Curious what the lightest bolt gun made or that can be built weighs in at. Likely going to be doing a light .243 build soon (not single feed) and I'm looking for inspiration. So hide, what is the lightest short action bolt gun out there?
Lightest bolt gun made?
- Thread starter Potss
- Start date
If I remember correctly, the Kimber Montana with the Kevlar stock in .308 came in at 5.5 lbs. I have an 8400 Montana, 30'06, that weighed right at 6.5 lbs without the scope.
Pretty lightweight mountain guns!
Pretty lightweight mountain guns!
Hmm after looking into it, it appears the kimber is the lightest I can find/is mentioned ITT. So the question becomes can something lighter be built? Seems kimber is already using a carbon fiber stock, and fluted everything. But their action and barrel are still normal stainless which makes me wonder if a TI or CF replacement for either could reduce the weight further below 4.8125 lbs.
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Switch to a Ti action and you'll cut about 1/2lb off. That puts your total weight w/out the scope at 6.4lbs. Switch to a McM edge and you'll be even lighter.
Switch to a Ti action and you'll cut about 1/2lb off. That puts your total weight w/out the scope at 6.4lbs. Switch to a McM edge and you'll be even lighter.
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I don't think the CF barrels reduce weight. I had a few and never saw any advantage. If you go with Ti action, blind magazine and CF stock you will come in very low. Then, put a 2 # scope on and gain it all back! Some of them shoot great.
At some point rifles can become unshootable and too light for hunting applications in unsupported positions.
At some point rifles can become unshootable and too light for hunting applications in unsupported positions.
I weighed a 24" Hardy medium palma CF blank against a 22" Tikka T3 Lite take-off. The Hardy was 12oz lighter. And T3 Lite barrels are about as skinny as they get.
I would steer clear of a Kimber Mt Ascent, a friend of mine has one and it's a real pain to shoot accurately. It's so light , it never "settles down" regardless of the position. Quality is good, but unless you are more concerned about weight than shootability , I would pass .
the carbon barrels out there really wont help you in the weight department. and its not cause they aren't light, they are. but only for the contour they are offered in. so yes, if you are building a sendero contour rifle, the carbon fiber barrel will help. you can get it lighter running some of these ultralight contours like the 2b and such. even though they are steel, they are lighter than the CF barrels.
as far as the Kimber rifles are concerned. I had a Kimber montana in 257 Roberts with a leupold 2.5-8 which was like 5.5 lbs total. so super light. the problem was it could barley string 3 round in less than 1.5-2" and then only with hand loads. the hotter factory loads just wouldn't shoot. I think the barrel was to whippy. it was awesome to carry in the woods and in a stand though
as far as the Kimber rifles are concerned. I had a Kimber montana in 257 Roberts with a leupold 2.5-8 which was like 5.5 lbs total. so super light. the problem was it could barley string 3 round in less than 1.5-2" and then only with hand loads. the hotter factory loads just wouldn't shoot. I think the barrel was to whippy. it was awesome to carry in the woods and in a stand though
This.
I've had several kimber Montanas and sold them eventually because it took so much effort to shoot them. They did shoot very well though, I just had a hell of a time being consistent.
I have also had, and just recently sold, a weatherby ultra lightweight and it was 5.75lbs bare. When it was topped with a 3.5-10 it was what I would consider a minimum weight for me. I think I would prefer somewhere around 6.5lbs to be perfect for packing around the woods.
Sako 85 carbon light maybe?
I had a custom gun weighting in at 2.6kg without the scope, just below 3kg(6 pounds or so) with he scope. chambered in 300 win mag so whas not fun to shoot(had no supressor or break on it)... Lightened rem 700 LA Action thin 62cm Lilja barrel and a high tech specialities stock, aluminium bottom metal.
I had a custom gun weighting in at 2.6kg without the scope, just below 3kg(6 pounds or so) with he scope. chambered in 300 win mag so whas not fun to shoot(had no supressor or break on it)... Lightened rem 700 LA Action thin 62cm Lilja barrel and a high tech specialities stock, aluminium bottom metal.
Check out my post above. That's actually not true any more. Or at least isn't true of Hardy barrels.
This ones pretty lightweight, really shoots well for being just under 6 lbs all up!! Tough to find a clean one though - 1st Gen Ti 7MM-08
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Ok so currently the frontrunner parts look like:
1.) Borden Alpine TI action at 19oz.
2.) McMillan Hunters Edge at 22oz
3.) Hardy's or Carbon Six featherweight carbon fiber barrel at ???oz (anyone know approximate weight on a 20in 6mms)? Also any reason to go one over the other?
So the question becomes are there any parts lighter than these, or any other parts I should consider? How about lightweight rings and optic?
1.) Borden Alpine TI action at 19oz.
2.) McMillan Hunters Edge at 22oz
3.) Hardy's or Carbon Six featherweight carbon fiber barrel at ???oz (anyone know approximate weight on a 20in 6mms)? Also any reason to go one over the other?
So the question becomes are there any parts lighter than these, or any other parts I should consider? How about lightweight rings and optic?
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I'd consider the tally lightweight ring/base combo. And a fixed 6x Leupold for ultimate lightweight.
I think your right. I think it comes with talley Aluminum rings. Now what scope would you put on it? I think its 5 Lbs. 5 Ozs. I've seen it for sale around $1,500 @ christmas last year. Normal $1,800-1,900.00.
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^^ This is going to be the lightest factory option that I know of at 4lbs 10oz. Would be hard to shoot though in my opinion.
I got rid of a Tikka in a hotter caliber because it wasn't pleasant to shoot. All give and take though I suppose.
I get that superlight weight rifles are tougher to shoot consistently shot after shot but for what we are discussing, a rifle to pack or carry for distances or thru difficult terrain, how likely would it be that you would even get more than 1 shot. I assume we are speaking of Elk or mountain sheep type hunting. In these cases you rarely get a follow up shot. I dont understand how a light rifle would mess with your initial, and only, shot but I am open to an education.
Because each rifle is different in it's own right, it is good to train on them respectively to stay proficient. So before say going on an elk hunt, I would spend a bit of range time training on my elk rifle in order to develop a fresh confidence in my ability to use that rifle properly. But during this training, it is possible for the shooter to develop a recoil sensitivity if the recoil impulse of the rifle is too stout. I'm of course not talking about everyone, [I've seen many shooter soak up recoil like they enjoy it] but for most average shooters, it's only natural to want to flinch when you know bruise inducing trauma is at hand. I had a <7lb 300wm once and conditioned a flinch that took months for me to train out of. It is very possible to train into heavy recoiling rifles, but in my opinion it takes a significant amount of time behind them, which is not pleasant.
However, if like many hunters you use a lead sled to sight in your rifle, and only shoot said rifle in those 'one shot' situations, then you are absolutely correct in saying weight doesn't matter.
I'm only speaking from my own experience of course, whatever it's worth...
Ruger's M77 Hawkeye compact rifles are seriously lightweight. They have a scary thin barrel profile that is 16" long I think. Cutting a barrel like that is the easiest way to achieve lightweight.
Ian, I used the aluminum Talley rings on mine but thought I had to buy them separately. Mounted a stainless Zeiss Conquest 3-9 on it cause I got a hell of a deal from Neal at CameralandNY on a Zeiss display model he had on hand after Shot Show many years ago. Scope was effectively new!
I have a Kimber Adirondack in 7-08. It's fine. I wouldn't want to shoot it a lot from a bench, or for my smallest groups, but if you spend enough days in the backcountry it is blessedly light. Shoots well better than minute of elk or goat.
I've got a Kimber Adirondack in .308. Definitely shoots right around 1 MOA from the bench. It's not the most pleasant rifle to shoot, but my wife has shot it offhand with no complaints and I don't notice the recoil in the field, where it's an absolute dream. Can easily manage with one hand, especially handy in brush with it's short length, and when slung it's like it's not even there. Put a 3-9x40 Trijicon Accupoint on it and the matching Talley lightweight rings, whole setup comes in under 6 pounds. For a stalking gun, it's hard to beat.
This may seem a little bit out of left field, but my Savage Axis II XP .30-'06 comes already scoped and is listed at 6.5lb.
I recently replaced the original stock with a Boyd's Laminate (on clearance from Midway), and have absolutely no idea of its current weight. This stock completely revises the rifle's outline and ergonomics, and the Monte Carlo cheek piece works perfectly with the scope.
I will be shooting it soon again for the first time since remounting and rescoping it (EGW 20MOA Base, Tasco 2.5-10x42 MilDot). The handload is very closely related to my 168FGMM clone load, using instead the 165SGK. I just made up 40rd of this handload yesterday.
Greg
I recently replaced the original stock with a Boyd's Laminate (on clearance from Midway), and have absolutely no idea of its current weight. This stock completely revises the rifle's outline and ergonomics, and the Monte Carlo cheek piece works perfectly with the scope.
I will be shooting it soon again for the first time since remounting and rescoping it (EGW 20MOA Base, Tasco 2.5-10x42 MilDot). The handload is very closely related to my 168FGMM clone load, using instead the 165SGK. I just made up 40rd of this handload yesterday.
Greg
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If you're mentioning a Rem 600/660 then you should consider a model Seven or 673
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_673
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_673
