Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Light weight bolt action rifles...

Am I the only one who doesn't care for them? If I want something light, I'll grab a lever gun with irons. If I'm using a bolt action, I want something with a med-heavy sporter barrel and a substantial walnut stock....am I the only one?

I read you guys writing about shaving a couple of ounces here and there and I kinda scratch my head most of the time...

Depends on what I'm doing. If I'm walking a few hundred yards to a deer stand in the Midwest, I don't care about weight. If I'm hiking in the mountains for a week, I'll take the light weight stick every time. In the latter scenario, I don't really want a lever gun with irons when I can have a scoped up bolt action.

Most lever guns with irons would suck trying to sheep hunt in steep country at longish ranges.

The right tool for the job. Lightweight bolt-action rifles are great for people that actually carry them long-distances. I don't think most people buy them for prairie dog shooting from a bench.....

YMMV.

I kinda felt the same way until I actually used a true LW bolt rifle.
Since then 8#+ rifle lost just about all their appeal to me.
My lightest is 6# 1.7oz scoped and it is easily my favorite rifle.

I never cared much about weight until I bought my first lightweight. It was a tikka t3 lite with a little 3-9 wrapped in talleys. Since then, anything over 7.5-8# is just too heavy. And I don't like hunting much with lever guns. Personal preference

I never really gave much thought about an 8.5-9 lb ready rifle either, hunted a lot in Northern, MN and than down along the SD Eastern Boarder.

Busted through the woods and would put on a couple miles around this part of the country, but a few pounds never really mattered.

Started to hunt with a Model 7 and while a little whippy it sure was nice to carry. Not a fly weight by anymeans, but a nice compact decent weight rifle to shoulder. Few years ago I used that same rifle a couple years in a row up in Northern, MN and it was perfect for still hunting and just getting from point A/B going through the woods.

Jump forward to a couple years ago I picked up a Remington Mountain Guide. Think my 7mm-08 goes about 6.9 lbs all ready. Balances so nice, comfortable out to mid ranges and you barely know you're carrying anything.

Never been mountain goat hunting have ya...


If you don't know, you don't know and you don't know.

You're trying to lump a whole lotta hunters who do a whole lotta different hunting into one big pot. There is a real big difference between walking a few hundreds yards to your blind, or even a few miles to a stand in low altitude or flat land, vs climbing to 2-3 miles above sea level on extremely steep terrain. For the majority of my hunting, which is for elk in the rockies, give me plastic stocks, stainless metal, and make it light as reasonably possible.

Light weight bolt action rifles stink:

Kimber 84M in .257 Roberts

I'm stong as hell so rifle weight means nothing to me...


Balance is what I'm after, and that is personal to each rifleman.

I have a Savage LWH in 7mm-08 with a Nikon 3-9x40 and it is just under 7lbs loaded and a JOY to carry, even if it is just a few hills to walk. Very accurate and it does kill stuff.

I have to agree with the lightweight fans. I hunt rough country and have come to place high value on light, well balanced and durable rifles. I bought a custom that was built for sheep hunting and it has spoiled me. I took my deer Monday at about 175 yards on a heck of a slope. Never had to think twice about accuracy, distance, etc. The rifle is 7 pounds scoped and drives tacks.

Ever been elk hunting in the rockies cowboy??

No, but I hope to within the next 2-3 years...

When the topo lines start stacking up, you'll see what the fuss is all about.

Hmmm. You have sense enough to realize you don't understand something. Not sense enough to realize that maybe it's YOU that's "wrong" and out of step. Don't know what to say to you about that.

I like light bolt actions and synthetic stocks for hunting. I did not always, but after trying one, it didn't take me very long to come to my senses. They are definitely a better mousetrap. Today I have no wood stocked bolt actions. I can't trust them not to shift as the humidity changes.

Whilst you are toting your 9 pound rifle I suggest you make sure you get 6 pound pair of boots.

You'll legs will understand the fuss of shaving a few pounds, both in rifle weight and boot weight.

Handgun, shotgun or rifle I see no need to carry anything more than the minimum necessary by design. My primary elk rifle, a 338-06, put together many years ago is easy to carry and easy to shoot. The elk all taken above 11,000 feet. Works on other critters too.













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Exactly!

Light done right is king IMO.

Oh, then you'll see....you'll see lol.

Seriously though I have hunted with a few guys on their 1st elk hunts and they had the same thoughts you did going into it. A heavier rifle is a stable rifle, if I want light I'll use something else. And those points are valid and do make sense. But by going with something else, like you said a lever action with open sights, well you just extremely limited your shooting capabilities. You'll either have to stick to hunting thick timber, which doesn't always work especially if its dry and crunch (or crunchy frozen snow) or hell even if its snowy because you will slip and fall on down timber a lot, OR, you might end up passing up a lot of shots that are too far away.

If you were set up right to just sit and glass an active meadow or something, the heavier rifle will give you a more stable platform to make the shot. But if you have to go more then a few miles, especially UP hill, you'll spend the rest of the hunt wondering which lightweight rifle you'll be buying for next time haha.

I'm young and in shape, I still hate carrying something over 8.5-9lbs total and even then I was not real happy about carrying a 9lbs 308 this year. Sold the gun, just too dang heavy. Slippery slope though, you sure get to a point of craziness as the calibers go up while the weight goes down