gun weight: heavy or light ?

[mac]

with all the talk about recoil and weight of the rifle, what really is the over under poundage on gun weight that makes it "heavy" vs "light" ? may 7 or 8 pounds.. so a scoped 9+ lb is considered heavy and a scoped 6.5 lb synthetic rifle is light?

[Danny]

depends on the caliber,

I carry a Marlin .35 7 lbs

Browning A-Bolt 7mm-08 6lbs 7oz

kick is about the same

[Lawdwaz]

with all the talk about recoil and weight of the rifle, what really is the over under poundage on gun weight that makes it "heavy" vs "light" ? may 7 or 8 pounds.. so a scoped 9+ lb is considered heavy and a scoped 6.5 lb synthetic rifle is light?

I'd say your in the ballpark with those figures, IMO.

Most of my guns (rifles) are on the light side. I just got a Sako 25-06, put a Leupold VariX 3.5x10 on it and that thing needs WHEELS. It is heavy. Haven't put it on the scale yet, maybe I'll check it tonight............

[bkln]

Danny is right, normally the bigger the caliber the heavier the gun you want just to offset the kick a bit

[Elmo]

I agree with everyone else so far but also consider that heavy and light is a personal opinion. What's too much kick to one person is nothing to another. What's too heavy for a 140 lbs person might be lightweight for a 230 lbs football player.

If it's really that important to you, you should purchase the Cartridge Comparison Guide by Andrew Chamberlain. The entire book is nothing but every conceivable chart out there. The recoil chart will tell you the recoil of a caliber depending on the grain and the weight of the rifle it is shot out of.

Or if you want, you can let me know what caliber you're thinking about and I'll list the recoil in response. Just don't like like 20 different calibers or something.

Give you an idea of recoil of various bullet weight versus rifle weight here is a few popular ones:

cartridge - bullet weight - recoil (ft-lbs) from 5.5 lbs rifle - 8 lbs rifle - 11 lbs rifle - 14 lbs rifle.

Nosler-6 .223 REM - 55 grain - 3.89 ft-lbs - 2.67 ft-lbs - 1.94 ft-lbs - N/A

Hornaby FL 30-06 - 150 grain - 28.34 ft-lbs - 19.48 ft-lbs - 14.17 ft-lbs - 11.13 ft-lbs

Hornaby FL 30-06 - 180 grain - 32.44 ft-lbs - 22.30 ft-lbs - 16.44 ft-lbs - 12.74 ft-lbs

[WNYBuckHunter]

I'd say your in the ballpark with those figures, IMO.

Most of my guns (rifles) are on the light side. I just got a Sako 25-06, put a Leupold VariX 3.5x10 on it and that thing needs WHEELS. It is heavy. Haven't put it on the scale yet, maybe I'll check it tonight............

You should try lugging around my Remmy 700 .223 with a 26" bull barrel lol. Might as well mount that thing on a Humvee

[Elmo]

You should try lugging around my Remmy 700 .223 with a 26" bull barrel lol. Might as well mount that thing on a Humvee

I have a Savage Model 12 in .223 with a 28" fluted bull barrel. She shoots like a beauty but unfortunately it'll only hit paper at a range. I took it out to hunt with several times last year...never again.

[Gthphtm]

I had one of thoes in the BDL model in .243 caliber That was heavy but it was one of the most accurate factory rifles I had.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have a Savage Model 12 in .223 with a 28" fluted bull barrel. She shoots like a beauty but unfortunately it'll only hit paper at a range. I took it out to hunt with several times last year...never again.

Yep, same here. I had that gun out two years in a row for varmints. Shes a sweet shooter, but Ill be damned if I keep hauling it around. I felt like tossing it in the woods the year before last trudging through waist deep snow with it.

My 6 1/2 lb AR is gonna be a joy to carry this year.

[Danny]

different people have different reactions to recoil, however for the average person i think i read anything over 16lbs of anticipated recoil will cause a pre-shot flinch

most will shoot a lighter caliber 7mm-08 than they will a 30-06 or 7mm Mag or .300 win mag

[Elmo]

different people have different reactions to recoil, however for the average person i think i read anything over 16lbs of anticipated recoil will cause a pre-shot flinch

most will shoot a lighter caliber 7mm-08 than they will a 30-06 or 7mm Mag or .300 win mag

Accuracy over power any day of the week. Go as powerful as you can accurately shoot. We're talknig about northeastern whitetail deer here. Not a bull moose.

[Danny]

Accuracy over power any day of the week. Go as powerful as you can accurately shoot. We're talknig about northeastern whitetail deer here. Not a bull moose.

Spot On....

[Dinsdale]

I agree with everyone else so far but also consider that heavy and light is a personal opinion. What's too much kick to one person is nothing to another. What's too heavy for a 140 lbs person might be lightweight for a 230 lbs football player.

You have to start factoring in stock design and gun fit.......

A friends 270 lb twenty year old thinks my 9+ lb 375 is some kind of cannon. But I shoot it well (at 145); because the stock is custom for me.

He has to press the stock really hard to get a good sight picture and the length of pull too long for his bulk.

I shoot lighter than average guns and for prctice or bench work I have removable breaks and one has a screw in recoil reducer at 13 ozs that takes about 5 minutes to change.

A good crisp and light trigger also helps. Having to keep squeezing, anticipating that a shot will go off, its poor for accuracy also.

In the field when shooting I don't even think of the recoil in a shot.

[NYbuck50]

I carry a Remington 760 pump in 30-06 carbine.. with a nixon 3x9 its about 7 pounds.. perfect for tracking all day and the short barrel makes it swing amazing on a moving deer

[shawnhu]

Almost all my firearms are close to or over 10 lbs scoped. They're pretty heavy.

[tughillhunter]

I carry a Remington 760 pump in 30-06 carbine.. with a nixon 3x9 its about 7 pounds.. perfect for tracking all day and the short barrel makes it swing amazing on a moving deer

i agree. nice rifle. i have one myself.

[apoallo]

I have an H&R ultra slug hunter deluxe 12 guage with scope and sling Im at 14lbs and some ounces. I love the heavy gunsto me then seem more accurate, maybe due to the weight adding in less vibrations and stability. as far as recoil goes. Im 6'1 and 220LBS it doesnt bother me in the least. My brother in law however is alot smaller in height and weight and the recoil hits him pretty hard. He wont ever admit the pain but you can tell when he shoots it, he tends to flinch before pulling the trigger

Edited October 5, 2012 by apoallo

[Dinsdale]

Almost all my firearms are close to or over 10 lbs scoped. They're pretty heavy.

Dang, you ever handled any of Lawdwazs', or some of mine, you'd think they were feathers in hand.

[eagle rider]

Read Chuck Hawks post on recoil..... Rifle weight is a factor, but more of felt recoil has to do with recoil velocity. If a rifle is heavier more of the recoil force is taken up. What folks complain about is the sharp snap of recoil. Weight of a rifle has less to do with than cartridge selection than stocks do. A 270 WSM has significantly more felt recoil with a 150 gr. bullet than a 30-06 with a full house 180 gr load. The reason is recoiled velocity. That said,... IMO shoot what you like and get a good recoil pad. It will take a lot of the sharpness away. I have a 300 Wby Mag in my safe. The felt recoil due to the pad and the geometry of the Weatherby stock is only slightly more than a model 700 30-06.

[Lawdwaz]

I'd say your in the ballpark with those figures, IMO.

Most of my guns (rifles) are on the light side. I just got a Sako 25-06, put a Leupold VariX 3.5x10 on it and that thing needs WHEELS. It is heavy. Haven't put it on the scale yet, maybe I'll check it tonight............

I weighed the beast last night, 9lbs 5oz. (no sling, just gun, scope & rings)

It still needs wheels...........

[Lawdwaz]

Dang, you ever handled any of Lawdwazs', or some of mine, you'd think they were feathers in hand.

Light is right!!

[airedale]

For still hunting where I am moving around a bit I like a light fast handling gun, the knock on lightweight guns is that they are not accurate and felt recoil. Even though light rifles may not shoot those elusive one inch groups for the most part they are plenty accurate enough for hunting big game in most situations. As for recoil it never bothered me much at all, when hunting and shooting at game, I never notice it in the excitement of the moment. Firing many rounds off the bench is another matter.

For stand hunting weight does not come into play so much, I have seen some even use varmint type rifles.

Al

[Early]

I'm fast approaching 70, and I walk a lot when I hunt deer. So, for me, it light guns all the way. When I shoot them at the range I simply use a Shooter's Friend recoil pad to tame them down.