jmo1754,
Since I didn't read through your thread I don't know if I will dupicate others' opinion.
A Savage 16 I bought weighs 5.6 ounces. The 1" wide sling* that came from the fabric store is attached to plastic Outdoor Connection's Brutes sling swivels. The whole thing comes in at 1 ounce! The Talley rings come in at 2.5 ounces. So we have a rifle that weighs 5.81 pounds without a scope. This give you about 1.2 pounds for your scope to come in at 7 pounds. Hastings has Micro-cell recoil pads that are lighter than anything else on the market. 1/2" at 1.9 ounces and a 1.26" at 2.9 ounces. Others on the market are about 6 ounces to 8 ounces for a 1" pad.
*The sling is designed to hold the rifle across my back when I am dragging the deer. My wife sewed the swivels on the sling material. A fun side to the plastic swivels is they do not squeak.
