Why so heavy?

BrentWin

BrentWin

New member
Why do so many guys carry varmint weight rifles when coyote hunting? Given that sporter barrel is nearly, if not as accurate for cold bore shots and 1 MOA accuracy is more that adaquate for coyotes out to 300 yds. I know that there are alot of super shooters out there who can kill coyotes out past 500 yds off of shooting sticks, but for the average guy 300 yds. is a handfull off of sticks.

For prairie dogs and woodchucks the heavy barrel makes sense in terms of heat disipation and absorbing recoil, but do either come into play in predator hunting?

I guess what I am asking is, Are alot of guys packing 10-12lb. rifles for no real reason other than they think that they will be more accurate.
 
I would suspect, a lot of fellas need their rifles to pull multiple duties. And some folks just like heavier rifles. My calling guns are normally in the 8-10 pound range, equipped. On the other hand, never tried to shoot a BR match with a sporter, so I guess if it builds confidence, then why not.

John
 
Probably cause some guys carry what they have before they decide to make the investment for a calling gun. Calling without any action gets boring.
 
I can shoot either one well but I like weight in a rifle and it helps anchore the rifle on my shooting sticks and I always like a longer barrel too. I have lighter rifles too that I do hunt with but nothing feels better to me than a rifle with some steel in it. Iv'e noticed a lot of military fellows on here and in the military you get use to packing weight around and it follows you home too so to speak.
 
With a barrel that has heft and length I feel it is easier( not necessarily better) to hold on the 200-300+ shots. A crosshairs that is bouncing all over the place is usually a miss or bad hit.
 
Originally Posted By: Rifleman2With a barrel that has heft and length I feel it is easier( not necessarily better) to hold on the 200-300+ shots. A crosshairs that is bouncing all over the place is usually a miss or bad hit.


...good point. A heavier rifle will do a better job at dampening the "wibbles and wobbles" as Jack O'Conner called them...
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Dan
 
Quote:I would suspect, a lot of fellas need their rifles to pull multiple duties.

Yeah, I compromised and built the lightest setup I could that would still do decent on P-dogs and such. It's a 20 inch fluted bull by D-tech and it's way under 12 pounds.

Mostly because I couldn't afford 2 uppers at the time (still can't)
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Personally I perfer a heavier rifle. Right Now I'm deciding on rather or not to add some lead shot into the hollow butt stock of my Encore to add more weight.

t/c223encore.
 
I shoot heavy barrels and heavy rifles because I think they look better and handle better. I chop the barrels to a shorter length and run scopes that will allow me to shoot beyond 500 yards, a tough task for a pencil barreled hunting rig with no turrets.
 
I just like to use my heavy longrange rifles once in a while, and like others have said its alot easier for me to get a hit on a 300 to 500 yard coyote with a heavier rifle there just alot more solid. My 220 Swift weighs right at 13 pounds and my 308 is about 13 3/4 pounds and after you carry them for awhile there really not all that bad.with that said they arent very handy for close in yotes i missed one sunday that got in real close (less than 10 yards)because i couldent get that 26" heavy barrel on my swift swung around fast enough.
Steve
 
I think alot of it is some people use one rifle for double duty or they like the extra weight. Some might for accuracy but for coyotes I dont think it helps that much for called in distances. Personally for a calling rifle I want a light shorter barrelled rifle that weighs under 8 pounds with a scope and sling that will shoot slightly under 1 moa at 100 yards. In my area most called in shots are within 10-80 yards anyway. Another thing ive noticed is people are talking about taking longer shots at coyotes 300, 500, 700 yards. I try to do the opposite if I was gonna brag about distance it would be how close I call one in.
 
I don't like lugging heavy stuff around. At 51 I've noticed a disturbingly rapid deterioration of my aerobic capacity over the last few years (uh-ohhh..).
On the other hand a little weight up front is handy for dampening tremors. For me, it's more a matter of forward weight and balance point than overall weight. A reasonably light rifle that is muzzle-heavy is a nice compromise.
 
I have seen a bit of a cycle in riles and the weight of rifles. In the 60's and 70's weight was not much of a consideration. Hunters pretty well bought whatever was out there, and what they could afford.

In the 80's and 90's everybody was switching to lightweight rifles. That was the trend, and those were the most popular selling rifles.

Now the heavier rifles are starting to sell again(better). The reason is that a shooter will shoot a heavier rifle more accurately. And normally the rifle is also more accurate-but not always.

The only real difference is varmint hunters who pretty well stayed with the heavier rifles because they could shoot them better. Tom.
 
I have two coyote rifles. 26in Heavy barreled 204 and a lightwieght 22in barrel 243. Both shoot well, but i seem to hit alot better with the 204. Unless i am on my bipods and prone which is not alot of fun here this time or year I like the heavier rifle on sticks. Less wobbles ='s more kills.
 
When I first purchased my rifle with a heavy barrel i was uneducated as to the benefits of having one. I just bought it because it looked accurate and cool. Also I thought if I was to spend that much money why not spend a little more for the heavy version. Personally the difference between carrying a 7 lb object and a 15lb object makes little difference to me because I know that no matter what If I put in a long day I will be tired regardless. If I were to be shooting offhand for a period of time then I would probably want a sporter weight rifle.
 
my cz varmint is about 9 lbs. I love it. Way more solid on the sticks. Weight is small consideration because I try not to hike alot hunting coyote and I only hike with gun slung on my shoulder. I just shoot it so much better. Sporter weight guns are good for walking long distances and shooting off hand. I have a sporter for those situations but overal I prefer the vermint weight gun if I could only have one.
 
the lighter the better for me, i usaully dont shoot over 150-200 yards anyway so usually dont like carrying a anchor around while calling, i will carry a anchor around when shooting pasture poodles and such Ron
 
It is funny that you mention an anchor,because that is what a longer heavier barrel does for my crosshairs on the exact spot that I want to hit. Is not the purpose of an anchor to hold in one position?
 
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