Too darn heavy

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Batty67

Batty67

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I had, briefly, a Ruger PC4. Great firearm, built to survive the apocalypse (seriously), and once I had a trigger job it was a joy to shoot...except that it weighed so damn much! I'm in shape, and I lift weights, but I could not get over how much it weighed. In the end, that was a big part of why I sold it.

My new to me Marlin Camp 45 is a joy to hold and shoot. Weight is great. Yes, I might be a wuss.

Anyone else ever give up on a gun, getting rid of it or not buying one, because it was just too heavy for what it was and what you needed?
 
I prefer a two pound handgun.. that's 3-4 times lighter than most common rifles.
Since you can't carry a rifle while bopping around down at the malwart, might as well carry a pistol that'll do a lot of things a rifle will do, like minimize recoil, be powerful and be very accurate.
 
Hmmn. It was a PC4 not a 9. Well, maybe it was the way it was balanced compared to the Marlin. Actually, I plan on lifting tonight.

On the broader side of things, my questions still holds: has anyone gotten rid of a firearm or not got one because it was too heavy.

My apologies if this thread is a waste of time.
 
Batty67

I once had a MAB PA-15 9mm. semi-auto pistol. Just about everything on that gun was made out of machined steel, including the magazine floorplate. This gun was extremely heavy and definitely over-built for the cartridge it was chambered for. I think it weighed something like 39 ounces unloaded. It was also quite accurate and due to the rotating barrel design could handle everything from the lightest target loads to the heaviest +P rounds without any problem. Felt recoil was virtually non-existant in this pistol.

Of course the problem with it was it was primarily suited for the range as it was just too big and heavy for me to want to carry it for any length of time. I think I eventually traded it in on a S&W Model 469.
 
Balance can have a lot to do with howa rifle feels in your arms. I got rid of a hbar mid length because it was to front heavy.
 
I have never gotten rid of anything due to weight, I just have not used it for hiking all day long. I have a rifle that weighs over 15lbs, but it really shows the varmints whats up from a distance.
 
Gave up on a M1a Scout with Vltor Csav 14 and scope.

Went to a FN scar 17. Complete setup with Nikon 3x9 40mm and 20rds of 168 gr Ammo...approx 11.4 lbs on my scale.
 
I don't think I have ever gotten rid of a firearm because of weight alone. I backed away from buying a semi-auto Thompson carbine because it was most definitely heavy. There have been times I have held a Remington 870 shotgun, without a sling, for fairly long periods, which is why I prefer my pumpguns slick, without such add-ons as sidesaddles and extended magazine tubes. I use my shotgun for police duty and home defense; slings tend to catch on things while I am trying to grab it and exit the patrol car.

It is not just weight, but balance, too, that affects how quickly I fatigue while carrying and/or holding a weapon. My Winchester Model 70 Safari Express .375 H&H is so well-balanced, that it does not seem to weigh very much. Admittedly, it has been about 14 years since I toted it through the woods.

As for carrying a handgun at belt level, an all-steel 5" 1911 pistol is not usually a burden, when worn all day, along with a spare mag or two, and a back-up snubby, assuming I am wearing a substantial belt. My weakest link is my right knee, and when it is having a bad day, I don't feel like carrying any extra weight.
 
Weight has always been a factor for the puirchases I have made. I have not sold one due to being to heavy, I have just not purchased some because of it.

I have had a rifle that came in at about 15 pounds but that was target grade long range shooting, and not a gun for stomping thru the woods with. It's all about the right gun for the right purpose.
 
I sold my HBAR years ago because the balance was so poor with the heavy barrel.
 
I also think it's a bit relative. Imagine that the technology didn't exist to make a 7-8 lb hunting rifle, and we all HAD to carry 10-12 lb rifles. We would still do it, right? Soldiers get featherweight M-4s now, but there was a time when pretty much everyone got a Garand. I think a certain amount of it is luxuriating in the fact that now we have choices.

I have caried varmint-barreled rifles to hunt deer, I've carried a Model 70 featherweright to hunt deer. I don't remember either one being too heavy or recoiling too much to bear.
 
My next "gonna get" gun is one of the Colt Pencil Barrel Carbines...the 6720...weighs in at just over 5 lbs empty. I suppose I might go with an M1 Carbine for the same approximate weight but ammo is both heavier and way more expensive.
 
I carried around a P229 the first couple years I was packing. Once I got a M&P compact it was like the weight of the world was off my belt, it was a real eye opener. Weight is the primary reason I've never been interested in a 1911...even the lighter framed models are 30oz, cost more, and are not meant for thousands upon thousands of rounds as the steel framed versions. If I'm in the mood to pack something heavy it will be a revolver in 357, 44sp, or 44mag.
 
One good reason not to strap/bolt/duct tape every accessory known to man on your lightweight carbine.

It stops being lightweight.
 
Sold an HK-91 and bought a Steyr Scout after lugging the HK through the woods for a week. Since then I've gotten an FNH SCAR 17S but if I might have walk a long way to shoot something that isn't going to shoot back, I'm taking the Steyr.
 
If I'm toting a long gun it won't be in a pistol cartridge and weight can be an issue, I learned a long time ago grouse hunting with an 8lb gun isn't as much fun as hunting with a 6lb gun.
 
^ You need to empty it once in a while.

I've got two guns which are waaaay overweight for the cartridges they fire. A Walther PPK in .380 and a P92 in 9mm.

Lotsa machinery for those little cartridges. Your opinion may vary.

Terry, 230RN
 
Weight does soak up a fair bit of the felt recoil... or dampen it... or something. So you got that going for ya. :D

And I gotta agree with "the older you get..." concept. Imagine a bunch of old men carrying M1 Garands or BARs all over North Africa to Germany and the gripin' that'd be going on (not to mention the other gears weight). :neener:

Or the kids now carrying god knows what around in the mountain-stans today. Thank goodness they're all in better shape than decrepit old me. ;)
 
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