shoe Report post Posted April 30, 2019 Similar to the "what's the best cartridge" discussion. I'm looking at building a Coues specific rifle. What weight would you target for the build? For me it's closely tied to cartridge selection because I don't think I want to be shooting a heavy recoiling cartridge in an ultra light rifle. So I put the question to the group. Based on the unique challenges of hunting Coues deer, what your ideal rifle weight? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grey curse Report post Posted April 30, 2019 Of coarse lighter is better in Coues terrain but besides recoil value, stability plays a huge factor it weights of rifle and long range accuracy. With scope I prefer the 9-10 lbs rifle. On that note tho I don’t spend as much time behind my rifle at the range as I should and probably could shave a pound or two if I did 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted April 30, 2019 Not sure this all answers your question but context can be key. Until this year, I'd only carried a 24" Savage 110 chambered in 7mm RM that weighs 10 pounds. It has been great on a few 400+ yard coues and elk but it wasn't a rifle that I truly enjoyed shooting and carrying all the time. In addition to another Savage I own, and to round off the interchangeable centerfire fleet (for now), I recently bought their 20" lightweight storm 110 chambered in 6.5 Creedmor that includes a Zeiss 3-15x42 on top. It weighs 6.8 pounds and has various butt stock adapters to adjust LOP, the selling point as my daughter will use this rifle as she grows. It has been an absolute dream to carry on my recent coues scouting trips and it's proven to be maneuverable and shoots great out to 500 (so far), hammering coyotes as I've been fire forming its brass. I wish I would have purchased a shorter, lightweight carry rifle long ago. I've had a couple 10 and 12 mile days in coues country and I hardly notice it is there. In summary, I think 7 pounds scoped is a great carry weight, recoil is minimal, and I really enjoy the 20" barrel. In windy conditions, I would still pack my 7mm to effectively reach my self-imposed 5-600 yard game limit, so there is that. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoe Report post Posted April 30, 2019 3 hours ago, CouesPursuit said: In summary, I think 7 pounds scoped is a great carry weight, recoil is minimal, and I really enjoy the 20" barrel. That's a great data point, thanks. What kind of velocity do you get from the 20" tube? Is your trail-ready weight actually 7 lbs? It looks like the bare rifle is like 6+lb and scope/rings/rail might put it almost at 8? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted May 1, 2019 6.5 Creedmors don't push the heavy/caliber bullets especially fast in comparison to other .264s, but I read on a couple tests out there that showed the barrel cut off in 1-2" increments while maintaining a decent range in velocity all the way to 18-20". I am shooting 143gr @ 2739 FPS in front of 42.3gr of H4350, no signs of pressure but velocity tapered off past 42.6-43.0gr. Barrel only has 90 rounds so it may speed up a little. Also haven't played with the Superformance or RL17 on my bench yet either. It's tough when you have a keg of H4350. I'll wait for accuracy load dev when all my bras is ready and the barrel has 200 rounds through it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted May 1, 2019 Yes, DNZ game reaper for mounting. And just now with butler caps and 4 rounds. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rkv09 Report post Posted May 1, 2019 I have .270 that weighs 8.5# scoped and I think that is ideal for carrying and shooting longer distances. I have a 14# 6.5 SAUM that is amazing at long distance just not fun to carry and on the other hand a 6.5# 7mm-08 that I find difficult to shoot long distance accurately but 400 and under no problem. None of those rifles have a heavy recoil though. If its going to be a coues specific rifle, in my opinion, I would look at a .264 or .284 caliber rifle that can shoot the high BC bullets at a decent rate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZAV8ER Report post Posted May 1, 2019 I have been taking a buck every year for about 10 years with a 7# 270win. I find the rifle a little light for that cartridge (if you are not on the gun with good form it can get away from me, throwing the shot). Last year my son made a solid 350yd shot with a standard MOD70 270win withe a good sized scope, a solid set up guessing close to or around 9/9+#. Given my experience I am going to start carrying a MOD70 featherweight (a total misnomer) that would split the difference at right around 8# or just shy. so my preference for something 30-06, 280 or 270win is 8 lbs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KoosCrazy Report post Posted May 1, 2019 I personally like 8-10lbs rifle, scope, bipod and all. Too light is hard to shoot accurately at distance. Heavy is nice for long shots but a pain to carry. I’ve hunted with 338 to 243 for Coues. My favorites are my 280AI and 6.5-06 both at 9lb fully equipped. I’ve found the longer barrels 26+ are more a pain than an extra lbs or 2. I like 24 in max barrels. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoe Report post Posted May 3, 2019 Thanks for all the comments so far, good food for thought. I'm still not sure where my sweet spot is in terms of weight vs. shootability Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
