bigpete wrote:
Here are some of mine which I weighed 2 weeks ago. Guess which 2 I don’t use f*** all coz they're heavy c*** of things ? You carry a hunting rifle more than shoot it. I'd dearly love one of those howa superlites....a 308 that weighs under 5lb bare ? Yes please ! But not for 1800 bucks...not yet anyway
Bill wrote:I do like a light action thou cause then you can apply a bit of weight in the barrel and optics to still having a medium weight long range rig
in2anity wrote:Interesting subject. I compete with a Spanish Mauser Cavalry Carbine 308, but only use it for 100m offhand matches - it weighs 3.4kg with x5 in the internal magazine. It’s a lovely offhand gun because it’s light on the arms from standing, points quickly, does not “catch the wind” as badly as the full length service rifles, and the Mauser CRF feed can be counted on when the pressure is on. By far my biggest criticism is the short sight radius - compared with a full length service rifle, it’s just not possible to shoot as tight group. If you have plenty of seconds, and a stable position to settle your sights, a long sight radius always trumps. 100m offhand snaps on the other hand - different story.
If I put a red dot on this, the sights would be a lot stronger, and the sight radius issue would disappear. Winner.
Now onto my crappy hunting rifle. I have a Ruger American Ranch carbine 300blk - it’s 3.6kg with scope and sling with x5 in the flush magazine (not this x10 shot magazine in the photo - that’s only for target shooting).
I am comfortable taking shots on medium sized game out to 300m with this gun - provided I can read the wind ok, and it’s not too fishy particularly from head or tail. I’m only slight built 5”10 and I built this rifle up specifically because it’s light and pointable, and yet still plenty accurate for hunting. Plenty.
I’ve carried plenty of rifles over the years, including the Steyr AUG and it’s masochistic to be carrying north of 4kg, especially with today’s technology.
in2anity wrote:Bill wrote:I do like a light action thou cause then you can apply a bit of weight in the barrel and optics to still having a medium weight long range rig
I agree. Contrary to what's popular in the target circles (i.e. barnards), here's a target rig I built on a lightweight Tikka t3 action:
https://youtu.be/yaJuaiKBH6s
This rifle with scope and bipod weighs 6kg. It's a crossover TR / F-SH rifle. Definately not a carry rfile, but far from a full-on F-class build. Good for PSR and PRS also.
Bill wrote:Bladeracer nothing False about it and its not hard to do with a Carbon Fibre stock and plenty of action/mag ligtening. The Super lite is most definitely a Short Action
https://shootingsurplus.com/legacy-spor ... yptek-alt/
https://www.legacysports.com/super-lite ... 2-DWsqEnco
LSI - We are excited to announce one of our latest products of 2022 - the Howa Super Lite!
This new offering has a unique Howa Action build that is in between the popular Howa Mini Action and standard Short Action platform.
Blr243 wrote:My unscoped 357 Rossi comes to mind as the easiest rifle I have carried .. I no longer have it , currently my syn stocked 308 7600 pump is probably the lightest ...then medium profile sporters , and then I have those fat tubed howas that I ain’t carting thru the Bush ever
Bill wrote:Nice shooting, whats scopes ontop, looked like almost perfect conditions
Bill wrote:I reckon their are to ways at looking at Light rifles, 1 is outright weight and the other is application.
Most of my Varmint and range guns are what Id called heavy ie more than 9lbs, then I have a few hunting guns that tip the scales in the 6lbs thru to 8lbs range scoped which are light, then I have a sub 10lb 50 cal which is pharking ridiculously light
I do like a light action thou cause then you can apply a bit of weight in the barrel and optics to still having a medium weight long range rig
Bill wrote:Bladeracer nothing False about it and its not hard to do with a Carbon Fibre stock and plenty of action/mag ligtening. The Super lite is most definitely a Short Action
bladeracer wrote:bigpete wrote:
Here are some of mine which I weighed 2 weeks ago. Guess which 2 I don’t use f*** all coz they're heavy c*** of things ? You carry a hunting rifle more than shoot it. I'd dearly love one of those howa superlites....a 308 that weighs under 5lb bare ? Yes please ! But not for 1800 bucks...not yet anyway
The Howa Superlite recently posted is false, the quoted weight is only for the Mini-Action, not the Short-Action of the 6.5CM/.308.
bladeracer wrote:Bill wrote:Bladeracer nothing False about it and its not hard to do with a Carbon Fibre stock and plenty of action/mag ligtening. The Super lite is most definitely a Short Action
The Howa barrelled short-action in .223 weighs 2.42kg (5.33lb) bare, without any stock. They did not build a 2kg complete rifle with it. The 2kg quoted is the weight of the Superlite Mini-Action, in its standard mini chamberings.
bigpete wrote:bladeracer wrote:bigpete wrote:
Here are some of mine which I weighed 2 weeks ago. Guess which 2 I don’t use f*** all coz they're heavy c*** of things ? You carry a hunting rifle more than shoot it. I'd dearly love one of those howa superlites....a 308 that weighs under 5lb bare ? Yes please ! But not for 1800 bucks...not yet anyway
The Howa Superlite recently posted is false, the quoted weight is only for the Mini-Action, not the Short-Action of the 6.5CM/.308.
Thsts what i thought but there's 2 different rifles,a carbon lite and a super lite. The super lite is the one with only 308 and 6.5 creedmore that weighs 4lb 7oz
jwai86 wrote:Isn't lightness a subjective opinion based on your level of physical fitness and willingness to put up with walking around with a given load?
Mini Hulk wrote:My Howa 308 with 20" heavy fluted barrel sits a hair under 4.4kg (9.7 lbs) when it's empty. It still has the original pillar bedded Hogue stock and feels quite front heavy.
Do you guys reckon it's worth the extra weight for a timber stock (such as a boyds) to help bring the weight a bit more backwards? I was thinking it it might make it heavier to carry, but help with off hand shots?
in2anity wrote:Mini Hulk wrote:My Howa 308 with 20" heavy fluted barrel sits a hair under 4.4kg (9.7 lbs) when it's empty. It still has the original pillar bedded Hogue stock and feels quite front heavy.
Do you guys reckon it's worth the extra weight for a timber stock (such as a boyds) to help bring the weight a bit more backwards? I was thinking it it might make it heavier to carry, but help with off hand shots?
4.4kg is still heavy for a carry rifle in my books, but balance is rather important, for offhand competition shooting. There is a good video about the subject here:
https://youtu.be/TUJ4hk0_YoU
Nevertheless for a couple of shots from offhand with fresh arms, poor balance is probably not a huge problem. Groups will always start tight and open up, by the end of a match, when arm fatigue starts to set in.
To cut a long story short, I don’t think switching to timber (and adding more weight) will help you bag more game. It’s just gonna make it more of a haul.
bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:Mini Hulk wrote:My Howa 308 with 20" heavy fluted barrel sits a hair under 4.4kg (9.7 lbs) when it's empty. It still has the original pillar bedded Hogue stock and feels quite front heavy.
Do you guys reckon it's worth the extra weight for a timber stock (such as a boyds) to help bring the weight a bit more backwards? I was thinking it it might make it heavier to carry, but help with off hand shots?
4.4kg is still heavy for a carry rifle in my books, but balance is rather important, for offhand competition shooting. There is a good video about the subject here:
https://youtu.be/TUJ4hk0_YoU
Nevertheless for a couple of shots from offhand with fresh arms, poor balance is probably not a huge problem. Groups will always start tight and open up, by the end of a match, when arm fatigue starts to set in.
To cut a long story short, I don’t think switching to timber (and adding more weight) will help you bag more game. It’s just gonna make it more of a haul.
I would agree with that, if you're taking offhand shots on game, you're probably very close, 50m or less, if you're not close then you should have time to find a better supported position, leaning against a tree or dropping to a knee.
On the other hand though, you might be carrying the rifle for eight hours to take that ten-second shot, and I'd rather carry a lighter rifle and a take a few more seconds making the shot.
When I'm shooting things that are front heavy, I turn my left shoulder in more alongside the rifle so I can push my left hand much further forward along the forend. I also like to keep my left arm almost straight out rather than bunched up near my body.
If it's front heavy due to the heavy barrel, it's going to be difficult to remedy without putting a lighter barrel on it. You could try taking an inch or two off the butt stock so your support hand is further out toward the balance point, assuming it doesn't get too short to be comfortable to shoot.
You could also shorten the barrel further, but in .308 the muzzle blast is likely to be unpleasant if you use the rifle for anything other than an occasional shot on game. You could add a muzzle device to reduce blast in those situations though.
in2anity wrote:bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:Mini Hulk wrote:My Howa 308 with 20" heavy fluted barrel sits a hair under 4.4kg (9.7 lbs) when it's empty. It still has the original pillar bedded Hogue stock and feels quite front heavy.
Do you guys reckon it's worth the extra weight for a timber stock (such as a boyds) to help bring the weight a bit more backwards? I was thinking it it might make it heavier to carry, but help with off hand shots?
4.4kg is still heavy for a carry rifle in my books, but balance is rather important, for offhand competition shooting. There is a good video about the subject here:
https://youtu.be/TUJ4hk0_YoU
Nevertheless for a couple of shots from offhand with fresh arms, poor balance is probably not a huge problem. Groups will always start tight and open up, by the end of a match, when arm fatigue starts to set in.
To cut a long story short, I don’t think switching to timber (and adding more weight) will help you bag more game. It’s just gonna make it more of a haul.
I would agree with that, if you're taking offhand shots on game, you're probably very close, 50m or less, if you're not close then you should have time to find a better supported position, leaning against a tree or dropping to a knee.
On the other hand though, you might be carrying the rifle for eight hours to take that ten-second shot, and I'd rather carry a lighter rifle and a take a few more seconds making the shot.
When I'm shooting things that are front heavy, I turn my left shoulder in more alongside the rifle so I can push my left hand much further forward along the forend. I also like to keep my left arm almost straight out rather than bunched up near my body.
If it's front heavy due to the heavy barrel, it's going to be difficult to remedy without putting a lighter barrel on it. You could try taking an inch or two off the butt stock so your support hand is further out toward the balance point, assuming it doesn't get too short to be comfortable to shoot.
You could also shorten the barrel further, but in .308 the muzzle blast is likely to be unpleasant if you use the rifle for anything other than an occasional shot on game. You could add a muzzle device to reduce blast in those situations though.
If it’s an offhand comp gun then it makes sense to try and balance her in the middle. There’s this guy who always shoots “non-service” category in our club, think he came from Alpine. He uses a t3 varmint barrel. The guy can shoot - his 100m offhand application stages always start super strong - I’ve scored for him many a time; all Vs and 5s. But by the end, he gets sloppy. Stage two is where he drops big points because his arms are obviously tiring. He openly admits the dilemma. The rifle is otherwise sublime for the sit and prone mounds.
bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:bladeracer wrote:in2anity wrote:4.4kg is still heavy for a carry rifle in my books, but balance is rather important, for offhand competition shooting. There is a good video about the subject here:
https://youtu.be/TUJ4hk0_YoU
Nevertheless for a couple of shots from offhand with fresh arms, poor balance is probably not a huge problem. Groups will always start tight and open up, by the end of a match, when arm fatigue starts to set in.
To cut a long story short, I don’t think switching to timber (and adding more weight) will help you bag more game. It’s just gonna make it more of a haul.
I would agree with that, if you're taking offhand shots on game, you're probably very close, 50m or less, if you're not close then you should have time to find a better supported position, leaning against a tree or dropping to a knee.
On the other hand though, you might be carrying the rifle for eight hours to take that ten-second shot, and I'd rather carry a lighter rifle and a take a few more seconds making the shot.
When I'm shooting things that are front heavy, I turn my left shoulder in more alongside the rifle so I can push my left hand much further forward along the forend. I also like to keep my left arm almost straight out rather than bunched up near my body.
If it's front heavy due to the heavy barrel, it's going to be difficult to remedy without putting a lighter barrel on it. You could try taking an inch or two off the butt stock so your support hand is further out toward the balance point, assuming it doesn't get too short to be comfortable to shoot.
You could also shorten the barrel further, but in .308 the muzzle blast is likely to be unpleasant if you use the rifle for anything other than an occasional shot on game. You could add a muzzle device to reduce blast in those situations though.
If it’s an offhand comp gun then it makes sense to try and balance her in the middle. There’s this guy who always shoots “non-service” category in our club, think he came from Alpine. He uses a t3 varmint barrel. The guy can shoot - his 100m offhand application stages always start super strong - I’ve scored for him many a time; all Vs and 5s. But by the end, he gets sloppy. Stage two is where he drops big points because his arms are obviously tiring. He openly admits the dilemma. The rifle is otherwise sublime for the sit and prone mounds.
I think his mention about carrying the rifle probably means he's not shooting competition.
I wish I could shoot offhand like Paul Harrell, but I probably need another thirty years of solid practice