How heavy a gun is too heavy for hauling?

[midnightmalloy]

um just a thought. why dont you just spend the money you would use to make a super light rifle and just buy lightweight backpacking gear. for example i have a mountian hardware sleeping bag thats 17oz or a 5oz bivi sack? i would rather save weight in my other gear over my rifle. just a thought. i bet most guys here could spend $300-600 more on there camping gear and save WAY MORE weight than trying to lighten up there rifle rigs.

 

[Pdvdh]

um just a thought. why don't you just spend the money you would use to make a super light rifle and just buy lightweight backpacking gear.

I can agree to a limited extent. But there is a difference. The primary one being that extra weight in a well fitted/designed backpack is weight that is carried centered on the body, closer to the center of gravity of the body, and doesn't produce the strain and unbalance of a rifle carried in the hands or off to the side of the body. Just like 10 extra lbs of fat in the abdominal area is steadier for packing around than 10 extra lbs of rifle carried in the hand extended off to the side of the torso. I've known hunters who have messed up their shoulders by extended packing of heavy 10 gauge double shotguns and heavy rifles. Excess wear and tear on the tendons, ligaments, and muscles.

 

[RDM416]

I just can't help myself from posting when this topic comes up. I put in my 2 cents worth a while back when this post first came up...... here is an update.

I just got back from an Elk hunt in the Gila, in southern NM. We were hunting at 5000 to 7500 ft elevation and had a 4+ mile hike gaining 2000+ ft of elevation each morning to get from camp to the area we were hunting.

As usual, I carried my 338Kahn which weighs in at 17 lbs. I am a small guy (142lbs / 5'6") and no youngster at 48 years old. Normally I tend to say to those who complain about heavy rifles to just grow a pair......... but I tell you this year it was tough! I had been sick for 2 weeks right before we left and was run down, and we were hunting in very rugged terrain. For the first time, I was really questioning my sanity for packing such a heavy rifle. I use a Kifaru gun bearer which works well for me, but I was just struggling with packing the weight of the rifle and gear.

In the end I was glad I had my heavy rifle. I shot my elk at (a nice 6X7) at 605 yards, which with that rifle is almost a chip shot. I had him dead to rights the day before at 935 and was totally comfortable taking that shot but he fed over a hill before I could catch him with a good broadside shot opportunity.

I have other rifles in the 10 lb range that have the power and accuracy to shoot to 1000 yards, but I simply cannot shoot them well enough to be comfortable taking a 1000 yard shot in field conditions.

All said, there simply is no answer to suit everyone......... For me, I really want to be able to make a 1000 yard shot. I am willing to endure the extra effort of packing the heavy rifle in order to make such a shot. I just go slower up the mountains....... On my last trip as well as others, if I had packed a lighter weight rifle I may have very well made the drive home eating a tag sandwich rather texting pictures of my bull to all my buddies.

Just remember, in order to make 1000 yard shots on game under field conditions you will need lots of other equipment. That is for another thread........ but it all adds up. Before you really jump off into the question of how much should my rifle weigh, you should really consider the question of "how far do I really want to be able to kill a critter". 300, 500, 800, 1000, 1000+ ?? The requirement is far different for 300 than 1000...........

 

[7mmpredator]

Dude, pictures of the bull? hello!

 

[RDM416]

7mm,

Unlike my antelope hunt, I did get some pictures taken of me and my bull before we cut him up. Watch for a post in the next day or so, I am going to do a write up of the hunt with a picture or two.

 

[Bravo 4]

Gonna have to diverge from the topic to address this:

I think I would quit shooting at a elk after the second shot, i wouldn't want to take the elk in town with 9 bullet holes in it. Better hit the range more, or just stay in Ohio.

brianwy77,
Before you start basically calling somebody an idiot, why don't you reread his post so you don't look like the idiot yourself. He wounded (maybe a kill shot???) an elk at 574 yards with the first shot and they decided to shoot it till it went down for good. Sounds like not just the humane sportsman thing to do but the right thing to do, as well as what I and everybody else I know would do. Now mind you that 9 of 16 shots(only 5 kill shots) at 574 yards is not the best shooting I've seen. But do you know how many of those or which of those he made? You only know of one and not even which one it was. Sounds like what would happen if me and most of my friends were to take those shots...but at 574 yards mine would have been the 5 kill shots with my buddies just making a lot of noise. I would rather take an elk into town with 9 holes in it and tell them how tough it was then tell them I wounded one and let it walk off and suffer because I suck!

Now back on topic:
RDM,
I know what you are getting at about growing some balls, and after leading soldiers for several years I have learned that size has nothing to do with toughness. At the present time I am 5'7" and 210lbs and BY FAR the largest guy in my Sniper Section. I have two guys that are 5'6" and about 135lbs and carry a 60lb+ pack along with a 14lb+ weapon plus ammo(our weapons are between 14.25lbs-28.5lbs) for miles and miles on end at a very fast pace.
I can just see you carrying that beast of a .50cal of yours around those mountains!


We have a saying: Carry light - Freeze at night!
And that means carry what is needed to accomplish the mission, everything else is for comfort.

 

[RDM416]

Bravo 4,

I may have a few years left of packing one of my 17 lb Kahn's around in the mountains, but I have to draw the line at that 50 lb beast 510 Allen mag!!! Although I have been tempted to carry it up just one mountain and leave it there until some unsuspecting elk wanders by within a mile..... maybe someday