Great string. Near as I can tell, JOC never carried an extra 30# on his belly, so an extra pound, or 2, in a well built rifle might be irrelevant. Not the least of which, I bet that rifle is a delight to shoot, and would encourage you to shoot a lot.
My father hiked much of Northern Italy, then down to Greece with a Garand. That generation was a little tougher than we seem to be.
