Packable Mountain Rifle

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Creade

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My style has changed through the years and I'm looking for a new rifle. I've always carried a classic, walnut, bolt action Winchester.

I'm looking for input. What do you guys carry into the mountains, or what WOULD your ideal rifle be.

Light enough to hump through the terrain all day. 600-1000 yard shots.
Enjoyable to shoot when you're putting 1000s of rounds through it.

Caliber, Components, any input is welcome.

Thanks
 
What kind of mountains will you be hiking, how long will you be on foot, and what kind of game will you be shooting at?
 
Creade said:
My style has changed through the years and I'm looking for a new rifle. I've always carried a classic, walnut, bolt action Winchester.

I'm looking for input. What do you guys carry into the mountains, or what WOULD your ideal rifle be.

Light enough to hump through the terrain all day. 600-1000 yard shots.
Enjoyable to shoot when you're putting 1000s of rounds through it.

Caliber, Components, any input is welcome.

Thanks
Click to expand...
Tikka is the easy answer. I've carried one all over the high country of Colorado, and with a 3-9x40 scope and full of ammo, it still weighed less than 7 lbs. It also shot sub-MOA groups all day at 400 yards. They are remarkably affordable rifles considering what they offer.

My current one is a Howa Alpine, which they discontinued sometime over the past 2-3 years. It's 6 lbs. 14 oz. scoped, with a hinged metal floorplate. I can drop another 1/4 lb. by using the plastic DBM setup if I want.

Since I started backpack hunting, I've longed for a light, accurate single shot that breaks down without tools. I'd love to have a rifle I could stuff in my pack for some of the areas I hunt.
 
i think you should be more realistic if you want solid input


Light enough to hump through the terrain all day.
600-1000 yard shots. (assuming you want something that will handle large game at those distances?)
Enjoyable to shoot when you're putting 1000s of rounds through it.

i don't know of anything that meets that criteria. might as well ask for a car that gets 200mpg and goes 200mph and carries a 4000lb cargo and pulls a 20000lb trailer


my compromise is defiance action chambered in 300NM in an MPA chassis. the new titanium impact actions and a carbon fiber barrel would be pretty awesome in the light weight MPA chassis. but you wouldn't want to put 1000s of rounds through it
 
No gun fits the criteria since there are two divergent purposes.

Rifles built for long distance shooting are heavy on purpose (more inertia easier to hold on target), enjoyable to shoot, and meant to be shot prone or from a fixed position. They include heavy barrels that absorb heat and can be shot "all day MOA" if you do your part. Good luck carrying that in the mountains with your pack. Your walking distance will be limited.

Rifles built for mountain hunting are light on purpose (less inertia, harder to shoot accurately but easier to carry when every ounce counts) and typically not enjoyable to shoot for long. They have thin barrels that heat up quickly. Some of these rifles are so lightweight that there can be a significant POI shift after only three shots of magnum caliber cartridges. They are meant to be light enough to carry to the place you need to be to get the shots on game that you need. However, they are absolutely not "all day MOA" unless you count the significant cooling time.

No one can suspend the laws of physics. The specialized mountain rifles are built lightweight for long hikes and few shots. However, every ounce counts when the air is thin and you're carrying supplies other than just a gun and ammo.

I would choose one of these for a dedicated mountain rifle:

https://www.kimberamerica.com/mountain-ascent
http://www.riflesinc.com/riflemodels.html#lightweightstrata

Caliber is up to the hunter and depends on the game to be taken.
 
I have a Forbes in 30-06, good option for me. Light, accurate, and enough gun for me on the east coast.

As to the OP's requirements, I'm at a bit of a loss. Almost sounds as if you want a 6lb F-class rifle.
 
I think you are dreaming, which is not a bad thing. Nothing wrong with pursuing a dream.

The idea of a “packable” rifle with a decent 600 — 1000 yard range seems wishful thinking. 600 yard and above shots is getting into a range which requires a heavier rifle of very larger caliber. That is inconsistent with your specified humping through the woods all day criterion. Extended range comes at a cost of weight of rifle and ammo. However, if I wanted a rifle that was very accurate out to 500 yards I would get a Springfield 1903 or it’s modern day equivalent.
 
In 2012 when I got my new knee I also got a Kimber Montana .308. I have an old Leupold compact 4x on it. It and the knee are still working. Loaded it weighs in at about 6 pounds, but I'd never consider a 600 yard shot, it handles any range that I would consider doable.
 
Gee... 600-1000 yard shots? at game? Enjoy shooting 1000 rounds from a bench? Hell, you lost me at hump over the mountains all day. But there are a whole lot of rifles that advertise they will do all that if you will just spend the money.
 
I apologize for the lack of clarity. My 1000s of round comment most definitely was not meant in a sitting but getting comfortable with the setup and owning it long term.

600+ I agree is likely a bit optimistic.

Thanks for the input guys
 
The pack suggestion is a good one, although I don't really consider the Badlands 2200 to be a premium level pack. It's okay, but there are many better options these days that are lighter and will make carrying your rifle much easier. You can add a Kifaru Gunbearer to almost any pack, and that makes your rifle much easier to pack around all day. Easy to get to as well.
 
I've always hunted some pretty rugged country here in the GA mountains. I've hunted Colorado a couple of times as well as multiple hiking/camping trips there. The air is thinner, but the mountains aren't any steeper. I've been chasing light weight rifles my whole life. For the money in a factory rifle Kimber is hard to beat.

My 308 as shown is 6 1/4 lbs. With a lighter scope weight can be kept under 6 lbs.

011.JPG

But my go-to rifle most of the time is my Winchester 70 EW 308 in a McMillan Edge stock. It is about 1 pound heavier, but I find 7 1/4 lbs a good compromise. Not too heavy to carry in rugged terrain, but just enough weight to shoot it a little better. In my experience something between 7-8 lbs scoped is a good place to be. And the closer to 7 the better. If I get much below 7 lbs scoped they are a little harder to shoot well.

ayla road trip 2 143.JPG

Neither rifle is a 600 yard gun. The Kimber is available in 280 AI and that might get you close. But I can't think of anything that would be suitable much beyond 500ish yards that will be light enough for me to want to carry in the mountains. And anything with enough power to shoot beyond 500 yards is going to kick the snot out of you in a 7 lb rifle.

If you want a lightweight mountain rifle, and a 1000 yard rifle I think you need 2 different rifles.
 
My mountain (and everything hunting) rifle is a Sako A7 .30-06. It weighs 7.7# scoped which is a good compromise between shoot ability and carrying all day. My typical mule deer hunt involves at least 1,500’ vertical and six or more miles in a typical day- this rifle is zero issue for me to lug around.

I shoot it well at 400y, but certainly have no plans on animals much past that. Not sure what lightweight setup will get you what your looking for.

CCAA81F8-B279-496A-AFA8-FCF3CD906B6D.jpeg
 
Newtosavage said:
Tikka is the easy answer. I've carried one all over the high country of Colorado, and with a 3-9x40 scope and full of ammo, it still weighed less than 7 lbs. It also shot sub-MOA groups all day at 400 yards. They are remarkably affordable rifles considering what they offer.

My current one is a Howa Alpine, which they discontinued sometime over the past 2-3 years. It's 6 lbs. 14 oz. scoped, with a hinged metal floorplate. I can drop another 1/4 lb. by using the plastic DBM setup if I want.

Since I started backpack hunting, I've longed for a light, accurate single shot that breaks down without tools. I'd love to have a rifle I could stuff in my pack for some of the areas I hunt.
Click to expand...
 
I use a handi rifle it breaks down into 2 sections using only a stubby screwdriver. It fits in my backpack nicely ,they are not ultralight but they are accurate.I have a 223,243 and7mm08 and use them all
 
Peakbagger46 said:
A 600-1k yard elk rifle that is not.
Click to expand...

This is not an argument, just a question, would that suggested rifle be a 400-ish yard elk rifle?

What would be the medium weight range for a rifle that would be considered a mountain carry rifle, somewhere around 7 pounds?
 
Lots of guys like to thumb their nose at the 6.5 creed just for the fun of it, but I’d be curious what self imposed standard by which some folks live which suggests a 147grn bullet at 1800fps with an SD of .30, reaching an elk at 800 yards with 1057ft.lbs. is insufficient. Given the right bullet, it’s certainly a better option than many cartridges which have been recommended for elk for many years. It’s only about 50 yards behind pretty common 7 rem mag loads in impact energy and velocity, frankly - and with a higher sectional density than the 150/154 class.
 
A lightweight rifle in 6.5 something ---> 338 something will fit the role.

I'd not look forward to a heavy enough rifle to shoot tens of magnums through in most of those cases.

I have a Winchester '51 model 70 30-06 that I've lightened a bit. It sits at just under 7-3/4 pounds with a 4x12 nikon.

Thats still heavier than I like for hunting in the northern half of the state. Dammed mountain-y, rocky and high elevation make it a pain. Or its open forever and rocky.
 
Jmr40, you have good taste; I own both of those rifles also - they will do everything I need and then some.
 
Creade said:
My style has changed through the years and I'm looking for a new rifle. I've always carried a classic, walnut, bolt action Winchester.

I'm looking for input. What do you guys carry into the mountains, or what WOULD your ideal rifle be.

Light enough to hump through the terrain all day. 600-1000 yard shots.
Enjoyable to shoot when you're putting 1000s of rounds through it.

Caliber, Components, any input is welcome.

Thanks
Click to expand...
This brings to mind my dad's stainless Remington 700 in 7mm RUM. It weighs in at a shade over 8.5 lbs and is what he carried on several hunting trips to the rockies. Around home we never shot it beyond 800yds, but we did the math on his handloads for shots out to 1400yds.
 
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