Kimber Montana - mine is 280AI and is a deer/antelope harvesting machine with Hornady Precision Hunter 162ELDX
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Factory Lightweight rifles for western hunting.
- Thread starter SofaKing
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TexasWestPointer
Active Member
Tikka Superlite! These are fantastic, accurate rifles
ColonelGoose
Active Member
Another good choice would be the Savage 110 Ultralite in 7mm PRC - 22" PROOF Research carbon fiber wrapped barrel, weight is 6 lbs,
Turkeytider
Well-Known Member
It`s interesting to see the variety of rifles recommended on this site. I get the impression that there is a much broader readership that`s more representative of shooters/hunters in the shooting community than what you see on some other sites. One of the main reasons I really enjoy Long Range Hunting as well as The High Road ( Rifle Country ).
Husky user
Well-Known Member
I think you can get a Weatherby Backcountry steal in 280AI for under $2500(5.4lbs)$3500 for TI
Leupold VX5 3x18 in Tally one piece and you are good to go.
Factory Nosler ammo.
Leupold VX5 3x18 in Tally one piece and you are good to go.
Factory Nosler ammo.
Just remember to put an aftermarket recoil pad on it and you're golden. Makes all the difference in the world.
I have Kimber Subalpine in 308. Super lightweight. 5lbs 10oz. It's a very nice, cool little gun. CRF, 3 position safety. I thought it would be the perfect backcountry rifle.
It's not easy or fun to shoot.
Then I got a Tikka in 6.5cm. Put it in a KRG stock. 9lbs. Weighs almost 2x as much, but I can shoot it substantially better due to the reduced recoil, extra weight, and better ergos.
Believe me I know, ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. But I have no issues carrying that Tikka all day, and it's well worth the weight.
Christensen's have a less then stellar reputation, especially given their price. No way I'd roll the dice on one.
A factory Tikka or one with an upgraded stock is hard to beat for the weight, value, and accuracy. And the safety locks the bolt. I really like that on a hunting rifle. Anything based on a R700 won't.
Otherwise I'd look into a Seekins or a Waypoint
It's not easy or fun to shoot.
Then I got a Tikka in 6.5cm. Put it in a KRG stock. 9lbs. Weighs almost 2x as much, but I can shoot it substantially better due to the reduced recoil, extra weight, and better ergos.
Believe me I know, ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. But I have no issues carrying that Tikka all day, and it's well worth the weight.
Christensen's have a less then stellar reputation, especially given their price. No way I'd roll the dice on one.
A factory Tikka or one with an upgraded stock is hard to beat for the weight, value, and accuracy. And the safety locks the bolt. I really like that on a hunting rifle. Anything based on a R700 won't.
Otherwise I'd look into a Seekins or a Waypoint
They still make these?
Weatherby Hunter is a bit cheaper and still somewhat light, not as light as the BC though. I was thinking about a Weathermark LT but they don't list it anymore. The lightweight version of the Weathermark. and for deer and Antelope the 257WBY would be great, might work OK for elk.
Lenny Foffa
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2017
- Messages
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Weatherby Back Country with the Titanium Receiver in .270 Weath. Mag or 6.5 RPM or a used Weatherby Ultralight 5 3/4 pounds in 270 Win. Pretty Nice!!
Hand Skills
Well-Known Member
I chased the ultralight dragon for many years
They are great to carry, but hard to shoot well. Especially if my heart rate is at all elevated.
I still have a .308 win that comes in under 7lbs all up. It's short and handy but based on my experience, I consider it a 300yd rifle in my hands.
Shooting a pretty group at the range is very different from making one shot count near the treeline.
Be honest with yourself. Climb a hill and shoot a group from standing (or even sitting). If you do not have the luxury of public land and are limited to a 'square range', do a couple of quick sprints and shoot a group.
Don't use the bench. By all means, use a tripod or shooting sticks - whatever you will be packing with you. Unsupported (offhand) is most humbling, for those with true courage
Physical fitness plays a pretty big role. I could shoot ultralights a lot better when I was in peak physical condition. Not trying to dissuade you from your objective, and probably not what you want to hear, but you asked for experience!
The Kimber 84's are pretty nice. I find them a little light in the front personally. If I were to go down that road again, I'd start with a mountain ascent and have it rebarreled with a slightly heavier contour.
The older Weatherby ultralights (I have no experience with the new ones) are the same way - barrel too light, balance point too far back - for my preference.
Tikka's are great to build on as well - a factory Tikka superlite can be pretty competitive weight wise once it's dropped an ultralight stock. the bottom 'plastic' and magazines are really light and very functional.
I haven't put my hands on a Christiansen that has impressed me, but some folks seem to like them
*IF* I had any advice advice to give, it would be to be conscious of the balance between PORTABILITY and SHOOTABILITY.
There are always tradeoffs, and the tradeoffs can be managed, but only with awareness.
THE1LAF
Well-Known Member
Another thing to keep in mind is optic weight, rings & glass can weight a lot.
There's some fixed power ultralight optics out there but most want variable magnification.
This is a spreadsheet I made this summer over a few optics, I struggled between "lightweight" & "want full competition options, ruggedness, & illumination" & settled somewhere in the middle with my wallet none too happy.
This chart is in Grams, Mils, & mm.
There's some fixed power ultralight optics out there but most want variable magnification.
This is a spreadsheet I made this summer over a few optics, I struggled between "lightweight" & "want full competition options, ruggedness, & illumination" & settled somewhere in the middle with my wallet none too happy.
This chart is in Grams, Mils, & mm.
THE1LAF
Well-Known Member
When I started researching my custom build I did a lot of research, forums, podcasts, etc.
One of the more interesting ones were the Gunwerks "Long Range Pursuit" Podcasts.
Don't get me wrong, they are smooth salesmen, but the balance of portability & shootability was a topic they covered frequently.
If they're trying to sell you a 7-13k firearm they have to be smooth, but there are things you can learn and incorporate into other designs
Ep: 62 "light Guns and Big Rounds"
Ep: 74 "Making "The CUT" Engineering a new ultralight rifle"
Ep: 110 "The Nexus rifle system - behind the design"
If you take the names out of it, they shoot for ~3 different rifle weights (w. optic) to balance weight & long distance shooting & stability:
Under 7# - Ultralight weight Mountain rifle - "The CUT"
~8.5# - Light weight Hunting Rifle - Klymr
~11# - Long range Hunting Rifle - Nexus/Magnus
My rifle came out to 7# bare, 9.5# w. optic, 10.2# with a can, but I could have easily cut ~1.5# out of the system with a lighter action & bbl.
