arms, Match Grade Arms...all good choices. Just be advised that as you get into exotic materials like titanium and carbon fiber, the price goes up rather quickly. Also be advised that as weight goes down, recoil goes up. Physics catches up with you at some point.

My vote definitely goes to one of the Kimber rifles. After I had a few inches cut off of my Montana's barrel it weighs in at half an oz under 5 lbs bare, 5 lbs 13 oz with a 2.5-8x36 VX-3i in Talley lightweight rings. The Hunter is a few hundred dollars cheaper and is almost as light, it may even be lighter if you pull the sound deadening material out of the stock. Current production Kimbers have a reputation for being pretty good shooters as well (accuracy woes from years ago seem to be a thing of the past now).

I personally really like the shrunken Mauser type action and the 3 position safety on the Kimbers as well.