dranrab
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Whoa now. You mean I can't read about long distance shooting on the interweb, go buy a tactical 6.5 Creedmoor, slap on a Vortex Strike Eagle and be a precision marksman? I have to actually practice?
What is the heaviest rifle you would carry to hunt deer?
- Thread starter Tucker25
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Whoa now. You mean I can't read about long distance shooting on the interweb, go buy a tactical 6.5 Creedmoor, slap on a Vortex Strike Eagle and be a precision marksman? I have to actually practice?
Well, if you use a strike eagle maybe not ......
BWS
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Me and the dog hike/hunt almost everyday. A couple miles minimum in varied terrain from thick hardwoods to big fields,chasing varmints.
About half the time am wearing a "technical" daypack with a handgun,extra ammo,binos,all the usual stuff. The rifles(got a bunch) range from ultra light TC's to once in awhile heavy barreled,true varmint rigs.
Once you get used to hiking with a rig,the actual weight becomes less noticeable. Not sayin it isn't important,just that you get used to it. Shots here are rarely even 200yds so big fat barrels just aren't necessary from the accuracy standpoint. Carried a stainless fluted CDL '06 with an older Redfield 4-12(pretty heavy by today's std) today. Can't tell you what it all weighs but,it wasn't an issue at all.
Good luck with your study,and shopping.
About half the time am wearing a "technical" daypack with a handgun,extra ammo,binos,all the usual stuff. The rifles(got a bunch) range from ultra light TC's to once in awhile heavy barreled,true varmint rigs.
Once you get used to hiking with a rig,the actual weight becomes less noticeable. Not sayin it isn't important,just that you get used to it. Shots here are rarely even 200yds so big fat barrels just aren't necessary from the accuracy standpoint. Carried a stainless fluted CDL '06 with an older Redfield 4-12(pretty heavy by today's std) today. Can't tell you what it all weighs but,it wasn't an issue at all.
Good luck with your study,and shopping.
daniel craig
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My Mosin with a scope is about 10lbs and I don’t find it too heavy so I’d say.... any more than 15-20lbs I’d say would be too heavy.
Mosin77
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Are you going to hike 6 miles through thick brush or drive in and walk 100 yards to your tree stand?
Our ancestors all hunted very well with 8-9lb rifles with 24+” barrels, so that’s very doable and reasonable. On the other hand, 7lbs with an 18-20” barrel is easier if you have to walk any distance. A couple of pounds makes a huge difference on a hike.
Our ancestors all hunted very well with 8-9lb rifles with 24+” barrels, so that’s very doable and reasonable. On the other hand, 7lbs with an 18-20” barrel is easier if you have to walk any distance. A couple of pounds makes a huge difference on a hike.
I know (irl) 2 guys who do it regularly, but they are the outliers. Most of the guys I know arnt much good outside of 200yds, and in sub optimal conditions 300s about as far as I'll shoot.
Equally few hunters I know are any good at off hand, and/or moving targets.
daniel craig
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The fat bas**rd in me says “even if I could make a shot that far I don’t want to walk that far just to start my tracking even further.”
Which is why we all shoot magnums for 50-100lb goats and sheep lol. Admittedly there's been days I've passed on shots simply because I didn't wanna go get the animal.
........that was also the last year I carried it.
Chuck R.
Member
Right off my deck I have steel at 400 and 547yds.
With a TGT gun, Kestrel, ballistic software, a few muzzle velocities captured at different temps, front bipod, rear bag in the prone, I can hit an 8" circle fairly regularly with my 1st shot.
Buuuut I don't carry all that chit when I hunt, nor do a lot of animals wait around while I get my data sorted out. At 547 I'm outside of the 8" often enough to make to second guess taking the shot.
I've carried my 10lbs 375 H&H for deer.
daniel craig
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I’ve done that more than a few times...the “man, I don’t feel like getting that deer.”
Gtscotty
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It all depends on how/where you'll be hunting (as most others have said). I'm often hunting deer while I hunt elk, elevations can be 7k ft to 10k+ ft, and mileage usually varies between 6 and 12 miles a day. For unsuppressed rifles I prefer 8lb or less, with a can 9 lbs or less. I can obviously carry more, but I don't see a point and less weight hanging off-center on one shoulder or in one hand while hiking or packing meat is always better than more.
Here are my normal rigs, neither is too bad, but the Kimber is noticeably more fun to carry all day than the X-Bolt.
The latest addition is a bit chunkier than I prefer, but should still be ok.
This past Saturday I covered a little over 9 miles above 10k ft carrying my 9 lb crossbow. It wasn't bad, but I didn't have to pack anything out, and I certainly wouldn't turn down a 6 lb crossbow.
Keep in mind that an 8lb BAR is probably going to be better than 10 lbs by the time you add scope, mount, sling and ammo. Also, I shoot at our local long range quite often, and it seems to me that in practice reliable 500-600 yd shots in wind, from field positions, are a very different proposition than 400 yd and under.
Here are my normal rigs, neither is too bad, but the Kimber is noticeably more fun to carry all day than the X-Bolt.
The latest addition is a bit chunkier than I prefer, but should still be ok.
This past Saturday I covered a little over 9 miles above 10k ft carrying my 9 lb crossbow. It wasn't bad, but I didn't have to pack anything out, and I certainly wouldn't turn down a 6 lb crossbow.
Keep in mind that an 8lb BAR is probably going to be better than 10 lbs by the time you add scope, mount, sling and ammo. Also, I shoot at our local long range quite often, and it seems to me that in practice reliable 500-600 yd shots in wind, from field positions, are a very different proposition than 400 yd and under.
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adcoch1
Member
My first year hunting I was dragging around a 1917 eddystone in full military regalia, I believe about 11.5lbs. It wasn't fun in the coastal rainforest brush. I also regularly run around with a barely above 6lb rifle for short hunts that won't require long shots. My personal limit on game with exactly the right gear and time to set up the shot is 500 yards. But most of my rifles are 250 and in max. I will say that if I am packing a 10 lb rifle nowadays I'm not bringing the 44 revolver too.
dranrab
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As soon as my man bun finishes growing out, I'll be able to.
adcoch1
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If you have a man bun you obviously don't respect yourself, so why would you respect the animal you're hunting? Jk of course...
GE-Mini-Gun
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10#...carried an M1 Garand a couple times
doubleh
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As a skinny flatlander that deer and elk hunted in the mountains I carried an '06 that weighed slightly less than 8 1/2 # for years. I was an outside worker that spent a lot of time in odd positions but walking a lot wasn't required. I quickly learned that several weeks on a treadmill before hunting season made a big difference in how much that rifle weighed at the end of the day. I have looked into some canyons and passed on hunting them. I just wasn't tough enough to retrieve anything I would shoot in them. In fact just trying to walk them was a chore I didn't want to attempt. I also carried a 9 1/2# '06 a couple of times. It was much nicer when shooting but seemed a lot more than just one pound heavier at the end of the day. It belongs to a bigger, stronger grandson now.
CptnAwesome
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