Lightweight Rifle for Western Hunting

[No_Murphy]

Looking to purchase a rifle for western hunting. I am going for a lightweight rifle that is relatively easy to carry. Right now, I am thinking I want a 300 wsm in a Tikka T3x superlite. I will be adding a suppresser to this rifle as well.

Wanted your thoughts if you have this rifle or one similar or if you have any other suggestions of rifles/calibers. I will eventually reload, but for now I want something that has good factory ammo available.

 

[grfox92]

Lightweight and Magnum are not things that should ever go together in my opinion.

What is the intended use of the rifle, what kind of optic will it wear and what distance will you be shooting?

 

[gtriple]

Just buy this. Seriously. The 6.5CM is deadly to 600 yards easily, which is past the maximum effective range of most hunters. And it is easy to find accurate factory ammo for, so you really never need to reload. Shoot either the 147gr ELD-M or 143gr ELD-X. Or if you start reloading the new Sierra TMK 153gr is great too.

Later on, when you are into reloading and want to stretch the range, swap the barrel to a 6CM (or 22CM) and you'll add 100+ yards of range.

 

[No_Murphy]

Lightweight and Magnum are not things that should ever go together in my opinion.

What is the intended use of the rifle, what kind of optic will it wear and what distance will you be shooting?

Mainly wanting something I can use for elk down to pronghorn. Right now, I plan on putting a Leupold VX 5HD 3-15x44. Plan on shooting animals 500yds and in. Plinking further if possible.

 

[grfox92]

Mainly wanting something I can use for elk down to pronghorn. Right now, I plan on putting a Leupold VX 5HD 3-15x44. Plan on shooting animals 500yds and in. Plinking further if possible.

IMO choosing a magnum for this purpose is a huge mistake. Purchase the rifle listed above and dont think twice. If anyone gives you shit about a 6.5 CM not being enough for elk or that its "anemic" just know that those people are wrong and have no idea what they are talking about.

One of the most important things for me hunting in big open country out west is watching my impacts through the scope to see if and where I hit the animal. You m will never do this with a suppressed 300wsm, but you can with a suppressed 6.5 CM.

I would also forget that VX 5 and go with a Trijicon Credo HX.

 

[No_Murphy]

IMO choosing a magnum for this purpose is a huge mistake. Purchase the rifle listed above and dont think twice. If anyone gives you shit about a 6.5 CM not being enough for elk or that its "anemic" just know that those people are wrong and have no idea what they are talking about.

One of the most important things for me hunting in big open country out west is watching my impacts through the scope to see if and where I hit the animal. You m will never do this with a suppressed 300wsm, but you can with a suppressed 6.5 CM.

I would also forget that VX 5 and go with a Trijicon Credo HX.

I appreciate it. Seeing impact is one thing I knew would be hard to do with that rifle. Main reason for the 300 is I like my 30 caliber bullets. My dad and I shoot a 30-06 and 308 now for deer. Both rifles are heavy with a wood stock and I want a dedicated western rifle. I also hunted with someone that shot a 270 short mag at deer the same distances as me with my 308 and his deer ran off every time. Mine did not. I guess that experience is what makes me more apprehensive about smaller bullets.

I will definitely start looking at the 6.5 CM. I appreciate your comment and opinion on this.

 

[Bama67]

My $750 Kimber Hunter 6.5 is a shooter and it’s very light and handy after taking the gel out of the stock.

 

[grfox92]

I appreciate it. Seeing impact is one thing I knew would be hard to do with that rifle. Main reason for the 300 is I like my 30 caliber bullets. My dad and I shoot a 30-06 and 308 now for deer. Both rifles are heavy with a wood stock and I want a dedicated western rifle. I also hunted with someone that shot a 270 short mag at deer the same distances as me with my 308 and his deer ran off every time. Mine did not. I guess that experience is what makes me more apprehensive about smaller bullets.

I will definitely start looking at the 6.5 CM. I appreciate your comment and opinion on this.

The important think about the smaller bullets is the bullet being used. Hornady ELD X or Ms, Berger VLDs, Sierra TMKs and I promise you will cause more damage than a 30 cal with Remington CorLoks

 

[Tmac]

I appreciate it. Seeing impact is one thing I knew would be hard to do with that rifle. Main reason for the 300 is I like my 30 caliber bullets. My dad and I shoot a 30-06 and 308 now for deer. Both rifles are heavy with a wood stock and I want a dedicated western rifle. I also hunted with someone that shot a 270 short mag at deer the same distances as me with my 308 and his deer ran off every time. Mine did not. I guess that experience is what makes me more apprehensive about smaller bullets.

I will definitely start looking at the 6.5 CM. I appreciate your comment and opinion on this.

Odds are it was the bullet used in the 270 WSM, not .031” diameter and 10-30-50 grains of bullet weight. I use several Tikka T3/T3X’s in 270 Win. Recoil is manageable and terminal results are excellent, Moose to small Whitetail does. None are suppressed yet. I suspect they will kick about like a suppressed 300 WSM. We match the bullet to the game and distance. Harder mono’s for big stuff 300 and in, cup and core to 500, or bonded to 400, all ish.

Smaller cartridges are lethal too. Just pick the bullet smartly and they work very well.

 

[gtriple]

I appreciate it. Seeing impact is one thing I knew would be hard to do with that rifle. Main reason for the 300 is I like my 30 caliber bullets. My dad and I shoot a 30-06 and 308 now for deer. Both rifles are heavy with a wood stock and I want a dedicated western rifle. I also hunted with someone that shot a 270 short mag at deer the same distances as me with my 308 and his deer ran off every time. Mine did not. I guess that experience is what makes me more apprehensive about smaller bullets.

I will definitely start looking at the 6.5 CM. I appreciate your comment and opinion on this.

I'm using a 22CM to hunt elk this year. Placement + bullet selection is more important than bullet diameter. Countless elk have been killed with the 243 Win.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

The shootability of a superlite in 300wsm with a vx5 would be horrendous!!

Thread 'Q&A (#1) Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm Field Eval'

Aug 24, 2025

See-

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 12
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

• 

Thread 'Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm Field Evaluation (#1)'

Aug 24, 2025

This is a field evaluation of the Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm scope. This scope was sent to Ryan Avery for an evaluation.


The scope:



Turrets: Leupold’s Zero-Lock elevation turret. The button must be pushed to move them off zero. The windage turret is capped a d Leupold’s standard resettable.








Reticle:
Wind-Plex . 1 MOA per tick at 15x. 10 MOA from center to thicker outer posts.





Drop Evaluation RTZ and “Tracking”:


For an explanation see- Scope Field Eval Explanation and Standards


The...

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

Thread 'Leupold VX5HD 3-15x44mm (#2) Field Evaluation'

Aug 24, 2025

This is a field evaluation of the second Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm scope. This scope was sent to Ryan Avery for an evaluation.


The scope:



Turrets: Leupold’s Zero-Lock elevation turret. The button must be pushed to move them off zero. The windage turret is capped and Leupold’s standard resettable.







Reticle: Standard duplex with Firedot illumination.



Illuminated




Drop Evaluation RTZ and “Tracking”:


For an explanation see- Scope Field Eval Explanation and Standards


The “test”...

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

Shootability = how easy it is to shoot accurately, consistently, & how comfortably in real-world conditions.

 

[No_Murphy]

The shootability of a superlite in 300wsm with a vx5 would be horrendous!!

Thread 'Q&A (#1) Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm Field Eval'

Aug 24, 2025

See-

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 12
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

• 

Thread 'Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm Field Evaluation (#1)'

Aug 24, 2025

This is a field evaluation of the Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm scope. This scope was sent to Ryan Avery for an evaluation.


The scope:



Turrets: Leupold’s Zero-Lock elevation turret. The button must be pushed to move them off zero. The windage turret is capped a d Leupold’s standard resettable.








Reticle:
Wind-Plex . 1 MOA per tick at 15x. 10 MOA from center to thicker outer posts.





Drop Evaluation RTZ and “Tracking”:


For an explanation see- Scope Field Eval Explanation and Standards


The...

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

Thread 'Leupold VX5HD 3-15x44mm (#2) Field Evaluation'

Aug 24, 2025

This is a field evaluation of the second Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44mm scope. This scope was sent to Ryan Avery for an evaluation.


The scope:



Turrets: Leupold’s Zero-Lock elevation turret. The button must be pushed to move them off zero. The windage turret is capped and Leupold’s standard resettable.







Reticle: Standard duplex with Firedot illumination.



Illuminated




Drop Evaluation RTZ and “Tracking”:


For an explanation see- Scope Field Eval Explanation and Standards


The “test”...

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

Shootability = how easy it is to shoot accurately, consistently, & how comfortably in real-world conditions.

I will take a look at other scopes and be sure to check out his other tests. Just trying to find a good scope that is pretty lightweight.

 

[madcalfe]

ill chime in.
I've solely hunted with 3 different light weight 300wsm over the last 15 years.
my current custom 300wsm weights 5lbs 2oz bare. spotting shots without a muzzle device will be hard, but throw a brake on it its like shooting a .243, not sure how it would be shooting one suppressed though, so take that into consideration if your wanting to not run a muzzle device. As someone that hunts sheep and goats in G bear country every year id rather have a 300 than a 6.5 needmore.
Also the tikka stock is complete trash and the perceived recoil in the 300wsm is quite noticeable with that stock and no brake. And don't get a VX5 unless you want to send it away for warranty.

 

[madcalfe]

And honestly the only other cartridge id ever consider switching to from a 300wsm would be a 7SS.
but ill hold out until federal decides to come out with a 300WSM Backcountry

 

[No_Murphy]

ill chime in.
I've solely hunted with 3 different light weight 300wsm over the last 15 years.
my current custom 300wsm weights 5lbs 2oz bare. spotting shots without a muzzle device will be hard, but throw a brake on it its like shooting a .243, not sure how it would be shooting one suppressed though, so take that into consideration if your wanting to not run a muzzle device. As someone that hunts sheep and goats in G bear country every year id rather have a 300 than a 6.5 needmore.
Also the tikka stock is complete trash and the perceived recoil in the 300wsm is quite noticeable with that stock and no brake. And don't get a VX5 unless you want to send it away for warranty.

Appreciate it. I am open to a brake instead of a suppressor. Just trying to get some comments from people with experience since I currently do not own this type of rifle. If I go with a tikka, what stock would you recommend going to?

 

[hereinaz]

I appreciate it. Seeing impact is one thing I knew would be hard to do with that rifle. Main reason for the 300 is I like my 30 caliber bullets. My dad and I shoot a 30-06 and 308 now for deer. Both rifles are heavy with a wood stock and I want a dedicated western rifle. I also hunted with someone that shot a 270 short mag at deer the same distances as me with my 308 and his deer ran off every time. Mine did not. I guess that experience is what makes me more apprehensive about smaller bullets.

I will definitely start looking at the 6.5 CM. I appreciate your comment and opinion on this.

I understand the hesitation. With all the old information out there when I first started hunting, I think as afraid of being undergunned. It came from gun writer articles and opinions.

Bottom line, your friend made bad shots when it mattered, and recoil was undoubtedly a contributing factor. It’s not that a 270 mag is not enough gun.

There is so much first hand evidence of mere 77 TMK and a myriad of 6mm bullets killing all over the world that you should feel comfortable with a 6.5 creed.

Lots of animals have died from .257, so the new 25 creed is also an easy button with better ballistics than the 6.5 creed with the 133/34 class of bullets.

All you have to do it look with an open mind to the wealth of evidence in pictures and videos out there. Fear is powerful. I saw enough and finally it clicked for me. I shoot 22 and 6mm.

 

[madcalfe]

Appreciate it. I am open to a brake instead of a suppressor. Just trying to get some comments from people with experience since I currently do not own this type of rifle. If I go with a tikka, what stock would you recommend going to?

i'm just not able to have a suppressor in Canada so a brake was my only option. But they honestly don't bother me as long as you remember to throw plugs in when its time to shoot.
and as for stocks that depends, when i built my tikka i had a ultralight wildcat stock built cause i wanted it lighter. if i were to build another tikka probably go with a rokstock. but your not saving any weight.

 

[hereinaz]

And honestly the only other cartridge id ever consider switching to from a 300wsm would be a 7SS.
but ill hold out until federal decides to come out with a 300WSM Backcountry

7 SS is awesome. After mine blew apart a Coues buck at 730 yards, I knew I was overgunned. It also took elk at 1000 (in perfect conditions). I blew a baseball sized hole in the far side of a broadside caribou at 100, slinging lung and blood all over.

I downsized to a 25 SST, and the next caribou it only blew a golf ball sized hole in the offside…

I will sell you my 7 SS with all the accoutrements for a good deal!

A Tikka 300 WSM is the rifle for you, but dang the recoil…

 

[bwood1]

I have a superlite in 300WM. It was a touch under 9lbs for a Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x50 and an Area 419 sidewinder muzzlebrake. I also added a Limbsaver Airtech to it. It kicks about like a .243 when using the factory stock. However, there is quite a bit of muzzle rise and I am not spotting my shots at all at this moment. I'll admit that I'm not the most amazing shooter. So that has something to do with, but I'd be really impressed by someone whose able to do so with the amount of rise I'm experiencing. In regards to recoil though - the gun is a joy to shoot.

I have an AG Composite Alpine Hunter on order. It's supposed be shipping next week. So, I'm interested to see how that affects things.

 

[madcalfe]

Here’s mine,
defiance anti
20” proof
Paradigm stock
I have a baby ATACR on it now cause the Kahles is junk.