Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Rifle Weight.Are you really in shape?

I have noticed this thing of which you speak.

I'm sure it has a break as big as the Big Sky.

Thats a great pic John! Side note, I had my oldest G-son (turned 12 yesterday) watching one of your vids he is big time jacked to stretch it out a bit...

Dober

This pic I've put up b4 and then some but this is one taken with my main go to rig. 700/7Mashburn Super, Brown stock, 4.5 wt Schneider cut to 25", Jewell, 4-14 Leo w/Premier dotz to 700. Not sure what it weighs (spose a bit over 9 all up, closer to 9.5 with my bipod) and don't really care as it's the one I gravitate to whenever the games on the line.

Now if we could just cajole Greenie into putting up some pics of bulls taken with his lightweight 300 RUM...grin (that dudes taken some super bulls!!)


Dober

That's alright. After looking at toad's 375 ultra that weighs 8 pounds I don't think you could get me to shoot that if you paid me . OUCH!!!!!

no brake. shooting it from the bench does take some concentration, but it isn't suicidal.
my load of 260 gr. AB over 90 gr. RE17 runs ~2930 fps and somewhere around 60K psi. basically it delivers .270 ballistics with twice the bullet weight.

this rifle was bought specifically because i have a M70 in .375 AI that i really like
everything about except the weight, 9.5#.

Good to hear you're enjoying my rifle...

Dober

Mark,

Have you had the No. 1 rechambered for the Mashburn yet? That should be a GREAT 9+ pound rifle!

I have, did some finishing work on it yesterday and heading to Logan in a bit.

It'll probably spend some time at your place this winter so you can put your wood working skills to work and put it on a dang diet...

Been hitting the gym hard since getting it in hopes of being able to carry it. Glad I've got my 12 year old porter going to elk camp this year...

Dober


(speaking of the G-son he turned 12 yesterday and in the mail got a card from the FWP for a turkey tag for the valley)

Real cool about the turkey tag!

I can probably take 8 ounces off the No. 1, but not that "critical" 16 ounces!

Being as how Eileen and I have 4 elk tags this year, I'm thinking about hunting both with some sort of lightweight (maybe my .257 Weatherby NULA) and my 1930's Pachmayr custom Springfield .35 Whelen, which weighs 9 pounds empty with the 2-1/2x Lyman Alaskan in Griffin & Howe mounts.

Dunno how I'm gonna haul it up the mountain, but have to figure out a way, since Eileen DEFINITELY isn't going to carry it for me! I don't think she owns a rifle over 6-1/2 pounds--and hasn't missed an animal because the rifle is "too light" for several years.

I'm in the Dober Camp. Id rather lug a little bit extra weight up the hill and have a rock solid rig when a bulls in the scope. My go to rig is a Model 70 classic 300 ultra w Rock #3, Jewell, Zeiss 4.5-14 RZ-800 in Talley LW's and a MT sling. Rig goes just over 8 all up.
Of course I hauled a wood stocked Remington 700 classic in 7mm Weatherby on a Dall sheep hunt. When time came to send lead down range the gun wasn't dancing around...

GreenHorn, lets see some pics of that 300 Ultra and those dink bulls you shoot......LOL. BTW Your ID named after the Greenhorn range?

I can loan you my G-son for a bit if you like, his name is Porter...grin

Dunno how old you are, but I do tend to prefer lighter rifles partly because when I started elk hunting there weren't many in open country--at least in my part of Montana.

Most of the hunting was in "black timber," with shots at less than 100 yards--and often quick. Instead of packing a rifle over a shoulder and then shooting across several hundred yards, the typical shot was 50-100 yards--and often it had to be quick. A light rifle didn't matter much in raising it to shoot, but it did when having it on your hands for an hour or more while searching the lodgepole--instead of slung over your shoulder, which was always a temptation with a heavy rifle after an hour or so.

John, I'm 34 and when I packed that 7mm on a sheep hunt I was 15.
My comments on what my preference is for a Elk rifles is based on the country I saw last year on my first MT Elk hunt. The elk we got on were always at least several hundred yards or more away and it was pretty open country. Even the timbered areas were not too thick. With that said I dont have any qualms about making a 50 yard shot with my rig and have done so often where I live in Upper MI.
I have tried several light rifles including a Rem model 7 and a Rem 700 TI. I couldnt shoot the 7 worth a damn. The TI was better, and off the bench pretty darn good, but I still feel more comfortable with a gun weighing a little more and that has more meat in the barrel IE weigh forward.For me, this more than anything makes a quick shot from field positions easy near and far.
I am sure its a technique thing, but to be honest I am to lazy to change up my style at this point.

Haven't read all the posts in this thread but have to say, I'm not so much worried about the weight of my rifle...it's the 40lb backpack going in and the multiple trip, 75lb+ pack out when (I'm being positive) I get an elk, that I really worry about.

I'm an older hunter and while I've hunted deer for many years on flatland, I don't know that I will be prepared for hunting at 8,000 to 10,000 feet in altitude. I'm in relative good shape (work out 5+ days a week and have for over 10 years), but altitude adds the challenge equation. My upcoming 2nd season CO elk hunting trip will be my first and hopefully not my last. I may be ill prepared but still, I can't wait.

BWalker,

Makes sense to me, especially since you are 34 and things have changed in elk hunting!

In my experience the TI's are OK, but I like my NULA .30-06 a lot more! It has a 24" #2 barrel and balances well offhand. It has also taken a number of big game animals out to 450 yards, from various rests.

But in the end the main thing is a rifle YOU can shoot well.

Biggs300,

I would advise you to arrive at least a day earlier for you Colorado hunt, and two days would be better.

I have hunted elk in Colorado at 9000+ feet, and even though I live at 4000 feet in Montana, and regularly hunt to 8000 feet here, the thin air of the Colorado high country has an effect.

Last year I bummed around Butte, MT for aday to acclimate. The altitude didnt bother me. The several feet of snow on the ground were another story.

Thanks Mule Deer. Our hunting party is arriving 1 1/2 days prior to opening day and hope that will be enough time. Several years ago, I owned a small 12 acre plot of land at 10,000 ft altitude in CO. I remember how long it took to me acclimate to the altitude. Although I'm older now, (60 yrs. old) I am in much better shape. I'm hoping the excitement and adrenalin rush will help.

Biggs300,

In my experience, 60 in good shape beats anythingn younger in mediocre shape!

Acclimation is always good, though, because it doesn't really matter what kind of shape you're in.