Ultralight Custom Break Action Rifle

[PistolPete]

I've gone the Contender route, and they're neat, but not readily going to be under about 5 lbs bare. Plus everything with then is expensive...

 

[StupidLightweight]

If the goal is low weight, I’d steer you away from the Contender route. Cool rifles, no doubt, but not nearly as lightweight as other options. AR options have been covered at length, so I won’t address that here, but for a similar price as you’ll pay for a customized TC, a gunsmith could whittle on a Howa Mini and get it down into the 3.5-pound range. That would be a worthwhile project.

Building lightweight guns is fun, but it’s largely a game. Outside of weirdly specific applications, going below 5 pounds is counterproductive for hunting. The 3-pound, 10-ounce custom Kimber I owned was so lightweight I rarely hunted with it. Same with my AR in the low 2-pound range.

 

[Axlrod]

Is it an Encore or Contender?

Contender G2 w/ SSK barrel. The barrel is not a light weight. The Encore frames weigh about 1# than the Contenders.

 

[Trumpet]

Albeit "low-budge", the new Rossi single shots are pretty cool...not particularly lightweight though.

Rossi LWC

 

[Trackselk]

There are threads on here with some really light TC G2's. My 30-30 was ridiculously light and I took 2 or 3 elk with it, but the ARs are lighter. It took me a while to find a smith to mill the 30-30 down to .5" at the muzzle iirc. I need to dig in the safe to see if I sold it with all my other tc stuff. The AR like mentioned above is also a lot less cash and then you have a repeater. The TC's require fiddling with finding the correct pin and keeping it greased, but I found that a backup shot wasn't nearly as difficult as you'd expect when I instinctively got 2 rounds in an elk one time.

 

[msalm]

I read a story of an ultra lightweight stock for the Howa Mini, offered in AU or NZ I think. Guys were putting together sub 5lb Grendel bolt actions.

 

[StupidLightweight]

From the factory, the Howa Carbon Stalker Mini Action is sub-5-pounds. That's light enough.

Carbon Stalker - Howa USA

CARBON STALKER The HOWA CARBON STALKER Howa barrel that is fitted into an excellent Custom Carbon Fiber wrapped stock that brings the weight of this functional mighty lightweight beauty starting at 4lbs 10 oz! NOW AVAILABLE IN KRYPTEK ALTITUDE FEATURED IN –Guns & AmmoBackcountry Hunter FEATURES...

www.howausa.com

But if you want to go really lightweight, send a Mini Action to a gunsmith like Rick Steinhour at Extreme Rifle Works. I have no doubt Rick could get it down to the 3.5-pound range.

 

[Stocky]

I'm theorizing on a potential rifle that would be lighter than any bolt action or repeater AR. Is there any reason why a break action could not be designed to be even lighter than these?

Locking mechanism is typically weaker or complex to make. So you either give up performance or cost.

Can build bloody light off a Contender. But if you wanted a truly light rifle a barrel locking system such as a Blaser K95 would be best so you can utilize aluminum outside of the locking area.

 

[Te Hopo]

I read a story of an ultra lightweight stock for the Howa Mini, offered in AU or NZ I think. Guys were putting together sub 5lb Grendel bolt actions.

Here you go

Kiwi made Howa mini ultralight chassis a reality?

I don't know how many remember some pics popping up a while back now of a kiwi made chassis for the mini , but the missus found this on Facebook

www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.nz

 

[Trumpet]

Here you go

Kiwi made Howa mini ultralight chassis a reality?

I don't know how many remember some pics popping up a while back now of a kiwi made chassis for the mini , but the missus found this on Facebook

www.nzhuntingandshooting.co.nz

View attachment 737345

Anywhere to get them stateside?

 

[Stocky]

I've got a lightweight g2 contender and you will never get it really light. Not compared to the single shot ar build without going fully custom with handmade components. Ie a custom pencil barrel at minimum length and a carbon handguard system. A custom rear stock which you'd have to make to maximize weight lose. A kimbers as easy or easier to get light as the actions pretty minimal weight wise and the stocks easier to make lighter. I am making up a barrel stub at work that might get me light but functionally it wouldn't out preform the AR style builds.

As for the howas. They get light but a kimber action is lighter than the howa mini. I have a mini in the above chassis that I slabbed and skeleonised the action and it was still the same weight as my kimber which has a longer barrel.

To go lighter you have to give up functionality and the ARs are hard to beat. If we could still do them I'd go that way as value for money to weight they just win.