Is a 10lb hunting rifle too heavy?

Think about it like this: you'll be carrying that weapon for many hours over many days, to take a shot that may take 5-30 seconds if you are skilled and have a little luck. You'll also be carrying a spotting scope or binoculars, water, food, wearing heavy boots, a handgun possibly, and who knows what else you'll choose to carry 6000+ feet higher than you currently live. It adds up pretty quickly. Possible, yes, enjoyable no.

They make rifles (Kimber Mt Ascent 4 lb 13 oz, Weatherby Backcountry 4 lb, 9 0z, Barrett Fieldcraft 5.2 lbs) that weigh less than half of what you are looking at in calibers that will take elk. Yes, you will pay a premium for them, but think about how much more comfortable they will be to carry all that time in order to make that one shot. Recoil may be a bit of a bear, but it's one, or at most two shots after zeroing it. Put a limbsaver on it and go for it.

As a person who lives in Colorado and frequents the mountains (for other outdoor activities, but doesn't usually hunt) I say pass on that rifle for a newer lightweight rifle, but that's me.
 
@IlikeSA gives a good perspective, and I was going to suggest a rifle but held off. But his post made me do it...

A Kimber Mountain Ascent, will feel very familiar to your Ruger being CRF, 3 position safety.
 
I'm 68 yrs old, and last year I used my Sharps rifle with 36" barrel for deer simply because I wanted to hunt with it but mainly because I was stupid. West Texas gets pretty hilly and every step I took I was wishing I head my Winchester 94. Maybe this year I will use my Sharps rifle with 30" barrel because I still remain stupid and think about my Winchester 94 with every step I take again.
 
Walking a mile with a 12.5 pound rifle slung over your shoulder on a 7500 foot ridgeline from your parked ATV to get where you’re going to glass is a lot different then getting out of a truck at 6600 feet and heading up through timber and talus fields to 9,500 or 10K on foot with that beast.

You don’t elaborate how and where you’ll be hunting so it’s difficult to give advice. It says your from Mass. If in fact you’re coming from sea level to elk country I’d be worried about altitude sickness without a few days of acclimatizing. Above 7K everyone starts feeling it, some more than others depending on condition, weight, age etc.

As a GENERAL rule…I prefer a lighter gun in elk country. You’re not shooting it off a bench for an afternoon so recoil (at least for me) is not a consideration. The one or two times you might pull the trigger you won’t feel the gun (but you probably already know this).

You will however feel that 12-13 pound rig with each step you take in the high country…ask me how I know.
^

Another this!

Last year I did a WY elk hunt, and averaged about 9-10 miles a day up and down. From the trailhead to where we hunted was an easy 3-4 mile hike on decent trails, then the terrain started to suck. In prep I was doing 4-5 miles a day, 3-4 days a week here in KS with a 30+ lb backpack. I averaged about 1hr 15 minutes for 4 miles, but with only a couple hills. WY still sucked.. We camped at 7300' and went up from there. At home it's roughly 900'.

The 1st couple days I carried this M700 in 300WM, carbon fiber stock, magnum profile barrel:

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8lbs 9 ounces "all up" and loaded. By day 3 I was carrying this M7 in 350RM at 7lbs "all up" and loaded:

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and I was losing everything in my pack that wasn't absolutely needed. We're looking at going back this year.. so I've GOT to come up with a better training program!!
 
But they have gun bearers who tote the guns in Africa
You’ve watched too many safari movies from the 50’s. ; )

What I haven’t seen mentioned on this thread is how people are planing on carrying their rifle. With a shoulder sling a 12lb rifle is going to start wearing on you. Strapping one in pack that has a rifle carrying device makes it much easier on you.

The big difference between Africa and the Western USA is in Africa you’re generally not carrying a lot of extra weight. I use a utility belt with ten rounds a GPS and a knife. I might have a light jacket along. I carry an 11lb double in my hand or over the shoulder African style. I wouldn’t dream of having someone carry my rifle for me in DG country. There is some rugged steep country in parts of Africa but it’s generally at lower altitude and in pleasant weather. So no big insulated boots or layers required. Water is the main heavy item carried in the field. There is generally one of the guys on your team that has a pack with spare water. The “gun” bearer doesn’t exist for the most part but the “water bearer” could be there. Depending on where you’re hunting I’ve carried a small day pack with water and a few essentials in Africa, but generally speaking African hunting is far less gear intensive than hunting in the Rockies.

In the Western USA I generally have about 30 lbs of stuff on my back before I add in a rifle. And I’m traveling in much higher, colder and steeper terrain. My elk rifles generally come in at about 8 to 9 lbs with a scope and magazine full of ammo. I can’t stand ultralight rifles. They don’t hang well in the hands, they are finicky and not worth the trouble IMO. I’ll trade a pound or two for accuracy and shootability.
 
Walking a mile with a 12.5 pound rifle slung over your shoulder on a 7500 foot ridgeline from your parked ATV to get where you’re going to glass is a lot different then getting out of a truck at 6600 feet and heading up through timber and talus fields to 9,500 or 10K on foot with that beast.

You don’t elaborate how and where you’ll be hunting so it’s difficult to give advice. It says you’re from Mass. If in fact you’re coming from sea level to elk country I’d be worried about altitude sickness without a few days of acclimatizing. Above 7K everyone starts feeling it, some more than others depending on condition, weight, age etc.

As a GENERAL rule…I prefer a lighter gun in elk country. You’re not shooting it off a bench for an afternoon so recoil (at least for me) is not a consideration. The one or two times you might pull the trigger you won’t feel the gun (but you probably already know this).

You will however feel that 12-13 pound rig with each step you take in the high country…ask me how I know.
+2
My Pre-64 M-70 in .300 H&H with the scope and sling was ~11 pounds. It was heavy by the end of the day hiking those elevations. Swapped to a lighter scope and Tally rings, but still on the heavy side.
 
It's fashionable in today's world for hunters to have a large 4 wheel drive truck pulling a trailer with a Polaris Ranger so that they can drive to the hunting area, unload the Ranger and ride it a half mole to a box blind and never walk more than 100 yards during the hunt. For these people a rifle of any length and weight will work. For the serious hunter who hunts hard to get to areas in rough terrain a rifle with a 22 inch barrel that weighs a little over 8 pounds if much better. I'm talking about the hunter who thinks nothing about walking several miles during a hunt. When I first started hunting I used rifles with 24 inch barrels that weighed about 9 1/2 pounds but I got a lot smarter with experience and switched to featherweight rifles. I originally thought I could shoot the heavier longer rifles more accurately but that turned out not to be true. The lighter shorter rifles are more user friendly
 
You lost 1lb 9oz on the rifle, how much did your pack lose?
I could only manage to lose about 3, maybe 4 pounds from the pack; some nice to have clothing, extra water (carried a lightweight filter), extra knife, dropped a flashlight and just went with a headlamp, and got rid of some nice to have snacks.

As my hunting partner said "ounces turn into pounds pretty quick when you're carrying them".
 
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I wouldn’t hesitate to use my probably 10-11 lb all up Tikka Super Varmint for a stand/blind gun. For a long distance trek , up hill and down dale elk hunt? I’d be looking for something lighter for sure. Then again, I’m 77 and not 35 anymore!
 
Thanks everyone for the info. So a group of us are at the beginning stages of planning this trip for next fall. We started thinking Colorado or Utah, but we're also seeing some good places in Montana as well. We're planning on going from the camp by horseback on a guided hunt. Obviously leaving the horses and heading up at some point. I suspect there will be a LOT of hiking. I'm in decent shape, but a cubical commando at work so definitely will need to train for this. The places we've looked at some of them indicate shots up to 5-600 yards so that's why I was leaning towards a 300 WM. They want you to be very proficient with your rifle and have good dope before heading out. I know I'll also need to be hauling a good amount of gear in a pack as well as possibly hauling out meat on the return trip.

As you've indicated I'm a New England hunter. I walk into the wood and hit a stand or a ridge and watch. This will be 100% different than anything I've ever done so excited and nervous about it all at the same time.
Congrats on deciding to do the hunt. They are a lot to get ready for and plan but absolutely worth it in my opinion. Get in the best shape you can, but go hunt and do it. As others have said, the altitude is no joke. Plan ahead and don't be stupid. A guide would help in that department, I'm sure.

I'm loathe to recommend you go buy a new rifle just for your first Western elk hunt. But . . . 12-13 pounds is quite a bit of rifle to carry in the mountains. People do it, but I don't. It's one thing strapped to your pack, but another thing on your shoulder or in your hand. It really depends on how you're hunting and carrying it. The first time I lugged a rifle around in the mountains it was a Remington 700 in a Boyd's hardwood stock weighing 9 1/2 pounds scope up. It was fine, but now I carry a Tikka that weighs under 8 pounds scoped up and field ready. I like it a lot better.

But there's a point of diminishing returns, in my opinion. You need to be proficient with your rifle. 500-600 yards is a long shot on a game animal. A 10 mph crosswind will drift a 300 Win Mag bullet 10-18 inches at those distances, depending on variables. You're going to have to practice a lot, particularly from field positions. Light rifles chambered for magnum cartridges aren't much fun to shoot. So, if you end up getting one of the super-lightweight mountian rifles, you may want to do a lot of your practice with a lighter caliber. I try to balance weight and shootability so I can do quite a bit of practice with the rifle I will carry in the mountains.
 
Most of my hunting buddies could lose 2 lbs off their rifle, 10 lbs of unneeded gear and 20 lbs off the beer belly. And I include myself in this comment.
I got a new pair of Kuiu valo attack hunting pants in the mail today and they fit perfectly except for the waist and I had a hard time getting them buttoned. I live on the top of a tall hill and it is a half mile down a steep hill to the lake and I immediately made a promise to myself to take that hike every day to get my waist smaller. When I got back from the first hike my wife cut me a big piece of chocolate cake so I may have to adjust my strategy.
 
IMO you might want to consider finding
some place you can access for a day
hike or an overnighter at the altitude
that you'll be at during the hunt before
investing in a special firearm for the
trip. I tried to go to the southern Rockies
for a bowhunt, and I found that I cannot
tolerate 10,000 + plus feet of elevation
and function normally and hump a
pack and bow and accoutrements
like I can at these lower elevations.
You might be able to acclimatize
after a week or more of lazy type
camping or the like, but I wouldn't
invest in all the gear and guide services
and transportation, etc. until I knew
for sure that I could hack it for
really real.
Good Luck
 
Don't forget the multi-pound big bore revolver or 10mm semi-auto that you'll be carrying for bear. Go with a lightweight rifle with a good butt pad for recoil.
 
I got a new pair of Kuiu valo attack hunting pants in the mail today and they fit perfectly except for the waist and I had a hard time getting them buttoned. I live on the top of a tall hill and it is a half mile down a steep hill to the lake and I immediately made a promise to myself to take that hike every day to get my waist smaller. When I got back from the first hike my wife cut me a big piece of chocolate cake so I may have to adjust my strategy.
:rofl::rofl::rofl:
Buying pants that are too small and making it a "goal" to lose enough weight to get into them is another "strategy" - one I've used myself, with mixed results. ;)
There's another way of looking at whether a 10lb rifle is too heavy for big game hunting out here in the west though. What I mean is, 10lbs is almost 10% of my big game hunting wife's body weight, but 10lbs is less than 5% of my body weight! I should be able to comfortable carry a rifle that's twice as heavy as the rifle my wife carries, shouldn't I? :D
 
When I was 20 something a 10lb rifle was nothing. My Interarms MkX was 10.3lbs. Shot my first deer with it in ‘76.
In ‘23, in Wyoming, I would not get out of the truck with my Rem700 7mag @9+lbs. I would have my REM M7 in 7mm08 @7lbs exactly.
In ‘22, I hunted Utah for elk with my Colt LtRifle @6.7lbs in .30/06. Best big game rifle I own!
I adore my Ruger M77MII African in .375Ruger, but at 11lbs, it’s not a hunt all day gun, but I have done afternoon sit down hunts. But, it’s been 13yrs since it barked in ernest.
Last two years I have predominantly used a Howa M1500mini in 6.5Grendel. 6lbs even.
 
IMO you might want to consider finding
some place you can access for a day
hike or an overnighter at the altitude
that you'll be at during the hunt before
investing in a special firearm for the
trip. I tried to go to the southern Rockies
for a bowhunt, and I found that I cannot
tolerate 10,000 + plus feet of elevation
and function normally and hump a
pack and bow and accoutrements
like I can at these lower elevations.
You might be able to acclimatize
after a week or more of lazy type
camping or the like, but I wouldn't
invest in all the gear and guide services
and transportation, etc. until I knew
for sure that I could hack it for
really real.
Good Luck
Good advice here...
I've lived almost my entire life over 7000ft with my general hunting areas close by from about 8500-10000. I don't like to go above timberline and haven't in years. Even living and being active at this elevation anything over 9000 adds tremendously to the load you are carrying. I raced mountain bikes, hiked extensively, played hockey, Telemark skied, I walk several miles a day and still do lots of construction projects, etc. Altitude will kick your a$$. I pass regularly on shots where I would have to carry an animal out to a distant camp. Just not worth it.
Lots of sport teams come to this altitude to train, and sometimes some of them fail.
 
They used to employ gunbearers. I don't know if that's still a thing.
The guides carry guns that is for sure. Some is carrying your rifle. I am not sure if they still have slaves doing it. Granted they are in better shape.

Where I got into this is listening to pod casts on African hunting, they want 10lbs so you can handle the recoil of really big calibers. Sounded to me like they didn't have slaves, because they talked about carrying it.

But again, someone is carry it
 
If you can't carry an 11-pound rifle, how are you going to carry a 700-pound elk?
Mind, I never have and never will hunt elk or anything approaching one in size, but I have the impression that one does not pack out the entire animal (?). You do raise an interesting question, though. Packing out a head, antlers, and hopefully a bunch of meat does indeed look like quite a load. I would think that a 11lb rifle would rather rapidly begin to pale in insignificance! Perhaps an experienced elk/ big game hunter can set me straight!
 
I would want a lighter rifle. Sure, maybe you could do it but why? Every pound counts and as a fellow easterner, I'd be wanting to trim as much as possible, off me and my rifle. You don't need a belted magnum. Get something in a .308 to .30-06 "class" cartridge that you can actually shoot. I'd want a 6lb rifle with a scope under a pound.



The guides carry guns that is for sure. Some is carrying your rifle. I am not sure if they still have slaves doing it. Granted they are in better shape.

Where I got into this is listening to pod casts on African hunting, they want 10lbs so you can handle the recoil of really big calibers. Sounded to me like they didn't have slaves, because they talked about carrying it.

But again, someone is carry it
Pretty sure they're paying those folks who are totin' stuff. Those folks also live there and do it for a living. They're also half naked, not at 10,000ft or carrying a backpack in freezing weather and covered in wool.
 
Mind, I never have and never will hunt elk or anything approaching one in size, but I have the impression that one does not pack out the entire animal (?). You do raise an interesting question, though. Packing out a head, antlers, and hopefully a bunch of meat does indeed look like quite a load. I would think that a 11lb rifle would rather rapidly begin to pale in insignificance! Perhaps an experienced elk/ big game hunter can set me straight!
So, it depends on how the hunt is undertaken. If a the hunter goes in with a pack train, ATV's or SxS's, then a heavy rifle can be accommodated with those methods. If they're backpacking, it's likely to limit the distance they're able to go. This is a classic dilemma in hunting. The big trucks bring everything you could want, but they limit where you can hunt, most often to where most other people also hunt. Going ultralight opens the door to going deeper in the backcountry. If that kind of country is available, like there is a proper wilderness designated area, it offers more opportunities, but it costs convenience, comfort, and heavily penalizes gear weight.
 
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