Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats At what point is a rifle too light?

My T3 lite is the lightest rifle I own, and will probably stay the lightest. It shoots well from the bench, no problems at all. In real field positions it is harder to shoot. I know it is me, and I do not usually show signs of a flinch but with the Tikka I sometimes get a noticeable "yip" just as the trigger breaks.

fwiw...

work up loads and then decide. shooting is better than wondering about it forevermore...

Personally have never had any more trouble with a 6# rifle than shooting heavier rifles. The only negative variable for me is recoil.

I doubt the weight of the piece is the issue. To verify, borrow a known 6# class shooter and see how you do with it.

Did you buy it to be a thing hitter or a group maker?

I've hunted plenty of rifles that have never seen paper or a bench.

A truer statement has not been made.

I've seen guys spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to drop ounces on a rifle or binos, when it would have been more practical to put down the Snickers & Coke.

You nailed it.

Weight around the middle is easier to deal with than weight on your shoulder or in your hands.


Edited to add that I'm not disagreeing with you about most could stand to lose a few

I have found a "mid-weight" rifle to be much more effective in mountain hunting, as it settles much more quickly for me than an ultralight one does.

A .270 Win./.280Rem. class of CRF piece at about 7.5 lbs seems to work best for me and my lightest .338WM Dakota 76 at 8.5ish, depending on scope choice is ideal.

Where, I DO really like my custom light .308Win and lighter 7/08 is in bush hunting for mostly Whitetails and Blacktails, where one must carry "hot" at "port arms" to get a decent shot.

I ilke my .30-06 rifles at no more, or much less than 8lbs and my FN-.308Norma, in it's Bansner, goes about 8.25 and is so well balanced it feels lighter.

YMMV, but, I DO strongly concur with getting a smaller waist, not easy at my age with a genetic disposition to a "beer barrel" physique! Well, WTF, just do your best and enjoy it, eh!

As soon as I start carrying my gut around in my hands all day, I'll give that some credence.

Here's a hint, put and extra 3 pounds on each boot and climb a mountain.

Then remove that extra 6 pounds you had on your boots and attach it to your waist and climb the same mountain.

Get back to me.

Great argument. I lost about twenty pounds so my FEET don't notice the difference when I put on a twenty pound back pack.

I carry the rifle in one hand while hunting. The sling is used while I use the binoculars. I want the lightest rifle I can get with the 26" barrel carrying a 5-25X or 4-24X scope. That means slightly under 7 pounds or slightly over 7 pounds.

Ditto--the rifle is in hand unless the hand is busy doing something like holding on to a cliff...

I can't believe that reasoning is so prevalent--the hunters I've met looking for lighter rifles are in fantastic shape. They guys who really need to lose some weight don't seem to mind...

My BIL is large enough that 12# of rifle is like carrying a sack lunch...:)

Individual differences are why we often disagree. We are individuals and what is heavy to one may be light to another. BUT often people make a judgment based on what they are using w/o the benefit of having tried anything else. How does that statement go? You do same thing 1000 times and all you have the same 1 experience 1000 times.

I have backpack hunted with a 9.5 lb rifle, a 7.75 lb rifle, & a 7 lb rifle. I built a 6.75 lb rifle. I ain’t going back to 9.5 lbs for backpacking although I do shoot better ‘groups’ with a heavier rifle. Pick the correct tool for the task at hand.

Valid point Steelhead or at least I look at the weight of my boots; tends to make a big difference.

I gotta respectfully disagree with you on that one just based upon my own experience.

I'm physically my best at ~195 lbs, running and lifting about four days per week. I had the unfortunate experience of letting my weight drift up to 230-235. Although my legs were still strong from the running, I fatigued much quicker and it was definitely easier to become winded just carrying that extra weight.

Regardless of rifle, be it a Kimber Montana or a Sendero, I don't notice rifle weight like a do extra body weight, but as steelhead mentioned, I do quickly notice the weight of my boots. YMMV.

I notice rifle weight, you tend to when you are carrying one for 10 hours a day.

You're talking about forty pounds of body weight. On your body I doubt you'd notice the three or four pound Montana to Sendero difference.

What Steelhead said. If you move thru the hills hunting for day carrying a rifle in one hand, the weight difference gets pretty obvious. After the 7 1/2# (all up) mark I start wishing for a lighter rifle on day long excursions. If your butt is bolted to a stand, then it doesn't really matter.

Bonefish, the odds are the NULA will shoot if you run some handloads thru it--and those are pretty good odds...the one I had in 280AI was more responsive to some loads than others

Seems I start to notice a rifle at around 8.5 lbs. My style of hunting usually has my rifle on my back, either with a sling or in a scabbard. Hands are freed up for climbing, crawling through brush, and glassing. My pack usually has a bunch of extra weight due to it being soaked, so weight isn't too big an issue.

I have a M7 Saum w/ Edge stock. DNZ mounts, 6x42. It's 7lbs 2oz. I like that weight for longer shots off a pack. Jewel trigger helps too. Just personal preference.

First trip to Colorado, I was naive and ignorant about hunting and back packing in the mountains. Second year, (after finding 24HCF) I was in much better shape (15 to 20 lbs lighter, much training). I also had a backpack FULL of all sorts of stuff and an 11lb custom rifle. First day between 11K and 12K, I stashed half the stuff out of the backpack, and would have gladly traded the custom rifle for a factory rifle at 1/2 or 2/3rds the weight. That's why I now have a Rem KS. However, I only get to spend 2 weeks in Colorado above 8K ft each year (if I am fortunate enough to go). And, like others, I shoot a heavier rifle more accurately. Hence the build for the "everyday", 8lb, .270 for use at 800 ft ASL. A pound of rifle weight may not sound like a bunch. But, I am a believer. And yes, I can still stand to loose a bit more around the middle as well.

I have given this subject some thought over the life of this thread. All that I can offer is that I have never sold or traded a rifle because it was too light. However, I have moved several along that were too heavy for the way I intended to use them.

When you miss a nice buck offhand about 150 yds - no rest available - on a gusty day with a light bbl rifle - and compelled to rebarrel w a heavier tube.