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Thread: Designing an ultra light deer rifle (in my mind )

  1. #1
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    Designing an ultra light deer rifle (in my mind )

    It's been kinda slow at work so I've had time for my mind to wander more than usual . Lately in my head I've been trying to design the most compact and lightweight bolt action short range deer rifle I can . It will never be built unless I find a jar full of gold coins in the back yard but just dreaming , I already have a model 600 in 35 Rem so the new one has to trump it in weight if that's possible . What I've come up with is using a mini Mauser action . There's one chambered in 22-250 so that's the base . 18-20" light weight barrel chambered in 35 IHMSA short enough to fit that action and power close to 358 win . Composite stock and a lightweight base/ring /scope set up . Besides going with custom titanium action and or a carbon fiber wrapped barrel can anyone think of a more compact and light way to build this dream rifle ?

    Tim
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  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master
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    A "dream" rifle that beats you up will be a nightmare.

    The 7.62x39 is already offered in the mini- Mauser and is more than adequate for deer if using jacketed bullets. I suppose you could rebore and rechamber to 9x39 if you wanted to shoot cast.
    Don Verna


  3. #3
    Boolit Master RKJ's Avatar
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    The 7.62 x 39 is so Vanilla though, plus it's nice to daydream about a one of a kind rifle.

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    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    The Kimber Hunter @ 5.5# fits the bill. A Remington Model Seven would also work.

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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    The 600 is hard to beat.
    However; since you already have it,
    Ya might branch off for something different like a Browning BLR Lightweight in 6.5 Creedmoor or even .243.
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    Short range, I'd suggest the 350 Legend. I think that's short enough, I could be wrong but a 35 caliber bore in a sporter barrel is a lot lighter than a lot of the bottleneck calibers, carries more weight boolit for boolit, and is perfectly suited to taking deer, elk, bear, whatever.
    Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.

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    One of the Ruger American Ranch rifles is pretty close. For woods ranges, just about any centerfire caliber works fine.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master


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    Look at the New Ultra-lite rifles. Thin barrels, light actions and composite stocks. Calibers?

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Rem model 7, have the bolt spiral fluted and the bolt handle skeletonized. Aluminum rail and rings, carbon fiber barrel or spiral fluted steel barrel, McMillan stock with lightweight fill.
    Or the easy button is a kimber mountian elite.
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  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by wv109323 View Post
    Look at the New Ultra-lite rifles. Thin barrels, light actions and composite stocks. Calibers?
    I had a friend I used to travel with that used an Ultra Light Arms for silhouette. He could use a high end 2 lb scope and still easily be under hunter rifle weight. His unscoped rifle weighed under 5 lbs.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master BJK's Avatar
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    A SBR removes a lot of weight and size. Get it chambered in a cartridge that gets the most out of a short barrel, probably a .32/20, .30 carbine*, 300BLK or a big pistol cartridge, and in an action that has no length, like an Encore or some such. I don't know of a carbon stock for Encore, but with enough $ anything can be made. No scope, just a red dot. It would carry like a dream and handle very fast. A rifle such as that would be ideal for the deep woods I hunt, but maybe not so much for you. When I still hunt the shots are pretty much 25 yards maximum as the deer rub the sleepers out of their eyes. I carry my firearm a lot and fire it little and when I do fire it for keeps I never hear it or feel the recoil, range shooting is different.

    In a semi-auto still with the SBR, or arm braced handgun, but chambered in 300BLK using either supersonic or subsonic loads. Still with the red dot. Such a firearm would be larger and heavier than the above but not terribly so. But either the single shot or semi can be suppressed and still not be overly large or heavy, esp' if an over the barrel can is used. With a 10" barrel and an over the barrel can the barrel length can still be only 14".

    *In .32/20 reloads for modern guns can safely reach 2000ish fps with a 125gr bullet, same for the other .30s listed. Plenty for close range medium game.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    My Rossi 20" Model 92 is barely over 5 pounds. A 16" one is under 5 pounds. Your choice of 357 or 44 mag or 45 Colt. Any one of them would slam a deer to the ground with a cast bullet. I bet I could get a 300 grain bullet over 1500 fps out of a 45 Colt one if I had it (mine is a 357 Mag). That will penetrate probably two whole deer from stem to stern and keep going.

    A contender single shot rifle might be lighter. Emphasis on might. It'd give you the choice of whatever cartridge you wanted if you must have a high velocity cartridge or something. But I doubt that's necessary even for midwestern deer.

    I am sure it seems exciting to reinvent the wheel. But the reality is there's already a $600 rifle on the market that does exactly what you're suggesting.

  13. #13
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    Maybe rebarrel the Mini Mauser to .250 Savage. The bolt face is already right. The magazine might not need alteration. .250 Savage is a dandy deer round.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master


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    If lightweight and short range are the name of the game, why would you be looking at bolt actions?

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    Boolit Master
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    Being sensible isn't always what we do.

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy
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    Lets see,, lighter than a Model 600,, check

    chambered in 35 Remington,,, check

    Heck, Tim, you even supplied the boolits for this one!!,,, CHECKMATE!


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    .460 S&W for me if it has to be a pistol...

  18. #18
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    back when i was working and had all kinds of extra money i thought on a mini Mauser in 6mm/223. What i wanted was a pencil thin light barrel and a full stock. I was into the full stocked guns then. Had 3 rugers and 2 sako's.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    I've already got two of them! First a Howa mini in 6.5 Grendel with the pencil barrel, the second is a Thompson Center Encore in 500 S&W mag. That second one is like getting hit with a Baseball bat every time it's touched off!

  20. #20
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    How about my JES Marlin 30AS 356 Winchester Trapper ?
    Click image for larger version. 

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