Sub 6 pound 1000 yard rifle?

[pontoon]

What production or custom rifle, scope, and scope mounts would you choose for an ultralight mountain rifle? The goal would be long range accuracy while still being easy to carry. Go nuts with the price or try to keep price down--I'm interested in hearing both.

I have: Kimber Montana 84L in 270 win, Leupold VX2 3-9x40, Talley lightweight rings low. Not super exciting but the price is not too bad. Rifle is 5 lbs 10 ounces prior to mods. Scope is 11 ounces. Mods will bring the rifle weight down to maybe 5 lbs 5-7 ounces.

However! I'm not sure it can actually shoot 1000 yards accurately. I still need to practice more and figure out exactly how accurate the gun is. The gunsmith who mounted the scope took it to the range and said it shoots sub-MOA (as advertised), so that's something.

 

[ohiohunter]

In this game sub moa is too vague. Have you not shot the rifle to prove its accuracy?

The lighter the gun the more difficult it will be to shoot long range, not impossible, but surly more difficult. You could save more weight going to a short action. I'm curious about the 11oz scope? What is it?***EDIT, sorry I missed that.

What is being pursued at 1000yds?

EDIT>>>Ditto w/ below. 10x is enough to shoot 1k but as stated the parallax is an issue and the guys who used to shoot 10x at 1k were snipers, so I'd take that into consideration.

x10000 sidecar anyone can lob lead at a target at 1000 but not everyone can humanely harvest game... not even w/ a 40x60mm on a 15lb gun much less a 6lb gun.

 

[SidecarFlip]

.....ain't gonna happen with a 3-9 x 40. You won't be able to see 1000 yards and hit anything. That's not even a SF scope. It's fixed parallelax. You have to have a capable scope to even attempt 1000 yards.

I like a lightweight rig too, I'm old, but lightweight and long range really don't mix well.

I own a full titanium built stick in a custom built stock with all the goodies and it's light (No. 2 contour Bartlien) but I know it's limitations and it isn't 1000 yards either.

Lightweight has certain limitations regarding distance versus accuracy. Anyone can lob a pill out 1000 yards with just about any centerfire rifle, but hitting anything, especially clean killing an animal, is another story entirely.

 

[Longrang3r]

.....ain't gonna happen with a 3-9 x 40. You won't be able to see 1000 yards and hit anything. That's not even a SF scope. It's fixed parallelax. You have to have a capable scope to even attempt 1000 yards.

I like a lightweight rig too, I'm old, but lightweight and long range really don't mix well.

Exactly what he said lightbulb

 

[Timber338]

yup, lightweight and long range are tough. I'm a big fan of light rifles, but they certainly have their limits. I'm sure there's somebody out there that's been successful out to 1000 with an ultralight, but I doubt it's done very often.

Fully outfitted I have a nice 338 short mag that weighs about 7.8 lbs +/- depending on the scope I run. Although the gun can shoot plenty accurate and I have been accurate with it on rocks and targets out to very long ranges, I would never try that out on an animal. My absolute limit with that rifle on an elk is in the 650 ballpark. Just too difficult for me to be consistently accurate on the first shot in a hunting situation.

Now jump that down to the 5.5 pounds you're talking about and holy crap is that thing gonna be tough to shoot out to 1000 yards. Add in the fact that if you really need a rifle that light, the field conditions you're gonna be shooting from are gonna be just as challenging.

My "light weight" long range elk rifle weighs 7 lbs 14 ounce without a scope, and with my optics brings it up to about 9.5 lbs. I think that's about right to reach out to the distances you're looking at.

 

[Barrelnut]

+1 on all of the above. I think a 9 ~ 9.5 total weight in a 300 Win Mag would be carryable and shootable to 1K.

 

[pontoon]

This thread is not so much about what I have (although the info is welcome) but rather what you would build for the lightest possible 1000 yard rifle and scope.

 

[Timber338]

I have: Kimber Montana 84L in 270 win, Leupold VX2 3-9x40, Talley lightweight rings low. Not super exciting but the price is not too bad. Rifle is 5 lbs 10 ounces prior to mods. Scope is 11 ounces. Mods will bring the rifle weight down to maybe 5 lbs 5-7 ounces.

Also keep in mind that you'll need optics with adjustable focus. fixed focus scope just can't be consistent in hunting conditions because the reticle moves on target when your position on the gun changes. I've shot great groups at longer ranges with my light rifle & fixed focus scopes, but they were not on bullseye. They would have been gut-shots on an animal.

I think the lightest scopes you'll find that are capable at long range are going to be in the 16 ounce ballpark. Mine is a Leupold VX6 3-18x50 that weighs in at 20.5 ounces. The new Vortex Razor HD LH looks awesome and weighs 16.5 ounces and is affordable copmpared to the swaro and other top-tier options. So give that a look.

 

[Timber338]

This thread is not so much about what I have (although the info is welcome) but rather what you would build for the lightest possible 1000 yard rifle and scope.

Here's a thread to the "light weight" long range elk rifle that I finished building last year. So these are the exact choices I made to get the rifle that you're talking about. Others could make different choices for all sorts of reasons. Some choices like a non-fluted barrel could be done to save weight, but I chose to keep the weight to help on the long shots as well as save some $$.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f86/finally-finished-my-338-rum-155086/

 

[LouBoyd]

What production or custom rifle, scope, and scope mounts would you choose for an ultralight mountain rifle? The gunsmith who mounted the scope took it to the range and said it shoots sub-MOA (as advertised), so that's something.

It no doubt did shoot sub-moa at 100 yards. That has little to do with how it will shoot at 500 to 1000 yard distances.
The typical unaided human eye can resolve about 1 arc minute. At 1000 yards one arc minute is about 10 inches diameter. What do you expect to shoot at 1000 yards? Moose? Prairie dogs? Something in between? What diameter kill zone do you need in inches and MOA? What conditions will you shoot in? Between sunrise and sunset?

Where can you loose weight on a hunting rifle?
1. The stock: McMillan sells carbon fiber hunting style stocks inletted for most actions. That won't hurt accuracy at all, at least if you shoot supported.

2. The barrel:. Longer barrels flex more. Smalller diameter barrels flex more. Larger calibers with heavier bullets flex more. A 20" featherweight barrel with a well designed contour
and a modest cartridge should work well.

3. Cartridge. My choice would be a 6.5 Creedmoor 6.5x47 Lapua as they will fit in a short action and still allow shooting VLD moderately heavy bullets, which are essential for good wind performance at ranges to 1000 yards. YOU need to decide what terminal energy YOU think you need for the game you wish to shoot.

3. The scope. Between sunrise and sunset a 6x30 scope will give enough resolution that the scope will not be the limiting factor for shooting 2" groups. The rifle, the ammo and particularly any downrange wind WILL be more limiting than the scope.

As others have suggested you need to practice. For any "long range" shooting wind deflection is the major problem to overcome. The weight of the rifle has no effect on that.
It's determined only by bullet velocity, bullet BC, and YOUR ability to determine how much the ambient wind condition between you and the target is going to deflect each shot. Only practice and the resulting skill will allow you to know your capability and limits in various conditons. It's not something you can buy.

Start by practicing with the rifle you have. So what if it's a pound heavier than you think you want to eventually want to carry. Don't buy anything except ammo which has low drag bullets which will fit in your rifle until you learn to >regularly< hit kill zone size targets. Paper plates make decent targets. Set them in safe locations at assorted ranges. Practice at a range at 100 or 200 yards is useless for learning to dope wind. You need to practice at the distances and conditions where you expect to eventually hunt.

 

[pontoon]

Let's say that with ammo work and a little gunsmithing my gun shoots .5 MOA. If I put the Vortex HD LH 3-15 could it shoot 1000 yards? Note that a shot on an animal for my caliber is probably only possible to 800 yards with 1800 velocity given some preliminary calculations but target practice at 1000 might still be fun or maybe I could figure out a way to get more velocity out of it.

Note that this thread is less about making my gun shoot 1000 although it would be cool if it could. I'm considering eventually getting a different gun.

This would be a general purpose gun most important deer elk and wild pigs.

 

[SidecarFlip]

You didn't state that in your opening post, you stated:

.....I have: Kimber Montana 84L in 270 win, Leupold VX2 3-9x40, Talley lightweight rings low. Not super exciting but the price is not too bad. Rifle is 5 lbs 10 ounces prior to mods. Scope is 11 ounces. Mods will bring the rifle weight down to maybe 5 lbs 5-7 ounces.

However! I'm not sure it can actually shoot 1000 yards accurately. I still need to practice more and figure out exactly how accurate the gun is. The gunsmith who mounted the scope took it to the range and said it shoots sub-MOA (as advertised), so that's something.

It cannot shoot accurately at 1000 yards, it might get that far but you'll be hard pressed to hit anything consistently and I don't see you seeing what you are shooting at with a 3-9 x 40 anything..... and...you won't have enough kinetic energy to effect a kill on anything but maybe paper.

Like everyone said, light and long don't marry too well.

You have to pay to play, not only weight but components too.

Myself, I have a 338 Lapua tank with a 6.5 x 25 x 50 side focus with tall turrets, one of those sticks that requires a lackey to carry.....lol Don't really need it but I have it anyway. I should sell the SOB. I groan even picking it up.....

 

[pontoon]

You didn't state that in your opening post, you stated:

.....I have: Kimber Montana 84L in 270 win, Leupold VX2 3-9x40, Talley lightweight rings low. Not super exciting but the price is not too bad. Rifle is 5 lbs 10 ounces prior to mods. Scope is 11 ounces. Mods will bring the rifle weight down to maybe 5 lbs 5-7 ounces.

However! I'm not sure it can actually shoot 1000 yards accurately. I still need to practice more and figure out exactly how accurate the gun is. The gunsmith who mounted the scope took it to the range and said it shoots sub-MOA (as advertised), so that's something.

It cannot shoot accurately at 1000 yards, it might get that far but you'll be hard pressed to hit anything consistently and I don't see you seeing what you are shooting at with a 3-9 x 40 anything..... and...you won't have enough kinetic energy to effect a kill on anything but maybe paper.

Like everyone said, light and long don't marry too well.

You have to pay to play, not only weight but components too.

Myself, I have a 338 Lapua tank with a 6.5 x 25 x 50 side focus with tall turrets, one of those sticks that requires a lackey to carry.....lol Don't really need it but I have it anyway. I should sell the SOB. I groan even picking it up.....

I did write that. I also wrote another paragraph above those two you quoted which asked the question related to the title of the thread which is what would you build for an ultralight long range gun. If sub six isn't possible then chalk that up to my ignorance. The info about my gun is apparently more distracting than anything. And I said I'm not sure it can shoot 1000. I did not say that I am sure it can shoot 1000.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Most any centerfire (and some rimfires) will go 1000 yards no issue. It's what happens at 1000 yards thats important.

There is just no way you can build or have built a sub 6 pound rifle thats consistently accurate and has clean kill power at 1000 yards. Don't matter how deep your wallet is.