Shopping for a new ultralight rifle.

[Prairiekid]

I am in the market for a new ultralight rifle. I live and hunt in the mountains. My Tikka has been by my side for all of it. It’s a M695 in 25.06 and wears a Vari x II 3-9*50. It weighs just over 9lbs.

My wife has been joining me hunting, as well I have been doing a lot more still hunting, so I need to pick up another hunting rifle. I’m thinking something a bit lighter and maybe more compact could work well. The CA Ridgeline caught my eye a few years ago, I checked out a used one and I am still interested but I am undecided. It didn’t feel as light as I expected, and felt longer than I figured it would. It was a nice rifle, but I’m not sure as I said earlier, I have been spending more and more time still hunting, which sort of requires you have your rifle in your hand all day.

I have been scouring the web for options. So far in no particular order.

Sako Finnlight (.308) - SA 6.1lbs - 20”

Remington Model 7 (.308) - SA 6.5lbs 20” barrel OAL - 39 1/4

Weatherby Ultralight - LA (.280 ai) 5.3lbs OAL 46”

Mesa - SA 6.5lbs - 22” barrel

CA Ridgeline - SA (6.5 Cred) 6.3lbs 24” barrel OAL 46”
- LA (.280ai) 6.8lbs 26” barrel OAL 48”

I will likely for a second hand lightly used option, if I do that I can likely get the rifles above for just under $2000 CAD or very close. Well, the Weatherby is out, as well as the titanium options from CA. But I wanted something super light as a reference.

Do you guys have any suggestions or experience that might help me decide? I didn’t find it that easy to find specs on each rifle. I really appreciate the way that Remington and Weatherby have the specifications laid out on their websites.

Is the barrel length of a Ridgeline measured with the brake? Is the overall actually 48”? I didn’t measure the one I checked out. The Model 7 looks like a great option but likely the barrel quality won’t compare to the others. If I get a long action I will hope for the .280ai, if a short action my preference would be 6.5prc but that isn’t going to be easy to find used, so probably a .308 or 6.5CM.

In the last 4 years I have taken 6 deer with my current set up, four of the shots were standing off hand and the other two kneeling. I don’t often get the opportunity to shoot off a rest.

Hope you’re all having a great weekend.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Ridgeline isn’t very light, all the ones I’ve seen ah e been about 8lbs when scoped. Christensen makes nice guns but I don’t think they fall into the ultralight category.

seems like the ultralight guns are Kimber and Barrett, maybe a few others like the sako Finn light and I’m probably missing a few.

 

[slvrslngr]

Get a Fieldcraft and don’t look back. I believe there’s a couple of them in the classifieds. One 6.5 Creed the other a 243.

 

[Lxhuntinpa]

I have a Kimber Adirondack .308 very light rifle (accurate as well) but I am not a 3 position safety fan personally and the action/ safety is sloppy. If I was to do it over again I would have gone with the Sako Finnlight 308 to complement my Finnlight 7mm rem mag. I just picked up a Tikka T3X stainless .308 and will use that over the Kimber. I am also not a fan of blind magazines but again that’s personal preference.

 

[Kotaman]

Here are a couple Ultralight choices I found in my search of “production” rifles:

*Kimber Montana, Mountain Ascent or Adirondack. Can get under 7 lbs scoped.
*Weatherby Back Country Ti - 4.9 lbs. bare. Easily under 7 lbs ready to hunt.

You can get there with a Christensen, but not without replacing the stock.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Weatherby Mark V Ultralight .30-06 on gunsinternational.com right now for $1400, with rings....seems like a sweet deal...

 

[Prairiekid]

For some reason I don't care for the Kimber's no idea why, just not my preference.

Unfortunately I don't have quite as many options up hear in Canada. But when keeping an eye out you can eventually find what you're looking for. I'll have to check out this Fieldcraft.

 

[Cody_W]

The new Weatherby Backcountry can be found around $2200 and weights under 6lb in short action calibers.

 

[jfs82]

I settled on the Seekins Havak Element 6.5 prc came in 5lb 6oz with embedded rail. Ultimately it went between that and the new Weatherby (not in TI to save 900$) but the 21 inch barrel and more vertical grip swayed me to the Seekins.

 

[AK Troutbum]

If you like CRF and 3 position safety’s, IMO you’ll be hard pressed to find a light wt. rifle, that’s better than one of the light wt. Kimber offerings, however, if you prefer a push feed and two position safety, the Barrett Fieldcraft would be my first choice. Here’s a few unmodified real world weights.

Kimber Mountain Ascent 24” LA .270win. w/brake and 1” Talley LW lows.

Kimber Adirondack 18” SA .308 w/brake and Talley LW lows.

Barrett Fieldcraft 21” SA 6.5cm

The Tikka T3’s/T3x’s, and CA Mesa are all at least a lb. heavier than these and I don’t really consider them light wt.

Edit: Just read that you don’t care for Kimber, so never mind what I said in the beginning.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brendan]

My Kimber Adirondack is under 5#, and is just under 6lbs scoped (Swaro Z3 3-10x42) and loaded. Mountain Ascent will be a couple oz more. Mine easily shoots under 1 MOA, with my best hero group under .5".

With the short barrel, I love the Adirondack for what it is. A dream to carry, but snappy and not the most steady because of its' weight.

No Scope:

Empty:

Loaded Weight:

Loaded weight plus 6 spares:

 

[Capt_Craig]

For me, my decision would be equally based on weight and known accurate rifles. The only known quantity here in my opinion are Tikka and the Barrett Fieldcraft (though the Barrett is expensive and will probably exceed your budget in CAD). I’ve had three of them, all have been very accurate and were a pleasure to own and shoot. The issue for me is that the stock doesn’t really fit me well so I sold them. Now that they have been discontinued, I may just pick one up just to have one, as they are such a nice rifle.

I’ve had a couple of Weatherby Ultra Lightweights, including one which was may main hunting rifle for close to 10 years. They are light, but are all long action and accuracy can be hit or miss with them. The new Back Country rifles look promising, but have not been out long enough in any quantity to have proven accuracy, but may be worth a look if you like their rifles. They are also going to be above you $2k CAD budget though.

The CA rifles are okay, but are generally heavier than advertised, are not true ultra lightweight rifles, and have had some issues with quality control and accuracy, though most seem to shoot well.

As for Kimber, I have had a total of 8 of their rifles, and currently own 3 (280 AI Subalpine, 270 MA, and 7mm-08 Classic Select). All of em shot well enough, but a couple of them definitely improved with some tinkering, bedding, and going through the preflight checklist on them. They will meet your budget (with the exception of the MA) and are true lightweights.

Last but definitely not least is Tikka. They are more than light enough (though not a true ultra lightweight), will fit your budget, and most importantly will more than likely be very accurate. A T3 Light or Superlight would fit, and if you hate the plastic stock, you can always replace it with a McMillan, Manners, AG Comp, or being that you are in Canada Wildcat Composites stocks while still being under your $2k CAN budget. Tikka is coming out with a few new models with upgraded coatings and colors reportedly by Summer or so.

Please let is know what you decide to buy, and congrats on your future new rifle.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

My Kimber 308 has been a great rifle and is well under 6lb all up. I’ve not had any accuracy issues with it at all. I love kimbers.

 

[Prairiekid]

Thank you guys for the detailed feedback. I will definitely post when I purchase a rifle this summer. To the Kimber guys, thanks for the details, it definitely makes me want to look their direction again. Capt_Craig thanks for the extra detailed post, it really helps when someone has extensive experience with each make and model. Being that I love my M695 and it still shoots lights out I might just have to wait and see what they release in a couple of months.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

My Sako Carbonlight in .260 is 7 lbs 6 oz scoped and filled with all 6 rounds.

 

[JeffRaines]

If you’re counting out Kimber due to their spotty history, I will say I’ve bought 2 in the last two years that have been shooters. One needed to go back to Kimber and the process was painless - I called, they gave me a label no questions asked and two weeks later I had the re-stocked rifle with test target at my door.

Both shoot under an inch. The Montana is in 308, weighs right at 6lbs even with talleys and a swaro z3. The other is a Subalpine in 280a, weighs 6lb 6oz with talleys and a Leupold.

 

[Prairiekid]

That’s definitely part of the reason for being scared off from Kimber. Being in Canada I’m not sure how easily I could get service from Kimber or CA.

If you’re counting out Kimber due to their spotty history, I will say I’ve bought 2 in the last two years that have been shooters. One needed to go back to Kimber and the process was painless - I called, they gave me a label no questions asked and two weeks later I had the re-stocked rifle with test target at my door.

Both shoot under an inch. The Montana is in 308, weighs right at 6lbs even with talleys and a swaro z3. The other is a Subalpine in 280a, weighs 6lb 6oz with talleys and a Leupold.

 

[Prairiekid]

For me, my decision would be equally based on weight and known accurate rifles. The only known quantity here in my opinion are Tikka and the Barrett Fieldcraft (though the Barrett is expensive and will probably exceed your budget in CAD). I’ve had three of them, all have been very accurate and were a pleasure to own and shoot. The issue for me is that the stock doesn’t really fit me well so I sold them. Now that they have been discontinued, I may just pick one up just to have one, as they are such a nice rifle.

I’ve had a couple of Weatherby Ultra Lightweights, including one which was may main hunting rifle for close to 10 years. They are light, but are all long action and accuracy can be hit or miss with them. The new Back Country rifles look promising, but have not been out long enough in any quantity to have proven accuracy, but may be worth a look if you like their rifles. They are also going to be above you $2k CAD budget though.

The CA rifles are okay, but are generally heavier than advertised, are not true ultra lightweight rifles, and have had some issues with quality control and accuracy, though most seem to shoot well.

As for Kimber, I have had a total of 8 of their rifles, and currently own 3 (280 AI Subalpine, 270 MA, and 7mm-08 Classic Select). All of em shot well enough, but a couple of them definitely improved with some tinkering, bedding, and going through the preflight checklist on them. They will meet your budget (with the exception of the MA) and are true lightweights.

Last but definitely not least is Tikka. They are more than light enough (though not a true ultra lightweight), will fit your budget, and most importantly will more than likely be very accurate. A T3 Light or Superlight would fit, and if you hate the plastic stock, you can always replace it with a McMillan, Manners, AG Comp, or being that you are in Canada Wildcat Composites stocks while still being under your $2k CAN budget. Tikka is coming out with a few new models with upgraded coatings and colors reportedly by Summer or so.

Please let is know what you decide to buy, and congrats on your future new rifle.

It seems like Tikka released some new 2020 options on their website already. Are those the ones you meant? For some reason I used to remember it being quite easy to get spec on their rifle weights and dimensions, but either I can’t figure it out or the info just isn’t in the website.

 

[JeffRaines]

That’s definitely part of the reason for being scared off from Kimber. Being in Canada I’m not sure how easily I could get service from Kimber or CA.

It would be worth checking into. I know if I were carrying a rifle around all day, a 6lb scoped rifle would be the ticket.

Seems the Barrett’s get a lot of love too - I’m sure they’re wonderful as well but definitely pricier.

 

[Reburn]

It cost money to be thin. Hard to beat the barrett for the money. Mines a 6.5 manbun. Shoots like a dream.