Whats your maxium weight and barrel length on your long range rifle ?

[dgr416]

I learned in Alaska that a good long range rifle that I could tote for miles was what I needed to hunt with .There is a limit to how much you can tote and how easy it goes through the brush .I had used my 338 win mag stainless for a year in Alaska then I decided I needed more range .I chose the weather by 338-378 weatherby in a accumark with a Nikon 6.5x20 power scope .It has a 28 inch barrel with the brake and was 9.5 pounds loaded .It was really the most I could tote for miles at a time .I used an extra wide spongy sling that made it even feel lighter .I knew any more weight on my rifle that there was no way I could tote it up and down mountains and through the willows .I even used lighter weight 416 rem mags to use in the timber they were like 9 pounds with scopes .I often wonder how in the world people carry these 14 to 19 pound rifles for miles and miles .The accumark is well balanced which is very important too carry your rifle well .Weatherby truly designs their guns for hunting .I wanted to know how much the rifles y'all use are and how long are the barrels ?

 

[Jakeweb09]

My go to is a 7 Saum with a 26" barrel plus a brake. It's a couple oz over 9lbs and wouldn't like too much more. I could probably lug close to 11 if I felt it was gonna be needed. But haven't had that situation come up. I think much lighter and it really starts to get hard to shoot in the field for very long ranges

 

[dgr416]

I had a super light model 70 in 338 win mag for Alaska but it was too light .I think it's was 7.5 pounds with the scope .I let a friend use it and he killed 7 moose with 7 shots out to 350 yards .I could shoot it good on a rest but it was very whippy to shoot offhand to me .It didbt balance right at all that's important to carry them a long ways.

 

[codyadams]

I built a rifle specifically for packing around 8,000-10,000 ft+ mountains for elk and deer, it is a 24"+5 port brake 9.5lb loaded ready to hunt rifle. Total barrel length with brake is 26.5". For the shots I take with it, I wouldn't want much lighter, this year my elk was just under 900 yards, doing that with an ultralight is no easy accomplishment, doable, but challenging. The length is also close to the max I would want for packing through thick timber. As for the weight compared to an ultralight (for my uses) I would rather have a couple extra lbs and make the shot. However, if I knew my shots would max out around 600 yards, I would have no issue taking a 6-7lb ready to hunt rifle to the mountains.

I have also carried a 14 lb 30.5" total barrel length with brake rifle around these same mountains. While it made 600 yard shots feel like I wasn't even trying, getting it around the mountain convinced me to build my current 9.5 lb rig. From my experience, moderate to large cartridges in low to sub 8 lb rifles get significantly harder to shoot consistently from field positions past 600 yards.

 

[codyadams]

On a different note, I also have no opposition whatsoever to a 16 lb 32" barrel pronghorn rifle.

It all depends on the rifles purpose.

 

[coyotemaster]

What's represented here is real time knowledge from guys who do it! I could hypothesize about weight vs portability vs recoil but all my experience is at an elevation of 800'. I do notice a common feature is a brake and if you want to shoot well you need to practice and a hard recoiling gun isn't an advantage.

 

[Hugnot]

Before, when I was young and strong (ran 1 mile & 1500 meters & gymnastics & boxing) I liked #5 barrels, 26 inches long (nothing screwed onto end), 50 mm objective lens scopes 6.5-20X., 9-10 pounds, max caliber 6.5, self imposed limit of 400 yards. But now, I am real olde and only shoot rodents and limit walking to less than 3 miles round trip, nothing more than 5% grade, #4 barrels, 24-26 inch long, 40mm scopes 6.5-20X, 8 pounds. A light weight scope like the 12X40 Leupold works.

I would use a golf cart to lug around a 16 lb. 32 inch rifle and would include lots of ammo and bottled water.

 

[sp6x6]

First 30+ i packed a factory 340wby,put a brake on it after ten years.Last ten 8 3/4-338NM 26'' braked 3-24x52 optics,qd a atlas when needed,on pack.Front carry.

 

[MagnumManiac]

Mine are 15lbs - 18lbs. Barrel lengths are 26", 28", 29", 30" & 32".
My 338-416 Rigby Improved is a single shot, I milled up a Delrin block to make it a single shot. It has a 32" barrel 1:9" twist.
My others are in various calibres, none are Creedless though. Have a 6.5x47 Lapua, but it's not for ELR. Just making a point.
I run 4.5-27x50 scopes mostly. A couple of 3-18x50 too.

Cheers.

 

[Blake72]

Not a huge hunter, but i like to run them 15-20lbs. I have a tac pack for the gun so it's carried on my back and a deer cart that i modified to have my table and chair on it. I can take it wherever (I only have to go say a mile or two max) then i can set up for long range and feel like im maximizing my opportunities

 

[86alaskan]

When I was in AK, I used a 8.5lb tikka with a 22" barrel in 338wm for everything. running 250gr bullets hard, your effective range is easily into the 4-500yd area, even for larger game. Killed a number of caribou at 2-300yds, and 2 bears at less than 50yds. none of them knew the difference., If I spent more time in brush and timber, I'd stick with 22-24" or less with a suppressor. If it was open timber and clear country, probably 26-28" with a brake and ear plugs. Anymore, if I'm hunting anywhere other than home, the 28" 12lb 338rum gets the call for range and power.

 

[matt_3479]

I currently carry a 9.5 pound loaded ready to hunt factory 7mm mag and a custom 12.5lbs ready to hunt 300 Norma mag. Im looking at adding a custom 9lbs ready to hunt 270 wsm as I have a feeling my factory 7mm won't be around much longer

 

[VinceMule]

I like 27" finished lengths, #5 contour for rigidity, plus Gentry muzzle break.

280
280 AI
7 Mag

The 180g ELDm is hard to believe in these cases. I use Lapua cases in the 280 and AI.

 

[Reemty J]

Dam guys lots of great opinions/ experiences, you have no idea how many people you inspire with your input!!