Define “Mountain Rifle”

[WisBorn]

My idea of a mountain rifle is a trimmed down version of a standard rifle.
Remington offered their Model 700 in a slimmer rifle with a lighter barrel and stock, but not shortened in length.

My Weatherby ultra lightweight could be defined as a mountain rifle at around 8#s ready to go.

I have carried a 300 wm A-Bolt Stanless Stalker up and down the black hills. It worked fine.

Definition of Mountain Rifle: the heaviest longer range shooter you are willing to carry up a mountain

 

[WVRJ]

I have a couple that I consider suitable for mountain hunting.I have a Rem. 700 in 300 Win Mag that's in a Brown Precision stock that I carried in the mountains elk hunting for years.With a 4.5X14 Leupold,it weighs 8 pounds fully loaded.My other one is a M7 with a 20 inch barrel in 308 that I contoured to have a little more metal than the original barrel and a fiberglass stock that I re-made to fit me and keep as much of the weight forward as possible.Light,short rifles can be tough to shoot offhand or from improvised positions,but if they're balanced right,they are a lot better.Light,whippy barrels and skinny fore ends with large buttstocks and beefy pistol grips don't have the balance in the right place to shoot well.The 300 usually gets the call when the country is steep and tough and the shots are long,but the 308 is a joy to shoot and a full pound lighter.

 

[ACES&8S]

Mountain Rifle is a Scout Rifle in disguise

 

[Trey Veston]

 

[Palladan44]

Winchester Model 70 'Super Shadow' in 300 WSM.
It's only a "mountain rifle" when it's loaded with the 4th and final run of handloads that are some real unicorns using these 162 grain boattails I found. The rounds like to follow each other through the same hole at 200 yds. at times.

 

[elktrout]

Most of the time, the term "mountain rifle" is used to convey the idea of a rifle that is lighter in weight than the regular model sold by most companies. JMR40's comments are worthy of your serious consideration in this respect. Climbing mountains can be extremely taxing, no matter where you hunt. But, rather than focusing on the rifle, focus on the rest of your gear. I know hunters here in Colorado who have wisely gone the other direction and reduced the weight in their packs, boots, etc. How much stuff do you really need to carry? Packs themselves can vary by as much as a pound. Some excellent, very light-weight packs are available to shave weight. After consecutive hunts, I found myself eliminating a lot of items which I included because, " I might need this".

JMR 40 is really spot on regarding optics. I have a 4.5-14x on my .300 and a 4-16x on my 7mm. They rarely leave 6 or 8x. So, a good 3-9x of lighter weight makes sense. Another "mountain" item I see many hunters lugging around is a monstrous pair of super high powered binoculars. 8x is excellent in a binocular and usually clearer than the high powered models, unless you want to spend thousands on Leicas, Zeiss, or Swarowskis.

So, keep your regularly configured big game rifle and reduce the weight in other things, and you will have a "mountain rifle" you can shoot.

 

[sage5907]

The pre 64 Model 70 Winchester that came into production in 1953 was the first true "mountain rifle." The first two years it was only chambered in 308 Winchester but in 1955 it came into it's true potential when it was also chambered in 30-06 and 270 Winchester. Later the 6.5 Winchester Magnum was added to the list. The rifle weighs just a little over 8 pounds with scope and sling and was much easier to carry in the rough steep terrain, black timber and at higher altitudes. If I was going to hunt in Colorado today I would still be carrying one of these rifles and my "mountain rifle" today has a 280 Remington barrel. Sadly, the short length of the seasons, the draw system and the high cost of the tags has kept me from being interested. The only hunt I would like to do today would be the Henry Mountains in Utah for mule deer but that is also out of my reach.

 

[shoobe01]

There is no A mountain rifle because mountains vary. I forget the quote but long ago someone very knowledgable said something like how you need different gun and technique and so on, if moving from the firing point to recovering the game takes:

• 10 minutes
• Half a day
• Two days

Hiking about in the mountains and taking things in the woods or scrub a few hundred yards away as it appears, vs setting up to shoot a goat on the side of the next mountain over are two different things.

 

[Farmermail]

Growing up hunting the mountains of most western states (live in ID now), my thoughts on a "Mountain" rifle:

• I think less about weight. I can spend a LOT of money on a rifle, reduce weight by a couple pounds. Or, I can watch what I eat, work out a bit more, and lose 20 pounds (ok fine, a few more ) for far less money.
• I think about being a long ways from civilization (elk camp 8 miles in, backpack hunt for goats, whatever) and extreme weather. Therefore:
  • Stainless or corrosion resistant. Preferably no blued guns, one may not have the means to properly care for them in many cases. Learned this the hard way on Kodiak Island.
  • Great optics. Weather is unpredictable. Yes, I am one of those guys with a $700 gun and a $1,500 scope. Optics must perform, always.
  • Composite stock. Gun will take a beating most likely in trees, rocks. Most likely will get wet, wood stocks may swell, affect point of impact. Especially in snow, really can soak a stock.
  • Dependable, simple operation. Bolt action is my go to, but whatever one can easily disassemble, clean some river gravel out of the action, and get back to work. Yup, fell right into a large creek in UT during an Oct elk hunt, slipped on a frozen rock. Happens.
• I think about temperature extremes. Regardless of caliber, temps can vary from well below freezing to t-shirt weather in the same day. Ensure the load can deal with that as best as possible.
• I think of one shot. All that effort to get wherever, for that one shot on <insert game animal here>. Ensure the rifle you bring is THE rifle you count on, above all else. Confidence is key in extreme terrain.

Of course, so many options to choose from for rifles, loads, scopes. Just my random thoughts.