How lightweight can you get?

[baskhunter]

Like the title says, how light can you build a rifle on a short action remington 700? Has anyone built one that weighs around 5.5# bare rifle?

If so what are the specs?

 

[Edd]

Like the title says, how light can you build a rifle on a short action remington 700? Has anyone built one that weighs around 5.5# bare rifle?

If so what are the specs?

You can get close with a steel action. If you use a Model 700 Titanium action, you can make the 5.5 lb weight.

Manners UC stock ... 18 ounces
700 Titanium action and recoil lug ... 22 ounces (guess)
Sunny Hill Aluminum Trigger Guard ... 3 ounces
Krieger #2 Barrel ... 41 ounces (.308 x 20 inches long)
trigger, magazine, follower, and spring ... 4 ounces (guess)

 

[LongBomber]

Seen pics of guys getting into the high 4's, but then you are swiss cheesing the action and cutting weight everywhere you can. Trimming forends short, super thin recoil pads short thin barrels.

 

[cohunt]

88 oz is my bare 30-06 rem700 ss mountain adl rifle weight (5.5 pounds for a long action)---factory action, barrel, bolt,& adl mag, I used an aluminum trigger guard, timney trigger, mpi cf stock, and microcell pad.
Add 4 oz for tally mounts and 9 oz for a leupy 3-9 ultralight scope= 100 ounces complete.

That's on a stainless factory long action so short action should be plenty do-able, especially if you get into titanium. The new weatherby is 4.9 pounds, the kimber mtn ascent gets down to 4.8 iirc, remington model 7 's are pretty light also.

 

[sbruni]

Check out Bansner's Yukoner. 5lbs 5oz. Steel action and No Swiss cheese treatment

 

[talltexanrancher]

I think you have to start thinking titanium.

 

[cohunt]

titanium actions knock off 4-6 ounces
an ultralight weight CF stock like an MPI or wildcat will knock off 8-12 ounces over a factory stock
aluminum trigger guard vs steel knocks of 1 oz
bolt fluting knocks off about an ounce or so
action and bolt handle skeletonizing can knock off a few ounces
barrel fluting can knock off an ounce or so, but lightweight profile barrels (pencil) can knock off 1.5 pounds over a #3 type of profile
NULA sells a short action complete rifle that weights 5 pounds, and another one that weighs 4.5 pounds--neither one uses any titanium iirc

just remember-- light rifles recoil more-- the recoil impulse is faster/harder-- my 5.5 pound 30-06 kicks much harder than my friends 8.25 pound 300 rum

 

[highdrum]

Barrett fieldcraft.........very light and no mods needed!

 

[Gobears16]

Barrett fieldcraft.........very light and no mods needed!

I'd look really hard at a fieldcraft. I believe my 6.5creed is 5.2 lbs... shoots everything I've feed it well under 1 moa and the 140 eldm and 143eldx half moa.... put a vortex razor LH 2.5-10 at 16oz and you have a loaded 6.5lb rifle.

 

[ntsqd]

I am at ~6lbs. 6oz scoped, no sling with my ULHR rifle project. About a 250-300 yard max for deer cartridge though.

Howa 1500 Mini LW; unmolested, but I considered scalloping it. Decided against on a cost/benefit analysis
Boyd's laminate stock w/ their std pad; AL pillared, Devcon AL putty bedded, hollowed butt, pocketed forearm, check piece removed - wrong side anyway, two socket QD's, one stud QD should a bipod be needed
Talley AL two piece mounts
Leupold 2-7x LW (discontinued product line)

I could go quite a bit lighter with a LW composite stock, at nearly double my total investment thus far.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

Fierce Firearms CT Carbon Edge...comes out of the box with 1/2 MOA guarantee and weights about 5 lbs., muzzle brake included to ameliorate recoil. A little spendy but well worth it, I have one in 7mm-08 (22" Bbl), my son and biz partner each have one in 6.5 CM (20" Bbl) and they shoot lights out.

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

Another vote for Melvin's NULA.

 

[ducky]

You can probably get down to 5.5 lbs pretty easily. I have a 7lb 2oz scoped M70 FWT and all I did was put it in an Edge stock. I'm only in the barreled action and stock for about $1000 as I purchased everything used. If I want to try to lighten it up more, I'm in new Kimber Montana and Barrett Fieldcraft territory. So before I try to build lightweight I look at what's offered commercially first, and see if it fills my needs.

Montana and Fieldcraft rifles are cheap when you consider what you have to spend to get a M700 or clone rifle that light. Buying a used Forbes rifle and sending it back to Melvin for a do over is cheaper than a NULA. But a NULA starts looking pretty cheap for a full custom in the grand scheme of a light weight build.

 

[nathank]

if you want cheap, lightweight, and accurate. grab a savage lightweight hunter. they come in at 5.5#'s bare. You can throw a titanium bolt with a carbon fiber knob on it to lighten it a little bit more. I have one with a Carbon 6 barrel and a titanium bolt handle with carbon fiber knob, talley lightweight rings, leupold vx3i 4-14x50 with 30MM tube and side focus. It comes in at 7.2lbs cause of the scope. 5.6 lbs bare rifle. shoots 1/2 moa with 143gr ELD-x. Its a 6.5 CM