Lightweight Rifle suggestions

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Barnfixer

Barnfixer

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I’m looking for suggestions for a lightweight rifle purchase in the future. The rifle will probably be chambered in .243 and have a stainless barrel/action and a synthetic stock. I would prefer the only “plastic” on the gun is the stock, I’m not a fan of plastic magazines and don’t need a detachable magazine at all. I looked at a Kimber Hunter and liked it a lot but hear Kimber’s can be hot and cold in the accuracy department. In the past I considered a Montana brand rifle but I see their no longer in business but some or there products can still be had. Tikka is another I was thinking of but I don’t care for the stock. I’m in the process of rotating stock in the gun cabinet with mixed emotions and need a game plan to restock.
 
I am trying to choose between a Tikka and Remington 700 because of superior accuracy. These days you might have to change parts to get what you want.
 
If you can heel your aversion to plastic mags,, the Savage Storm is a good choice. If you find one, the T/C Compass is a lighter choice than some, but it hits 7lbs without a scope.
 
You might want to rethink your cartridge choice. Have you checked the availability of 243 Winchester lately? It's as rare as hen's teeth right now. You might be better off with a 7mm-08 or 6.5 creedmore.
 
Savage lightweights are surprisingly good rifles. The magazine itself is metal, but the floorplate is plastic. The magazine catch on the rifle itself is a very cheesy plastic. It's my sloe point of contention with mine. Mine is a first generation, so it may not apply to the upgraded "Storm" model.
 
A Kimber 84M is about as light as you can get under $3000. You get a quality synthetic stock that uses the same construction technique as a $600-$700 McMillan Edge stock. If you choose the scope and mounts carefully you can keep total weight with optics and mounts a hair under 6 lbs. IME the rifles are quite accurate. But very trigger pullers are good enough to shoot a rifle that light well. I've found a rifle that weighs somewhere between 7 lbs to about 7 1/2 lbs including scope and mounts to be the best compromise between shootability and carryability.

I’m not a fan of plastic magazines and don’t need a detachable magazine at all.
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You're needlessly handicapping yourself with this requirement.

There have been several advances in rifle design in recent years that have proven to make rifles more accurate, more reliable, lighter, and at reduced cost. Every single one of those rifles have several things in common. The most important thing is to use an enclosed action which makes the action stiffer, and since it requires less machining they are cheaper to produce. But the only way to load them is with a detachable magazine. Internal box magazines have always been a hurdle to overcome in making rifles accurate.

And plastic mags have proven to be more rugged and reliable than metal. Plastic Mag Pul mags are now the gold standard for AR magazines and Glock has been using plastic mags for a very long time.
 
jmr40 said:
A Kimber 84M is about as light as you can get under $3000. You get a quality synthetic stock that uses the same construction technique as a $600-$700 McMillan Edge stock. If you choose the scope and mounts carefully you can keep total weight with optics and mounts a hair under 6 lbs. IME the rifles are quite accurate. But very trigger pullers are good enough to shoot a rifle that light well. I've found a rifle that weighs somewhere between 7 lbs to about 7 1/2 lbs including scope and mounts to be the best compromise between shootability and carryability.



You're needlessly handicapping yourself with this requirement.

There have been several advances in rifle design in recent years that have proven to make rifles more accurate, more reliable, lighter, and at reduced cost. Every single one of those rifles have several things in common. The most important thing is to use an enclosed action which makes the action stiffer, and since it requires less machining they are cheaper to produce. But the only way to load them is with a detachable magazine. Internal box magazines have always been a hurdle to overcome in making rifles accurate.

And plastic mags have proven to be more rugged and reliable than metal. Plastic Mag Pul mags are now the gold standard for AR magazines and Glock has been using plastic mags for a very long time.
Click to expand...
I guess out of all things I’m looking or not looking for, I can live with a plastic magazine. Thanks for your reply!
 
Capstick1 said:
You might want to rethink your cartridge choice. Have you checked the availability of 243 Winchester lately? It's as rare as hen's teeth right now. You might be better off with a 7mm-08 or 6.5 creedmore.
Click to expand...
I’ve had .243’s for many years and like the round, plus I have many rounds on hand plus brass and components. I use it for coyotes and sometimes whitetail. My main whitetail round is a 7mm-08 and the 6.5 is to close to that.
 
My oldest son has a Ruger American in 308 Win. You can carry it all day without so much as a muscle twitch. Accuracy is bang-flop deer with factory Winchester Power Point ammo. Another great rifle for the money is the Weatherby S2 Vanguard. I have one in 257 Wby, plus several older “original” Vanguards. All are small group shooters but more importantly the cold barrel accuracy is right stinking on the money.
 
I have a ruger American in 243. It’s light and with a Nikon buck master on top I have never had issues with accuracy. I shoot 3 rounds at the beginning of hunting season to double check and have a lot of friends that hunt use it because it stays in our cabin in georgia. It has taken a lot of deer and is very accurate out to 150 yards, it took a doe last year at 155 and performed flawlessly
 
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