Looking to build the lightest 223 rifle for packing. I have seen min mauser 4lb scoped, would that be a good place to start?

M 85, MPI stock? cut barrel to 16?

You need it to be 4 lbs?

I'd look at one of those Ruger American in the Ranch rifle package....16.5 inch barrels...one in 8 twist...

For a light rifle I don't know of a better place to start than a Mini Mauser.

I would like it to be 3lbs,but dont think it will happen on my budget.

When do we talk about handling/shootability?

Zip gun

I was getting there..

How about a Contender Carbine?

Those aren't very light. 6 lbs bare rifle.

T/C Contender w/super 14 Bbl & brake or extension to 16" by David White, add a youth model rynite stock (12" LOP) and a Burris Mini Compact 6x Rifle Scope and you've got a light +/-4lb
sniper set up for all the vermin you could ever wish for. While David is working on the muzzle ask him to rechamber the breech to .222 Rem Mag Imp. and throw in a set of 223 AI dies to reload.
The only step ahead would be to find some 5.6x50R brass and follow Bellm's rules!

Forgot about the contenders, would rather have a repeater but will check into them .

Yep, I understand that shooting will take some practice. I will get packed more than shot.

Kimber Montana hacked to 16" barrel, buttstock hacked to 12" over a flip-flop pad.

That was my second choice, didn't think about hacking the stock?, thought MPI but would be into it quite a bit though.

Any one know the weight reduction of a barrel Kimber Montana contour per inch?

That's what I'd do. I set up a very light .357 Maxi carbine a few years ago. No reason .223 wouldn't work out.

Tom

I have a NULA in .223 with a 22" barrel that's weighs just under 6 pounds with a Leupold VX 3 2.5-8 with 6 cartridges and sling. It's scary accurate with any load too. Not sure how light you need but don't overlook NULA.

He wants 4 lbs or less. That eliminates pretty much any bolt action rifle build.

Did you see that mini Mauser on a scale? What kind of scope and mounts did it have on it? Do you know any of the specs?

There is an old article that shows exactly how to do this with a mini sako. The article is titled "ultra-light sako" and is in the book Gunsmithing tips and Projects second edition. They get the rifle to 3.7 lbs without scope. I don't see why the same couldn't be done to a mini mauser.

I seen one in a Anchorage gun shop a few years back,dont remember the exact numbers, MPI has one on their website in 7.62x39 details written on paper.

I think I could do it with a Kimber, but will cost quite a bit.

NULA are great rifles, out of my budget though.

By the time you build a custom, then lose 1/3 of it's build cost selling it because it's too light and unbalanced to shoot well in the field, you will have as much into the project as a NULA.

The NULA will balance better, shoot better, stay in line better, and generally be a better rifle than any ill conceived pieced together flyweight project rifle. Buy once, cry once. Buy NULA.

That's pretty freakin' light....




Travis

Tikka T-3 in 223 doesn't meet your 4 lb limit, but it is pretty dam light with a fixed mini scope

Go here:
http://extremerifleworks.com/Custom.html#thumb

Second row, fourth down. Mini X in 223 that weighs 3.5#. That gunsmith posts here (440dodger or something like that) occasionally.

If you are like me, you are carrying much more than that around your waist.

Here ya go - 23 oz...

Heizer Defense - Smallest 223 made

3 lbs 6 ozs. So where do you get rings/bases for a Mini Mauser AND a scope that weighs 10 ozs? That's what's needed to get to 4 lbs scoped.

Wonder what the cost was of that rifle?? My guess is if a NULA's out of OP's budget....this would bust it all to hell.

Not only that, it has a "wrapped" barrel which is a deal killer for me. That said, I would still do a Mini Mauser build over a NULA. A 17" F/W Barrel, Timney F/W trigger, aluminum mounts and light scope. Bed it in a B&C stock and call it done. It won't make .the weight mark but neither does the NULA and probably far less than half the price.

Instead of a rifle, if weight is the biggest concern you might buy a handgun in a suitable chambering and learn how to shoot. IHMSA silhouette competition has an unlimited category that for years was capped at 4.5 lbs., and that for guns chambered in rounds capable of taking down a steel ram at 200, something a 223 won't do.

If you are most interested in it being packable and wouldn't mind an extra pound, I'd look at a T/C Contender with a foldable Choate stock and 16.25" barrel. Folded it would only be about 22" long and you could put a red dot sight on it to keep weight down. Just a thought.

Wouldn't a 527 be lighter than a Mini Mark X?

No. I have both and I don't see how you'd get a 527 lighter than a Mark X/799/M85.

It is very much smaller so I thought it might be lighter.

I didn't think the CZ 527 action was any smaller than the Mini Mauser.

There was a comparison at Realguns.com.
The CZ sure looks smaller.
I don't know how to post a link.
I googled "CZ-527 micro Mauser "
And the second image is that article.

I'll try to find it.

Thanks

I'm doing a couple of builds and looked a lot.
The mini Mauser has 22mm course thread.
The micro 25mm fine.

For length in a small build I went with the push feed Mauser.
Model 4000

The 257 x 50 will fit in that. 5.6x50mm necked up to 257.

A .222 LUX bolt action single shot is 5 pounds. You could whittle a pound off the stock. With a 223 reamer and a 223 headspace gauge, it would only take a few twists of the wrist to make it a .223.

A nice one for $400
http://www.armslist.com/posts/10424...rifle-made-in-west-germany--400-or-trade

One that needs a firing pin or spring repair $150
http://www.armslist.com/posts/34223...x-222-remington-single-shot--project-gun

I don't like those weird European dovetails, so I drilled and tapped 6-48 holes and put a couple of Weaver #15 scope bases on mine.

The LUX ss secret to low weight is rimfire technology. The locking lug is the bolt handle. The barrel is pinned. I thought that was so funny I bought it, just to overload it. I paid $125 at a gunshow in 2003. When I did an overload work up, piercing primers were the limit.

Somebody like them.
Gone already.

From the website:
"Velocity: To Be Announced..."

Must not have found a volunteer yet to test fire the thing.

I had a type 97 Carbon 15 AR Pistol 15 years ago.
Paid $1k, shot it in the woods once, went to the range once, sold for $850.
Too loud for me.

This is my MiniMauser in 220 Russian. It weighs 5 lbs. without scope. A lightweight stock would help.

Charles Daly/Zastava mini-mauser, 527, Sako L461 top to bottom

While the 527's action is a bit shorter, what kills it weight wise are the solid steel rings, trigger guard/mag well, mag, and ,most importantly, lack of light weight stock options. If there were a Banser or Edge available things might be different.

I have a buddy that has a 527FS. He chopped off most of the stock, swiss cheesed the mag well, and lightened some other things. It's still heavier than my "light" baby Sako I didn't put in the picture.

To put that into perspective, neither are nearly as light as a factory Kimber Montana and the Montana doesn't limit you to a 2.28" COAL like all the others.

Many thanks.
I'll try to get a photo comparing the 527 and the Mauser Model 4000.
The 4000 will take a longer round.