How To Lighten a Hunting Rifle

Hunting rifles have taken a trend towards being as light as possible in order to provide a more comfortable hunting experience. But that leaves the question of “How do I lighten my rifle?”

There are multiple factors that come into play when we’re lightening our rifles and there will always be trade-offs that occur. Before we get into some of the things you can do to shave some weight off of your rifle, we need to know what your hunting rifle will generally look like.

Hunting Rifle Parameters

There’s no “one-size fits all” solution when it comes to hunting rifles. So we’re going to lay out a few criteria that will work with some of the solutions available.

First, we are going to assume your hunting rifle is a Remington 700 bolt-action rifle or at least a very close clone of the action.

Second, we are going to assume you are using a non-magnum hunting round. Something like .308 Winchester or a round with similar characteristics that you like to use for hunting.

Third, we are going to make the assumption that you are going for a first shot success on medium game.

Fourth, we are going to try and keep the rifle between 6-10 pounds. This is because accessories can really add a few extra pounds to our base rifle.

All of these assumptions combine into a relatively light rifle that won’t hinder you from excessive recoil and won’t see heavy round counts with back to back shots.

Now let’s get into what you can do to lighten your rifle.

Changing the Stock

Changing your rifle’s stock is going to be where the most weight savings are. For ease of reference we will be looking at traditional stocks and chassis stock systems. Most modern options are “drop in” ready, which makes it easy to take your R700 action and put it into a new stock.

Traditional Stocks

A lot of traditional hunting rifles will have beautiful wooden stocks. However, wood weighs a lot, especially if it is a hard wood and covers most of the rifle’s profile.

The best way to lighten up your rifle is to take that wooden stock and swap it out with a synthetic stock. This style of stock can be polymer based or something like carbon fiber. These styles of stocks are lighter than wood and are less affected by the elements helping with your rifle’s accuracy consistency.

Chassis Stock Systems

Chassis systems are a metal alternative to your traditional stocks. These often have pistol grips, lightening cuts, and modern mounting options for your rifle’s accessories.

The ergonomics of chassis systems tend to be more comfortable, but they can be fractionally heavier than traditional stocks and require much more effort in finding the “right”lightweight parts.

Chassis systems are better for those who want to continually tinker with their rifles. They are more customizable than traditional stocks but are less “grab and go”.

Barrel Profiles and Lengths

The next heavy area to lighten is the barrel. A big heavy barrel is going to be great for long term accuracy and barrel harmonics but it is going to cost weight. Since we’re looking for a light rifle, we’re going to avoid things like bull-barrels and go for slimmer profiles with shorter lengths and less material.

Barrel Fluting

Barrel fluting is going to be one of our primary methods of having less weight in the rifle’s barrel. Fluting is when material is removed from the barrel in order to lower the weight. This usually results in a barrel that looks like there are deep symmetrical divots along the barrel length.

This helps dissipate heat in addition to lessening the weight of the barrel, but can cause a wandering zero if a lot of heat is introduced to the system.

Barrel Length

Having a shorter barrel is another way to save on weight with a rifle. Hunting barrels are often in the 24-inch range. The general understanding is that every inch of barrel is roughly an ounce of weight. And with the current legal barrel limit being 16 inches, we have roughly 8 ounces of potential weight savings.

However, this can affect our hunting loads since some are designed for specific barrel lengths and twist rates. If you put in a shorter barrel on your hunting rifle be sure to check and see if your preferred hunting round is compatible with the new barrel. If it is, make sure to test it at the range before you take it on your hunt.

Low-Weight Accessories

One of the biggest variables when it comes to rifle weight is your accessories. Sometimes the primary reason to have a light rifle is to accommodate a durable, high magnification scope. A lot of that durability comes with a heavier weight than a less durable scope. Other times that light durable scope comes with a really high price tag.

Choosing the right scope or optic for your hunt is a massive topic all on its own. But we can recommend that you think long and hard about some of the other accessories you might put on your rifle, like bipods and thermals.

What options should I choose for a light hunting rifle?

Choosing the right rifle for your individual needs will always come down to your skills, personal preferences, where you’re hunting, and how much you’re willing to pay for certain qualities. Just because something works for someone else does not mean it will work for you.

Environment and local laws will be the biggest considerations when selecting your hunting rifle. If you’re still having trouble trying to decide what you should do to lighten your rifle we recommend using the Altitude Carbon Fiber Stock with your optic of choice and as little extra accessories as possible.