Rifle weight

[Von S.]

What is your recoil tolerance? What style stock will you be using? What type of hunting do you normally do? Answering those questions honestly will lead you to your ideal rifle weight.

My 375 H&H - don’t know the weight but carry it a lot more than I fire it. It’s not so heavy as to require continuous swapping of carrying shoulders and it’s not too light that the rifle under recoil belts the hell out of you. I’m small so carrying a heavy rifle is not on.
My Winchester carries a 1-4 Leupold scope.
If recoil is an issue go down to a lighter recoiling rifle. Accuracy is very important and I humbly suggest it’s better than heavier and bigger Bullets that hit in the general direction because the shooter is frightened of getting a whack.

Man!

Two great answers.

Years ago while learning from two magnificent gunsmiths who were old style formally trained in Germany before the war were not very sympathetic to full sized young men who wanted their gun lightened up.

I remember some of their conversations would give advice like, loose some weight, quit eating so much, go to the gym, have sex more often and you'd be strong enough to carry the rifle, and so on...

But! If you said that you were doing high mountain hunting for sheep and goats and the like they would build some very beautiful light weight rifles, just never in dg rounds.

I believe that if someone asked for a lightweight dg rifle to be built that they would have walked them to the front door and just pushed them out and locked the door and pulled the shade.

I asked them both why they wouldn't accept the work and heir answer was pretty much that they had no time for foolishness as they said that maybe one in a thousand men could handle it.

Anyway they lived long enough to see new rifles on the rack with pencil thin barrels and stock made out of frp and rifles so light that are a joy to carry and many just no fun to shoot.

If someone can take the pounding and still hit, then by all means, go light.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My 375 H&H MRC with Leupold 2-12x, fully loaded, with sling goes right at 10lbs. I’m 71, 156lbs and 5’8”. I live at 5,000+ ft. Work out three days a week including walking to and from the gym. I hunt from 8,500ft and up. But I don’t carry my 375 there. That is country for light weight rifles such as my Tikka in 300WM.
Admittedly I did need help in Africa carrying my 375 with no sling while buffalo hunting on a very rocky mountain. It was mainly due to the lack of support from my Courtneys. I really needed ankle support on the rocks. Or maybe just a sling. I survived, but the buffalo didn’t.

 

[Von S.]

Ridgewalker,

Hell! You sound pert as a rutting buck to me.

A few years back I was damaged and even died for a short period of time. They had to take out some intestines parts of organs, put back together some arteries, broke my back and neck in 4 places and right before that at 6'5" and 250 I was feeling much younger than my age. These days I can't feel from the knees down so my days of hunting your mountains are over. Though I guess I shouldn't complain as the doctor told me that they gave me a 5% chance of survival.....after I woke up.

I am glad to see so many guys 65+ still slinging lead and stomping around the world.

Went to Kamchatka and Blasted a nice Brownie with my 458 lightweight not long ago and to me it doesn't kick much, but I have had people hand me the gun back after holding it and just say, "And that don't kick?"

I do want to make one more trip to Africa before anyone gets some idea of sticking me in an old folks home and the wife sells all my stuff off at 5 cents on the dollar!

 

[Luvthunt]

Von S
They say you are only as old as you feel ——sooo not being able to feel anything makes you a youngster. Keep at it and a you may know that is the only way to GO!!
Great luck to you for having the “do it” attitude.

 

[Desert Dog]

Admittedly I did need help in Africa carrying my 375 with no sling while buffalo hunting on a very rocky mountain. It was mainly due to the lack of support from my Courtneys. I really needed ankle support on the rocks. Or maybe just a sling. I survived, but the buffalo didn’t.

You should use a sling AND get real hiking boots with ankle support!

 

[Ridgewalker]

You should use a sling AND get real hiking boots with ankle support!

You’re right DG. But hindsight is always easier for me than foresight.
I keep a sling on the rifle at all times after that lesson. Also I discuss the type terrain before each hunt so I can be more prepared.

 

[Luvthunt]

For me I have always used a pair or 8” well broken in Danners that the vibrams are worn down some. Excellent ankle support and no [almost] no debris in my boots. Pants come down over the 8” nicely.
Use a neoprene sling on the 458 Lott and a canvas on the PG rifle. I believe the neoprene helps with the heavier rifle.

 

[WAB]

My .375 H&H is just north of 10#. I don’t mind it at all in Africa, however I have to confess that it gets a bit heavy chasing griz in Alaska. I am having a 9.3x62 built that will weigh between 8 1/2 and 9 with scope. It will be interesting to see if it gets carried more than the .375.

 

[Luvthunt]

WAB,
What action,barrel and stock are you using to achieve the 8 1/2# weight?

 

[WAB]

Dakota Model 10 with a 25” barrel.

 

[WAB]

I had to step up one profile from their standard to get what I felt was a reasonable weight for the cartridge.

 

[BeeMaa]

The falling block action on the Dakota model 10 will shorten the rifle a bunch compared to a traditional bolt action.
Should be very handy in the field, even with a 25" barrel.
Good luck with it and post some pics when it arrives.

 

[WAB]

Will do

 

[Pondoro]

My restocked ZKK 602 .375H&H is 11 lbs with scope et all....a joy to shoot and the weight never bothered me..

 

[MS 9x56]

My restocked ZKK 602 .375H&H is 11 lbs with scope et all....a joy to shoot and the weight never bothered me..

This discussion got me wondering so I took my fish scale to the gun cabinet. My 1905 MS in 9x56 deals out a pretty stout wallop and now I know why. At 6lbs and 8 ounces and a steel butt plate it is not very forgiving. My CZ550FS 9.3x62 weighs in at 9lbs even and is very manageable in the recoil department. Actually weighing them was quite eye opening.

 

[colorado]

I have a Remington Custom shop, Alaskan Wilderness Rifle in .375 H&H it,s the first model with the black stock, not that later series two. This is a light weight .375 coming in at 6 3/4 bare. It holds four down. I have it set up with a Leupold 2.5-8 x 36. I can't tell you what the weight is all up ready to go, because I have never felt the need to find out. This rifle is all SS with a black teflon finish, came with the Mcmillen stock and lightweight Douglass barrel.
I have fitted it with a Sako extractor, I can say that it uncannily shoots everything I put through into a cloverleaf. For such a light rifle it's not as bad to shoot off-hand as one might think.

I have a Rem XCR II (basically similar to your rifle but a lesser grade) that weighs 7 1/2 lbs with Talley steel QR Rings and a Leupold 2-7x Firedot scope. It had some quality control issues initially (extractor too big). I had my gunsmith, Kevin Weaver, fit it with a Sako extractor, rechamber it for 375 Weatherby, and weld the bolt handle on (just for piece of mind). It shoots great, recoil is less than my 9 lb bare CZ 550 was. I attribute it to the soft synthetic stock, yet it's very accurate. Got my brown bear and my son got a nice black bear with it. My CZ 550 in 375 H&H grew up to be a 500 Jeffery which I love.

In a walnut stocked rifle I think 8 lbs bare (no scope, rings, sling or ammunition) is a good minimum weight.

 

[Newboomer]

My Win 70 Safari Express 375HH clocks in at 11 even scoped, loaded and with Safari Sling. I know it's there along toward evening but it is well worth it for the way it shoots. The weight keeps the muzzle down and helps mitigate some recoil.

 

[AZDAVE]

@Von S. I would have liked to sat in a mountain gasthaus and had a beer with the to old gunsmiths. I have always preferred a solid rifles my BRNO 602 is 11lbs with scope and loaded. My M70 Alaskan is just over 10Lbs.

 

[colorado]

My CZ 550 in 500 Jeffery is 12 lbs with scope and sling unloaded. I wouldn't want it an ounce lighter

 

[Von S.]

@Von S. I would have liked to sat in a mountain gasthaus and had a beer with the to old gunsmiths. I have always preferred a solid rifles my BRNO 602 is 11lbs with scope and loaded. My M70 Alaskan is just over 10Lbs.

Actually Dave I wish that we both were there knocking a few back with those guys. Not an ounce of pretension in either one.