7lbs Or Less: Practical Rifle

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Current-production Browning BLRs, with their alloy receivers, are about 6.5 pounds, and I actually like the rear iron sight, so, neither of mine are scoped, at this time. I may well put a Scout Scope on my Takedown BLR, using the factory accessory scout mount, but have yet to get around to doing so.
 
George P said:
But the 7-08 is just as tad cooler................:D:thumbup:;)
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Didnt the almighty Col. Coop say it had to be a .308!?

I have no use for a true scout rifle but I’m considering slapping a 20” pencil barrel on my lightweight AR build. I picked up an “A4” and love the feel but the govt profile barrel is a bit pudgy at 8lbs. With a 3-9 scope, its a pig.

So, to answer OP, a 20” 1-6x AR with 20rnd magz
 
I am also LH; that said, except for my 700BDL from 1980 in 7mm mag (one of three cartridges offered to LH at the time along with 30-06 and .270) I have gotten used to shooting RH guns - bolts, semis, shotguns, handguns. Hunting rifles, I hold the wrist with my LH and work the bolt with my right and remount; with semi handguns, my trigger finger does a great job of releasing the slide - even better than the slide release on the right side of the M&P; for O/U shotguns, pushing the top lever is SO much easier than moving the thumb over and pulling like RH folks do; and on a DT SxS, no knuckle bruise like they get as I can slide my finger from front trigger to back easily enough. The only gun it isn't easier is a revolver, but those are for range use and not SD or competition so it matters not.
Yep, us LH folks have a good deal in the RH gun world; you just have to look at it from the proper perspective.................:thumbup::cool:;)
 
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I have / had left handed bolts from.
Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Savage, Browning, Tika, and Weatherby.

This will be the first year I will use a right handed bolt to hunt with. I bought 3 Savage Axis rifles during the Walmart clearance. The wood stock models have to be over 8#s scoped. First time I will use a 243 & 270.

Used a few levers and single shots also.
 
I have got a couple, Remington Model Seven .243 with iron sights, Ruger American Ranch 7.62x39, and Marlin 336 LTS.

I actually like my rifles around the 8.5 lbs range. I have a hard time shooting lightweight rifles in the mountains where I normally hunt. I don't mind humping the extra 1.5 pounds to be more steady when it is time to shoot.
 
I have a Howa mini action in 7.62x39 in a lightened Boyd's stock and a vortex 2-7x that weighs in just a little under 7 pounds. It is about as practical a rifle as I can imagine unless you are hunting something larger than deer, or need long range. It isn't punishing at all even though it is light, and it shoots better than you might expect even with cheap steel case ammo.
 
With the right scope there are lots of reasonably priced options. Tikka, Ruger American and others. My Kimber was under 6 lbs scoped before I added a bit heavier scope but it is a bit pricey. It's still well under 7. I used to chase lightweight rigs, but long ago figured out that there was nothing magical about keeping weight under 7 lbs.

In fact somewhere between 7-8 lbs is just about right with around 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 being about perfect for me. That is where all of my scoped bolt guns come in. I don't find a 7 1/2 lb rifle a hardship to carry, but I do find rifles much under 7 lbs a little harder to shoot well. Above 8 lbs and I CAN carry it, but it isn't as lively in the hands for quick snap shots. I tend to carry lighter rifles in my hands, heavier rifles get slung over the shoulder.

Lever actions are often mentioned, but in reality they tend to be quite heavy. It is near impossible to scope one and keep it under 8lbs. There is a lot of metal in that receiver and then hanging a steel mag tube under the barrel adds up.
 
I believe Col. Cooper allowed a weight, with accessories and unloaded of 6.6 pounds to 7.7 pounds. Since people have gotten bigger (perhaps more rotund) since Col. Cooper wrote his description we should allow rifles up to 8.8 pounds (being generous). This given that bigger people can carry bigger rifles with equal effort. No scrawny 1940s or 50s guys need apply around here, we all buff and stacked on rage'roids.
 
jmr40 said:
With the right scope there are lots of reasonably priced options. Tikka, Ruger American and others. My Kimber was under 6 lbs scoped before I added a bit heavier scope but it is a bit pricey. It's still well under 7. I used to chase lightweight rigs, but long ago figured out that there was nothing magical about keeping weight under 7 lbs.

In fact somewhere between 7-8 lbs is just about right with around 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 being about perfect for me. That is where all of my scoped bolt guns come in. I don't find a 7 1/2 lb rifle a hardship to carry, but I do find rifles much under 7 lbs a little harder to shoot well. Above 8 lbs and I CAN carry it, but it isn't as lively in the hands for quick snap shots. I tend to carry lighter rifles in my hands, heavier rifles get slung over the shoulder.

Lever actions are often mentioned, but in reality they tend to be quite heavy. It is near impossible to scope one and keep it under 8lbs. There is a lot of metal in that receiver and then hanging a steel mag tube under the barrel adds up.
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Sorry for two posts in a row, Ranger Point Precision makes an alloy magazine tube and a hybrid partial alloy lever and some other lightweight bits that would allow a sub 8 pound Marlin 336 (scoped) as possible and below 7 pounds without a scope.
 
3Crows said:
I thought several of my rifles were under seven pounds until I put them on a scale to find they were not:

Ruger M77 in .270 with scope = 8lbs 6oz
Remington 700 in 7mm with scope = 8lbs 5oz
Remington 700 in .243 with scope = 7lbs 12oz
Savage Scout Gen 2 in .308 with scope = 9lbs
AR15 with optic = 9lbs 2oz
Kimber 6.5CM with scope = 6lbs 4oz (minus 2oz when I went to Talley rings)

Put them on a scale, guessing it feels like XX.XX is not very accurate.
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That should be regarded as good news. You obviously are much stronger than you had given yourself credit for!
 
I have an H&R 35 Whelen, a Rossi that chambers 360 DW. A 223 H&R, and a Krag carbine.
All are light. If I had to grab one. It would be the Rossi. 10 rounds of 360 DW would stop anything I come up against.
 
HB said:
Didnt the almighty Col. Coop say it had to be a .308!?

I have no use for a true scout rifle but I’m considering slapping a 20” pencil barrel on my lightweight AR build. I picked up an “A4” and love the feel but the govt profile barrel is a bit pudgy at 8lbs. With a 3-9 scope, its a pig.

So, to answer OP, a 20” 1-6x AR with 20rnd magz
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I believe the gentleman called for the .308 but recognized that some places do not allow arms chambered for "military" cartridges, and that in those instances the 7-08 was an acceptable substitute.
 
I weighed my AR with the 1-6 scope and obscenely heavy QD mount... 8.7# unloaded. Guess I better keep up with the rucking and push-up/crunches routine.

My scoped 30-06 is 7.7# unloaded and comfortable for all day mountain hunts on public land while climbing 1,200’+ vertical. Best of all it’s 24” barrel helps me hold her steady when it’s time to make meat.

I have one ultralight, a synthetic stocked Remington 7 .308. It probably should go down the road though, hard to keep steady and kicks like a bullfrog.

Maybe Col Cooper should have done more push-ups.
 
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jmr40 said:
Lever actions are often mentioned, but in reality they tend to be quite heavy. It is near impossible to scope one and keep it under 8lbs. There is a lot of metal in that receiver and then hanging a steel mag tube under the barrel adds up.
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I’m a lever action fan but will concede that they should not ever be considered light weight. I think many folks don’t scope them and this makes them perceive lever guns to be light weight. I suppose they are then but they are also woefully short range because hardly anyone can use irons as effectively as an optic even if they think they can.
 
Rifles must have good balance. I don't think there is some magic weight.
Model 94 Winchesters, Marlin 336 and the heavier Marlin Guide rifles all balance very nicely. The 94 at just over 6#s is great. A bolt action with a 26" barreled at the same total weight could be hard to stabilize. None of us really want to carry a heavy varmint rifle up a mountain or shoot it offhand in the woods.
I like most standard and lightweight bolts but need to be matched with scopes that start at 4x or less. Higher power scopes are harder to stabilize without a good stable rest.
 
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