Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Mountain rifle thread ?

I do not know if its been done yet , my search skills are weak. Any way here are my 2 favorites. Gen 1 TI in o6 , and a pre 64 featherweight in 308. Mountain hunting is by far my favorite hunting and the rifles carried there are of endless interest to me. They are really my sole focus anymore. Anyone else?

Yes, except my rifles are Savage 99's. Love the mountains.

Mountain hunting is about all I do and when I think 'mountain rifle', light weight comes to mind first. I have dozens of rifles but seem to hunt with the lighter weight models more and more as the years go by. A couple of Kimbers are getting the most use lately.

I like your mountain rifle on the left. That's all any man would ever need, when it comes to top notch rifles...

Yes they interest me.

They interest me enough that I'm currently cleaning out my safe and transitioning back to the older Remington M700 Mountain KS rifles as I can find them and a Kimber Montana or two is on my short list.

I'd love to have a 1st Gen Remington Ti, but I can't justify the cost.

They used to call them "mountain rifles", but they evolved into "all around big game rifles",since they are useful in a number of places; not just mountains, but open plains, forests,mixed cover, and for everything from Alaskan Yukon moose to whitetail deer.

They used to weigh 8 pounds scoped but today have lost some weight and weigh anywhere from 6 - 7.5 pounds scoped and are chambered for all types of cartridges.

If you want to hunt big game this rifle is probably the center piece of the arsenal and most useful over all.

Yes, 'mountain' hunting can be translated into any type of hunting where movement is the norm.

The hills aren't as high here in the Midwest, but weight is very important to me, barrel length too. A lighter weight, 20" barrel is what I normally carry.

Living and hunting in BC, mountain hunting is pretty much it. Adding in the possibility of deer to big bear, moose and elk has pretty much kept me using 27 caliber or larger, mostly on an 06 case.
I have settled on model 70 fwts or a clone as "best" for me. Currently on the lookout for a decent pre 64 fwt in 270, might be the final rifle I will buy, unless I run into 2 of them!

I was hunting in the mountains with this rifle long before the someone coined the term "mountain rifle", Featherweight topped w/ a Leupy 2-7x33 vx-ii- all in just over 7 lbs



currently putting together a rifle that should tip the scales just a smidge over 6#

I've got a few, here are my 2 favorites.

1st one is a KS .280, 2nd one is a 1st Gen Ti 7MM-08.

Mtwarden: I hate to break your heart...... but the term and concept "mountain rifle" predates your M70 FW,either the 1980 PF version or the Classic(I can't tell which yours is),and maybe you as well.


Likely it was Jack O'Connor who railed for lighter rifles and had them built by a few custom makers dating back to the 1940's(?). The M70 FW came on the scene in the early 1950's and was about right in those days for a mountain rifle.

They were not easy to find as factory items and many custom makers like Al Biesen, Dale Goens,, Tom Shelhammer, and many others built them custom for clients who hunted high country back then. JOC popularized such rifles.

As a concept it goes back to Europe in the form of light weight Mausers and Mannlicher Schoenhauers.


hell hanging around gun stores in the late 60's as a college student I knew traveling hunters who used FW 270's to kill moose, caribou,grizzly, Dall and Stone and Bighorn sheep,elk and who knows what else with their "mountain rifles".

So you and your rifle likely came a long time after JOC and other writers,and I can promise you that the term and concept of "mountain rifle" were around a long time before you arrived on the scene with that rifle in 1980 or thereabouts. If you got on board in 1980 you were late to the game.

nice rifles all , Bob is right about them really being do all rifles although stand hunting may be a little less weight sensitive. A battery of one light 06 could cover all. BSA I wish the MPI were a bit lighter on the pre 64 but it is one of my all time favorites and will never be sold. The TI's maybe the best factory mountain rifles as far as factory out of the box, Here is another factory option Tikka SL , in 06 of-course.

My collection has been evolving a bit as my hunting and family gets more involved. I used to have a lot more, but his is what I have right now.





Top to bottom it goes:

Kimber Montana 300wsm. Not a true lightweight, but a good Etolin Elk, Kodiak, Kupreanof Moose lightweight. Leupold 6x42 CDS with dots. Probably will go with the 200gr ELDX. Get it stretched out to 6-700 if the Etolin tag falls into my pocket next year. Might go 168 TTSX if bears are involved. It's my "Big" rifle.

Kimber Montana Creed. New, haven't messed with it yet. Alpine deer rifle, 143 ELDX. For the wife. Will have 6x42, will steal often from her.

30-06 Ti. McM Edge. All around rifle. Currently tackdriving 168 Noz Etips at 2900. 3.5x10 Sightron Big Sky. Unfortunately it gets left home a lot. My buddy who is a big hunter borrowed it for a buddy who was flying in. He claimed it was the easiest rifle he's ever loaded for. I agree. It just shoots everything.

243AI. 700 Action, McM Edge stock. PN barrel, 1-8. It's that good, and better. 105s just shoot out of it, and it's killed a mountain of Sitka Blacktails with the Amax, Berger, and Scenar. It's a forever rifle, since I have two daughters. Eddie rescued it once via ceracoat. 6x42, target turrets, fine duplex. My favorite scope by far.

Lastly, my M7 7 Saum. I love this rifle. Put it up for sale to justify buying two Kimber montanas, now will keep it since the sting is over. Edge stock, Jewel trigger. It's a little heavier, but the weight penalty is well worth how it settles down on a pack for a longer shot. Currently shooting 150 Etips at 2900. Probably breath some life into it with 150 ELDX and stretch it out a bit. It's my alpine rifle for those 3-5 hour hikes up to alpine with 35lbs of overnight gear. Scope is off it, but will put the FX3 with M1 back on. (6x42)

Since we have one Tikka posted I guess I'll put another up. And I will agree, the Tikka Superlite is a fine rifle. I dropped my 7MM-08 into a Hunters Edge and sure like it a lot. In fact I hunted with it more this year than all my other rifles combined.

Just picked one of these up for my son's X-mas present (pre-threaded end) First Montana for me, uh, I mean him. I'll do all the load development and may have to take it for a spin or two.

What, no SWFA FF? If I go TTSX, It'll be the 165. I think Tanner was gunning the 155 Scenar with good results, so I'll definitely try that one. Keep me posted on good loads.

Ok, at the risk of boring everyone with photo's of my rifles.
Rifles I have posted several times here before. Here goes.

Old school mountain rifles, similar to Jack O'Connors original concept.
First is a pre-64 M70 fwt in 270 of course. 7.75lbs



Next is a Mauser in 270 , 8.25lbs kinda heavy but traditional.




Old school but not in the O'Connor tradition

Mauser 6mm, 7.25lbs




Mauser G33/40 30-06, 7lbs




Now for a couple of more modern mountain rifles.

Remington Ti 270. 6.25lbs




And a Savage in 260. 7.25lbs

Irfubar, some great rifles there, nicely done.

Oregon, these rifles are sharp. Olive and Black is my favorite scheme when customizing.

I may end up doing that BDL I have into something similar provided it performs decently. While the current long range fad has its upsides, so many folks (myself included at times) are missing out on how much fun lighter and better handling rifles can be.

Is that the original finish on the KS? If so, what would be the closest match using modern paint or Cerakote? I've got a Brown Precision Stock on a KS I'd like to have redone and I want the original color or as close as I can get.

Nope not the original grey finish anymore. The finish had some scuffs/rubs from years of use. Nothing major but wanted it to look new again so I had darrenK here on the fire redo the paint. He uses the same stuff McMillan uses so I had him to olive with black speckle which I do like for a hunting rifle. He also did the Ti for me. I also had Karl Feldkamp @ Kampfeld Customs Cerakote all the metal for me in a mix of graphite black & titanium. It looks black in the picture but has a grey tone to it in the right light. I like it:)