Guns your packing in with??

[lazylabs]

I have been shooting long range for quite a while but have never built a gun that is really mission specific for packing. I don't want to spend $2000 on stuff to save weight and then strap my 15lb 338-378 on top of it. I have never hiked in and setup a solo hunting camp so I am really working on the logistics at this point. Weight and long range shooting are at odds but I am sure some of you guys doing long packs in have found a good compromise. What's everyone using?

Thanks

[Guy M]

Win 70 Coyote in .300 WSM with a 4.5-14x Leupold is my latest LR hunting rig.

Don't know the weight - it's not bad though. Sometimes I'll just pack in a standard hunting rifle - like my Rem 700 CDL which is fairly light, but shoots well. I don't think it's that big a deal. Some rifles are a heck of a lot heavier than others though...

Regards, Guy

[jmden]

10 twist , 26" Rem 700 BDL LSS in 300RUM shooting 240SMK at 3K over 104.5g US869. Leup 4.5 x 14 Vari-X III, Seekins Precision 20 MOA scope base, Seekins Precision scope rings, Nightforce ACI, Jewell trigger, lapped barrel/action junction, lapped lugs while barrel was off with lapping tool, full floated, Alum. pillar bedded and skim bedded, Stoney Point MOA knobs, anti-cant device, chopped off front 2" of forend and took chunk out of buttstock to lighten it up a bit (still plenty strong and stiff) and about or just under 10lbs, Wyatt's 4" mag box, Sims Lab recoil pad and some other stuff that I can't remember. I've been working on this poor thing off and on for several years now. Adjustable cheekpiece.








880yd target. First shot high at 15.5 MOA second and third at 15 MOA. Hadn't gotten Exbal yet... No wind day...still working on those skills...



A bit heavier than I'd like and it'd be nice to have 30" barrel chambered in my 300RUMBO and DE brake. In time...

[lazylabs]

Thats a cool looking rifle. What did you use to make the cheek piece out of? I am working on one for my BMG. Thanks

[jmden]

Originally Posted by lazylabs

Thats a cool looking rifle. What did you use to make the cheek piece out of? I am working on one for my BMG. Thanks

1/8" ABS--used my wife's hair dryer to bend it slowly and then held it in a clamp for a couple of days. Used a jig of sorts and a Forstner bit on my drill press for the holes in the buttstock for the cheekpiece as they cut very clean holes. Being able to completely rest my head on that cheekpiece seems to have helped keep my head from moving so much and the rest of my body relax and make the whole setup more stable for those prone shots. I think other folks are using Kydex (sp) for these. Probably responds better to bending with heat? I might try to find some and play around with it a bit before next season. Good luck and have fun!

[lerch]

I've been packing a APS 270AM that wieghs around 11lbs with scope and bipod. It aint the lightest but i am more than happy with it so far. 27" 1-10 twist bbl, #5 contour fluted with a 2" DE brake. I will get some pics of it up soon.

steve

[phorwath]

My current gun with scope weighs about 8 1/4 lbs. My scope weighs more than I'd prefer but I like the 3-18x option for long range shooting. 7mm RM.

Fiftydriver is building me a rifle now in 300 WM and my goal was to keep the bare rifle's weight down to about 7 1/2 lbs max. He's putting a #3 contour Lilja barrel on a Lawton 7000 action.

I carried a 338-378 single shot rifle up goat hunting once when I was younger. The rifle alone weighed about 10 1/2 pounds. Probably 12 -12 1/2 lbs with the scope and sling. I shot a goat from about 225 yds. More or less blew him off his feet. That rifle was a bit more than I cared to pack. The fellows I was hunting with packed it for me some on the pack out because my pack was full of goat. They also complained about the rifle's weight. But again, that was hunting in the mountains where the mountain goats live,about 6 miles in from the road.

Lighter contoured barrels can shoot pretty darn good for their first two or three shots in my experience. Then the barrel starts to heat up and the groups from a thin, light barrel will start to open up in comparison to a heavier, thicker barrelled rifle.

My rifle weight goal is a bit of a compromise. I'm willing to pack a little more weight than an ultra-light rifle scope combination because I'll be attempting shots at far greater ranges than most other hunters packing around their 6 lb rifles. I think the additional weight help's to control the shots at longer ranges. If you're going to shoot at less than 500 yds, the lightweights will generally get the job done and that would be ideal for a lot of back-country packing, particularly in the mountains. I decided I'll carry a couple extra pounds of rifle/scope weight for the added accuracy out past 5-600 yds. My rifle scope combination will likely weigh around 9 lbs, in part due to a 25 plus ounce scope/ring attached to the rifle. But lighter scopes will also work if you're really putting on the miles in the rough country. Now that I'm older, I don't push myself as hard as I used to, and an extra pound or two isn't as energy draining if you're not on the move from daylight until dark.