Originally Posted by Brad
I have a slightly different take on weights, maybe part of that is from being primarily a backpack/mountain hunter.

Most rifles are carried with a sling and rounds, so I think it's important to include those. It's like trying to calculate your takeoff speed based on an empty aircraft... but you have full fuel and passengers. That will never work out well smile

So for me:

Ultralight: Sub 6.25lb's, scoped with sling and rounds.
Lightweight: Sub 7.25lbs scoped with sling and rounds.
Midweight: Sub 8.25lbs scoped with sling and rounds.
Heavyweight: You know it when you feel it.

I've packed 9lb rifles in the mountains, and I've pack 6.25 lb rifles in the mountains. For my needs I'll take something around 7.25lbs or less with good barrel weight. I'm over no.1 contour barrels, one reason I bought a Barrett Fieldcraft in 270 this year. Has a nice Douglas-ish no.2 contour. I cut the barrel to 23", and mounted a 3.5-10x40 B&C Leupold in Talley Lwt's. With Uncle Mike's Mtn Sling and 4 rounds it goes 6lbs 13oz's. But it's got "hang" in the barrel that makes it feel different (better, even heavier) than a similar weight Kimber MT 270.

For open country hunting, casual woods wandering, or sitting in a treestand, a midweight is to my liking.

So "it depends."



I agree with Brad, which isn't too surprising as we do the same kind of hunting in the same kind of mountains. I will add that I divide mountain hunting into two types:

The first is what most people do. You hike (or ride horses) from a central camp or trailhead each day with a daypack that contains some food, water, rain gear, some survival stuff, maybe a spotting scope, and a rifle. When I do that, my pack is usually under 20 pounds, so I don't mind carrying a mid-weight rifle in the 8-8.5 pound range, and I usually do because I can shoot a rifle like that well under field conditions.

The second type of mountain hunting is true wilderness backpack hunting. Here, your pack will have all of the above plus a week of food, a sleeping bag, some kind of small tent, a sleeping pad, extra clothing, etc. My pack easily weighs 50 pounds, so I am looking to reduce weight wherever possible. On those hunts, I like a rifle that finishes up about seven pounds scoped and loaded. I have had several customs over the years that have filled this role, but I recently bought a Barrett FC in 6.5 Creed that I am going to test for a year and see how I like it. It has the heavier barrel contour of the long action cartridges and Cerakote, which is a nice addition for spending a week or two in a drippy tent.

This may not be germane to the question at hand, but one thing I often see among rifle loony's is that they focus on the weight of the rifle, while generally ignoring the rest of their gear. They will think, obsess, conjure, research and scheme ways to buy lighter bottom metal, scope mounts, stocks, perhaps a pencil barrel, (or a complete new rifle) all to shave a pound off their rifle. They may spend $1,500 or $2,000 to save this pound, all the while ignoring the fact that they could buy a pair of Sitka Ascent pants and a Stone Glacier pack for $800 or less, and save four or five pounds, without compromising the 'shootability' of their rifle. But hey, where's the fun in that??? grin

The first great thing is to find yourself and for that you need solitude and contemplation. I can tell you deliverance will not come from the rushing noisy centers of civilization. It will come from the lonely places. Fridtjof Nansen