Love M14-type rifles, but way too heavy and bulky to hunt with for me.

Consider getting a Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle. It's not a light rifle, but it'd be a lot more manageable than an M1A Scout. If you want, you can change out the factory muzzle device that comes on the GSR for a Smith Enterprise muzzle brake to aid in recoil suppression. Voila, a bolt-action version of the M1A Scout...

Originally Posted by RED53
Some shooting knowledge: Don't stand in front of the muzzle. Some hunting knowledge: Too much noise ruins the hunt.