Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your choice of lightweight bolt rifle

My choice would be a Winchester Featherweight.

I can attest that you are SO right. My first light rifle was a 77 UL in 308. It had 20" bll. It was short, light and a dream to hunt woods.

I've hated heavy rifles ever since.

Jerry

How about a husqvarna 1600 series lightweight? They go about 7 lbs with a 4X and leather sling. Much less with an good composite stock.

I'd go Kimber Montana .308;

*Want shorter... Cut & crown the barrel

*Want Lighter... one of chris's Ti bolt handles from the classifieds & if it has the steel trigger guard you can pick up an aftermarket aluminum one for not much.

You'd be into it for much less than the Adirondack or the Mountain Ascent.

I think 'alaskalanche' (think that is his user name?) has a few threads where he went this route, ie. lightening up an already very light Kimber Montana

Jerry

Agreed. If you want a short barrel Kimber I wouldn't spend the extra on the Adirondack at all.

Money ahead buying a Montana and chopping it to whatever barrel length you want.

I had my Kimber .308 Montana down to 4 pounds 10 oz. Then I had a front sight installed and QD rings and a peep and am at 4 pounds 14 oz with its 20" long barrel.


But I have down what Jerry said above along with cutting 2" off the barrel and fluting the bolt as well as having the action skelotnized. It truly is a sweet little gun.

With QD talley rings and a 3-9X33 Leupy Ultralight its still 5 pounds 11 oz.


The trouble is I also have a Kimber Montana in 338-06 with a much better (heavier) scope (VX-6 2-12-42)and still still less than 6 pounds 2 oz and can push 210 grainers faster than I can shoot 165s out of the .308


So I find myself only hunting with the 338-06 and the .308 is quickly becoming a safe queen.

In order to resurrect my poor forgotten .308 I am going to have it sent to JES to be rebored to a 358 win and cut to 16". Should be able to get 2450-2500 fps from the 16" barrel with a 200 grain TSX and it'll be my summer carry rifle for bear protection as well as my SE AK deer hunting thumper. At 4.75 pounds likely with a peep on it and just over 35" long it won't be a rifle most folks would want, but it will fill a niche for me better now since I don't see using my .308 anytime soon.

Exactly. Start light, add ammo, sling, sights - it adds up quickly. Hunting the back 40 with 4-wheeler access negates the issue of added weight. But climbing on shank's mare with a backpack and all your gear makes a couple/three pounds saved seem like a big deal.

Hey, I want it back! :-)