What's too heavy for hiking

[ChiBears]

I am trying to plan a hunting trip right now with some buddies and was wondering what is too heavy for a rifle to pack...for those of you who have experience.
We are trying to plain an elk trip. I would also someday like to be able to shoot a sheep.
I have a Savage 12fvss in .300 wsm. It has the heavy 26" barrel on it and after my scope and Farrel mount, I would not be surprised if it is pushing 14 pounds or more.
Is this going to be too taxing on me. I thought it would not be bad if I could find a good way to carry it...attached to backpack, etc.
I have wanted a Browning Stainless Stalker, but do not have the funds to buy it, unless I sell the savage. I like the Savage, but would sell it if it would be necessary for packing a lighter rifle.
Thanks for the help.
Sam

 

[Grumulkin]

What really cracks me up is the guys who are afraid of carrying a 7 lb. rifle vs a 12 lb. rifle whilst they carry an extra 30 lb. "spare tire" around their middle. If I liked the rifle and it weighed 14 lbs., that's the rifle I would take. Compared to a 7 lb. rifle it's only an extra 7 lbs!

 

[gotguns?]

I really don't see the humor. You gotta cut down somewhere and it can't be in the cooler of beer.

I would leave the change of clothes behind and go with your favorite gun.

 

[Cosmoline]

Up here I've lugged around an array of firearms on the trails. The easiest to handle by far are leverguns in a backpack scabbard. Second easiest would be a well balanced bolt action. The balance seems to matter more in the long run than the weight. A rifle you can hold over your shoulder or sling forward across the chest will be a lot easier over the miles. Worst of all are heavy and poorly balanced bolt actions or semiautos. Remeber a pound in the hands is like ten on the back.

 

[Brian Williams]

Look into changing the barrel, the Savage has a barrel nut, that allows a fairly quick change, get a sporter weight barrel and stock and change to something lighter. You might need to change the head of the bolt. but if you stay with the same cartridge type you will not have to change the bolt head.

Just remember to check headspace and all that while doing so.

 

[30-06 lover]

Take your Savage and don't think twice about it. I have carried various weights while hunting and now think that anything under 9 pounds is a joke/pain to hunt with. Heavy guns can be a little tiring, but not to the point that it ruins the day/hunt. When you get on an animal you want to shoot, you don't think about/realize how much the gun weighs, only how steady you are holding it. With a light gun, it is SUPER hard to steady when you adrenalin is pumping, with a gun that weighs 10 pounds, you can normally get in in the kill zone and keep it there. Light guns good for backpacking...heavy guns are good for hunting.
-Mike

 

[MCgunner]

I have a Savage M110 long action in 7mm Rem Mag I'd take. I've toted that thing all day long in rugged mountains and made out okay. It's a little heavier and longer and not as handy as my M7 in .308 or my M722 in .257 Roberts, but jeez, not more'n three lbs, maybe 4? What I bought that 7 for is Elk, though. Admittedly, the trip fell through and all I've ever shot with the thing is deer. But, it's not that hard to tote considering the power and range of the cartridge.

I hunt about everything anymore with that M7 in .308, but for heavy game, I'd rather tote the heavier gun with the greater long range punch. I'd load that thing with 160 grain Nosler partitions. It likes 'em.

 

[Art Eatman]

Even experienced hunters in good condition go for light weight when it comes to elk and particularly, sheep country.

When you get up to high country, on up above 6,000 feet, "There ain't any air in the air, up there!" At 10,000 to 11,000, it's truly entertaining.

In my younger years, I toted a 9.5-pound rifle around my mountain area for many a twelve- or fifteen-mile day. That's only in the 4,000-foot range of elevation, though.

Get in shape, starting now. Work on wind and legs. Jog stadium steps, and do 3/4 knee-bends with 50 or 60 pounds, going more for repetitions than raw strength.

When you're in decent shape, the high country is a bunch of fun.

Art

 

[MCgunner]

See, what Art is telling me is, forget the mountains you ol' fart. Stay in your tripod watchin your feeder. ROFLMAO! My last workout in the mountains, I was about 40 years old. I'm 53 now and am no athelete. I ain't dead yet, still get around, just feel it in my knees and such more than I used to. Too many tweeked knees and busted bones racing motorcycles. I reckon I'm paying for it, now.

 

[dakotasin]

chibears-
regardless of what these other guys think or say, i would most certainly not take a heavy rifle on a mountain elk hunt - and wouldn't even entertain the idea for sheep (especially). i would, and did, commission a lightweight custom to be built. i went w/ a sub-6 pound rifle (including scope, sling, and ammo)... that is lighter than it needs to be, and recoil is punishing in a rifle that light, but i would not carry a rifle more than 7.25 pounds (all up) on a mountain elk hunt. there are easier, faster, more painless ways to kill yourself.

the rifle doesn't have to be a custom... a remington m7, or 700 titanium, or 700 mountain rifle would work out great. pay attention to your mounts and scope weights so you don't upset balance, and you'll be far happier than lugging a severely unbalanced heavy rifle.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Get in shape, starting now. Work on wind and legs. Jog stadium steps, and do 3/4 knee-bends with 50 or 60 pounds, going more for repetitions than raw strength.

Amen.

What's too heavy depends on you and your physical condition. But do this -- take a spare rifle. Make it a light one, a couple of pounds lighter than your primary rifle. After three days hunting with the primary, switch to the spare and tell us what you think.

 

['Card]

I'd agree with most of what's already been said, I think. 14 pounds is really pushing it for the hunt you're describing, unless you're in pretty outstanding shape. My pre-hunt 3-month workout routine is pretty brutal (according to some people) and I'm kind of into the whole physical fitness deal, but I would think twice about a rifle that heavy in the high mountains, or low mountains for that matter if the terrain is rough.

A few tips that may or may not be helpful:

I've seen guys try to get "bulked up" for a hunt with a heavy gun by doing a lot of arm work. Curls and bench presses and such for the biceps and triceps. Nothing wrong with that, but keep in mind that your arms are connected to your shoulders and your back, and that's where the real work of carrying a gun gets done. People tend to try to isolate muscles when they work out, but for "functional strength" that's a big mistake. In real life, muscles work in groups - so you need to exercise them in groups. Good old-fashioned push-ups, pull-ups and chin-ups will help a lot with that. Power-hiking 12 or 15 miles a week with a heavy pack and a 20-pound bar in your hand for a few months will help more than anything. To prepare for a specific task, develop a training routine that's as close as possible to that task.

Also, you mentioned attaching the rifle to your pack. Not a bad idea, but with a rifle that heavy you should avoid connecting it to one side of the pack - like attached to the right side of the frame or something. That much weight will throw your entire load off-balance, and carrying it that way will wear you out quicker than anything. Instead, look for the fairly new packs now that have a scabbard for the rifle near the center of the load. They help a lot over long distances.

 

[ChiBears]

Thanks a lot. There has been some great help here.
I think I am saving up for a browning stainless stalker...thought about getting a new barrel for my encore also.

I also need to start getting my butt into shape...there always seems to be good excuses of why I can't start, though...

THanks,
Sam

 

[Art Eatman]

The Remington 700Ti in short action, with 7mm08 ammo, sling and a Leupold 3x9x40 is 6.5 pounds. I bought mine for Texas deer hunting, walking in very rough country. The long action, in .30-'06, would weigh 6.75 pounds. 22" barrel. In '06, I'd call it an excellent high-country 300-yard elk rifle. Sighted in about 2.5 inches high at 100 with 180-grain bullets, you'd be dead on at 200 and around 6" to 7" low at 300. Plenty good.

In October, 1984, I went up to Doctor Park, located above Gunnison, Colorado, to hunt the mighty elk. We camped at 10,000. I hunted a local hilltop to 11,500. Then a snowstorm moved in on us. On the radio, "...and this morning, in Gunnison, Colorado, it's four degrees." Not Celsius. The elk were smarter than we were; they went DOWN! Saw a few mulies walking in the falling snow. "Are we having fun, yet?" and "Let's practice not being here."

In the high country, you never know what will happen next. Good physical condition--not necessarily "Marathon Man"--is definitely a Good Thiing. IMO, it's just common sense.

Art

 

[Charles S]

What really cracks me up is the guys who are afraid of carrying a 7 lb. rifle vs a 12 lb. rifle whilst they carry an extra 30 lb. "spare tire" around their middle. If I liked the rifle and it weighed 14 lbs., that's the rifle I would take. Compared to a 7 lb. rifle it's only an extra 7 lbs!

I bet you have a lot of experience hunting in the mountains.

I practice martial arts. I run 5 and 10 Ks for fun and for time. I have recently completed several half marathon's. but I would not carry a 14# rifle in the mountains. Each to their own, but I have several 6 to 7 pound rifles that are a joy to carry, shoot better than I do and after a week I don't wish for a lighter rifle.

The advice promulgated on the internet is worth everything you pay for it.

Charles

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I practice martial arts. I run 5 and 10 Ks for fun and for time. I have recently completed several half marathon's. but I would not carry a 14# rifle in the mountains.

Each time the farrier comes to shoe my horses, my wife says, "I thought you could shoe horses."

And each time I say, "I can, but I'm not going to."

 

[grizz]

You live in IL, so the altitude there is drastically different from WY. In the mountains in WY you'll be up between 1 and 2 miles high. Your hemoglobin will still be at an appropriate level for IL so you'll get winded easier, and you'll cramp up easier. I'd go with a normal weight rifle, unless you're in great shape. Consider the altitude though. I highly suggest a pre-hunt training regimen.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Living in the Ozarks, I don't have much opportunity to train at high altitudes -- but my regime is simply hiking. I do five miles with 500 feet of climb (most of it in the last 3/4s of a mile.) A couple of months before going to the Rockies, I stretch that to 7 miles and 1,000 feet.

Add that to ruthless paring of weight, and I do quite well in the mountains.

 

[Coltdriver]

I am from Colorado. I live in Colorado. Last year I hunted for Elk in September in Colorado.

I hauled a 75 pound pack up to about 9000 feet.

The next day I took a 7 pound rifle up to 10,000 feet.

I decided not to shoot the elk I saw because I had no way to get it down the mountain, short of quartering one and hauling it out on foot. A serious task for one on foot.

So the answer to your question is how close is a horse or an ATV? If you only have to walk a few miles, it won't kill you. If you have many miles to go then everything matters and I would opt for a lighter rifle.

Even if you can walk in with a mule its better than being in sheep country on foot with no aid to pack out.

You may also be in excellent physical conditon but even with living at a mile high once you get up to anything over 8000 feet it will tax you.