I appreciate everyone's thoughts. As usual, "need" in this case is much less important than "want". I'll always be hunting with one of my company's recurve bows, but my hunting partner likes to carry along a rifle strapped to his (and sometimes my) backpack in case he sees something beyond bow range that he can't live without.
We bow hunt for moose every year in Alaska and given where we hunt the possibility for wolves or a huge moose out of bow range definitely exists. Hence his desire for a tag-along rifle. We've been using my 308 Blaser (I own two Blaser 308's and both shoot lights out) but all-in it's a bit heavier than either of us want to carry just because.
Agree with everyone that within reason a bit more weight makes a rifle arguably more accurate or at least easier to hold still. It just makes them harder to carry around as a "might use" backup.
This is more a quest to find the lightest 308 I can. I'd love to keep everything under six pounds all up. That's pretty limiting I know but that's my goal. Mainly just because that's what I want (as opposed to need).
John,I'll help you out and trade you my already bedded Kimber Montana 7-08 for one of those Blazers.
