How light is your hunting rifle?

Swede 22" barrel 3X9 Leupold and 3 rounds 8#
w/ sling and 9 rounds in/on ammo pouch 8 3/4#
not real heavy or real light: it's just right

Primary hunting rifle is a 788 in .308. It weighs 8.5 lbs unloaded.
2nd favorite is a 760 in .308. It weighs 8lbs 14oz unloaded.
I also own a Kimber Longmaster Classic in .308. It weighs 8lbs 15oz unloaded with a 6x18 VX-2. It is too unreliable to use for hunting.

Quote: "I don't care how strong you are a 9-10 lb rifle will be carried slung over your shoulder, a 6 lb rifle will be in your hands where it belongs."

If you always carry a rifle in your hands while hunting how do you use your binoculars, rangefinder, gps and flashlight? I would rather carry my rifle on my shoulder and use my hands to manage my other equipment. Besides, when I am hunting my binoculars are my most important asset and get 99% of the use. It's easier to switch from binoculars to rifle than to go the other way. BW

^Flashlight??

Quite: ^Flashlight??

Hey, Wyohome don't you ever travel in the dark. When I leave the Jeep in the morning it's always dark and when I return in the evening it's always dark. Sometimes a flashlight comes in handy to get under a barbed wire fence, around the head of a canyon, or through the bottom of a dark draw. BW

Oh, it sounded like you were juggling all of these things while actually hunting.

Dm, What rifle/shotgun combo is that and where can I find me 5?

Hmm... I dunno. What's a Mosin/Nagant M44 weigh?

I don't hunt enough to spend money on much more than what I have now

Wyohome, that Kimber remains to this day as the most beautiful jackhandle I've ever seen in person.
Just weighed my Savage 16 in .260 with a 3-9x40 Conquest that I'm planning to try on a once in a lifetime sheep hunt in WY, 8 lb 10 oz empty w/ sling.
Marlin XL7 in 25-06 w/ 2.5-10x40 Bushnell 4200, 8 lb 12 oz.
Ruger M77 7mm RM w/ 3-9x40 Burris Signature, 9 lb 3 oz.
Rem R-15 .223 w/ 3-12x44 Burris Sig. Select, 9 lb 6 oz.
Win M70 300WM w/ 3-9x40 Leupold VX-R, 9 lb 8 oz.
Savage 110 6.5-.284 w/ 3-15x50 Nitrex TR2, 10 lb 6 oz.

I was thinking of trading my coyote rifle, Remington 700 SPS tactical with Hogue stock, for a lighter Mossberg MVP because it was heavy. It weighs only 10 1/2 pounds. I also weighed my deer rifle - Ruger M77 Hawkeye in 25-06. It's much longer and feels lighter but actually weighs only 1/2 pound lighter than the Remington.

Remington 600 Mohawk in .308 - 7lb 15oz. with scope, sling, and 5 rounds.
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Wyohome, that Kimber remains to this day as the most beautiful jackhandle I've ever seen in person.

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Very likely the most expensive as well, WYcoyote

If you always carry a rifle in your hands while hunting how do you use your binoculars, rangefinder, gps and flashlight? I would rather carry my rifle on my shoulder and use my hands to manage my other equipment.

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The rifle has a sling on it, and it can quickly be slung if needed. I would have never gotten off a shot with at least 1/2 of the game animals I've taken over the years if my rifle was over my shoulder. Two or three seconds from sighting the animal until it is out of sight is typical. If I'm just hiking I'll carry over the shoulder, if hunting, it is in my hands.

It is not a matter of "can I carry a heavier rifle?" I can and have, but once you start carrying a lighter version and find that it is just as accurate, you won't go back. I could tape a brick to the barrel of my Kimber and it would still weigh less than my other rifles. The brick would do just as much to improve performance as the extra weight in the others. Would you carry around a brick taped to your gun just to prove how manly you are? If you are carrying around a gun that weighs more than 8 lbs all up with scope and mounts then you are doing the equivalent of carrying around a brick taped to your gun.

And don't use the excuse that you cannot shoot light rifles. Heavy rifles are like training wheels on a bicycle. Both help novice users succeed. Once you learn how to ride a bike without training wheels, or shoot a rifle without the extra weight, you won't go back to either.

Quote: "Two or three seconds from sighting the animal until it is out of sight is typical."

jmr40, I completely agree with this statement. Most mature animals will give a hunter only a few seconds for the shot. I think you and I are basically saying the same thing. An experienced hunter knows when to take the rifle off his shoulder and carry it in has hands. It is common for hunters to say that the animal didn't give me a shot. If they had been ready they could have gotten an aimed shot off. When I see someone hunting with a bipod on his rifle I wonder how many opportunities he has wasted. If you look for a crutch the opportunity can waste itself. Also, I agree that a hunter will look to lighter rifles as he gets more experience but a lighter rifle is only good for someone who isn't recoil shy. Just because a rifle is light and accurate it doesn't mean the shooter can hit anything. BW

Savage 11, .243, Burris Fullfield II, sling, 8lbs even.

I have several rifles that I hunt with, but my T3 Stainless is my go to gun 90% of the time, it weights 6lbs 4oz, figure with my Nikon scope, Super Sling and a loaded mag I am probably tipping the scales a hair over 7lbs, MUCH lighter then my old magnum cannon I used to carry around.

Hello friends and neighbors // Weight is a consideration or I would carry my Savage 24s more often.

My main rifles for hunting the S.C. brush are:
65% --1968, Remington 760 in .30-06 --- 7 1/2lbs + ammo, scope and sling 9lbs
20%--1996 Marlin 336AS in .30-30-------- 7lbs +ammo, scope and sling 8 1/2lbs
10%--1954 Remington 760 in .35rem.-----7 1/2lbs

5%--Savage24s ---7 1/2lbs(poorer balance),M1 Carbine---6lbs,Mosin 91-30 ---8 1/2lbs ,various .22s Stevens M26 ---2 lbs , Marlin 795 ---4.5lbs + extras 6.5lbs.

The only time I thought of one as heavy, so far, was having the .30-06 slung across my chest as I pulled a white tail up from the creek.
Crossing the creek was OK but going up the 25foot bank to the trail took two trips cuse that dang rifle was so heavy(small deer) and I'm too lazy for two trips.

I carry a m70 with #7 Krieger 24" over 10lbs. Balanced great and shoots better. Would rather have a stout built rifle that shoots bug holes consistently than a light weight pencil barrel rifle any day.

WOW that thing is awesome ! Nice

Mine is around 6.5 - 7 lbs. An M77 lightweight in 243.

My favorite is a .308 stainless Remington M7, gorgeously light weight and compact and, yet, 3/4 MOA accurate. It's topped by a 2x10x40 Weaver, a very versatile combination, mountain ridge to thick brushy draw, on foot or in a box blind, it handles everything well. The rig can't weigh much more'n 7 lbs.

My Savage 110 in 7 mag is heavy, has a heavy scope on it, Weatherby supreme 3x9x44.

My .257 Roberts is light, not much lheavier than the M7, old Remington M722 short action, 24" barrel, 4x12x40 Bushnell Banner.

I have other hunting rifles, black powder, lever guns, but these are my main hunting rifles. I need to get better glass on the old .257...one of these days.

This is my lightweight Winchester carbine in 30-30. It matches my hunting style perfectly. That is, stalk within 150 yards and wait for a good shot into the chest organs. Rough country is no fuss at all for me.

TR

Model 88, .308, 8lbs, 6oz