Thought maybe some of you would be interested in a project I just finished up. I have had a stainless Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .270 Win chambering for about 14 years now. It was originally a LSS Mountain Rifle with the laminated stock, but right after buying it, I put on a plastic Remington stock which shaved a few ounces. I also mounted a Leupold compact 3-9 in steel Leupold mounts. I hunted with it for those past 14 years in that configuration. It was a reasonably light rifle, about 7.5 pounds scoped. It has accounted for a lot of game, many deer, sheep, coyote, groundhog, and moose.
I had been tempted lately by some of the lighter weight rifles on the market, the Kimber Montana’s, the Titanium 700s, etc that weigh in between five and six pounds. On backpack hunts into the Brooks range, I am always looking at ways to lighten the load, cutting off my toothbrush handle, using titanium cookware, etc. It seems that no matter how good of shape I think I am in, or how much I prepare, pack weight still seems to increase when you are 10 miles from camp in rugged terrain at last light. Especially with a pack loaded with meat.
I decided instead to try to lighten up my .270 Mountain rifle, and turn it into a true “mountain rifle.” My goal was to shave a pound off of its weight, I figured that would be a reasonable goal and one that would be noticeable in the field.
I started by replacing the steel scope mounts with Talley Lightweight aluminum mounts. This provided a weight savings of 2.66 ounces. Might not sound like a lot, but 4 ounces is a quarter pound, so I figured that was a good start. I then sent my bolt to Kampfeld custom, where it was fluted and the bolt knob hollowed out. This provided a weight loss of 1.02 ounce. Not a lot, but ounces make pounds, and the fluting adds a nice custom touch. I then replaced the factory striker and firing pin assembly with a Callahan Aluminum assembly. With the fluting, and the aluminum striker installed, the total bolt weight loss was 3.12 ounces.
So far, I had a total weight savings of 5.78 ounces, if I was to realize my goal of shedding a pound, I would need to lose an additional 10+ ounces. The factory plastic stocks are really not much if any lighter than wood, so I was figuring from the beginning to replace the stock. The plastic Remington stock weighed 33.3 ounces, or 2 pounds, 1.3 ounce. After much research, I decided to order a Kevlar Pound’r
Stock blank from Brown Precision. According to Brown, these blanks run about 15-17 ounces and finish at a bit more, depending on LOP, recoil pad used, paint, etc. I finished the Kevlar blank and used a flip flop sole from Wal-Mart to make a recoil pad, as I figured it would be durable and weigh less than commercially produced recoil pads. It turned out great, the flip flop sole pad looks like a commercial pad but weighs next to nothing. I figure it should last quite a while on the butt of a rifle, since it was designed to walk on.
After finishing, glass bedding, completed and ready to install, the Brown Kevlar stock weighed an even sixteen ounces, exactly a pound ! A seventeen ounce savings from the Remington stock.
I wish I had weighed the blank when I first received it, but I did not. It is very light and stiff, I can’t get the foreend to flex at all. I am very impressed with the combination of stiffness and light weight.
The rifle now weighs at six pounds exactly complete with mounted scope. I figure the bare rifle weight is about five pounds four ounces, as the scope is listed as weighing 8.8 ounces and the Talley mounts weigh 2.17 ounces.
Five and one quarter pounds, not bad at all for a long action steel receiver Model 700. Total weight loss was 22.78 ounces, or 1.42 pounds.
I had been tempted lately by some of the lighter weight rifles on the market, the Kimber Montana’s, the Titanium 700s, etc that weigh in between five and six pounds. On backpack hunts into the Brooks range, I am always looking at ways to lighten the load, cutting off my toothbrush handle, using titanium cookware, etc. It seems that no matter how good of shape I think I am in, or how much I prepare, pack weight still seems to increase when you are 10 miles from camp in rugged terrain at last light. Especially with a pack loaded with meat.
I decided instead to try to lighten up my .270 Mountain rifle, and turn it into a true “mountain rifle.” My goal was to shave a pound off of its weight, I figured that would be a reasonable goal and one that would be noticeable in the field.
I started by replacing the steel scope mounts with Talley Lightweight aluminum mounts. This provided a weight savings of 2.66 ounces. Might not sound like a lot, but 4 ounces is a quarter pound, so I figured that was a good start. I then sent my bolt to Kampfeld custom, where it was fluted and the bolt knob hollowed out. This provided a weight loss of 1.02 ounce. Not a lot, but ounces make pounds, and the fluting adds a nice custom touch. I then replaced the factory striker and firing pin assembly with a Callahan Aluminum assembly. With the fluting, and the aluminum striker installed, the total bolt weight loss was 3.12 ounces.
So far, I had a total weight savings of 5.78 ounces, if I was to realize my goal of shedding a pound, I would need to lose an additional 10+ ounces. The factory plastic stocks are really not much if any lighter than wood, so I was figuring from the beginning to replace the stock. The plastic Remington stock weighed 33.3 ounces, or 2 pounds, 1.3 ounce. After much research, I decided to order a Kevlar Pound’r
Stock blank from Brown Precision. According to Brown, these blanks run about 15-17 ounces and finish at a bit more, depending on LOP, recoil pad used, paint, etc. I finished the Kevlar blank and used a flip flop sole from Wal-Mart to make a recoil pad, as I figured it would be durable and weigh less than commercially produced recoil pads. It turned out great, the flip flop sole pad looks like a commercial pad but weighs next to nothing. I figure it should last quite a while on the butt of a rifle, since it was designed to walk on.
After finishing, glass bedding, completed and ready to install, the Brown Kevlar stock weighed an even sixteen ounces, exactly a pound ! A seventeen ounce savings from the Remington stock.
I wish I had weighed the blank when I first received it, but I did not. It is very light and stiff, I can’t get the foreend to flex at all. I am very impressed with the combination of stiffness and light weight.
The rifle now weighs at six pounds exactly complete with mounted scope. I figure the bare rifle weight is about five pounds four ounces, as the scope is listed as weighing 8.8 ounces and the Talley mounts weigh 2.17 ounces.
Five and one quarter pounds, not bad at all for a long action steel receiver Model 700. Total weight loss was 22.78 ounces, or 1.42 pounds.
it weighs in at 14.2lbs
