Heavy barrel vs light weight barrel/gun ?

I'm curious what everybody else likes. I myself use all my guns for hunting and like them very light. I stick with Sporter and light weight barrels. I have several that I use and a few that stay in the safe due to weight.
Where I live I don't have the option of parking the truck and walking a hundred yards. It's usually walk for hours.
I know it's easier to shoot a heavier rifle but I always try to make the first shot count.
What does every one else prefer?
 
I have different guns for different type of areas. I don’t have any pencil thin barrels anymore. My last build was a medium weight barrel but 20” long in a mini action chambered for 6mm ARC. Weights about 8 pounds complete.
 
I assume your talking about hunting coyote/fox/bobcat. I too like light rifles as I like to hike a ways from the truck.

As to which one is easier to shoot, that's up to you personally. I find a heavy barrel easier to shoot, I have a couple rifles with short heavy barrels that work well off of a rest but don't work very well if I have to move them off of the rest for close in or shots at angle I didn't expect. Light barrels are more than accurate enough, as I seldom shoot beyond 300 yards and I can hold on fur to that range. If am hunting alone I usually match my rifle to the terrain, if I expect shots over 300 yards I will take heavy barreled rig with a 2-12x scope and in closer cover a lightweight rig with 1-4/1.5-5/1.5-6 scope for the close in handling qualities.

I pack my rifles in a back scabbard so a little extra weight isn't all that bad but being smaller in stature and 75 yrs old, extra pounds are starting to add up quickly.

I just built a little calling rifle in 20P, rem 700, 20" light barrel, lightweight stock and Leupold VX-3 1.5-5x20mm. I think it will get a lot of trigger time this winter. My goto in the past has been a little Sako Vixen fullstock in 222 Rem and a Savage 10 in 22-204 with a rechambered Sav.223 Sporter barrel, both fairly light.

Back scabbard with all my gear with my caller clipped to the front of the shouder straps to keep my hands free.
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I like a light rifle & find that they can be just as accurate as a heavy in as far as hunting goes. Guess it all depends on what you practice with the most.
 
Stock and rifle configuration makes a difference also. A suppressor usually means a shorter, heavier barrel. Long sporters with a suppressor can get whippy(back and forth reticle movement). For me chassis style stocks transmit my heartbeat much more than standard stocks. In the winter I'm often snowshoeing a mile or more, right now at 60+ I don't want more than 11# on the shoulder sling. Main day rifle now, M700 22-250 axiom stock, 21.75 fluted SS rem varmint contour, Harvestor suppressor,4-20 Sightron stac. This under my 11# max and is minute of head on sleeping coyote to 300 yards, standing/sitting coyote need to be twice that to have a chance. I'm watching for HS precision stock, as I had this type setup in one and it was noticeably steadier(heartbeat). But the weight could hit 11#.
 
Light pencil barrels for me,a 20 inch and a 22 inch with suppressor for me.Mine are hunting rifles and I walk quite a bit toting them along with caller,tripod stool and Bog Adrenalin bipod
 
I like 24” heavy barrels. I like the balance. Going to use a 22 250 at 13.6 empty for shorter range areas and the same set up in 243 for longer range areas.
 
I prefer 22-23" #3 barrel contours for my packing, carrying, calling rifles, and put the extra weight into bullet proof sighting systems.

Typically Seekins bases & rings, with a Nightforce on top.

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I alway's chuckle a little at these type of posts as it brings back memories. Years ago the same type of question came up about packing light for walking. So everyone wanted a light weight rifle, then FoxPro came out with the Prairie Blaster caller. It was the size of a north side ghetto blaster and weighed about as much as two 12 volt car batteries. Go light they said!!

My thoughts are...carry what your comfortable with. But the older you get, the lighter your gear will get. Take what will get you through the hunt.
 
I ust got back from the range with my little lightweight 20P. This is the load I settled on. I loaded eight rounds to verify before I load a bunch. First two to check scope zero, three for record and the last three banging steel to 330 yards.

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Originally Posted By: Dark moon 63I like 24” heavy barrels. I like the balance. Going to use a 22 250 at 13.6 empty for shorter range areas and the same set up in 243 for longer range areas.

Yup. I shoot critters using a bench so longer tubes are what I want as well. I do not care about short and handy so give me long and solid. My .220 Swift has a 28" barrel and my .243 AI has a 30" one. No stubbies for me, thanks.
 
Depends upon intended use. My target rifles all wore long, heavy barrels. Always asked the smith to use the whole blank (usually wound up @ or about 28") which provided maximum sight radius (all XTC matches were iron sights) with the added advantage that when throat erosion began to affect accuracy, barrel can be cut and rechambered, (usually resulting in 24" or so length) thus providing several thousand more rounds of use. The heavy barrels does not heat up as fast as thinner barrels during the rapid fire strings and the resulting muzzle heavy balance makes for much more stable offhand shooting.

Not practical for any use other than target, but even used a 12 inch "bloop tube" which resulted in around a 36" to 38" sight radius which added a few more points, especially @ 600 yds.

OTOH, I prefer shorter, (around 18") barrels on my predator hunting rifles rifles and even lighter weight short barrels are stiff enough to produce excellent accuracy, and the short, light rifles are much easier to bring to bear on a running critter than a heavier version.

Regards,
hm
 
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