Ultimate Lightweight Big Game rifle

Would love to hear YOUR idea of the Ultimate Lightweight BIG GAME rifle. Thats deer at the bottom and Brown bears at the top. One gun. Lets hear YOUR prescription? (grin)Can't wait to hear what you guys think. Come one, come all!! Design your dream lightweight gun here and now.Tex------------------ Deja Moo - The feeling I've heard this B.S. before?Apologies to Pete Millan for stealing his signature.

Check out:<A HREF="http://www.kifaru.net/ramblrif.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.kifaru.net/ramblrif.htm</A><A HREF="http://www.kifaru.net/300WSM.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.kifaru.net/300WSM.htm</A>[This message has been edited by jackfish (edited February 19, 2001).]

Jackfish: I had not seen that before. Very Very cool looking idea. Price is out there, but I asked for ultimate didn't I? (grin)Tex------------------ Deja Moo - The feeling I've heard this B.S. before?Apologies to Pete Millan for stealing his signature.

How about a Rifles Inc or Ultra Light Arms rifle in 338 WSM. Of course with the Kifaru you could have barrels in say .257 WSM, 300 WSM, and 375 WSM and you would have the perfect caliber for whatever game you would be hunting. I just don't know if I could get used to the stock design.

Probably a ULA Model 28 in .338 Mag, not too light (6.5) for a .338, but light enough. Or without the Brown Bear capability, a ULA Model 20 in .358 Win. JB

Tex, -- without taking the banker with you a plain old Ruger MarkII SS in 338 will do it or for big bears down a 7400 or 7600 Remington in 35 Whelen, use ten round magazine when hunting the bear and five round hunting lesser game. Course this is department store stuff and may not interest you but they shoot great and under field conditions you can't tell the difference. They are not real lightweights but even I can carry them and enjoy shooting them. You have seen my Ruger 338 with the compac scope. Spend what you save on ammo and the trip. Pretty or unique doesn't kill, just the bullet. -- no

I already have mine. 2 months ago I bought a Remington 660 in 350 remington magnum. Only thing i need to do is replace that plastic trigger guard with a machined one and I'm done. I can handload 150 grain pistol bullets for plinking and small game, 180 and 200 grain spitzers for the medium stuff and 250 grain partitions or x bullets for the big stuff.

I too have mine: either the ruger short action in 350RM, or the seven KS in the same caliber. The Brown Precision stock of the ruger makes it a lot easier on the shoulder than the rem, but in the field, both thrive... From Foxes to Boars, no complain.

I have to agree with weagle and 350RM, I love the 350 mag, have a 700 classic and hope to obtain a model seven MS in the near future, with the classic it duplicates 35 whelen performance, I haven't started reloading for it yet, but I am hoping for 2600-2700fps with a 250gr slug, pretty decent for a well balanced, easy to carry, light recoiling rifle,,BH

My ultimate light weight rifle is a model 600 in 350 rem mag, Brown Precision kevlar stock, Leupold 1.5-5x20 VXIII scope. Total package is 6.5 pounds.

OK so someone has to be different. Marlin 1895G 45/70. If you want a little more reach go with the .450 Marlin model. Sean

You guys are all talking .338 or larger bore diameter, yet I recall hearing somewhere the 30-06 was suitable for any North American game. Maybe they didn't mean the biggest, baddest bears. But I would like to know if my Remington 7600 carbine in '06 would do or is it too light and I have to mortgage my soul to E4E for something that gives me a nosebleed when I shoot it?Talker

Bearhunter, you and I have a very different definition of a light recoiling rifle! A 6 1/2 pound 350 Remington mag light recoiling? Man, my shoulder hurts just thinking about it! Your dentist will love you because he will be replacing all your fillings soon! [Linked Image]

LOL- Sheister

Sheister, the recoil of the 350 mag has been greatly exagerated in my opinion. Even the 250 grain factory loads I got with my gun do not kick that bad. I've owned several gun's in 30.06 that kicked much harder.

How 'bout a Rem #7 stainless-lam in .338-08 W/pac-nor #3 barrel cut to 20" Leupold 1.75x5 should be a nice packin-pointing rifle. should go about 2700? with nosler 210!.. good shootin vbshootinrange!

Most any gun in a .338 magnum should do it. Anybody who can't carry an 8 pound gun for a day shouldn't be hunting elk or bear anyway. Cuz' if they can't do that, how are they gonna pack the meat in?

Hey Texas; I already own that rifle!!!! I once read that the "perfect rifle" would " throw a camp stove at 3000fps". I'am close enough to that to satisfy me, and that's the only one I have to answer to!hehe Description: Win. Model 70 action, McMillan stock,Douglas SS target-grade barrel,two-leaf folding rear sight, Leupold QD base/rings,Leupold 2.5/8 scope(matte finish),Butler Creek Neoprene sling(rarely used),Pachmyer Decelerator recoil pad, does "not" have a muzzle break, weighs-in at 8 3/4#(scoped,loaded,slung),chambered in .375AI. Any questions- I thought not!! hehe -memtb

Tex,Lone Wolf makes a 12 oz stock. John Ricks says Lone Wolf's stocks are pretty good. I am having the 16 oz version put on my "lightweight" 30-06. The 26," #4 barreled Rem 700 sould come in at 8 lbs with the scope on. (That's lighweight for me).Blaine

Hi Texas_hunter! I already have one!! An original BRNO ZG47 modified to 366IH Magnum with performance from 750 to 980m/s with a 250 grains bullet and a peek energy of 798kgm.We are 8 hunters here using them and are all very satisfied. Best wishes Christer

Christer, welcome aboard, and I am happy to hear about your rifle, but I am going to have to get my calculator out to figure out those numbers in feet per second and foot lbs of energy. Just too set in my ways, I guess.PS, for what it's worth, my cousin killed a big brown bear with a 7mm mag, but even he admits that he would take a bigger round next time.

kinda late answering this... but I am going to answer different from anybody else I saw. 1895GS 45/70 Guide Gun Stainless. Pretty darn light and handy. With the right ammo, itll take Cape Buffalo.

Tex,What is the definition of lightweight? My wife claimed my ruger ultralight M77. I suppose if I were to build a lightweight gun I'd get a stainless M77 short action, a lightweight plastic stock, and neck the WSM to .35 caliber. That said, I don't like lightweight guns, and if I'm hunting brown bears I want a 416, and I definately don't want a light 416! Maybe we could throw in a compact gun, I'd take a stainless guide gun, toss the barrel and turn it into a 50 Alaskan with an 18" barrel. Would be light, and enough for coastal browns, but range limited to 150 yds.

How about a Rifles, Inc .300 win mag and a 3.5-10 Leupold? Total weight with sling and ammo is 5.75lbs. It has done everything I have asked of it so far....SRM

SRM, -- welcome to the campfire, do you still have the ore cart setting on the main drag in Leadville? You have some beautiful hunting country all around you, if you own or have a friend that owns a horse. [Linked Image]

-- no

NO: Still there, I have even contributed some ore to it on occasion. You are right, outstanding elk country. My two horses are named Danner Left and Danner Right. Actually, in some of the areas, I wouldn't feel comfortable taking a horse. But at least you understand my desire for a lightweight rifle....SRM

SRM, -- ole "no" is ready for bed and on second nightcap so be gentle. I have hunted rough country for many years at altitude, most of these posters don't realize what it is to hunt high. The coast hunters think they have it tough with rain and wind with temperatures in the thirties, wonder what they would do with snow so big and heavy you can't see 50 yards and dropping temperatures to way below zero. Hard to skin out an animal before it is freezing and your hands so cold you loose feeling in them, can cut your fingers or palm very bad and not realize it till too late. Unprotected ears frostbite before you can blow your nose when the wind is blowing. A sheepherders tent is like the Hilton when you get to it. The light rifle is a Godsend. The Remington 600 series is the ultimate in my book, never shot one in any caliber that wasn't a minute of angle shooter. I had a complete set of eight including the 223 and sold them last year. Now I have two 35 Whelens and would not feel underguned any where on the North American continent, acutally anywhere in the world. Might make some people nervous but with the ammo of today and the capacities of the magazines for some of the rifles, no problem, FOR ME! JMHO -- no