72 here. The 4 rifles I carry most weigh 6.5-7 lbs. Win 94, 30-30 open sights is the lightest. It is my walk-about carry.
725 in .260, and 700 in 243 are next lightest, The RU77 30-06 ("Stub") cut down to carbine is the heaviest at just under 7 lbs. All are scoped.
I'm not adverse to carrying (just not too far!) a near 10 lb RU77 in .338WM, or the 11 lb, heavy barreled M98 in 30-06 (used this one last year on a walk-in caribou hunt- but it was only about 1 1/2 miles uphill..... ). The new to me nearly 8 lb XTR in 7x57 got the nod this year, along with the 94 (carried one day), the .260 for my son, and Stub for my wife.
Undecided for next year, but probably the '94, the "featherweight" XTR, Stub, and either the '98 or the .338. I haven't killed anything with the '94 since 1966, or the .338 in about 15 years. They need their chance again.
And we will likely be using a couple ATV's on the caribou hunt, and not more than 1/2 mile from the boat on a moose hunt if plans come together, so weight isn't really an issue. If I was backpacking in a 2-10 miles, it would be the .260.
Last edited by las; 10/08/20.
