Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles How much do your primary hunting rifles weigh?

Excluding varminters, I went through the safe the other day and put my favorite hunting rifles near the front where they belong. Going through this, I noticed my favorites tend to be the lighter ones. I used to use a 600 Mohawk .308 all the time but sold it off in a fit of insanity. It's replacement is a lightweight custom .260 that weighs 7 lbs loaded and ready. Others I use a lot include a Husqvarna .30/06, .350 Remington on a 700 action that now carries a Rick Bin painted McMillar, 6mm Rem also in a McMillan and kevlar stocked 6.5/06. The rest of these weigh right at 8 lbs ready to hunt. My old Sako custom doesn't see much use anymore as it weighed 10# ready to go. I guess age and laziness are making me go lighter as I didn't used to care what the rifle weighed. Ward

From 5.5 lbs (Contender carbine and Rossi lever carbine) to 9+ (Savage 99EG with stith mounted steel tube Weaver K2.5).

Weight ain't much of a concern, as long as the balance and handling are there, IMHO.

maybe 8.5 for a scoped NEF heavy barrel .308 (really my youngest son's rifle). way compact. balances and carries very well.
maybe 8 for a scoped sporterized swede 96 in 6.5x55. carries and balances lighter than that.
whatever a standard remmy 700 adl in .270 weighs with redfield senior mounts, steel rings, and a cheapo bushnell variable. what? 8 pounds? carries well.
one mucho lightened, sporterized m-n 44 (modified to single shot) in 7.62x54r, maybe 6 pounds. carries VERY well. but i can't see iron sights much past 2 p.m. so it doesn't get carried by me.
'nother sporterized m-n 44 but with whole magazine assembly retained, iron-sighted, 'bout 7-7.5 pounds.

except for my 7# M700 the rest of my CF hunting rilfes come in around 8.5 - 9.5 #'s.

My hunting rifles all burn gunpowder by the hatful, and I like long heavy barrels. I figure that if I need to have 2 or three pounds less to pack up a mountain I will lay off the desert etc. and lose those pounds from my belly, not my rifle. I have packed an 11.5 pound .416 Rigby all over Alaska while wearing waders and a backpack and did not find the weight objectionable. In addition to these trips it has accompanied me while jogging to try to catch up to herds of Elephants and other African fauna, again no problem. My .257 WBY and .340 Tyrannosaur are over 10 pounds, just right. My freinds point out to me however, that my size / weight of 6'3" 245lbs. makes the weight of my rifles less of a percentage of my total carried mass than would be true for a person of closer to avereage height and weight. My age is 45 right now, and my preference may change in a few years but right now I love my heavyweights.

Ward,

Seven pounds for my Steyr Scout in .308 Win (with sling, loaded and Leupold 1.75-6X32 scope), and nine pounds for my .376 Steyr which has a Kahles 1.5-6X42.

jim

I've a smattering of this and that and tend to choose the tool for the job.

On the average,short and handy is just dandy..............

My new stainless M7 300 SAUM in the 673 laminated stock with 2.5-8X Leupold on top weighs 7lbs 14 ounces...handles and balances very nicely. My long action 700's in 35 Whelen and 300 Win Mag in HS sporter stocks weigh about 8-3/4lbs...

My 9.53 weighs about 8.5 lbs "all-up" and ready to go. Everything else comes in about 7 3/4 lbs.

I only have two big game rifles - Model 70 Sporter '06, which weighs 8.5 lbs, and a 1976 vintage Marlin 336A which weighs 7.

I'm no superman (kind of old and decrepit), and I find these Idaho mountains pretty challenging at times, so I wouldn't mind a lighter rifle. On the other hand, if I can't carry a rifle in, I sure as hell can't pack an animal out, so I guess it doesn't matter.

338-08 = 6lb w/Leo 4x33
284 Win = 5 lb. 9 0z. w/Leo 6x42
6.5x284 = 4 lb 14 oz. w/Leo 2x7x28

JimF

5.5 to 11#, depending on horse power. Barrels 16-28" depending on attitude.

Remington .30-06 with iron sights and steel buttplate is 7.25 lbs, 7.5 all loaded up.

Winchester .375 is 9.25 lbs unloaded with iron sights, 9.7 lbs loaded, 10.6 lbs with scope and loaded.

Winchester M-70 Compact is 7 lbs with Burris compact scope.

Kiber 84 .308 ready to head in to the woods 6 and 14oz.
Sako Fiberglass 375HH 8 even. (i got a deal on it many years ago ouch).
300 WSM Just building target of 8lbs carrying weight should be close.

I also follow this plan with rifles weighing from 6 to 12 pounds. Seems the two rifles at the extremes get the most use.

I didn't take the time to make my comment rhyme.

Stick could use that as his sig line "short and handy is just dandy".....

Tikka T3 Stainless Lite in 30-06 w/Nikon 3-9X40, Winchester M70 Super Shadow in 25 WSSM w/Nikon 3-9X40, and Marlin 1894 in 44 mag w/Bushnell 1.75-4X32 all weigh right at 7 lbs ready to hunt.

I've never paid attention to rifle weight, except to make sure it isn't ridiculously heavy. I've had, and have, medium/big game hunting rifles that vary from 6 lbs all up to 11 lbs... and like most everyone else, I agree it's all about balance. Heavy rifles can handle quite easily when the weight is distributed evenly ... and can be easier to steady as well. Final note, down south, we get opportunity to "still hunt" a lot, so you don't find too many of us concerned with getting 'ultra-lights' ... ain't no mountains here in the gulf south <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

83 pounds altogether, give or take an ounce..........

Don't do it Stick, I hear the competition for ladys is tough enough up there, you don't want to advertise like that.