Hunting Rifle's Weight a big deal?

Huuman · Dec 12, 2019

Hi all,

Just return from West Virginia (no tag filled but was still nice to be away from the city). My in-laws took me to some private lands that has fixed feeders and ladder stands combo that been there for years. Most of the hunters were in their late 60s and basically the only way they can hunt anymore is by driving their ATVs directly under the stands. All of them kept telling me over and over that since I'm still young(ish), I should do more walking and be more mobile in my hunting style. So I been reading on the 'run and gun' method and it does sound interesting. One of the main aspect of the style is weight control. Its an art, an ounce here and an ounce there make a difference. Building my pack (gun/bow, stand, etc) for next year public land loadout.

I usually hunt with a Marlin 336 30-30 lever action. But that thing is SOLID. I also have a Savage 10 BA Stealth .308 and Savage 110 .270 with a Boyds Thumbhole stock. They are not feathersweight either. So my question is, should I consider getting a light weight Savage's synthetic stock for my 'run and gun' to put one of the Savage rifle in? Then try to shave as much weight as I can? I always like the feeling of a solid rifle in my hand but I never had to consider the issue of weight. The recoil from a light synthetic is going to suck but I shouldnt be taking more than shot if I'm doing it right.

So what do you think? Use what I have even if its an extra 3-4 lbs that I can save?

Another option I'm considering is getting a 30-06 entry level (Axis, Ruger American, Rem 780, etc) rifle that come camoflauged and is light weight just as my 'run and gun'. As long as I can 1-2 MOA at 100yards, it would suit my needs.

TheOriginalMexicanBob · Dec 12, 2019

Shaving off weight is always welcome...but it comes at a price of increased felt recoil. There could be a difference in shot placement but that can be the difference between individual rifles as well.

Stock design makes a difference as well as in weight. I have a Colt Light rifle in .30-06 and used to have a synthetic stocked Savage Weather Warrior in the same caliber and shot them side-by-side. The Colt was a good bit lighter but recoiled less than the Savage...and I was using ammunition from the same box. The difference was the Savage stock wasn't designed to properly transfer weight as well as the other.

Weight can be important but it's not everything.

Archeryrob · Dec 12, 2019

I would take the Savage 11 or the 336 and mount the sling on it upside down. Hang the over your shoulder behind you. If you see a deer, you turn the gun over as you rock it forward and start lowering to a knee. A little practice and you'll find it easy. We have access trails on the farm we hunt in the 50 acre woods and use that. If you try and carry them in both hands ready to shoot you'll not be ready when you finally see a deer.

You need to practice moving for a stalk. Its not like stalking out west, you need to take an house to walk a mile or more. Slow leg and foot movements and transfer the weight slowly. We have tried teaching the younger ones and they don;t have the patience yet.

Get a camo orange jacket, one of those old guys might see movement and need a glasses prescription and shoot at you. It's also likely they know you "Don't know how to stalk" and want you out there forcing the deer to move around instead of just bed.

gforce · Dec 12, 2019

Your Marlin appears to be the lightest of those rifles listed at approx 7 lbs. unloaded (according to my weak google-fu), I think i saw the ruger american listed at 6.5, pretty significant difference. I admittedly don't have any hunting experience, only backpacking experience. not knowing the required gear I wont even speculate on pack weight but lighter is faster and quieter. a pack that sits closer to the back and doesnt stick over your head is easier to move through brush quietly in. 3-4 lbs is considered huge weight difference to backpackers, is that just rifle weight or is that your pack weight your going to save by changing ammo, and related kit?

anyway hope some of that rambling helped, good luck

Uncle Duke · Dec 12, 2019

Just a couple of thoughts, the first of which in reading your post brought me a genuine chuckle. I can just see these guys, probably with a wink and maybe over a beer, looking to take turns making their points to be sending the less seasoned young guy off to birddog the living hell out of the perimeter of the property. All while they stay put in their stands, and wait for the fun to begin. Part of why you want to hang in a stand at lunchtime if you can do it, and let everybody else move. But that's another topic for another day.

Now I'm a guy who can rationalize a new gun purchase with the very best of them. And yeah, there is truth to the idea that you can buy lighter. But if you really want and need a genuinely great walking around rifle for still hunting? One with superb handling? One that gets on target quickly, with a balance and a weight that feels lighter than it actually is because of an excellence in design that's as good as it gets? You have that now. That's primarily why your Marlin 336 and Winchester's 94 have sold millions of copies.

Biggfoot44 · Dec 12, 2019

Are we talking Still Hunting, or Larry Beniot style literally running down the deer ?

Melnic · Dec 12, 2019

It may be me but if totally off hand I like a light rifle. If supported by a shooting stick I like it heavier.

I have only stalked to shoot squirrels in January and saw plenty of deer in rifle range.

Try things out at the range if you can

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doco Overboard · Dec 12, 2019

Easiest way to save weight on a hunting rifle is to select one with a slim sporter style barrel and keep it to around 20". Some time ago someone decided to manufacture scout style rifles that used LER style scopes which is important to consider because overpowered optics also add up to weight.

Savage made a decent one that I don't believe is offered anymore and Ruger still makes one as far as I know that has detachable mags which happen to stick out like a brick.

BLR light weight or one of those Henry clones look decent to me. They should be pretty light and easy to handle for long walks. Aluminum receiver should offset the weight of the scope to some degree. The Henry also has factory irons which probably account for some of the cost.

danb · Dec 12, 2019

First, my 0.02 is run and gun does not work the way people think it does. Animals run faster than humans, have better smell and eyesight. So you are most likely to be chasing them around, they can see/smell you but you cannot see them. Get high and let them come to you whenever possible. It takes a lot of practice to actually stalk a deer. People say that they do it, but they also say they get 2 10 point bucks a year and catch 50 lbs fish. And old people have selective memories of hunts that may or may not have happened the way they say it did.

Weight reduces felt recoil, and potential flinch, when pulling the trigger. Keep the 30-30 or 270 and learn to shoot it well. I would say if you are huffing and puffing over 2-3 lbs of weight, you are out of shape. Spend some quality time at the gym lifting weights and doing cardio, spend the money there not on a rifle. Shed 3 lbs from your waist instead. You gear weighs a lot more than the rifle. 3 lbs will not make a ** bit of difference if you are out of shape and cant shoot a 30-30 well.

I kill a lot of deer every year, in suburbia, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Uncle Duke said:
Just a couple of thoughts, the first of which in reading your post brought me a genuine chuckle. I can just see these guys, probably with a wink and maybe over a beer, looking to take turns making their points to be sending the less seasoned young guy off to birddog the living hell out of the perimeter of the property. All while they stay put in their stands, and wait for the fun to begin. Part of why you want to hang in a stand at lunchtime if you can do it, and let everybody else move. But that's another topic for another day.

^^Also, this, lol. Yeah, thats it, you go chase the deer to me, lol.

Antarctica · Dec 13, 2019

I may not be familiar with exactly what you want to do or exactly your interpretation of run and gun, but I'll say what it means to me and my understanding of where it is effective - out west with elk that are more or less migratory (driven by weather and winter feed ranges) and in the big mountains (sheep). It think of it distinctly different from still hunting.

In those two situations, where you are moving on from where animals aren't and trying to get to where they are, then I think worrying about weight (in a general sense - not every ounce) is justifiable. Especially if you are backpacking and literally moving through mountains. That said, I think you're getting involved in the newest craze - fretting ounces. Check out the rokslide forum (great hunting forum) and you will read countless threads about people who are in full panic mode over a few ounces. Spending stupid amounts of cash on the latest gear, focusing their lives on modifying gear to cut ounces, etc. All effort that could be expended - in my opinion - either in the woods or with your family. Its nothing more than an excuse to have a gear fetish.

If we're taking still hunting, and not backpacking, then I think its a waste of time and money. And when I think deer on the east coast, I think still hunting or some variant thereof - not multi day pack-ins humping yourself from one ridge to the next.

Just an opinion.

toppkatt · Dec 13, 2019

Antarctica said:
I may not be familiar with exactly what you want to do or exactly your interpretation of run and gun, but I'll say what it means to me and my understanding of where it is effective - out west with elk that are more or less migratory (driven by weather and winter feed ranges) and in the big mountains (sheep). It think of it distinctly different from still hunting.

In those two situations, where you are moving on from where animals aren't and trying to get to where they are, then I think worrying about weight (in a general sense - not every ounce) is justifiable. Especially if you are backpacking and literally moving through mountains. That said, I think you're getting involved in the newest craze - fretting ounces. Check out the rokslide forum (great hunting forum) and you will read countless threads about people who are in full panic mode over a few ounces. Spending stupid amounts of cash on the latest gear, focusing their lives on modifying gear to cut ounces, etc. All effort that could be expended - in my opinion - either in the woods or with your family. Its nothing more than an excuse to have a gear fetish.

If we're taking still hunting, and not backpacking, then I think its a waste of time and money. And when I think deer on the east coast, I think still hunting or some variant thereof - not multi day pack-ins humping yourself from one ridge to the next.

Just an opinion.

I agree and say look at the rifles used in the past with great effect, Winchester 94, Winchester 70, Savage 99. They weren't 'light' but used for decades and got the job done.

onedash · Dec 13, 2019

Well, in Wisconsin my clothes weigh a LOT more then my rifle. I started packing in my big boots and several layers because even with fewer clothes I am a sweaty hot mess when I get to my stand. Then as the steam evaporate and I finally start to get cold then I change socks, put on big boots and add extra layers. So walking and sitting combined kinda sucks. My somewhat heavy AR10 is the least of my worries. If I ever planned to walk all day long I'd dress super light and use the same rifle and carry the bare necessities. But you are right about recoil. One or two shots in the woods is nothing. At the range is where it's gonna hurt.

Mini14tac · Dec 13, 2019

I have long kicked around picking up a lighter weight rifle when hunting in the mountains of PA and WV. I always carried my Remington Model 700 BDL SS in 7mm Mag. On occasion when the weather was good I would take my Winchester Model 88 in 308. I once ran into a guy in PA that carried a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. He stated that he loved it due to it's weight and accuracy. If I were to do a lot of mountain hunting for whitetails again, I would pick up a model 7 or a Ruger American compact in 7mm-08. The Ruger really has my interest being its inexpensive and only weighs 6-lbs un-scoped.

Ranchero50 · Dec 13, 2019

My son bought a plastic 110 savage in .243 and I have a wooden Remington model 7 in the same chamber. We both hate the shooting plastic gun because it stings at the cheek weld and the weight difference is negligible. The model 7 is more accurate as well because it's fun to shoot.

Pale Ryder · Dec 13, 2019

By run n gun I believe us old timers referred to it as still hunting. The idea is to move very slowly stop, look, listen, then repeat. Spot and stalk is just as it sounds, but it too doesn't involve quick movements. To that end, I think a good choice for a lightweight rifle would be the Ruger American or Savage in 6.5CM, and 3x9x40 scope of choice.
More weight could be shaved by seriously looking at all the crap we take with us for a few hours in the woods.

quickdraw17 · Dec 13, 2019

Honestly, I think it depends on the person. My 300 WinMag is a heavy one, coming in around 10.5 pounds with optic, but my favored rifle due to its range, power and accuracy. When I was in Canada going after moose in some thick stuff there were times that I could have appreciated something lighter, but I never felt it was more than I could handle. If you're a person in good shape and the rifle is one that you feel confident in, the weight shouldn't make that much of a difference, within reason.
That said, I do have a lighter rifle when I'm going after lighter game and staying on the move. Take a look at the Mossberg Patriot Predator-it's a bit less than 7 lbs, and the muzzle is threaded for a brake if you're worried about recoil. Mine is chambered for 6.5 CM, so recoil isn't really an issue, and has plenty of juice for deer. With Hornady Precision Hunter ammo, it groups under an inch. Enjoy the hunt!

Doco Overboard · Dec 13, 2019

I never owned a model 7 but would like to get one some day.
Years ago I built some hunting rifles built on Mauser actions. What I discovered was it was easy to build an accurate rifle but very difficult to build a light accurate rifle.
The difficulty partly lies in the ability to maintain a relevant amount of compensation for using more than one type of ammunition when you select a barrel among other things.

Speed3 · Dec 13, 2019

Weight matters on a hunting rifle. I took my ruger precision rifle with a suppressor to my uncles ONCE. Way to long with the suppressor and too heavy. If I was walking miles on miles, I'd want a light rifle.

OP is talking about walking, seeing a deer and throwing up the rifle in a "snap shot". I think it less matters about weight (with in reason) and more matters on how the gun/stock fits you. If you throw a lightweight rifle up and can't get on target quickly...doesn't do any good. You want something that you can throw up quickly and be right on target. Pick that rifle, not so much based off weight.

Silverlax · Dec 13, 2019

Use what you have for next year and learn what you actually want for that specific hunting style. I like to try a different rifle every year and have been successful with stalking/sneaking in on deer. This year I went with a Garand, heavy and not very good for me in low light due to the sights and my eyes. While its not my perfect set-up its still fun being in the woods with a Garand. My rifle doesn't have to be the perfect gun for the shot, the technique that gets me to the shot does need to be though.

1time · Dec 13, 2019

Spend the money. Riflesinc.com builds some incredible rifles.

Hunting Rifle's Weight a big deal?

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