Rifle weight

[CBH Australia]

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.

Im only 48 and you put me to shame. Similar height /weight
Im trying to lose weight and walk some. At about probably 0 feet above see level in the dry outback.
I cant tell you what my CZ550 with 1.25-5 Leupold ways. (Standard)
My 17yo nieces were there when i took my firstshots from it and were keen to try the Elephant gun so its probably weighted and designed to be suitable.
I dont think the Courteney s are mountain boots but still mot a bad boot if you have the right fit. The Selous have more support than the Patrol.
Slings are cheap now maybe try one.
Congratulations on the Buffallo

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Im only 48 and you put me to shame. Similar height /weight
Im trying to lose weight and walk some. At about probably 0 feet above see level in the dry outback.
I cant tell you what my CZ550 with 1.25-5 Leupold ways. (Standard)
My 17yo nieces were there when i took my firstshots from it and were keen to try the Elephant gun so its probably weighted and designed to be suitable.
I dont think the Courteney s are mountain boots but still mot a bad boot if you have the right fit. The Selous have more support than the Patrol.
Slings are cheap now maybe try one.
Congratulations on the Buffallo

Chris I didn't know you were only a little takka. Ya sound bigger on the phone.
I'm 6 and a half feet and 246 pounds or 112 kilos. Almost 62 and a totally stuffed body.

 

[One Day...]

The recoil quadrants...

It seems to me that:

1 - Felt recoil is a compromise between a number of factors;​

2 - No two people locate their own sweet spot in the same place among the quadrants.​

I played a bit with the classic business 4 quadrants SWOT (Strength/Weakness-Opportunity/Threat)...

I PERSONALLY reside somewhere between "low," "medium" and "high" in that blue area:

• I want enough power in a DG rifle but I have my limit (no .600 Overkill for me...);
• I select scopes for DG rifles based on their eye relief (all other factors being equal);
• I practice regularly and I am one of these happy guys whom the "standard" stocks fit well;
  
• I am incapable of distinguishing a 10 lbs rifle on my shoulder from an 8 lbs rifle, so I do not mind the "weight" of 2 additional lbs;
• I shoot better heftier rifles off the sticks, and off hands.

My 10 lbs 9 oz .375 H&H is a pleasure to shoot (and carry) all day; my 10 lbs 8 oz .416 Rigby requires focus; as does my 11 lbs 6 oz .470 NE; and my 8 lbs 13 oz .458 Lott is simply too brutal with full power loads...

Overestimating recoil effects is counterproductive. But so is underestimating them. I know a lot more people who can walk further with 2 additional lbs than I know people who can hit a paper plate at 100 yd with a rifle they are afraid of.

Weight is by far not the only factor (stock fit and scope eye relief are far more important), but it IS an important factor in the overall recoil equation. Arguing otherwise would be simply nonsensical.

 

[Newby]

I'm pretty much with PaulT on this.

There is a big difference between an extra pound (or two - or THREE) on the shoulder with a good sling in reasonably easy going, and carrying that same extra weight in the hands in steep, often wet, country all day.

The second scenario describes most of my hunting for over 30 years, and I can assure you all that 10/11lb rifle are simply a drain and a distraction in those conditions.

And can anyone explain to me the logic behind the oft repeated statement that trimming the gut is more important ?

The gut isn't in your hands, although with some it hangs out far enough to be carried in the hands. Getting fitter and trimmer doesn't make a rifle any lighter IN THE HANDS, although undoubtedly when it is on a sling and being carried by your legs, fitness makes a big difference.

How about trying for less gut, AND a lighter rifle ?

Sure weight soaks up recoil, but the balance between excessive weight and excessive recoil must suit your circumstances.

My unfired R8 375 is around 9lbs scoped, and I expect that to be fine - portable and manageable. The fact that R8s are compact also seems to make them feel lighter than they are, much as with short actions fitted with shortish, heavyish barrels.

My previous 375 weighed 8.25 scoped and although it bounced and twisted, it was much less sharp than a 30 Mag. That rifle was carried for years in the conditions described previously without it being burdensome. On the other hand, the 9+lb (plus scope) 375 that preceded it was got rid of quick smart.

I have watched bigger, stronger men than me hunting all day in steep wet country with BRNO(CZ) 602s in smaller bores, and the fidgeting was endless - left shoulder, right shoulder, left hand, right hand, both hands. The rifle never stayed in the same position for more than few minutes.

I have also fired a 7.5lb 458 with factory 510g loads, and that was a nightmare. Anything past .375H&H is not on my wish list

As I said - the answer is a balance to suit your circumstances, but I can't see that anyone would be unable to manage a well stocked .375 with a scoped weight of no more than 9 to 9.5lb.

 

[Nhoro]

The recoil quadrants...



Overestimating recoil effects is counterproductive. But so is underestimating them. I know a lot more people who can walk further with 2 additional lbs than I know people who can hit a paper plate at 100 yd with a rifle they are afraid of.

Weight is by far not the only factor (stock fit and scope eye relief are far more important), but it IS an important factor in the overall recoil equation.

Very true !

 

[BeeMaa]

I know a lot more people who can walk further with 2 additional lbs than I know people who can hit a paper plate at 100 yd with a rifle they are afraid of.

Exactly.
At the end of the long (or short) walk is an opportunity.
An opportunity that if squandered because of a flinch can have life threatening consequences.
Whatever the weight of your rifle, proper practice will show itself when the time comes.
Nothing trumps accurate and proper shot placement on a game animal.
If you can do it consistently with a 8# 458LOTT, so be it...but I'm gonna pass.

 

[RayAtkinson]

I remember the day when I could carry a 11 pound double rifle all day long 24-7..Those days are long gone, my 8.5 lb 375 scoped and loaded is my gun of today..Im not of the general opinion that rifle weight has much effect on recoil as some profess, but recoil varies from person to person..packing a heavy gun all day in the 100 plus temps takes its toll, even a Kleenex gets heavy by the end of the day in that heat!

 

[Bert the Turtle]

My R8 professional has a listed weight of about 6 1/2 pounds. Add in the scope (z8i) and that gets to about 7 1/2. Scope mount and ammo weigh something, so 8 pounds more or less? I haven't weighed it, but that seems rather low. It has iron sights and I'll shoot it sometimes with the scope off. Whatever it is, I don't find it unpleasant to shoot either way. Definitely prefer how it handles with the scope off than with the scope on. I notice the extra weight.

That said, I don't shoot a whole bunch of full-power loads at any given time. I reload 200g bullets over TrailBoss for most of my practice and finish up with some full-power stuff. I'm pretty scrawny, so I just kind of roll with recoil. I'd imagine it is a lot worse for a bigger guy who has some inertia to him and has to take the impact.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I did some more looking and my model is listed at 7 1/4 pounds, not 6 1/2, so above weights should be adjusted accordingly.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I would use my .458 Mannlicher Schoenauer as the perfect balanced light weight stalking rifle ....although it is a .458 caliber it handles like a light weight rifle when walking the whole day in the bush..while the recoil is great and manageable for such a big bore calibre...to me the designed by the Austrian company hit the perfect balanced mountain /bush walk/stalk rifle on the nail`s head...If I can model all my rifles I still need to build on this design ..I will have a few perfect designed hunting rifles...

 

[JLF]

8.5-10 Libras I consider it to be the ideal weight