What is the ideal calling rifle weight

I think the word "ideal" is hard to single out. Someone that sets behind a desk all day and a coffee cup and a pencil is about all they lift all day, a 7 pound rifle might be heavy to them. A construction worker than carries a 25 pound tool bag for 8-10 hours a day doesn't give a 12 pound rifle a second thought. It all boils down to what's comfortable for the individual. Now that I'm retired and don't do a lot of physical work, I kinda prefer some of the lighter rifles and don't carry any more than I really need.
 
Lite rifles, I figure to qualify a 7lb rifle is heavy a 6lb is doable. That includes glass. Good ones are not cheap. Uh and that is with a 24”barrel. I refer more to a 6.5 to a 30 caliber big game rig.
Always found it interesting what we will pay to remove a few ounces.

22 and 6mm just because of barrel weight (smaller hole) a 24” 7lb rifle may be more of a chore.

I am itching to see what I can do with a Howa Mini.
 
It seems that most guys consider 6-7 ish as a good walk about rifle. I have been looking at my finances thinking a stock replacement is all I can afford anyways. I heard a rumour that AG composites is making a carbon fiber tikka stock and if that's the case I might have to try one out.
 
Originally Posted By: K22I have one of these in 17Rem and one in 204. 6lbs 40z. with scope ammo, sling, and 22" barrel. Accuracy is 5 rounds inside of a dime at 100yds.



K22 always has Nice Rifles!!
 
Originally Posted By: GRIZZLYONEWhatever you can shoot accurately.

EXACTLY! Weight is relative. No, it might not be fun, but if you can shoot it, who cares what it weighs.

You could build a rifle that weighs 1 lb but if you can't shoot it, it's useless.
 
Originally Posted By: YotarunnerIt seems that most guys consider 6-7 ish as a good walk about rifle. I have been looking at my finances thinking a stock replacement is all I can afford anyways. I heard a rumour that AG composites is making a carbon fiber tikka stock and if that's the case I might have to try one out.

They do make some. My brother has a couple. They are very nice stocks.
 
Originally Posted By: K22I have one of these in 17Rem and one in 204. 6lbs 40z. with scope ammo, sling, and 22" barrel. Accuracy is 5 rounds inside of a dime at 100yds.

What are the specs on this gun and does it have a titanium action??
 
Originally Posted By: crowkiller51Originally Posted By: K22I have one of these in 17Rem and one in 204. 6lbs 40z. with scope ammo, sling, and 22" barrel. Accuracy is 5 rounds inside of a dime at 100yds.



K22 always has Nice Rifles!!

Thanks crowkiller51. It's probably an age thing. LOL
 
I really think the addition of a scope that is way over powered for calling is a big part of this weight thing and I am guilty of same.

I have reduced the scopes on several of my "squirrel" guns and suffered no bad results. Its just a place to start. I dont think most of us want to play "sniper" but would rather put fur on the ground. We dont need all those fancy reticles and long scope tubes although the bigger front optics could be nice in a more compact format. Barrel length and profile is next. We are not shooting a lot of rounds at a time so why have heavy barrels to dissipate heat.

The next thing is action size... Lighter full sized actions are expensive to say the least. If we were to stay with the short action types we might be able to find some plausible actions as donors that would not be too heavy nor expensive. From that point on its a matter of $$$ available for stocks, barrels and triggers as well as those scopes.

I am working on some kind of lighter rifle for my calling rifle. It will have a shorter, lighter barrel profile and a smaller scope. Likely something in .223 AI, or perhaps a 22 PPC. That should get the job done. If I need a higher octane set up, I already have those, although heavier models.

Just an old guys ramblings
 
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9-12 lbs carry okay, lets face it most coyote hunters aren't mountaineering for elk or moose. Half mile to 1 mile walks are fairly long in my part of the country.

Off of sticks, the better a rifle balances the better. If you have a light barrel you want a lighter stock, you can handle a longer/heavier barrel if you run a wood or fiberglass stock.

The trade off is some velocity, more magnification, bigger objectives, money. I found my sweet spot is around 9-12 lbs. Medium to heavy sporter, bedded aftermarket stock, 2-12/3-15ish scope with 50mm objective. 15 lbs sucks to carry, 7 lbs doesn't give me the options I want.

Find out what you have to have, what you don't need, and have a rifle that accomplishes that. Alot of what you want depends on the type of country you hunt.

 
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