# Lightweight .308



## Champion22 (Jan 18, 2008)

Any thoughts from all about a lightweight bolt and/or lever action .308? 

Not interested in AR platform. Want a simple setup for my Xsight so my son can start practicing for next year. My knights armament with Xsight may weight 12 pounds...(haven't really weighed it but it sure is heavy).

Just curious as to some potential thoughts. Also, not wanting to break the bank.

Thanks
Robbie


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## Jungle_Jim (Nov 16, 2007)

Tikka T3 lite stainless


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

My S&W .308 made by Husqvarna is the lightest rifle I own and the one that has gotten the most use after 40 years.If I had to buy another rifle,I would shop around for an old S&W or a full fledge Husqvarna.Scope,sling and gun I bet doesn't weigh 6lbs.Later on,they gave their rifle contract to I think Mossberg and are no where near as nice of a gun.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Just done some research and the later S&W's were made by Howa of Japan.


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## Csafisher (Nov 16, 2010)

peckerwood said:


> My S&W .308 made by Husqvarna is the lightest rifle I own and the one that has gotten the most use after 40 years.If I had to buy another rifle,I would shop around for an old S&W or a full fledge Husqvarna.Scope,sling and gun I bet doesn't weigh 6lbs.Later on,they gave their rifle contract to I think Mossberg and are no where near as nice of a gun.


I have a .300wm husky imported by S&W and it is light as well. Absolutely love that rifle. Not sure about S&W but husqvarna was later manufactured by carl gustav for a little while I think.

But I would take a look at a tikka t3 lite for sure. Light and accurate.


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## mlw85547 (Nov 2, 2015)

My Ruger GSR is said to be 7 lbs dry. I really like it for hunting east texas. I have a 1.5-4x leupold intermediate eye relief scope (i dont consider it to be a scout scope) mounted on it. with the 16" barrel it is really convenient in the blind and relatively light and compact when compared to some of the other guns guys are using at my lease. 

Ruger also has a synthetic stock version that is lighter than my laminate wood stock. to use something like an Xsight on the gun i would recommend getting the full length rail for the top or something similar. 

Mine is easily 1.5-2 MOA with Federal Premium 168gr BTHP with Sierra MatchKing Bullets. Probably better guns out there, but this works well for me.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Many of the Huskies and Howa's (i.e. Weatherby Vanguards) are simply modified mausers. The lightweight in those bolt actions is not a product of the action design, but is a product of the stock choice and more importantly, barrel length and profile. Basically, all large ring mausers or small ring mausers have a very similar action weight until you get to truly custom actions. 

Same with Rem 700's and many of the rest of the commercial actions. The weight savings is in the barrel and stock. 

Want a light weight bolt action? Buy a decent action with a short pencil barrel and buy a real lightweight stock. In that regard, Rem 700's have far more realistic stock and barrel choices.


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## Champion22 (Jan 18, 2008)

Thanks for the quick replies...definitely will be checking the recommendations out and see where it leads this holiday season!


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Find you a model 7 Remington.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

The lightest weight receiver is probably the CZ527 and the Zastava mini-Mauser Mark X. These actions are sized for the .223 or 7.62x39 cartridges. I am thinking a custom CZ527 chambered in .300 Blackout shooting 125 grains bullet would be a cool light rifle for shots under 200 yards.


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## Bearkat (Jul 18, 2008)

I just picked up a Ruger RSI in .308. It has an 18.5" barrel and is right at 7 lbs. dry. How old is your son? With 165 gr bullets it will thump you pretty good. Definitely more than my boy's .243 shooting 85 or 100 gr. bullets.


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## Champion22 (Jan 18, 2008)

He is 9-10. Has taken very easily to shooting .243 this year and is quite a good shot. Probably won't let him shoot it til mid next year but I wanted to start looking now and possibly get a deal on something used when it comes around. Might even put a rail on his .243 and throw the night vision on it for next year if push comes to shove or I don't feel he will be able to handle it next year.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Unless it is going to use a can, why would you build a Mini-M or CZ527 in Blackout? 

In 6.5 Grendel, 125 grains will likely be supersonic out to a 800, if not a grand. And, it does everything the Blackout can do with 125 grains under 200, but with bullets ideally suited for mid-sized game.


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## daddyhoney (Dec 4, 2006)

I love the CZ firearms in general and have a 527 in .223 and another in 7.62x39. Both are very accurate, light weight and kill deer with little recoil. As was mentioned previously, CZ is supposed to produce the 527 in a 6.5 Grendel next year. That is a fine round ballistically and a light recoiler. Good ammo on the shelf by several manufacturers. You will love the single set trigger. Buds Guns has the 7.62x39 on sale now for $639 and will shoot MOA with Cor-bon 150s for deer and you can pour cheap Russian rounds through it for pennies to thin out the pigs and plink. CZ has excellent wood, has all metal parts where others may have plastic, fully adjustable trigger. The newer .223s now come in a better twist rate allowing heavier bullets. I can't wait for the Grendel. GG


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

Model 70 Featherweight Compact or Ruger Hawkeye Compact have shorter LOP from the factory and are reasonably light. Hornady makes a light load, 125-grain SST.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Ernest said:


> Unless it is going to use a can, why would you build a Mini-M or CZ527 in Blackout?
> 
> In 6.5 Grendel, 125 grains will likely be supersonic out to a 800, if not a grand. And, it does everything the Blackout can do with 125 grains under 200, but with bullets ideally suited for mid-sized game.


Love my Grendel.
123 grain Hornady SST out of my 24" barrel is still supersonic to about 1200 yards. Easily take down deer to 500 yards. Been many elk killed at over 400 with it. Blackout wont come close to that kind of performance.

Light rifle I vote Tika T3 lite....hard to improve on.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

I have a TC Venture 308 that I'm thinking of selling after season, it is made for kids with a shortened stock, I use a spacer to take it to full length. Will be replacing it with the same BUT full length stock....


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Rem.600 or 660.Old but good.


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## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

there is a mdl. 7 rem on here for sale in 7mm08, this is what my youngest (46) shoots he has harrington rods in his back and this is the only gun he has ever used deer hunting.
good luck


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## texastkikker (Dec 24, 2008)

peckerwood said:


> Rem.600 or 660.Old but good.


 yup the Remington 600 is a good choice...I have a .243 in the safe......shot first deer with it and will give it to my son one day.......


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## jetbuilt (May 4, 2010)

The CZ is a very nice rifle for the price, they should always receive heavy consideration in my opinion. Also, there's no reason to shy away from the built in Japan Howa platforms. . .they build the weatherby vanguard series (likely others too) and those are good value firearms.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

CHARLIE said:


> Find you a model 7 Remington.


X2 I dont think you can do better than the model 7 for what you want in a rifle. I had one in .223 stainless but my kids outgrew it.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Model 7 saves you essentially nothing in weight. And, you get to pay more and have less selection for virtually all the accessories. Stocks, scope mounts, etc. 

I think the weight savings comparing a Mod. 7 to a Mod. 700 (action weight) is on the order of 2 oz.'s. Like I said earlier, the weight is in the stock and barrel, not the action. 

Plus, a Mod. 7 is NOT a better action. Neither is a 600/660. Sure, if you want to build a nostalgia weapon, go for it.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Well my model 7 weighed much less than my model 700. Why? The stock was plastic and hollow. The barrel was shorter and lighter. The model 7 is a scaled down copy of the 700. Not a lot of weight savings but a proven quality action.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Remington Model 7 SS .243 Win with 20-inch barrel: (4 lbs) â€“ (2 lbs. 5 oz ) - (6 lbs. 5 oz.)

Weatherby Ultra Lightweight .270 Win with 24-inch fluted barrel: (4 lbs.) â€“ (1 lbs. 12 oz.) â€“ (5 lbs. 12 oz.)

Remington M700 SS .280 Rem. with 24-inch barrel: (5 lbs. 1 oz.) â€“ (2 lbs. 2 oz) - (7 lbs. 3 oz.)

Winchester 70 Classic Stainless .338 Win. with 26-inch barrel: (5 lbs. 8 oz.) â€“ (1 lbs. 15 oz.) â€“ (7 lbs. 7 oz.)

Weatherby Mark V Fibermark .300 Wthby with 24-inch barrel: (5 lbs. 5 oz.) - (2 lbs. 2 oz.) - (7 lbs. 7 oz.)

Remington KS Mountain Rifle .338 Win with 24-inch barrel: (5 lbs. 1 oz). â€“ (1 lbs. 11 oz.) â€“ (6 lbs. 12 oz.)

Rifles Inc. Custom Classic .300 Win	with 24-inch barrel and Bansner stock: (4 lbs. 11 oz.) â€“ (1 lbs. 9 oz.) â€“ (6 lbs. 4 oz.)

SAWTOOTH â€“ The factory, synthetic stock on the Remington M7SS is relatively heavy. That means that with a lighter stock you ought to be able to get the weight down considerably. The Bansner (High Tech) stocks are great at doing that, although Iâ€™m not sure about that 18 oz. figure. My Bansner stocks have all been for M700 long actions, have had a 13-3/4 LOP, and generally have weighed around 25 ounces ready to go. Iâ€™m not sure what a Bansner stock for a M7 will weigh. Once the barreled action is installed in the stock, I generally figure a Leupold 2.5-8 in steel mounts will add every close to 16 oz. to the rig. Using Talley lightweight aluminum mounts will drop that by about 2 oz.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Ya gotta watch ole Ernest sometimes. I think he just wants to practice his profession at times. Like arguing against things that mite be true. Jus sayin.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Charlie, I see he is only 50 but I thought he was old and grumpy. lol


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

He's good at what he does. Most of the time.. I loved my Model 7 in 223. Finally ruined the barrel shooting too many copper bullets and failing to clean it. Put me in a new heavy barrel, and good trigger and good scope and dern thing shoots good even with a Model 7 action. Besides that didnt have any problems whatsoever finding good mounts for that lil gun either.

My boy has a Model 7 in 270 short magnum. Good shooter too.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

The .223 stainless one I had was machined/made very nice. I see there are many bases and rings available for it. I had stainless Leupold bases and rings on mine with a matt black Leupold VXIII 4-12x40 scope.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

No, what you need to watch out for is folks that take objective discussions about easily verifiable facts and try to make them personal. That, and people that shamelessly repeat rumors as fact.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Bottoms up

See I told you !!! LOL


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Ernest just has a bone with the Model 7. I build rifles and have owned a model 7. I know exactly what I am talking about and it was never personal. I even listed the weights of it and the model 700. Its right at a full lb lighter and easy to maneuver. I cut 1" off the rear of the stock and my kids handled it fine.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

So just to see how light a .308 can be. How about a Kelbly Kodiac action at 28 ounces and Featherlight Shilen .308 barrel? Add a carbon fiber stock or make a bolt action bullpup out of it.


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## SoberBrent (Jun 17, 2013)

Bottomsup said:


> So just to see how light a .308 can be. How about a Kelbly Kodiac action at 28 ounces and Featherlight Shilen .308 barrel? Add a carbon fiber stock or make a bolt action bullpup out of it.


Bullpups are generally heavier due to the added trigger linkage.

Carbon fiber stock would be the way to go.

Isnt there a company that makes steel lined carbon fiber barrels?
Christensen arms I believe.
http://www.christensenarms.com/products/carbon-barrel/christensen-arms-carbon-barrel/


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Yes there are a few companies that offer carbon wrapped barrels but they arent as light as a light or featherweight contour barrel. There is very little a .308 barrel over 18" offers in velocity and not needed unless shooting 500 yards plus. Many law enforcement agencies are choosing 18" over 20". The bull pup trigger linkage weighs less than 1.5 ounces in my bullpup. Its an aluminum trigger blade with a carbon fiber rod going to the original trigger. Its very crisp and clean with no play. The bullpup stock saves some weight and if it was carbon fiber it would save even more. McMillan claims 22-24 ounces on their lightweight carbon stock.


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

I know the OP said he wasnt interested in AR style rifles but I read an article where a guy built one in .223 that weighs 3.45 lbs. I dont think you will ever get that low with a bolt action.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Heck I even found good scope mounts and scopes to put on my 7. .


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## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Charlie I see they have Talley two piece and one piece rail's for 36.00, EGW picatiny rails for 36.00, Leupold has Weaver style as well as beavertail style for 35.00 and I am sure there are more. I think I still have the Leupold two piece beaver tail bases and rings if anyone is interested.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Mine has Talley with Leupold scope. The bolt release mechanism under the trigger on the 7 is different than the 700.That's about it on the bolt issue I think.


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## Wado (May 15, 2011)

I fondled one of these one time.
http://www.kimberamerica.com/montana


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## texastkikker (Dec 24, 2008)

Forbes Rifles LLC.......they are expensive though


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