When hunting anything in the mountains I would rather have a light weight rifle to a heavy ole Mark V with a 26" barrel.
Caliber/recoil range around 7RM, 300 WSM would be maximum for me.
Sizzling velocity used to be preferred before the scopes got better. Now you can twist a turret or use a ballistic style reticle and extreme velocity is no longer required for long range hits.
My .300 Wby Mk. V. now weighs 8lb. 14 oz. all up, with McMillan Edge stock, Talley LW mounts, and Leupold VX3 2.5-8x scope. I carry it easily all day, with just enough weight to help tame the .300 recoil. There's still no substitute for high velocity with a high BC bullet to minimize wind drift.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
