"Best" sub 6 pound rifle for under $1500?

[Macchina]

I've been interested in a lightweight rifle lately, specifically a 308 in either a 18" or 20" barrel. I already have a Leupold VX-IIIHD 2.5-8x36 that is sitting around and the main reason I want to pick up a new rifle just for it.

I'd love to pick one up with a carbon fiber stock right from the factory so I don't have to do that in addition.

I've been looking hard at the Kimber Hunter (seems there is some issues with their mags) and Howa Ultralight (seems the Stocky's Stocks have fit/finish issues). The Sig Cross Trax also caught my eye but it's a 16" barrel and that would most likely require a can all the time to tame the blast.

I have a .358" bore suppressor that works great on any caliber (Rex Silentium) but only like using it on open area hunts, not in the thick woods.

The appeal of a 20" barrel is I can shoot it occasionally without a can. 16" full power rifles have been really loud in my experience at the range.

OTOH, The new Ruger Hawkeye 16" in 358 Winchester has me really peaked. This may be the one I go with if I can't find something fun and ultralight.

 

[handwerk]

The Kimber hunters I've been around have feed fine.

 

[Pilsner]

Did you see the new Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan "Bush Rifles" from Lipseys? IN 9.3x62 and 35 Whelen. 18" barrel. Not sure on weight as the ones I've seen have all had a laminate stock.
I had a Kimber 84 in 30-06 and it was a fantastic rifle. Other than the fact that it only shot well with 180 grain fodder which is a little big for out southern whitetails, I had zero issues with it. Had that same Leupold 2.5-8x that you are going to use.
The Tikka ranch rifle is 6.6# which is a little over your limit but would be a nice choice. The superlite runs 6.3#

An important item that I didn't see mentioned is your budget...
If it was me and I had an open ended budget I would be finding a used NULA rifle from the Forbes years.
Other options are:
Kimber Mtn Ascent
Seeking Havok
Weatherby Ti Backcountry
Savage 110 Ultralight among others
Christensen Arms Ridgeline
Various Bergera options

Do you want a chassis style or a "traditional" type stock?

 

[KU_Geo]

Kimber Montana, old stock or used. Or grab a tikka and drop it in a peak 44 blacktooth stock. Both under $1500

 

[Jmhunt_13]

I have a kimber hunter and it's great. Accurate with no issues. Mags do make me a little nervous if they ever drop out in the woods but hasn't happened yet and I think it'd be hard to randomly happen.


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[deadwolf]

Christensen Ridgeline Scout, NIB

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[nm.otter]

EuroOptic T3x Roughtech Superlites are a shade under six pounds with 20" barrels. 24" versions are a shade over. At those prices you can add a Rokstock and pretty much make your budget.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

Worst rifle I ever owned, by a mile, was a Kimber Montana 308. 8 MOA from the factory, didn't feed from the left side of the mag, barrel was not floated, etc. Warranty was no help in Canada. That's been near 20 years ago, but I'm in camp never again on since then.

I have a Howa SuperLite I like a lot now - 5.5 lbs all in, scope and all, just a hair over MOA with ammo it likes. But, it took the most extensive bedding job I've ever done to get it there, and I'm not the only one who's had that misadventure.

Tikkas are usually solid, but in a different weight class.

 

[KyleR1985]

Worst rifle I ever owned, by a mile, was a Kimber Montana 308. 8 MOA from the factory, didn't feed from the left side of the mag, barrel was not floated, etc. Warranty was no help in Canada. That's been near 20 years ago, but I'm in camp never again on since then.

I have a Howa SuperLite I like a lot now - 5.5 lbs all in, scope and all, just a hair over MOA with ammo it likes. But, it took the most extensive bedding job I've ever done to get it there, and I'm not the only one who's had that misadventure.

Tikkas are usually solid, but in a different weight class.

Cartridge, barrel length, bottom metal on the superlite?

 

[Jbehredt]

My 308 Montana is my cold dead hands rifle. 7#7oz scope, suppressor, sling, 7 rounds and a stock pack. Stacks factory 168 tmks.

 

[Kauaihunter]

No experience with one but I’ve been looking at the Howa Superlite Gen 2, now comes with a HS Precision stock. I did put a 16” barrel Tikka Lite in a Peak 44 Blacktooth and with MT bottom metal, no scope or mounts, bare rifle is 5lbs 3oz.

 

[rickyw]

Tikka gen 2 superlite with 20” barrel in a stockys carbon fiber seconds stock

 

[Thegman]

Worst rifle I ever owned, by a mile, was a Kimber Montana 308. 8 MOA from the factory, didn't feed from the left side of the mag, barrel was not floated, etc. Warranty was no help in Canada. That's been near 20 years ago, but I'm in camp never again on since then.

I have a Howa SuperLite I like a lot now - 5.5 lbs all in, scope and all, just a hair over MOA with ammo it likes. But, it took the most extensive bedding job I've ever done to get it there, and I'm not the only one who's had that misadventure.

Tikkas are usually solid, but in a different weight class.

The old "left-side feed issue"! I dealt with that in several early 84Ms. Kimber replaced a couple because they couldn’t even get them to work right. Then somewhere between KM21k and KM25k they redesigned the feed rails; no more left-side feed issues, ever, after that.

I never had one that didn't shoot well, but back then, one time, I used the term "Kimber Roulette" over getting one that would feed correctly. That term is still getting thrown around, but it never had to do with accuracy. My all-time favorite rifle remains my old KM25k Montana in 308. Extremely consistent rifle.

 

[TaperPin]

My choice of a 6 lb rifle is a standard 7 lb rifle with ultra light stock, but many people don’t like the barrel heavy feel. I carried a Brown Precision Pounder Kevlar stock for a decade that was around 17 ounces.

The Kimber is a cute little rifle if you get one that shoots.

 

[Thegman]

The Kimber is a cute little rifle if you get one that shoots.

I think I've owned at least 7 over the years. Never had one that wouldn't shoot.

I never realized I was such a lucky guy...

 

[Jfjfrye]

Sig cross trax is a good option if you’re ok with .308 or .243

 

[TaperPin]

I think I've owned at least 7 over the years. Never had one that wouldn't shoot.

I never realized I was such a lucky guy...

That’s good to hear. Too often the bad ones get all the attention.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

Cartridge, barrel length, bottom metal on the superlite?

308 Win, 20 inch, OEM bottom metal. This was one of the early ones in the Stockys stock. Last time I was at a gun store, the new one seem to be coming in HS precision stocks now, so I assume that the bedding misadventure was a common problem.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

To elaborate on the accuracy issues y Kimber had, it would barely hold a sheet of paper at 100 yards. I did what I could myself in terms of free floating the barrel and whatnot, I had a top notch gunsmith do a bunch of stuff to it that I don't entirely remember, but it was a half page laundry list (including bedding, filing the extractor so it didn't contact the barrel, messing with the scope bases, etc). After all that, and some careful load development, it was an honest 3 MOA gun.

Because I was in Canada, Kimber wouldn't do nothing for me for any of it. I was much younger I didn't really know what I was doing, the guy that sold it to me swore it was a sub MOA rifle, other people were telling me that lightweight guns like that were hard to shoot so it must be my fault, pencil barrels never more than 3 MOA, etc, so I really ended up spending an inordinate amount of time and money that I didn't have on it.

I eventually sold it with full disclosure, at a pretty good loss. The guy I sold it to wasn't exactly a friend, but he was a guy I saw around from time to time and talked gun stuff with. He sent it off and had the barrel rebored as 338-08, and he said later that pretty much cured it, and It was an inch and a quarter gun all day after that.

All that said though, I know a lot of you guys have great luck with them, so I assume they're not all like that (but then, a lot of folks think a good three shot group or two means the gun shoots great). But that that whole misadventure left such a bad taste in my mouth I'm on team never again.

 

[robtattoo]

I think I've owned at least 7 over the years. Never had one that wouldn't shoot.

I never realized I was such a lucky guy...

Conversely, I've owned 1 & it couldn't hit the floor if you dropped it!