Opinions & Recommendations on a Light Weight Mountain Rifle

[Cabin4]

I have been following a few other threads that come very close to my question on this. However, I would like to start a new one to really narrow this down.

I moved out west from Pennsylvania. Prior to living in PA I lived and hunted in the upper mid-west (Wisconsin & Illinois). So most of my guns are geared towards the northeast & upper midwest hunting situations. I'm now interested in a light weight mountain gun capable of taking black bear & elk. I'm thinking 270, 308 ish type rounds. I already have a 30-06 in a lighter weight gun but I need to add another for my son (18 years old). I prefer to stay away from a mag load due to recoil. Personally, I would love to add a 7mm mag or 270 wsm or something similar. But again the added weight and recoil are a big down. I do not want to reload,,, don't have the time or the desire to deal with that now.

This gun will do double duty. For my son when he &  I go on our spot & stalk bear or other type high country hunts. And for me if I decide to do something similar without him.

If anyone has any particular rifles you can recommend, please let me know. I'm interested in one that won't break the bank either.. say under a $600 for just the gun. A few that come to mind for me are the Tikka T3 Lite or a Savage all weather.

[kudzu]

I like the looks of the rem. model 7 CDL or better yet would love to have one of the model 7 XCR camo's. Would go with the 270wsm in either. Great ballistics and very manageable recoil. Sould easilly handle anything up to elk.

[beemanbeme]

If you're gonna shoot a bear, I'd want something that made a bigger hole than .277.

[Graybeard]

Remington Model 700 LSS Mtn. Rifle it's available in .30-06 and this year in .280 Remington as well. I'm waiting on one in .280 to show up at my dealer's store now so it can come home with me. The M7 CDL is avaiable in both .308 and .300 WSM as I think are the camo stocked M7s with SS metal and fluted barrel. If that latter one was available in a 6.5 something I'd already have one but it's not and right now I just don't have a need for anything it is chambered to.

The Model 700 CDL is available in about every chambering Remington offers. All those are right in your ball park price range for real world prices in most stores.

[Val]

I have a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .280 which is my favorite carry rifle. If you compare the load data with the same bullet weight,  the .280 has a faster muzzle velocity than the .270. This means it's a flatter shooter. For bigger game you can use it with a larger pellet and for smaller game you can use it with a smaller pellet to increase muzzle velocity (shoot flatter=less bullet drop at longer ranges). I also likes the looks of this rifle.

[Cabin4]

The Remington 700 CDL weights in the 7.5 pound range. I want to be under 7 and more like 6.5. I'm looking at Savage right now and they have a few.

[poncaguy]

I have a Stevens 200 7-08, cut the barrel down to 18 1/2", real handy rifle now, and accuracy improved from 1 1/2" to 1/2".

[Cabin4]

If you're gonna shoot a bear, I'd want something that made a bigger hole than .277.

For the typical black bear, not a concern at all. I have seen 270s take many a bear and elk.

[oneshotonekill]

One of the lightest bolt guns I own is a Savage 116 stainless/synthetic 7mm rem mag with a slim profile 22" barrel.  The gun weighs about 6lbs and is great to carry.  It's a good shooter too but the light weight barrel heats up pretty fast.  It wouldn't make a good range plinker.  I know you aren't looking for the mag calibers but the 116 is available in a bunch of calibers.  I think they are calling them "all weather" or "weather warrior" now.  I bought mine about 13-14 years ago before they had a fancy name.  Its been a good rifle and it is what I grab when I'm hunting rugged terrain or doing a lot of walking.

[EsoxLucius]

Howa M-1500 Ultralight Mountain Rifle in 308 Winchester.

[Rangr44]

This dude, over on the Ruger Forum, has a NIB .350 Remington M673 for $500 O.B.O. (asking for offers).
The round has .35 Whelan ballistics - about perfect for your target animals.

If recoil arises as an issue, real Mag-Na-Porting is about $75-100.

 http://www.rugerforum.com/ubb/Forum8/HTML/014211.html

[3DTESTIFY]

Consider the Ruger M-77 MKII in the following: Frontier model/lam. stock @ 6-3/4 Lbs. & 16-1/2" BBL. in 7mm-08, .308, .338 Fed or .358 Win.  The Compact model/lam. or walnut stock @ 6-1/4 Lbs. & 16-1/2" BBL. in 7mm-08 or .308. The Ultra Light model/syn. or walnut stock @ 6-1/2 Lbs. & 20" BBL. in .270 Win., .308 or .30-06 Sprg.

[Graybeard]

The Remington 700 CDL weights in the 7.5 pound range. I want to be under 7 and more like 6.5. I'm looking at Savage right now and they have a few.

The LSS Mtn. Rifle is listed by Remington a 6-5/8 pounds. I've weighted several and they do seem to come in right at 6.5 pounds bare. How much more it weights scoped depends on what base/rings and scope you use. You can't very well get a scoped gun under 7 pounds with one but then you can't get much under with anything unless it is one super light gun to start with. Scope, rings and base will generally add at least another pound and most of the time more to the rifle weight.

My .270 LSS Mtn. Rifle weights in at 7 pounds 2 oz. wearing Leupold Dual Dovetail base/rings and a Leupold VX-II 2-7x33 scope. Is that close enough for you? A .30-06 similarly equipped should come in right about dead on 7 pounds due to the larger hole in bore.

[jvs]

Remington makes Youth Models in the Model 7 that comes in at 6¼ lbs.  The Youth SPS is right at 7 lbs.  Both have 20" barrels and a stock that is 1" shorter for the younger shooters.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/youth/model_seven.asp

[Cabin4]

The Remington 700 CDL weights in the 7.5 pound range. I want to be under 7 and more like 6.5. I'm looking at Savage right now and they have a few.

My .270 LSS Mtn. Rifle weights in at 7 pounds 2 oz. wearing Leupold Dual Dovetail base/rings and a Leupold VX-II 2-7x33 scope. Is that close enough for you?

Can I forecast an offer to sell coming on this one?? if so, how much would be the next natural question.

As far as Ruger, I already own a few Rugers including an M77MK2 in 30-06 SS with the old version synthetic stock.Great gun, but I want to add a new name brand to the gun case. Like a Remington, tikka, Browning, Howa, Savage, Steyr, CZ,. I see the Browning comes in at 6.5 lbs in WSM calibers including BOSS.

Appreciate all the info,, keep it coming if you got any more..

[Graybeard]

Can I forecast an offer to sell coming on this one??    if so, how much would be the next natural question.

With me you never really know. I've owned this one over a year I'm sure and it's still unfired. I hand selected it at the dealer's shop as looking as perfect in all respects as I could find from the many he had there and I loved the way the checkered area of the stock was blacked and contrasted with the rest of the brown laminated stock.

So far I've taken it from the stock and checked for any imperfections of inletting and used 320 grit sandpaper to be sure none existed. Other than the pressure point all the rest of barrel is floated from the barrel back to where the major diameter meets. Barrel channel was cut to perfection. I adjusted the trigger to a 3 pound pull and cemented the screw back with clear fingernail polish.

I've mounted the Leupold scope in the Leupold DD base/rings and put it in the gun cabinet. It and about a dozen others are sitting waiting their turn to be shot. I'll get around to it one of these days. Probably. 

[Cabin4]

 It and about a dozen others are sitting waiting their turn to be shot. I'll get around to it one of these days. Probably. 

Not a bad problem to have.

Better to many, then not enough.

[wncchester]

Like Graywiskers, I love my 700 Mtn rifle,  mine is in 30-06.  Wish I had the laminated stock but that wasn't available when I bought mine.  I was surprised at the lack of pain shooting it with heavy loads, expected such a light rifle to punish me more but the stock design is excellent and the pad is effective. 

First two rounds from a cold barrel will be under an inch, more rounds open up due to heat but I expected that too.  Come to think of it, I don't remember ever having to shoot it twice at any thing.   That's a problem with the -06, it's just down-right boring.  It always works, no excitement at all.   

[Ahab]

Howa M-1500 Ultralight Mountain Rifle in 308 Winchester.

Or the same in 7mm08