Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Love Me Some Ultralights

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Savage 116 .223 with Leupold VX-2 3-9x40. It's new and unfired, but I expect good things from it.

Ruger M77 .257 Roberts with Leupold VX-1 3-9x40. It's been my main hunting rifle for about 12 years now. It'll throw its favorite loads into 1.5 inches at 100 yards. With 115 grain Partitions delivered into the vitals and a shoulder it's 100% DRT.

Ruger Hawkeye 30-06. I have only tried 3 loads through it. The best has grouped about 1.75 inches. I'll improve on that. I still haven't hunted with it.

Show me what you have.

Gen 1 Remington 700 Ti 30/06
Brown Precision
TalleyWhacker UL's
Leupold VX2 2-7x33
Fluted Steel Firing Pin
Wart removed and replaced with a new spring and aluminum shroud


Weighs around 6lbs empty, shoots good too. There's three 165gr Hornadys under the nickel

That is a sweet rifle!

I agree....nothing like an ultralight bolt action rifle...i have a T3 Superlite and a Christensen Ridgeline both in .300 Win.......Hb

ruger UL target grey 7-08 in walnut



ruger stainless UL 204 in a MDT LSS....



Kimber Montana 260.

My first year MkII 223 is an ultralight BA in a regular stock before they started the ebony-tipped forearm models. It now has a Conquest 3-9x40 on it and weighs 8lbs even.



Ultralight is kind of a misnomer as I have several lighter rifles including a couple of T3s and XS7s that all come in at about 1/2 pound lighter. It is my lightest full size, wood stocked rifle. I like the light weight of those synthetics, but there's just something about nice walnut and gloss blue.

Kimber Montana 270 Win.





Remington 700 rebore to 338-06 in a KS stock assembled in '95.









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I have seen your -08 before. That stock has some nice character. You put together some gorgeous guns!

They aren't the lightest of the lightweighs, but to me they have the ideal amount of heft. My new Savage comes in about a pound lighter. Oddly, it still has a substantial feel.

Ed, nice guns and animals. The coloration on that second bear is unique.

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Remington SPS 26" 257 Weatherby, Burris Euro Diamond 3-10X40, 7lbs. 11oz.

Ruger Hawkeye UL, 257 Roberts, Leupold FX-II 4X33, 7lbs. 9oz.

Ruger Hawkeye, 308, Leupold VX2 2-7X33, 7lbs. 12oz.

Not exactly ULs.

What's the story on the fluted Hawkeye barrel? The trigger on my UL Hawkeye 30-06 is the very definition of a perfect hunting trigger. Straight out of the box.

I ran a 700 MR in 270 back in college, shot like crap 2-2.5" for 3100. Crown defective from factory, two "Ridges" opposed inside the recessed crown. Shipped to Remington, they did not do anything other than return it saying it shot within specs, and did not even tell me their "Specs"

So, I had a gunsmith cut the crown, did a non-professional job, IMO, so I re-cut it myself with an RCBS chamfer tool held inside one of my dad's tapered duck call barrels, which fit on the outside of the barrel. Then I lapped the locking lugs, free-floated the barrel, glassed the action in AcraGlass. I might have adjusted the trigger, not 100%.

Finally it did ok, 3 150 BTs would shoot inside a nickel.

By then I was so aggravated I sold it. It never held great in the field being so light, and I don't miss it. Yes, it was nice to carry...and yes I did take a deer with it.

I don't like carrying long varmint weight barrels, but to me ultra-light guns, especially with whippy barrels just has not been my cup of tea. When all is right, they can shoot well, but they must balance and fit one well, if you are going to shoot well in the field. Scope choice can help. I ran a straight 6x M8.

If one has an accurate rifle that they can shoot well afield that is what matters. I missed a deer in Tx at about 150 yds having to shoot without a rest, it was a M7 260, I had put in a Deluxe stock since I liked the looks and feel of it better. It had a 4-14 on it then, WAY Muzzle Light...wind was howling 20-30mph gust and I had hell trying to keep my POA during that shot, and emptied the gun as the buck ran off. If I had a gun with more heft, I feel I would have bagged that buck.

I share this as choosing a rifle is subjective, in what works for that individual and how they hunt. That M7 btw, had a Pac-Nor rebarrel in 7BR, about .700 at 21", and it felt GREAT, never was too heavy, never missed a deer, bagged a few

A few years ago I decided I needed an all weather, light, .308 for hunting. I had a Gunsmith order the Hawkeye, flute the barrel, skeletonize the bolt, and work the trigger to 3lbs.

So thats my version of a M77 308 Hawkeye light, 7-3/4lbs. Not so much. I wouldn't do it again, but I like it. At one time I also put a short action Skeleton stock on it.......



It added two ounces to the weight, and for a .308 it beat the crap out of me Only took one short trip to the range for that to come off.

My youngest with his first big critter and a tanger 250 AI Ruger UL.

Not sure this one is ultralight but at 6 lbs 12 ozs its "lighter" weight.
Lowly Tikka T3 Superlite in 7MM-08


Now this one is ultralight. 1st Gen Ti in 7MM-08, all up as shown 5 lbs 15 ozs.

Sako 85 Finnlight in 30-06. Optilock ringmounts and Swarovski Z3. One of my better shooters and favorite all around hunting rig.

Huntsman that ruger is nice I like that

Lots of nice guns making appearances here!

Mountain Rifles Inc. .30-378 on a LH Dakota 76 action. One of my "WTF do I need this for?" rifles.



Not bad considering its 27" barrel plus another 2" of brake. You can reach out and touch something without firing a shot!

Even with the muzzle brake, that looks like just a little bit TOO MUCH fun for my tastes...

Remington Model Seven 308 Win., all original with 3 screw base and Leupold VX3 2.5-8. The previous owner did a nice trigger job on it. I don't know what it weighs but it's a great little carry gun for the Catskill mountains.

6 lbs 3 oz

6.078lbs.

What am I looking at there?

Matched pair of Forbes rifles, 270 and 30-06, with Z5 3.5-18x44s. The 30-06 is 6lb 10oz.

A Kimber Adirondack.

That's my guess.




Dave

Kimber Montana in .308. Leupold 6X42 with LR reticle. Talley LW rings.

Been using 125gr. Nosler BT's.

I pretty much only have one rifle I consider an UL rifle. It's a M70 Win FWT .30-06, McMillan Hunter stock Edge fill blind mag, Talley mounts, and Leupold 2.5-8X36 comes in at 7lbs 1.8oz. Not as light as others posted here but I only have about $1200 in it total. I got a good deal on all the components used except the Talley's which were new.



Pictured with the 3-9X40 VXII, I put on first.

I am happy with groups double that size out of mine. I am hoping the new Savage will get me under MOA. I have a hunch it will.

I'm glad you liked it.

I forgot about this one because it's my daughters and I rarely shoot it, but it's 6lbs 9.1oz.



Charles Daly Mini Mauser in .250 Savage, put together by Kevin Weaver of Peyton CO. Pac-Nor Fwt barrel 1:10 twist, High Tech stock, and Leupold VX1 2-7X33 LRD scope.

Here are the pictures of it from Kevin's web page with a fixed 4X Zeiss on it.

Rifles in that weight range are not easy to shoot IMO.




Travis

What speed are you getting with those 125's? My daughters 700 classic in .300 Savage is just shy of 3000 fps. The 125 NBT sure hammer the deer from what I've witnessed.

Seems to me that the lighter the rifle, the more important the trigger is. 2.5lbs is tops when the gun is below 7lbs scoped. I prefer 2lbs.




This is my lightest rifle at the moment, and I put it together more for balance and compactness, as opposed to just being light. We honestly don't have to walk around all that much when hunting in the south. It weighs 5lbs 14oz before optics. I shed the stock-pack "bubba buddy" on the back since this pic was taken and only had it on there because the gun was my truck-rifle for a while and I liked having extra ammo handy. The gun is a Rem 660 action, a 20" stainless standard sporter 700 barrel in 7mm-08, and a McMillan edge-fill M7 AWR pattern. The extra few ounces in the barrel make for a nice-handling package.

I had this one for a while, being a 260 MR 700 barreled action in a Ti-style B&C stock. It's the Faux Ti blueprint. I liked it okay, but never could warm up to the ergos of the stock or the slightly rear-biased balance. If I'd gone with a MR-pattern Edge and had some weight taken out the action, I'd probably have liked it better.

6lbs, 8 oz as it sits. Weatherby MK V Carbine in 7mm-08 with B&C Stock, talleys and 2x7 leupold

I'd have to look at my notes but I want to say it's right around 3K.




Dave

Better shoot a 5 shot group next time or BSA will be upset with you

I am confident that the Savage will be very hard to shoot well off hand and probably even with an improvised rest. I do better with a little muzzle heft. My "excuse" for buying it is that I will need something easy on the shoulder after my shoulder replacement surgery. The 223 works well on our small coastal deer and hogs. I think I can get it to behave off of the bench though.

Then he'd just whine it's not 10 and post the same wore out pic.

Even the ML is 6lbs something or other.

Kimber 84M Mountain Ascent, 308 Win., Talley Lightweights, and a Zeiss Duralyt 2.5-8x42mm of German manufacture.

The scope is a bit on the heavy side at 16oz., but I had it and love the glass in the Appalachian timber stands I hunt.

6# 13 oz

Savage 16 LWH 7-08
Bettin custom stock
Talleys
Trijicon 3-9

Wow. The drool factor is high in here.

I think I've posted these before, but...

Here it is bare...




@ 70 yards. This is basically right out of the box, less a couple to get it on paper. 168gr. SMK Federal GM308M


I wish I'd bought this sooner.

And maybe the original ultralight rifle...

HVA Lightweight chambered in 30-06 with a little Leupold Vari-X III 2.5-8x36mm in original Tradewinds removable rings. If I'm remembering correctly, this is 7lbs. 4oz all up including a leather sling.

I like that mini Mauser!

I would hate to upset anyone...





Dave

This is a good lightweight'ish rifle too.

Howa Ranchland Compact in .223. 16" barrel, McMillan Sako Hunter with Edge fill, Timney trigger and a 10X Bushnell in Talley's.

Nice tape.....doesn't look like you can afford to pretend/imagine.

Critique......you need to dump 5 gallons of water on it all and post a smelly Shrapnel fish in the background.

I don't know what any of that means.




Travis

I had all my stuff loaded up getting ready to take a few new rifles, including the Savage Ultralight, to the range. I looked to the west and saw those towering pillowy white cloud tops. Pulled the radar and the range was getting biblical grade rain. Oh well, maybe next week.

Sounds to me like you tripped over your labia on the way to the door!




Clark

A few weeks back I bought a Ruger .30-06 from CDNNsports.com for $499. It had the 20" barrel and synthetic stock. The rifle was not for myself but for a wedding present for Daughter #3's fiancée on their wedding day, slated for early April. Daughter bought a Burris Fullfield II scope with Ballistic Plex reticle and I got it mounted a couple days ago. Yesterday I took it to the range to get it sighted in for the upcoming WY antelope hunt where my future SIL will be using it. I don't know what the rifle weighs but it has to be as light or lighter than my synthetic-stocked .308 Scout which Ruger puts at 6.25 pounds.

Here's a photo of the rifle:


I will admit I was somewhat concerned about the recoil and blast with the light weight and short barrel but didn't find either to be much worse than a normal .30-06. (More, yes. Horrible, not even close.)

The first two shots were off paper on the target above. After another adjustment shots 3 and 4 looked like this:



I also had my 1989 Ruger .257 Roberts, which Daughter #3 will use for antelope, and my Savage FXP3 .243 Win, which I plan to use for antelope. The wind had started to pick up and swirl a bit when I shot this last target:



As I told my daughter, the other team is in trouble...

If a Hawkeye is ultralight, I'm a fugkin' missionary.





Dave

The ruger UL's have a way lighter barrel contour than a Kimber montana......

No, that's Travis. LOL.

Hard to beat a Montana. Mine is 308. Not much it cant do.

How light is an 'ultralight'?

Ruger claims 6.2 lbs for the 16.1" barreled .308 Scout, a Hawkeye, on their web site. I use mine with Ruger's polymer 3-round mag which is much lighter than the factory supplied 10-round steel mag.

The 20" .30-06 has a pencil barrel which should compensate for the longer action in terms of weight. Hefting the two, the Scout feels a bit lighter. Unfortunately I don't have scales that will weigh the two.

A Google search also suggests Ruger claimed 6.25 pounds for their 'All Weather Ultra-Light' .30-06 with the 20" 'reduced weight contour' barrel.

In any case, the rifle is noticeably lighter than my walnut stocked M77, MKII and Hawkeye rifles with a standard weight 22" barrel. After shooting the .30-06 yesterday, I wouldn't mind getting one for myself.

I have one in 308. Very accurate. Of course the the barrel heats up very quickly.

I'd have to throw a Scout on a scale to believe that.

I've shot a couple of them and they sure as schit didn't weigh 6.25 lbs.




Dave

Laminate or synthetic?

Swapped my lam for syn, made a huge diff.

Also, steel mag or syn?

They were laminate with the steel mag.




Travis

My synthetic stocked scout with poly 5rd mag weighed 6 lbs, 4.4 oz. The poly stock is nice for injection molded, but I replaced it with a McSwirly and pulled the rail off. That brought it back to 7lb 4 oz.

My Rem. Model 7 in .308 w/ Brown FS stock, Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36, DNZ mount totals 6lb 3.4oz empty.

That's surprisingly light.




Dave

We hello brother Dave you ready to save some Africans and baptize them??

This rifle is very light to me as most of mine are north of 10lbs. I prefer detachable mags and heavier barrel profiles. It's an Accurate Ordnance 223 built on one of their private labeled Stiller's (a Predator, I think). Brux #5 interrupted fluting (trying to get the weight down but keep a heavier shank), Manner's Elite, Timney, and a NF 2.5-10x42. With a 77gr TSX it is very hard on hogs.

Although I generally use a #3 or #4 on hunting rifles another reason I went with a heavier profile is the farms where I hog hunt often present multiple hogs pretty quickly and groups don't open up as fast after 5 or so shots.

I took my Ruger UL 30-06 and my new Savage UL 223 to the range today. The Ruger gave me 1.5 inch groups. Based on my experience with stock Ruger ULs that's about as good as I could hope for. This was the first time I shot the 223. I had a lot of guns to shoot, so I didn't shoot it much. It's best group was 25 grains of Ramshot TAC pushing a 55 grain TTSX. .6 inch 3 shot group. It showed potential with other loads.

Scott, what are the details on that rifle?

Dem,
Is that barrel finished at 22"-23"?

That is a nice little rifle, nice work!

243 MT is my favorite mini rifle.






And this POS 270.

Titanium bipod....

260 Rem Model 7 Ultralight 3 shot 3/4 MOA out 400m

The Savage 223 has a pretty darned good trigger on it. I tried some loads with 60 grain Partitions and 65 grain Sierra Game Kings that weren't nearly as good as this TTSX load. I am a bit bummed out on that. I like my bullets to have lead. People swear by TTSX bullets, so I'll see how they do on these small coastal deer.

That 55gr. TTSX is a bad little bitch.



Travis

I keep hearing that, and that's why I loaded some up, but I have this mental hang-up that I want lead in my bullets. I am going to get one hunt in this year before my shoulder replacement surgery. It will be with that Savage and those 55 TTSX bullets.

They like bone.




Travis

Thanks!

Sako M85, 260 Remington, Leupold VX6 Firedot. 7 pounds even with the 15 ounce scope and steel Leupold 30mm rings. Nice to carry. Shoots everything well, no drama. I did have a 1.5-5X VX3 mounted, and it was 8 ounces lighter, but the VX6 is incredible. I have a clone in 308/VX6, same setup, same reliability. I was thinking of an Andirondack, but these Sakos are pretty solid. I guess they weigh about 1 pound more.

My lightest.



Rem700 Mountain, B&C Ultralight stock, aluminum TG, Gre-Tan Shroud and pin, Leup 2.5-8 in Talleys. Trigger tuned and set LIGHT.

That stock is a POS noodle. I had to mill a channel in the fore-end and epoxy in a section of carbon fiber arrow shaft to stiffen it adequately.

The scope now has a turret since that pic.

It was a good shooter out of the box and still is. I'm considering milliling it for a Wyatt''s extended mag box to bring the COAL up to where I can run the 162 Amax loaded long. It shoots that bullet very well, and that really extends the capability of the rifle.

That's a good looking rifle. I have always found favor with tan and stainless.

My Ruger Ultralight 223 seems to like the 50gr TTSX. This was my best group of the day with them and TAC. This group was 27.0gr at 3360fps. Got to load up some more of these and see if I can replicate this group. If so, I've found my load for this rifle. I figure it should be plenty for our small southern whitetails.

That is very good accuracy out of a Ruger UL. I looked for one in 223 for the longest time before I went for the Savage.

Actually the best group of the day was with the 63gr Sierra and Varget at 2957. I'll probably use these during the off season for crows, coyotes, and other varmints. I'll save the Barnes for deer.

Is that with a stock rifle or have you modified it?

I Devcon bedded the action, floated the barrel, and put an Ernie's spring in the trigger. It breaks at 3lbs. I think I may have had to grind on the mag box a little to free it up. Same things I do to all my Rugers.

Kimber Montana in 7-08
Ti Ascent bolt handle
SS 3-9x MQ
Warne bases and Burris Sig rings
6.5 lbs

Merkel K1 in 7mm RM, topped with an FX3 6x42 LR Duplex, with a load tailored to the reticle.



6# 8oz with a round in the chamber.

Been looking for a little while, and these seem like a good price for new.

http://www.theoutpostarmory.com/merkel-k3-stutzen-270-win-single-shot-rifle.html

http://www.theoutpostarmory.com/merkel-k3-jagd-257-wby-single-shot-rifle.html

Leaning towards the Stutzen in 270, may go check it out in person next time I'm down that way.

Kimber Montana .308

Remington Ti 30-06
I have a Montana 300wsm but no kill pics with it yet.

And lastly, a Savage Sierra .308