Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Lightweight short barrel hunting rifle?

Well guys looking at getting another SS lightweight rifle. Thinking a 308, or 7mm-08 with a max barrel length of 20" but more like 16"-18". I really would like to try out a Kimber Montana or the Adirondack. But the price and availability of the Adirondack is a bit troubling. So how much to get the barrel cut an crowned on the Montana or what other Rifles would you recommend and what length would be the shortest to go. This will be a Deer, Elk, and Bear rifle or the Quad truck and every day hunting when the Nula needs a nap.

Tom, I'd just get the standard Kimber MT in 7-08 or 308. Cutting and crowning is usually $35-$45 absolute MAX. My smith charges $35.

Personally, while I love carbines and have owned a pile with 18-21" barrels, I find the Montana "just right" at 22" due to the fact its receiver is shorter than a typical SA rifle.

If I did want one cut, I'd not go below 20" to preserve its balance, and 21" would be great.

Just my opinion...

Even though the old Remington 600s are a favorite they've convinced me that 18" is too short for higher pressure or capacity rounds due to muzzleblast. Less than 20" barrels are now for me restricted to handgun cartridges up to mild rounds like .30-30 and .35R. An 18" barreled .30-06 (742) or .350RM (600) just dumps too much gas too near.

Ruger Internationals.

Either the No.1 (20") or a 77 (18.5").

Oops! Forgot the SS bit. IIRC, some of the 77 RSI were done in SS and you can get a SS No.1A that makes for a pretty light, compact rifle (almost grabbed a Lipsey's in .257 Bob).

Ruger Laminate Compact, Ruger American All Weather Compact those are 2 SS models I can think of.
Other compacts I can think of are Rem model 7 Win. model 70 but theyre not SS

I've got a few different light weight rifles and another on it's way, but have had a Stainless Model 7 (20") for years. Always felt kinda whippy, but recently dropped it in a Brown FS stock. What a world a difference that made to the rifle.

6 lbs 1 ounce with a Leupold 2-7 and talleys. Thinking about a light weight bolt shroud to drop it below 6 (just because).

Heck of a woods rifle in my opinion.


edit:

Forgot to add, you get much below 18" and things get to damn loud. My 16" XP-100 (.308) is deafening. I have yet to shoot my braked XP-100 (.260).

Thanks for the picks guys just need the shortest barrel for the Quad so it doesn't hang over and I love the lightweight rifles. I don't like taking the Nula on the quad hangs over to much and if I dump it over it would be a. $5000 mistake. So I'm leaning to the Montana but still might cut it to 18". Anybody cut one this short?

Tom, get it in your hands and let the rifle tell you what to do... might be 18", might be 19 or 20"...

I have to agree with Rovering. n 18" barrel is too short for anything but maybe a pistol cartridge. I personally wouldn't go shorter then 20" and only with short standard rounds like .308, 7mm-08, .260, etc. Even a Winchester 94 .30-30 most commonly has a 20" barrel.

Years ago I had a Husqvarna Lightweight .30-06. Though I loved the rifle it had a rather impressive muzzle flash with some loads. I sure wouldn't want anything shorter the it's 20" barrel.

Balance is SOOOOO important, and often overlooked. That point has recently been driven home for me. My Kimber 308 is just a hair under 6 lbs with the Leupold scope and 22" barrel. The balance is perfect and offhand shooting is no problem with such a lightweight rifle.

I recently bought one of the compact Ruger Americans in 223 thinking it might make a good walking around rifle and even a compact deer rifle for out local 100 lb deer. Even with the 18" barrel it is still 7 lbs scoped. Trying to shoot offhand is much more difficult. Even though it is heavier, the sights wander all over the target. It will still work for my needs, but I've never felt handicapped with a 22" barrel.

I know I need to feel it. But I see the adirondack is a 18" barrel. Also I don't want to pay to cut it 2 or 3 times, also once it's cut and I feel it's to short it's more $ for a new barrel. I guess this is the cost for beings gun nut.

A 20" 30-06 I had many years turned out to be the ultimate point and shoot rifle for me...a 20" 308 should be just as balanced for you. 20" seems short enough, but even at 18", a 308 doesn't lose much or blast enough to be concerned about...you can't say that about most other rounds.

Howa makes a nice 20" compact rifle in stainless. I like my Howas... A cut-down Montana would be like a willow wand, but for a 4x4 beater rifle like you want, a $400 Ruger American Compact stainless, when they're available, or just a cut-down Hawkeye shouldn't offend anyone's sensibilities around here too much.

When you dump it, just dust it off and ride on...

If you are used to the ergo of the NULA, why not get a Forbes 20B in .308. IIRC, they come with a 21" barrel. You could try it on for size , and then shorten down the road.

Of course if it has to be all SS, you may have to wait a while.

...short barreled .308s...I have several and for as little one fires a hunting rifle it just doesn't make that much difference to me.

Remington 600 18.5"

Ruger Frontier 16.5"

Ruger GSR 18" barrel plus a 1.5" flash hider.

Remington Model 7 Stainless/Synthetic 20"

SAKO TRG 20"

My favorite length of all is the 18.5". That is where "balance" is best for me.

Bob

My deer hunting rifle last year was a Remington SPS heavy barrel 20 inch. Nice and compact and shot really well. Reason I got rid of it was it weighted about 12 pounds. I am in the same boat as the opening post, but I'm pretty set on a Kimber 84M or if I pony up enough a Kimber Ascent.

SPS 700 SS in 7mm-08, cut back to 20" and bedded in a light stock, like an Edge or Ti. With a 2-7 or 6x36 Leupold, it will go around 7lbs, be short/handy, yet still balance nicely with the standard contour. I did the same, using a 660 action, 700 barrel, and Edge. Great truck gun and one of my favorites.

the older M7 FS and KS were short/light

I had one of the first .250-3000 Ruger's made in an RSI. I wanted to save the stock so I put the barreled action in a Bell and Carlson camo stock...and it was heaven. 4x Leupold and I was off to the races. Killed a lot of deer w/that little rifle before a man saw it and wanted it for his son. powdr

16.5", 6.5x47, kills nice buck at 483 yds, long barrels and big cartridges not needed........


http://forum.snipershide.com/sniper...ll-stick-has-arrived-16-5-6-5x47l-2.html

But 16.5" has got to be loud. I think 18.5" is fairly loud, so I go 20" more often than not.