Carry rifle weight?

[steelshooter]

What sort of weight are the rifles you blokes are carrying?
I don't mean hiking, but just your general walking/stalking guns. All my guns have heavy barrels and varmint style stocks and weigh in at atleast 10lb because I always thought "that's what good rifles have".

But now I'm kind of sick of carrying heavy guns which don't come to the shoulder easily and I think more traditional hunting style rifles maybe just as good.
Rifles made by Gunwerks and Greybull etc don't look so big and heavy and they pull off some good shots. Plus I am a bit over the whole "tacticool" look and might start changing some of my gear back to needs rather than wants.

 

[submoa]

i like to keep all my deer guns under 10# thats for sure my latest is right at the 10# mark with scope and loaded

my indiana deer rifle comeing in at 7.5 or 8# being a lever 44 mag ;-}

 

[SidecarFlip]

8 pounds scoped and loaded. I have one of those 'tacticool' ones that weighs in a 13 pounds scoped and loaded. Fine if you have a lackey or a mule and scabbard. Not fine to trudge around with.

IMO, the other issue is offhanding a heavy gun. The heavier it is, the harder to offhand it is. Heavy guns beg to be on a bipod, wedged in a tree limb crotch or shot prone......not on your shoulder.

 

[Joe King]

The 270 weighs 7 1/2lbs loaded the 7mag weighs 13lbs. Guess which one goes for long walks around the countrysidegun)

 

[kcebcj]

My hunting style along with the terrain has changed now that I'm older but when I used to backpack hunt the rifle weighed 8 1/2lbs fully loaded and with the sling on and there were times that felt like a brick. Today the rifle I use is pushing up against 11lbs but the shots are more cross canyon here where I live and I use horses to get to where I want to hunt. Still do half day hikes or so but would not want to carry this rifle on a 3 day backpack trip.

Don't things feel lighter "down under" )

 

[SidecarFlip]

No brainer Joe.....

6 pounds is a lot of granola bars, bottled water and must have's......

 

[Sully2]

My hunting style along with the terrain has changed now that I'm older but when I used to backpack hunt the rifle weighed 8 1/2lbs fully loaded and with the sling on and there were times that felt like a brick. Today the rifle I use is pushing up against 11lbs but the shots are more cross canyon here where I live and I use horses to get to where I want to hunt. Still do half day hikes or so but would not want to carry this rifle on a 3 day backpack trip.

Don't things feel lighter "down under" )

Exactly. Heavy; heavy barreled rifles are to be "transported" to a location and then used. By horseback...or 4 wheeler...or ?? shot from a blind of some sort; or at least hid by schrubbery or ??...and then the object is retrieved.

Transporting heavy ( barreled) weapons came into play when I worked at getting a combat infantry badge in basic

My long ranger(s) weight in at about 12 lbs MINUS the scope!! Carry arounds about 8 1/2 and I wish it were less.

 

[Pdvdh]

A fairly recent thread. Relevant with quite a number of Posts.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f61/rifle-weight-vs-distance-capability-96541/

 

[SidecarFlip]

Interesting thread and light isn't always right. Case in point my 308. It's light to the point that even with a decelerator pad, it's a butt kicker.

However, I can take a slap on the shoulder (or a possible scope eye if I get too close) over a lugs your butt down cannon, which I have BTW. The cannon is the ticket for hunting in a stationary position or clse to the vehicle

I remember a while back some poster on here had a 110BA in 338 that he was doing remote hunts in the mountains with and I thought to myself, this guy has to be superman or has his rifle airlifted in.......

 

[HARPERC]

My walking around rifle these days is about 8 bipod and all. My carry on the ATV is about 10.5 bipod and all. The carry on the ATV will likely gain some weight in the next year. As far as lackeys, and mules I start feeling guilty about the 9lb mark.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Age wise, I have one foot in the hole so I'm real cognizant about every ounce.

In a few years, my hunting weapon will be a camera. In fact, I actually have no preference in just seeing and recording them or shooting them now.

 

[HARPERC]

Age wise, I have one foot in the hole so I'm real cognizant about every ounce.

In a few years, my hunting weapon will be a camera. In fact, I actually have no preference in just seeing and recording them or shooting them now.

My hunting partner is 10 this year we'll likely pack one 8 lb rifle for 2 of us. Hopefully he'll like carrying the rifle as much as I did all those years ago.

 

[Sako7STW]

My next rifle will be a thumbhole stocked 25-06, possibly 25-06AI in 22" sporter weight bbl and a light weight scope. I want a light gun for chasing deer and Antelope. Keep my 7stw for Elk, then I want a big boy gun of some sort.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I don't have a rifle over 9# scoped and ready to go. My 300 rum is my heaviest at the aforementioned 9#, all others I have are lighter, even my 375h@h. I've gone over 10# topped off, but I don't like dragging my rifles through the ND badlands by a rope so I've gotten rid of the rifle.