What is the heaviest rifle you would carry to hunt deer?

Define "carry", context is important when defining a problem.

Too heavy is really a personal thing. I'm comfortable with about 8-9lbs "all up": scope, ammo, sling for a rifle I'll carry a ways for the conditions where I hunt. It's normal for me to put in 3-6 miles of walking.

IF you're stand hunting, then weight really isn't that much of a consideration. IF you're still hunting and or hiking in a long ways it can be, elevation and terrain also play a role.

Why does it need to be heavy? A normal hunting rifle that can work at those ranges doesn't need extra weight, it needs a skilled operator.

Normally, my RAR in 6.5 is what I would use, Very light and accurate, especially if doing a lot of walking. This year, I plan to hunt with my Krag carbine with iron sights and my scoped AR10 carbine. These hunts will involve short walks to the stands and short ranges to the deer. I am doing this just to be different, also I have never killed a deer with either of these rifles.

Rubone said:

Why does it need to be heavy? A normal hunting rifle that can work at those ranges doesn't need extra weight, it needs a skilled operator.

Click to expand...

I suppose it could be that he's looking for recoil mitigation?

Overall though it largely depends on what type of hunting you'll be doing. If you're spotting and stalking out on the plains that's very different than hunting from a tree stand in thick forest. It can also vary depending on your age, physical fitness, and tenacity.

Me personally, for a stand rifle I wouldn't care that much about the weight (within reason). For a stalking rifle on flat land 8-9lbs. For stalking in mountains - I'd probably be going a little crazy buying specialized lightweight rifless (eg, the Kimber Adirondack).

Welcome to THR! I like to stay under 10#s, total weight around 8#s is better. With your desire to shoot out to 600 yards for respect of the animal you want to go with a 7mm or 30 magnum.

Rubone said:

Why does it need to be heavy? A normal hunting rifle that can work at those ranges doesn't need extra weight, it needs a skilled operator.

Click to expand...

Amen

Tucker25 said:

I was asking because i want a browning bar mk2 safari, which is an 8 lb gun. I was just wondering how heavy of a scope i should go. If i get a lightweight scope, it probably wont have some of the really nice features that a heavier scope might have.

Tucker

Click to expand...

I have a few friends that have BARs and they like them. I always thought that the Browning BAR was built better than the Remington 740, 742, 7400.
The Browning does come in 7 rem mag and 300 win mag.

I’ve hunted with a 18 lb target rifle before, but I’m not humping through the bush with it. I load it in my ATV and drive to my hunting spots

I bet it has been a decade since I’ve used less than a 12lb rifle for whitetail hunting. Most of my “primary” hunting is done on the same field, just under 3/4 mile walk into the stand. Some of those rifles have weighed as much as 20lbs. My “backcountry rucking rifle” weighs a hair over 11lbs, and last fall I carried it as much 11 miles and no less than 3 miles per day during a 12 day hunt.

An 8lb rifle with a 1.5lb scope and rings is right in the hunt for “handy” to me, and hasn’t even scratched the surface of “heavy” yet.

Nine pounds is my cutoff for a rifle that might get carried and still (walking) hunted. For hunting in mountainous/rugged terrain where all day hiking might be involved, 8 pounds and if there is altitude involved, below 7 pounds.

Hey Tucker. Welcome to the forum.

Trust me on this. You are going to need to buy at least four or five rifles. There is no such thing as a do-it-all or compromise rifle. You need specialty equipment for every situation you think you may ever be in. You need a woods stand rifle. It will be handier, a bit toward the light side with a shorter barrel. Climbing trees is hard work and there are potential muzzle obstacles everywhere. A shooting house rifle can be a long barreled heavy rifle. It needs to be of precision accuracy too, as some shots may be on out there. The woods rifle for long treks has to be ultralight. It will likely need a state-of-the-art carbon/kevlar stock, a fluted bolt and fluted shorter barrel. When your walking woods hunts take you to places where you may have longer shots you'll need a long large diameter carbon wrapped barrel. And if your hunts take you close to churches on Sunday, you'll need a threaded muzzle for a suppressor. Who want's to be responsible for granny schidting herself while she's singing Amazing Grace?

You're welcome.

I've hunted with 10+ lb rifles and would do so again if I felt that it would make any difference in my odds of taking a game animal. Where and how you hunt matters too. Some days I may only walk a short distance and sit in one spot all day. On other days I've put in as much as 7-8 miles in steep terrain at altitudes ranging from 9,000-11,000'. More often than not for me hunting involves at least 2-3 miles of walking and almost always in steep country.

For a long time I chased the lightest rigs I could put together and that culminated with my 308 Kimber. With the right scope it is under 6 lbs scoped. It is a joy to carry and has the potential to be as accurate as any rifle I own. But I don't shoot it as well as I do a rifle just a bit heavier.

I've come to the conclusion that something between 7-8 lbs scoped is about perfect for an all around rifle. Not a burden to carry, and enough weight to hold steady for accuracy. 7 1/4- 7 1/2 is perfect for me. Any lighter than 7 lbs and I don't shoot them as accurately.

Once you get near, or over 8 lbs and I find the rifle slung over my shoulder more often than not and I don't shoot anything over about 8 lbs any better. Closer to 7 lbs and it is more likely to be carried in my hands and ready for unexpected shots. That is the real difference to me. Carried slung over a shoulder a 10+ lb rifle isn't that much harder to carry than a 6 lb rifle.

I used to obsess over the lightest scope I could put on a rifle. Scope weight is still a factor, some weigh as little as 8 oz, some over 20 oz. and depending on the intended use it can make a big difference. On a 30-30 I'd much rather see a small 8 oz scope than one weighing 16 oz or more. But on a bolt action rifle I no longer worry about 2-4 oz if I think the heavier scope is better.

My ideal all around rifle. Winchester EW 308, McMillan Edge stock. It is a little under 7 1/2 lbs. This was taken at about 10,000' in Colorado. I put in about 5-6 miles before getting back to the truck that day. None on level ground.

I was asking because i want a browning bar mk2 safari, which is an 8 lb gun.

Click to expand...

I think there are a lot better options than the BAR, and excessive weight is just part of it. While they are well made guns a bolt gun costing significantly less is going to be more accurate, have a better trigger, be more reliable as well as lighter in weight. In order to function the ammo used in semi-autos has to fall within a fairly narrow pressure range. Too much, or too little and they don't work. Same as to cartridge specs. You're going to be limited to factory ammo, or very carefully put together handloads that meet factory specs. With a bolt gun you have a far wider range of power levels that will reliably function.

And speed or repeat shots just isn't really a factor. Yes, you can dump the rounds out of a semi faster than with a bolt gun, but if the goal is to actually hit a target there is very little, if any, difference in rate of fire.

It’s all about the hike, your physical condition, and your desire. I generally carry either a Remington 700 adl synthetic .270 with scope and sling, or a marlin 336 with a sling. Nothing extra, nothing lacking. There are places that I hunt where I see no need for a rifle so I don’t take one, I just put a revolver or my contender on my hip. Realistically those setups are light enough that anybody in decent health should be able to make a light hike in and out for a day hunt. Hiking miles in on overnight hunts I would not take the 336 as it’s heavier than the 700. Similarly, I have other rifles that are heavier that I typically don’t hunt with because I have no desire to use them. AR in 223 is enough but I prefer more power to put the animal down quickly since I generally hunt small property, but if I had the desire to hunt with it I would pile on more weight in optics, a bipod to help make a more precise shot, likely would change butt stocks and suddenly my 7 pound basic AR is a 9 pound hunting gun and I would be better off carrying the other rifles. My 6.8 AR is the exception in that I do want to hunt with it but it’s terrible heavy for what it is, so when I want to try using it I just plan for a short hike, and sit by stuff I can use as a rest if needed.

But essentially you figure out quickly what your weight limit is. If your considering a gun you know to be heavy then carry another rifle around for a while weighted to be similar to what your considering. If it’s too much then find something lighter, get in better shape, or decide if you really desire that rifle enough to lug it around even though it’s heavier than you would like... or if you can trade weight into rifle in exchange for weight carried by eliminating an item in your pack.

With just about everything I do on this earth, I always try to figure out what's going to be more than I need without being too much. Lightest treestand I can find that has a weight rating 20-30lbs more than I weigh. Lightest boots I can wear and still have warm, dry feet. Same with clothing, ammo, guns, etc.

After about a mile of dragging the biggest deer I ever shot (state land, no ATV or 4WD allowed) and still had another mile to go, I had to decide whether to leave the deer or my gear and make 2 trips. Either woulda been "fair game" if someone found
where I stashed it. I prefer to carry no more weight than absolutely necessary.

Tucker25 said:

Hi, I'm looking at getting a rifle for hunting whitetail. Some days i will have shots out to 500-600 yards, and some days i will have shots up close in the woods. How heavy a rifle could i go before it would be hard to carry while still hunting?

Thanks,
Tucker

Click to expand...

Depends how good of shape you are in.
When I did woodland fire. Less than 8.5 is preferred for me. Over 11is starting to become annoying.
I walk about 7 miles when I hunt. It's not high elevation. But there is a lot of elevation change.

I have deer hunted with a 12# Shiloh Sharps and a 6 1/2# Kimber 84M; I notice a heavier rifle but they are never prohibitive. Just being out hunting (especially on a beautiful weather day) is so enticing to me that rifle weight falls way down the list. We are testosterone-ladened, macho, whiskey drinkin’, beard-growing, outdoor tuffies, right? When my arms get stiff and sore from the carry, I just lie to myself and chant, “I am a deer hunter by God and my arms are sore as hell - what was I thinking?” But, I somehow keep on walking.

Tucker25 said:

Hi, I'm looking at getting a rifle for hunting whitetail. Some days i will have shots out to 500-600 yards, and some days i will have shots up close in the woods. How heavy a rifle could i go before it would be hard to carry while still hunting?

Thanks,
Tucker

Click to expand...

500 to 600 yards? I don't know anyone, especially me, who would attempt a humane kill shot at that range. I have a Ruger Ultralight in 30-06 with a Leupold 3 X 9 compact and I wouldn't try a shot beyond 200 yards.

Nicky Santoro said:

500 to 600 yards? I don't know anyone, especially me, who would attempt a humane kill shot at that range. I have a Ruger Ultralight in 30-06 with a Leupold 3 X 9 compact and I wouldn't try a shot beyond 200 yards.

Click to expand...

There's a lot of information on long distance shooting out there on the web. People can read up on that to gain the expertise they need to get good at connecting reliably at long range.

I carried a heavy barreled .308 for mountain hunts for several years. Weight with sling was around 10.5# and I was covering a lot of miles and elevation gain. Honestly it was quite uncomfortable and down right painful when hauling meat off the mountain. Switched to a 7.7# rifle and what a difference it made.

WisBorn said:

I have a few friends that have BARs and they like them. I always thought that the Browning BAR was built better than the Remington 740, 742, 7400.
The Browning does come in 7 rem mag and 300 win mag.

Click to expand...

I've got the 7mag version, guns a joy to use, and at 9lbs not bad to carry. I still don't use it much because all that steel turns red before I'm back to the truck on a wet day.

dranrab said:

There's a lot of information on long distance shooting out there on the web. People can read up on that to gain the expertise they need to get good at connecting reliably at long range.

Click to expand...

I'll add the caveat "with practice"
I know a couple people who regularly shoot stuff outside of 500yds, tho I personally won't. I simply don't have the skill or practice to make a reasonable shot much outside of 350-400.

Personally I tend towards heavier, longer guns, even for brush or forest hunting. I want all the help I can get making a clean shot, and for me a 8-11lb gun deadens some of the wobble and jitters, swings smoother, and is much easier to shoot than a sub 8lb gun. Much over 10-11 and the guns not likely to be in my hands, for a quick shot on jumped game.
Stock design and balance is more important than pure weight for I'm in terms of what I can do well with a rifle. If the weights too far back I tend to jerk the gun around when lining up shots, too far forward and I'll over swing on moving targets. Target stocks take me longer to get settled, and are harder for me to shoot quickly off hand, so generally my "field" guns will have a more sporter profiled stock.
Likewise for true sporter stocks are not my favorite for taking a shot from a fixed position, especially when distance and elements are involved. This is a pretty rare situation for me, as I'm mostly a spot and stalk, still, or jump hunter.

Tucker25 said:

Hi, I'm looking at getting a rifle for hunting whitetail. Some days i will have shots out to 500-600 yards, and some days i will have shots up close in the woods. How heavy a rifle could i go before it would be hard to carry while still hunting?

Thanks,
Tucker

Click to expand...

What kind of hunting will you be doing? Will you be carrying it far?