Rifle weight

Both my CZ's weigh just under 11lbs slung and loaded. The 300 is new to me, but the 375 has some miles on it between my first trip to africa and last fall in Newfoundland after moose. I wouldn't want to lug them up a mountain, but they are comfortable to carry on flat-ish land. Newfoundland pushed that limit a bit, particularly on the way back from hoofing down my moose the day I shot it. Debating building something lighter to bring back there in 2022 for woodland caribou. Never found myself worn out carrying the 375 in RSA, and carried it without a sling the entire trip (or an 11lb Merkel 140).

They both are sweethearts to shoot at that weight.

Guess my win 70 375 at just a tad under 11lbs. In my mid 60s and deer or elk hunt with a pack which weighs more. I am trying to understand why a pound makes that big of a difference. I understand a double in the woods for grouse or pheasant in the field all day but the only thing I have found a big difference in is a compound bow vs a recurve hunting elk. But honestly by the end of any hard day of hunting everything seems heavy but does a pound or two really make it feel different?

bruce moulds said:

what do you consider the ideal weight for a 375 h&h (with no brake) using 300 gn bullets.
including scope and mounts.
this assumes a straight stock.
of course if you carry it a lot and shoot it little, this might mean a lighter rifle than the other way around.
bruce.

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bruce moulds
Just my 2 cents mate I find an all up field ready with a full mag, sling and scope of 9 pounds comfortable to carry and shoot. Personally i wouldn't go any lighter with my Whelen or a 375.
Cheers mate Bob

SWARA said:

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.

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SWARA
At that weight it might be fine in the bush with the adrenaline up but I reckon it would be a real bitch of the bench to sight in.
Cheers mate Bob

bob,
in a 375 I would not mind a bit heavier.
bruce.

During our time... A solid 9 pounds was the industry standard weight for a .375 Holland & Holland magnum calibre rifle , Bruce .
Of course , there are variables. For instance ... some makers contour their stock profile in a certain manner which allows an 8.5 pound rifle to shoot comfortably without producing an overt amount of felt recoil.
Nevertheless ... my personal preference is for 9 pound weight.

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

bruce moulds
Just my 2 cents mate I find an all up field ready with a full mag, sling and scope of 9 pounds comfortable to carry and shoot. Personally i wouldn't go any lighter with my Whelen or a 375.
Cheers mate Bob

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I agree. I do not find a 9 lb rifle onerous to carry. The extra weight helps steady the rifle at the shot especially when the heart is pumping hard.

You guys really have to pick up the Weatherby in that 6.5 rpm for heft.

Weighs less than 5 pounds.

Tucketed said:

Guess my win 70 375 at just a tad under 11lbs. In my mid 60s and deer or elk hunt with a pack which weighs more. I am trying to understand why a pound makes that big of a difference. I understand a double in the woods for grouse or pheasant in the field all day but the only thing I have found a big difference in is a compound bow vs a recurve hunting elk. But honestly by the end of any hard day of hunting everything seems heavy but does a pound or two really make it feel different?

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That one or two pound makes a big difference.
It's a cumulative effect of carrying that extra 2# all day long.
Especially when you are taxing your body over rough terrain like mountain hunting.
Having the proper tools for the job will make the job much easier.
Yes, you can use a crescent wrench to drive a nail...but I wouldn't want to roof a house with it.

Interesting subject, it seems with every rifle type this subject sooner or later arise..I like my rifles to be light , even the medium to heavy bore rifles..I rather walk the whole day with it while hunting and shoot one or two shots the whole day , absorbing the recoil than slogging the whole day long dragging a heavy rifle around the bush to shoot one or two shots without a lot of recoil.....a friend of mine `s rifles are so heavy I will not be able to carry it for longer than a half an hour long...still to him he likes to have real heavy rifles ...

I do some mountain biking and it is whole lot cheaper to lose 10 lbs off my lardy ass than pay for carbon fibre/titanium latest greatest bike. Shooting a heavier rifle is more pleasant and carrying a lighter one. My 458 win mag weighed 9.5 lbs-iron sights. Now a Lott and I added 0.5 lbs to the butt. Makes the rifle balance easier and shoulder more instinctively. Just waiting for the range to open up so I can see if it helps tame recoil. Seems to me you cant have your cake and eat it. Either a lazy light rifle carrier or a wimpy recoil shy heavyweight ! Which camp are you in ?

My 375 Ruger, a favorite weighs 7.5 lb. out of the box, 8.5 lbs with 3X Leupold and factory iron sights..Its about perfect, and I like the 300 gr. bullets for everything in the 375..My 375 Holland is 93/4 lbs, and its too heavy for this old man to pack all day in the heat or cold..Recoil with the Ruger is certainly there and will get your attention but its a good tradeoff for me at my age..I don't like recoil but Ive atoned myself to it over the years and if one pulls a rifle into the shoulder real snug, then he will shoot good and can handle the recoil as a rule...Those that cannot should be honest with themselves and shoot a .338 9.3x62 or some lesser caliber, even a 30-06 on any game..

AZDAVE said:

@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.

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I would have liked having a Stuttgarter Hofbrau while they built me a proper stalking rifle with a Mannlicher stock in 9.3x62 on a Mauser 98 action. I one can dream can’t we

I like a sporting rifle finished at 8.5-9lbs. in most general big game calibers, say a 270 Win, 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag. Something like a 375 H and H can be in the 11lb range. You can build them lighter, but be prepared to pay the price in increased recoil, or add a brake to make that light rifle manageable. Everyone has a tolerance limit, and light rifles in big calibers generally exceed that limit for most of us, especially when you get to the 300 Win Mag or larger caliber. Some guys dismiss recoil, claiming to be tough, but shooters who have spent time behind the rifle and on the trigger know recoil is not your friend, ever. David Tubb, champion long range competition shooter, has said that if he could eliminate recoil, his shooting would improve.

Wow !, reading some of these replies posted makes me think of the old saying,
"One Man's meat is another Man's poison ".

I would sooner have my eyes poked out than "carry" an 11lb rifle.
11lb's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FFS

If a pound or two makes no difference, why not throw a couple of house bricks in your day pack just for good measure, heck a pound or two wont make any difference.

So, a client hunter on a 7 -10 day hunt expecting to fire, say, 8 - 12 shots over a period of a week's duration needs to justify "carrying" an 11lb dumbbell, in order for it to be "comfortable to shoot ", really ????

Ruger brings out their light-weight, short barrelled .375 and 416 Rugers and THEY are o,k to carry AND shoot but all other makes and models need to be at least 10lbs in order to be "comfortable".

No offence intended personally to any specific poster here, and sorry to be the Devils advocate, but to be brutally honest some of you guys are deflecting and falsely justifying rifle weight to compensate for issues which have little to do with "comfort". Either that, or you simply aren't walking/hiking/tramping any distance to achieve your hunting areas.

For may years, we had two totally different loan rifles available for clients hunting buffalo with us.
One was a Remington Mountain rifle weighing 8lbs loaded and ready to hunt and the other was a CZ 550 which weighed close to 10lbs.
In 8 years of having those two rifles available only two hunters chose the Cz and over 40 clients used the Remington to take their bulls.

No broken ribs, no dislocated shoulders and no detatched retinas.

I have been shooting a 8.5lb .500 mdm Ultra mag since 2010, likewise, no physical injuries sustained, quite a few (all) determined charges stopped and no "discomfort" in shooting noticed.

Sorry, but weight of firearm alone is NOT the be-all and end-all contributing factor for a firearm being comfortable to shoot, but by all means if an extra " pound or three" is what is needed to be able to accurately shoot a handful of shells over a period of a week then i'm certainly glad I am not your gun-bearer !

To each their own.

I agree with the above statement I believe 8lbs or so is plenty for a 375.

I like a sporting rifle finished at 8.5-9lbs. in most general big game calibers, say a 270 Win, 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag. Something like a 375 H and H can be in the 11lb range. You can build them lighter, but be prepared to pay the price in increased recoil, or add a brake to make that light rifle manageable. Everyone has a tolerance limit, and light rifles in big calibers generally exceed that limit for most of us, especially when you get to the 300 Win Mag or larger caliber. Some guys dismiss recoil, claiming to be tough, but shooters who have spent time behind the rifle and on the trigger know recoil is not your friend, ever. David Tubb, champion long range competition shooter, has said that if he could eliminate recoil, his shooting would improve.

I’ll agree all thing being equal lighter will recoil more. I’m also a believer especially in bigger calibers you need to train yourself. If you haven’t shot in 2 months you’re to notice that recoil more than if you have shot weekly. My Lott weighs 8.2lbs all up if I haven’t shot it in a couple months I don t go and try and shoot 30-40 rounds at a time. If I have been shooting regularly I have no problem putting 50+ rounds through it in a couple hours. If I haven’t been shooting I’ll shoot 2-3 rounds and shoot something else if you’re dreading pulling the trigger you’re not going to shoot accurately. Training just like anything else.

PaulT said:

If a pound or two makes no difference, why not throw a couple of house bricks in your day pack just for good measure, heck a pound or two wont make any difference.

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An average brick is 4.5 lbs-Exaggerate much ??? 9 lbs of brick in your pack = a pound or two on your rifle.

PaulT said:

Either that, or you simply aren't walking/hiking/tramping any distance to achieve your hunting areas.

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I can happily walk 20-35 km carrying my 9.5 lb rifle. Do I notice if the rifle weighs 8,5 lbs or 9,5 lbs. Maybe if I compare the two-one in each hand.

PaulT said:

No broken ribs, no dislocated shoulders and no detatched retinas.

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Some people have problems-why cuss them for liking a heavy rifle.

PaulT said:

Sorry, but weight of firearm alone is NOT the be-all and end-all contributing factor for a firearm being comfortable to shoot, but by all means if an extra " pound or three" is what is needed to be able to accurately shoot a handful of shells over a period of a week then i'm certainly glad I am not your gun-bearer !

To each their own.

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Surely your whole rant is exactly the opposite- you say over and again that only a light rifle makes sense. Quite frankly, most of us could lose 20 pounds from our middle and the rifle becomes irrelevant.

An old engineering design axiom states: light weight, durable, inexpensive. Pick two because you can't have all three. I've modified it to apply to firearms: light weight, low recoil, power. Pick two because you can't have all three.

I have no problem humping a 9-10lb rifle all day. Do I enjoy it? No, but I don't enjoy lugging around a 7lb rifle either. Both are inconvenient and a hassle. So is the heat, cold, rain, snow, and elevation. Sleeping on hard ground ain't that great either. Neither is being thirsty, hungry and footsore. All of it is part of the experience. I don't enjoy hunting because it's always comfortable. In fact part of the reason I enjoy it is because it occasionally tests me. Mental agility, stamina, endurance and remaining focused under sometimes less than ideal conditions are some of the things that makes being in the outdoors enjoyable. At least for me it does. I'm not suggesting we tortue ourselves unnecessarily. Who doesn't like GoreTex? I know I do. However, I'm not worried one little bit about what my rifle weighs. I buy/build them for an intended purpose and they end up weighing what they weigh and I just deal with it. I tend to shoot heavier rifles better because of their inherent stability but that's nothing more than personal preference.

My CZ 550 375 is somewhere in that 9-10 lb range. That's only a guess because I've never weighed it. What's the point? I wouldn't change anything about it. It weighs what it weighs.

Bonk said:

An old engineering design axiom states: light weight, durable, inexpensive. Pick two because you can't have all three. I've modified it to apply to firearms: light weight, low recoil, power. Pick two because you can't have all three.

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Interesting, that makes a lot of sense. I've heard another version for project management: fast, cheap, good, pick two. The gun version is much more fun.