Rifle System: What is "too light"

[bnewt3]

OP, apologies for highjacking for a minute.

 

[Blake C]

Depends how far you wanna shoot......lighter it is the closer you need to be.

 

[AZ_Hunter]

Every BG rifle I own is between 7.25 and 8.25 lbs. which is for me the sweet spot.
Some of which are customized Kimber 84M's that I've rebarreled with heavier barrels cause the factory ones are too light for me.

I have landed in the same zone, but I haven’t shot at big game past 410 yards. Despite being “out west”, I have always been able to close the distance; in 20 years of hunting I still have 95% of my shots fall within that 300 and in range.

I have built and hunted with sub 6lb AR’s (scoped and suppressed) and they are very wobbly unless on bipod/tripod. Conversely, I have done 10+lbs rifles too, and they just annoy to me carry. I am above average in strength and fitness, but just like a lighter rifle since it’s carried way more than fired. That said, there is no doubt a heavier rifle is easier to shoot. So my own experience across a variety of hunting scenarios landed me in 7.5lb ish range as my personal preference zone.

To each their own.

 

[bnewt3]

My TIkka SL 308 is nearly stock and I think its right around 8.5# RTH. It could be a bit lighter, maybe 7.5, and I dont think it would hurt my shooting. But I think that would be my lower limit. A Limbsaver Airtech made a BIG difference in my comfort.

But its completely dependent on the cartridge. 223 can be UL, 338LM better be pretty heavy.

 

[Te Hopo]

I found my sub 5lb 223 was a dream to carry but it was only so so for shooting.
Near perfect form and it was great, but get casual and it was all over the show.

I've now added some weight back onto it with a Stockys VG stock, hopefully the improved ergonomics and little bit of extra weight will help bring a little more consistency

 

[Thegman]

I found my sub 5lb 223 was a dream to carry but it was only so so for shooting.
Near perfect form and it was great, but get casual and it was all over the show.

I've now added some weight back onto it with a Stockys VG stock, hopefully the improved ergonomics and little bit of extra weight will help bring a little more consistency

What were the details on this rifle in it's sub-5lb form? I've always thought a 223 bolt rifle in this weight range would be great. My sub-5lb 308 has always been fine for me, so figured that rifle in 223 would be even better.

 

[Harronek]

I went down the “ Light “ rabbit hole a few years ago and realised that the shoot ability became a big problem for me .
My favourite Deer / Pig rifle now is a mixture of Tikka parts that tick all of the boxes for my applications.

Tikka Lite 6.5 CM , 20 inch barrel , in a Tikka CTR stock / bottom metal / magazine, it weighs 3805 grams ( 8.39 pounds ) .
It’s right on the limit of heavy but still a pleasure to carry and when it comes time to shoot , I have no excuses.