Is a 10lb hunting rifle too heavy?

[Rockrivr1]

Elevation sickness should not be an issue in Colorado. But, I am basing this on myself going from ocean to sleeping in a cave at over 10K feet. LOL.

Although I could feel breathing wasn't easy getting up there. But that could be because it was a desert.

I was thinking something similar. I've skied many times in Colorado with peaks as high as 13K ft and while the air was definitely thin I was OK with the exertion of skiing. Though I'm sure it's harder hiking up then skiing down.

 

[paul73]

Things like that are another challenge in the mountains.

i can understand that, and, still, it was just a 300yds shot.
i do not get the idea of making 500, 700 etc yds shots where, presumably, the rationale for a 300 win caliber cannon comes from. but, whatever.

again, all i can say comes from my experience of lugging shit on my back. barrel longer than 20" sucks. sucks even more than a weight of the gun, as it will be catching at everything, and difficult to move if you hold rifle in front of you, 24", 26"+ - it is just way too long. what others said about backpack was also true, but attaching a rifle behind backpack rarely works too well. may be there are new and enhanced systems now to deal with it, but, i did not see any. old way was to counterweight backpack with a rifle in front of you, and it has consequences for mobility.

 

[Rockrivr1]

i can understand that, and, still, it was just a 300yds shot.
i do not get the idea of making 500, 700 etc yds shots where, presumably, the rationale for a 300 win caliber cannon comes from. but, whatever.

I'm only going by what some outfits are advertising on their web site when it comes to terrain and distances.

 

[PappyM3]

i am still not clear of the rationale when people expect to shoot an animal 500 or 700 yds away in the hills or mountains, and then they have to hike through terrain with possible no clear visibility to the spot where the animal was? what are the chances to even find that spot?
..

You know where you are and identify the spot of the impact on a map (physical or electronic). It’s not complicated. If you’re going to be navigating off trail (whether hiking or hunting), it’s important to know how to do land navigation. But with GPS and modern tools like range finders and software like OnX Hunt, it’s a pretty easy problem to solve.

 

[M1911]

Elevation sickness should not be an issue in Colorado. But, I am basing this on myself going from ocean to sleeping in a cave at over 10K feet. LOL.

Although I could feel breathing wasn't easy getting up there. But that could be because it was a desert.

That really depends upon the person. A few years back when I did a road trip to CO to do some off-roading near Telluride, I bought a can of O2 at the local pharmacy. I found myself getting lightheaded driving over Imogene Pass at 13,000’.

 

[paul73]

You know where you are and identify the spot of the impact on a map (physical or electronic). It’s not complicated. If you’re going to be navigating off trail (whether hiking or hunting), it’s important to know how to do land navigation. But with GPS and modern tools like range finders and software like OnX Hunt, it’s a pretty easy problem to solve.

depends upon the area may be, but if you stand on top of the ridge, shoot 700yds away at the opening on the opposite ridge, and there is a forest in a valley between - good luck.
i have never been to utah or colorado areas where people hunt, so, no idea how much vegetation is there in between and how close those elks may let you get to them during a hunting season. but i know what it is to walk 500 meters from a clearing through a dense forest with no visibility of the target area. you think you know where you go, but more often than not - it is not so.

hunting with an electronic gps map is an interesting idea, though, one more piece of gear to carry. or is it on an ipad?
do you also need to carry spare batteries of solar panels on you as well, to charge that shit?

 

[PappyM3]

My buddy that often hits deep at over 300 yards, one day shot one at 250-300 yards or so. He always gets the heart, so that is what he was aiming for. The shot hit the neck. He was lucky, it was still a quick kill.

But he thought someone f*cked with his scope. Until he walked over and realized there was a small valley with very strong winds. That valley was between him and the deer, but he didn't realize it.

Things like that are another challenge in the mountains.

I think that’s the biggest risk for long range hunting. Cross winds in valleys and draws, or upward winds in draws, are very real and very hard to estimate in a cold bore shot.

With predictable wind, modern high-BC bullet magnums make 500-600 yards a chip shot.

 

[Woodsloafer]

This....too heavy for carrying around the mountains....don't go too light for 300 mag. Suggest no more than 10 pounds loaded up with scope. It all depends how much your climbing, etc, or is this a ranch type hunt where your driving around.

Like Woods, Broc and PeterK say......

If its a back country hunt...Id worry about what shape your in, what additional gear and its weight, and will you have and elevation issue sickness much more than what rifle your carrying. You just don't go on a high country elk backpack hunt from the east coast. You have to be in phenomenal shape and your stuff has to be light and made for the mountains. Where most people fail on these hunts is they either get elevation sickness, or can't physically do the miles needed to hunt and stay around camp where the elk might not be.

Now if your going to a ranch where all the elk come down in the low country and you are driving around...different hunt. Honestly, I would do that type of hunt right now in my 50's and pay the extra money if I really wanted to kill an elk. Most of my friends from here have done backpack or horseback elk hunts and got nothing....they've gone multiple times for thousands of dollars and some have over 10K-15K invested or more without any elk. Note that just the out of state tag is fairly rediculous.

I would get with PeterK as he is the resident expert on this type of thing and has been successful.

I'd like to go elk hunting but I'm not spending that kind of money for one, no way. I'd MUCH rather spend it on a month long trip to Alaska or out west but, then, I'm not as much into hunting as I used to be, so there's that.

 

[PappyM3]

depends upon the area may be, but if you stand on top of the ridge, shoot 700yds away at the opening on the opposite ridge, and there is a forest in a valley between - good luck.
i have never been to utah or colorado areas where people hunt, so, no idea how much vegetation is there in between and how close those elks may let you get to them during a hunting season. but i know what it is to walk 500 meters from a clearing through a dense forest with no visibility of the target area. you think you know where you go, but more often than not - it is not so.

hunting with an electronic gps map is an interesting idea, though, one more piece of gear to carry. or is it on an ipad?

Don’t even need a GPS map. GPS and a paper map work. Correlate the impact locations using range and bearing. But a digital map on a phone/small tablet is handy. Particularly in areas where property boundary lines come into play. That’s where OnXHunt shines.

But, the mountains out west generally have much less undergrowth density than the east coast.

 

[paul73]

OnXHunt shines

damn, sometimes i feel like a dinosaur, and i am only barely above 50. cool stuff.

i feel sorry for the elks.

 

[Tundra02]

That’s where OnXHunt shines

My son and I used On X on my WY trip excellent tool to have

 

[Tundra02]

dude just buy any under $1k rifle in 30/06 and be done with it . And learn to shoot it in various field positions also consider getting some shooting sticks and learn to use them

 

[Broc Tuah]

I'd like to go elk hunting but I'm not spending that kind of money for one, no way. I'd MUCH rather spend it on a month long trip to Alaska or out west but, then, I'm not as much into hunting as I used to be, so there's that.

I love hunting, but I am on the same boat. I can't see myself spending that much for a hunt.

I would get more out of spending the money going on a very nice hiking trip and trying to spot Elk without having to worry about all the logistics; getting all the stuff to the destination, finding the animal, killing it, field dressing it, bringing it back to camp - is it a warm day? How will you deal with that? When is the flight home? ... - then getting the meat back home and the expense associated with that.

One year my buddy in Wyoming had to buy bags of ice and put them inside the deer because temps rose to 50. Another year he was freezing his balls off. This is something to consider if going on a multi day hike.

When I go to Michigan I have to plan for mild weather and cold AF. That means a lot of heavy clothing.

Preparing for these things, if you want to do them right, takes time and a lot of thought when you are going somewhere far.

That being said, ICE MULE coolers work great. I used them 3 times already, each time they got my meat back frozen solid without the need for ice. Last time was December 2024. Frozen hogs spent almost 11 hours in the coolers, 3 of those hours in Florida. Arrived frozen solid.

I also use the ICE MULE at the beach. I put some ice and water bottles, kept it in the Aruba sun from 8am to 3pm. Held ice fine until 1pm (filled the cooler less than 1/4 with ice, enough to keep drinks cold for a few). If the cooler is full of ice it will last all day per several YouTube videos I found when doing research on the coolers.

ICE MULE is worth the expense and makes flying back with meat a lot easier.

 

[Parker Schreiber]

Elevation sickness should not be an issue in Colorado. But, I am basing this on myself going from ocean to sleeping in a cave at over 10K feet. LOL.

I'm afraid I disagree with "should not." It depends too much on the person and the time taken to acclimate. According to the CDC, AMS is the most common form of altitude illness, affecting 25% of all visitors sleeping at elevations >8,000 ft (≈2,450 m) in Colorado. Since there's no political angle, I accept that claim over apocrypha.

While it didn't rise to the level of sickness, I definitely felt the altitude when coming from Denver on a couple of different trips and walking at the Kenosha (10,000 ft) and Berthoud (11,300 ft) passes.

 

[paul73]

I'm afraid I disagree with "should not." It depends too much on the person and the time taken to acclimate. According to the CDC, AMS is the most common form of altitude illness, affecting 25% of all visitors sleeping at elevations >8,000 ft (≈2,450 m) in Colorado. Since there's no political angle, I accept that claim over apocrypha.

While it didn't rise to the level of sickness, I definitely felt the altitude when coming from Denver on a couple of different trips and walking at the Kenosha (10,000 ft) and Berthoud (11,300 ft) passes.

broc is still too young to care of that too much , but it will get to him too, as it is truly fun how your body and cardio changes after 40, and how previously easy meaningless things change into, well, something else. like, an every 5 years of age brings new surprises.

 

[Broc Tuah]

I'm afraid I disagree with "should not." It depends too much on the person and the time taken to acclimate. According to the CDC, AMS is the most common form of altitude illness, affecting 25% of all visitors sleeping at elevations >8,000 ft (≈2,450 m) in Colorado. Since there's no political angle, I accept that claim over apocrypha.

While it didn't rise to the level of sickness, I definitely felt the altitude when coming from Denver on a couple of different trips and walking at the Kenosha (10,000 ft) and Berthoud (11,300 ft) passes.

Sorry you are genetically inferior. (Just kidding).

I guess I am just one of the lucky ones not affected by it.

 

[Broc Tuah]

broc is still too young to care of that too much , but it will get to him too, as it is truly fun how your body and cardio changes after 40, and how previously easy meaningless things change into, well, something else. like, an every 5 years of age brings new surprises.

You are all too old and out of shape.

 

[paul73]

You are all too old and out of shape.

yeah, some shit you can train for, and some shit, like deteriorating joints and knees tissue that simply cannot anymore handle certain load - you just can`t. c'est la vie.

 

[peterk123]

again, all i can say comes from my experience of lugging shit on my back. barrel longer than 20" sucks. sucks even more than a weight of the gun, as it will be catching at everything, and difficult to move if you hold rifle in front of you, 24", 26"+ - it is just way too long. what others said about backpack was also true, but attaching a rifle behind backpack rarely works too well.

This is the setup. It's perfect. Pull on a strap to release and you are ready to shoot. Out of the way, fastened to the side of your pack. Not even a discussion.



@Rockrivr1 I am by no means an expert, nor am I a great hunter, but I have a number of days in the field/mountains at this point. I am happy to answer any questions you have. I can tell you with 100% certainty the things you shouldn't do because I've probably done most of them.

The point people are making about not worrying about what gun to use is sound advice. Just not important. The advice I got five years ago as for order of importance and what to focus on was the following:

1. Get good boots. And I mean good boots. Fairly stiff shank, good quality leather that goes high enough to give strong ankle support. Legit rubber soles, like vibram. You need a decent shank to make carrying loads comfortable. Think schnees and kennetrek. Plan to spend 400 bucks or more. Wear them several months before you go and break them in our you will regret it. Boots are a game changer and it will make our break your trip. I am not exaggerating.
2. Get good boots.
3. Get good boots.
4. Get a real backpack. Need a real frame. Need load shelf if you are even only carrying the meat from kill site to camp. Has to be able to handle up to 150 pounds. I use a stone glacier 5900 (see pic). Can carry a ton and can collapse to nothing. This is my only pack and it gets used hard. I've hauled a bunch of animals out with it.
5. Gun. Although my focus here would be on optics for the gun. Being able to dial for distance has been a game changer for me, and I don't shoot long distances (350 is max). Good enough glass to buy you those extra few precious minutes. Nothing would piss me off more than to spend thousands on a hunt only to not shoot because my glass couldn't pull in enough light.
5. Great binos. I personally would put this before a gun. Plan to spend at least a grand. It's so worth it and critical. My gun may get used for a few minutes (granted important minutes). My binos get used for hours, mostly affixed to a tripod so I can glass a mile away.

 

[Woodsloafer]

I love hunting, but I am on the same boat. I can't see myself spending that much for a hunt.

I would get more out of spending the money going on a very nice hiking trip and trying to spot Elk without having to worry about all the logistics; getting all the stuff to the destination, finding the animal, killing it, field dressing it, bringing it back to camp - is it a warm day? How will you deal with that? When is the flight home? ... - then getting the meat back home and the expense associated with that.

One year my buddy in Wyoming had to buy bags of ice and put them inside the deer because temps rose to 50. Another year he was freezing his balls off. This is something to consider if going on a multi day hike.

When I go to Michigan I have to plan for mild weather and cold AF. That means a lot of heavy clothing.

Preparing for these things, if you want to do them right, takes time and a lot of thought when you are going somewhere far.

That being said, ICE MULE coolers work great. I used them 3 times already, each time they got my meat back frozen solid without the need for ice. Last time was December 2024. Frozen hogs spent almost 11 hours in the coolers, 3 of those hours in Florida. Arrived frozen solid.

I also use the ICE MULE at the beach. I put some ice and water bottles, kept it in the Aruba sun from 8am to 3pm. Held ice fine until 1pm (filled the cooler less than 1/4 with ice, enough to keep drinks cold for a few). If the cooler is full of ice it will last all day per several YouTube videos I found when doing research on the coolers.

ICE MULE is worth the expense and makes flying back with meat a lot easier.

Things that definitely need to be considered and planned for. A friend of mine went on a moose hunt in Canada last year, he told me it cost a crazy amount of money to get the meat home, a lot more than he had thought it would.

 

[Woodsloafer]

This is the setup. It's perfect. Pull on a strap to release and you are ready to shoot. Out of the way, fastened to the side of your pack. Not even a discussion.

View attachment 953951

@Rockrivr1 I am by no means an expert, nor am I a great hunter, but I have a number of days in the field/mountains at this point. I am happy to answer any questions you have. I can tell you with 100% certainty the things you shouldn't do because I've probably done most of them.

The point people are making about not worrying about what gun to use is sound advice. Just not important. The advice I got five years ago as for order of importance and what to focus on was the following:

1. Get good boots. And I mean good boots. Fairly stiff shank, good quality leather that goes high enough to give strong ankle support. Legit rubber soles, like vibram. You need a decent shank to make carrying loads comfortable. Think schnees and kennetrek. Plan to spend 400 bucks or more. Wear them several months before you go and break them in our you will regret it. Boots are a game changer and it will make our break your trip. I am not exaggerating.
2. Get good boots.
3. Get good boots.
4. Get a real backpack. Need a real frame. Need load shelf if you are even only carrying the meat from kill site to camp. Has to be able to handle up to 150 pounds. I use a stone glacier 5900 (see pic). Can carry a ton and can collapse to nothing. This is my only pack and it gets used hard. I've hauled a bunch of animals out with it.
5. Gun. Although my focus here would be on optics for the gun. Being able to dial for distance has been a game changer for me, and I don't shoot long distances (350 is max). Good enough glass to buy you those extra few precious minutes. Nothing would piss me off more than to spend thousands on a hunt only to not shoot because my glass couldn't pull in enough light.
5. Great binos. I personally would put this before a gun. Plan to spend at least a grand. It's so worth it and critical. My gun may get used for a few minutes (granted important minutes). My binos get used for hours, mostly affixed to a tripod so I can glass a mile away.

All great information, especially the boots. I'll just add that you should wear the boots/break them in hiking in the woods on uneven terrain, not on asphalt or going out to eat. Put serious miles in getting them comfortable and making sure they are the right boots for you and your feet.

 

[PappyM3]

Sorry you are genetically inferior. (Just kidding).

I guess I am just one of the lucky ones not affected by it.

I'm afraid I disagree with "should not." It depends too much on the person and the time taken to acclimate. According to the CDC, AMS is the most common form of altitude illness, affecting 25% of all visitors sleeping at elevations >8,000 ft (≈2,450 m) in Colorado. Since there's no political angle, I accept that claim over apocrypha.

While it didn't rise to the level of sickness, I definitely felt the altitude when coming from Denver on a couple of different trips and walking at the Kenosha (10,000 ft) and Berthoud (11,300 ft) passes.

I did a high attitude physiology class with the FAA and we did the pressure chamber. It was eye opening to see just how varied the different hypoxia symptoms were between various people. From nothing to problem solving like a toddler.

From visits to Colorado mountain towns, it seems like most people are okay as long as they drink lots of water and don’t drink alcohol the first couple days.

 

[M1911]

I did a high attitude physiology class with the FAA and we did the pressure chamber. It was eye opening to see just how varied the different hypoxia symptoms were between various people. From nothing to problem solving like a toddler.

From visits to Colorado mountain towns, it seems like most people are okay as long as they drink lots of water and don’t drink alcohol the first couple days.

I was OK in Telluride itself (elevation 8700’). But up at 13,000’ was a different matter. Also, I wasn’t carrying a pack — that would make a big difference. And I drove out to CO, so I had some time to adjust.

 

[peterk123]

looks cool, but i am lost a bit of what can be is in this pack, of that size.
a tripod and yoga mat are also pretty cool additions. very modern.

and, it was also a rule to carry rifle stock up, not down. to also avoid stock bumping under your butt like in this picture, i would love to see him walk like that and what blister it will make.

That's me. Gun is actually on my side. Not bumping anything. I've probably logged 350 miles or so with my gun this way. Maybe I just built up callouses at this point, haha.

The pack gets used on day trips and multi day trips where I have camp on my back. These setups cost 650 bucks or more. While I can remove the pack from the frame and attach another, why bother since it collapses to nothing. Save the money for ammo. This day we were just out for the morning and not far from our camp, so the load was light. But I would need the pack if I killed something so I could get the animal on my back to get it back to camp.

As for the yoga mat. I will sit for hours at times glassing. I prefer that over cacti thorns in my ass.

And the tripod. Try glassing out a couple thousand yards, scanning a mountain side for an hour without one. You won't see a thing.

Like I said, I may not be a great hunter but I'm figuring out what doesn't work.

 

[paul73]

That's me. Gun is actually on my side. Not bumping anything. I've probably logged 350 miles or so with my gun this way. Maybe I just built up callouses at this point, haha.

The pack gets used on day trips and multi day trips where I have camp on my back. These setups cost 650 bucks or more. While I can remove the pack from the frame and attach another, why bother since it collapses to nothing. Save the money for ammo. This day we were just out for the morning and not far from our camp, so the load was light. But I would need the pack if I killed something so I could get the animal on my back to get it back to camp.

As for the yoga mat. I will sit for hours at times glassing. I prefer that over cacti thorns in my ass.

And the tripod. Try glassing out a couple thousand yards, scanning a mountain side for an hour without one. You won't see a thing.

Like I said, I may not be a great hunter but I'm figuring out what doesn't work.

all cool, looks good.
i actually envy you, VERY, as you still have time and an opportunity to be out there, where i am only, unfortunately, only have an opportunity to shitpost about it all now.

 

[PappyM3]

…
5. Gun. Although my focus here would be on optics for the gun. Being able to dial for distance has been a game changer for me, and I don't shoot long distances (350 is max). Good enough glass to buy you those extra few precious minutes. Nothing would piss me off more than to spend thousands on a hunt only to not shoot because my glass couldn't pull in enough light.
5. Great binos. I personally would put this before a gun. Plan to spend at least a grand. It's so worth it and critical. My gun may get used for a few minutes (granted important minutes). My binos get used for hours, mostly affixed to a tripod so I can glass a mile away.

For the glass, I’d emphasize durable glass. I had a family friend go on a weeklong mule deer hunt out west and missed several shots on one before luckily having the chance of correcting and making a good hit. When he checked back at 100 yards, his scope was knocked off zero several MOA from when he confirmed zero at the start of the hunt. It was a Vortex.

For binos, I’m a huge fan of image stabilization, but the Canon ones are bulky. It looks like Nikon is coming out with some small 10x and 12x IS binos. I’m probably going to try them out.

Nikon STABILIZED 12x25 S Binoculars | Compact 12x Magnification

Nikon STABILIZED 12x25 S binoculars offer a blur-free view, with a balance of field-of-view and close-up power in a compact design.

www.nikonusa.com

 

[paul73]

It looks like Nikon is coming out with some small 10x and 12x IS binos.

funny, i was looking at that yesterday, but for the bird wathcing reasons, not hunting. not sure if 25mm front is enough good, though.
i get all the modern glass, etc, but, will it pass through enough light?

 

[PappyM3]

funny, i was looking at that yesterday, but for the bird wathcing reasons, not hunting. not sure if 25mm front is enough good, though.
i get all the modern glass, etc, but, will it pass through enough light?

That was my concern. We’ll see. I think I’ll try the 10x because of that.

 

[peterk123]

funny, i was looking at that yesterday, but for the bird wathcing reasons, not hunting. not sure if 25mm front is enough good, though.
i get all the modern glass, etc, but, will it pass through enough light?

10x42 I believe gives you the best balance between stability, magnification and light gathering. I use meopta meostar b1 hd binos and I am using it to see in the morning when it is still too dark for my eyes. It's nuts. At 12x some people start to run into problems holding it still freehand (stabilization binos solve that), and you need to start considering weight. I think a lot of the 12s jump to 50mm.

My wife was using an 8x32 this year and she could not see the things I could. Santa brought her a 10x42. German Precision Optics. The owner I believe was a Zeiss executive. Rippin good glass for the money. It's up there with the best of them.

 

[paul73]

have anyone here actually tried in the field this ballistic flex turret system from swarovski? z8i and z5i come with it, i think.
is it really as useful as some reviews praise it?