Author Topic: Weight Wise (Read 717 times)

Curly · « **on:** August 31, 2003, 01:45:35 AM »

Im new to the board, and in the process of purchasing a new rifle for deer. I am left handed and will be purchasing a Weatherby Accumark or Ultra Light. Because I am left handed, I will only be able to get a Magnum cartridge. My original choice would have been a .270 Win, but I am now looking at a 7mm Rem Mag. The question I have for the board is regarding the weight. The Ultra light is 6 3/4 lbs, and the Accumark is 8 3/4. Considerable weight difference. I will hunting in West Virgina for the first time in about 10 yrs. I am still in okay shape. All other aspects of the rifles seem identical other than a couple of skeletonized parts to reduce weight, along with the barrel. The Accumark has a #3 contour while the Ultra Light has a #2 contour. Both are fluted. Is there an accuracy difference, and would I notice it as an average hunter. Also, should I consider a Weatherby cartridge. The availability and cost are a concern. Thanks in advance for the help.

Varmint Hunter · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2003, 04:05:11 AM »

I shoot lefty also. Two years ago I decided to buy a new whitetail rifle that I could leave totally stock, no gunsmith work - period. I wanted a short action chambered for an efficient whitetail cartridge.
After a little searching around, I decided to buy a Tikka Whitetail model in 7-08, left hand of course. The rifle shoots .75" right out of the box. The trigger is easily shooter adjustable.

I believe that you can now also get Win. model 70's and a few others in left hand, short action, thanks to the popularity of short mag cartridges.

I've never been thrilled with the Weatherby's. Their performance doesn't seem to be any better than the Rem-Win-Ruger class of rifle and they cost much more. However, if you like them, then they're worth it.

A #2 contour barrel may shoot quite well with a prefered load and spaced shooting which allows the thin tube to cool. Works fine for whitetailing. Normally, heavier barrels are easier to tune for.

All in all, unless you are carrying the rifle all over the woods, a couple of pounds may not be that big of a deal. A heavier rifle is definately a plus if you're shooting a magnum cartridge. Air-weight rifles all kick more than you think they should.
VH

crow_feather · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2003, 04:09:33 AM »

CURLY - MY TWO PENNIES
IF I WAS TO DO A LOT OF WALKING AND COULD HANDLE THE RECOIL, I WOULD GO FOR LIGHT. IF THE RECOIL BOTHERED ME, I WOULD GO FOR HEAVY. IF YOU CARRY IT TEN MILES BUT THEN CAN'T HIT WHAT YOU SHOOT AT - YOU MIGHT AS WELL NOT CARRY IT.

IF YOU ARE JUST HUNTING ONCE A YEAR AND DO NOT PLAN TO DO A WHOLE LOT OF SHOOTING, PICK ANY CALIBER THAT YOU CAN HANDLE AND NEVER FORGET YOUR AMMO. IF YOUR ABSENT MINDED, HUNT WAY OUT IN THE BOONIES, OR WOULD FREAK OUT BECAUSE YOU MISSED A HUNT DUE TO NO AMMO FOR YOUR RIFLE, GO WITH A REM 700 LEFT HAND. THEY ARE JUST AS GOOD AS A WEATHERWACHIT. AND YOUR CALIBER CHOICE WOULD MATCH WHAT YOUR HUNTING BUDDY USES OR WHAT'S AT THE COUNTRY STORE.

IT IS NOT A GOOD RIFLE IF YOU CAN'T SHOOT IT ACCURATLY WITHOUT FLINCHING.

IF YOU CAN'T HIT THE ANIMAL, AINT NO USE CHASIN IT.

c f

Lawdog · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2003, 09:20:42 AM »

Curly,

First let me welcome you to the best gun/hunting forum on the net. As "crow-feather" stated the only difference between the Accumark and the Ultra Light, outside of the 2 pound weight difference, is going to be recoil. The 8 3/4 pound Accumark is going to have around 23(+/-) pounds of free recoil. The Ultra Light is going to have around 30(+/-) pounds of free recoil. This all depends on what load you are using. The Weatherby is an excellent rifle and Weatherby stands behind their product. Accuracy is guarantee in writing(1 1/2" or better) which none of the other American firearms companies offer.

If you really want a .270(you stated it was your first choice in caliber) then Winchester, Ruger, Savage or Tikka/Sako all make left-handed rifles in that caliber. My son, who is left-handed, just purchased a Ruger M77 in .25-06 and he owns a Win. M70 in .338 WM. Because of my son I know what you have to go thru to find firearms that suit you. If you want a Weatherby then get a Weatherby and don't let anyone tell you different. The 7mm Rem. Mag. is a great cartridge and will handle all but the biggest bears walking in North America. Again, Welcome to Graybeard's and keep posting. Lawdog

longwinters · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2003, 11:18:38 AM »

Welcome curly,

Lawdog beat me to the punch, I was going to tell you to ck with him cuz he is a Weatherby guy and has a bunch of them. I have had 2 Weatherbys (both in 30-06) and they were both very good rifles. I thought a little less of them when I sold them, but later found out the problem was the operator NOT the rifle. I have also had several Remingtons and while they are good rifles, in just my opinion, they are NOT Weatherbys.
Unless you really want a magnum I would not let the fact that you need a left handed rifle force you into buying one. I currently shoot a 7MM Sako and while the recoil is reasonable I would not want any more. There are many other very good manufacturers out there that make great rifles for the $800-$1000 range. . . Sako is one and for even less the Tika Delux. A couple of pounds more in one rifle weight over another does not seem like a big deal to me. I make sandwiches that come close to that to take hunting with me :lol: :lol:

long

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** September 01, 2003, 09:35:46 AM »

longwinters,

Quote

I make sandwiches that come close to that to take hunting with me.

I prefer honey cured ham and smoked turkey(1 pound of each) on mine. Make sure you add tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion and hot peppers at the very least. All on a sweet French bread roll(8-10 inch min.). Lawdog

Ron T. · « **Reply #6 on:** September 01, 2003, 03:50:32 PM »

Curly...

While a Weatherby is a fine rifle, my Godson just got a Tikka a few weeks ago with a fine walnut stock, rosewood tips on the forearm and pistol grip, excellent hand-checkering, quik-release sling studs and a beautiful roll-over comb on the well-figured stock for $600 brand new.

I have seen about every kind of rifle, but this sweet little Tikka (uses Sako barrels) with an easy user-adjustable trigger is one of the most beautiful and well-made rifles I've ever seen... and it's action is "butter-smooth".

I'm not sure of it's weight, but it felt like about 7 lbs. without a scope. It is available in left-hand action and in many different calibers including the great .270 Winchester that Col. Craig Boddington, a respected gun-writer, just named as "THE" best deer cartridge made in last month's issue of Guns & Ammo Magazine.

I've shot the 7mm Remington magnum factory loads with the 150 grain bullets... both of my sons have them. It kicks a bit more than a .30/06 Springfield which, in turn, kicks more than a .270 Win. in the same rifle weight . I hunted with a .338 Winchester magnum which kicks more than any of the above for most of my last 40 years, but never liked it's heavy recoil off the bench rest. Shooting at game in the field, I never felt the recoil, but because I enjoy shooting, I did a lot of target shooting and always ended up with a very sore shoulder and often, a headache to boot.

I "retired" the big .338 magnum a few years ago (and my shoulder "cheered")... and switched over to a sweet little Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage for use as my deer rifle and never looked back. It's light recoil and very adequate .30 caliber, 150 grain bullet kicks even less than the .270 Winchester. I have shot it off the bench rest all afternoon (60 or 70 rounds) and my shoulder just "smiled".

Give the left-hand Tikka in .270 Winchester a "hard" look... it's possibly the "best combination of the best"... and it's a good looking rig, no doubt about that. But sure to look at the Tikka with the "roll-over comb" on the walnut stock... I believe it's called their "White-Tail Deluxe" model, but I'm not sure of that. One thing I am sure of... it's half the price of a Weatherby and you aren't FORCED to buy a "magnum".

One last thing... I understand that Tikka "guarantees" their rifles will shoot UNDER 1-inch at 100 yards out-of-the-box. And I've seen Tikka owner who posted in other forums that their Tikka rifles shot less that 1" @ 100 yards regularly and said that they can easily adjust their own triggers to as little as 2.5 lbs. without taking the rifle apart by using the small trigger-adjusting tool with comes with the rifle.

FYI... "Tikka" is an old Finnish Rifle maker that was bought out by Sako some years ago. Then, a year or so ago, Beretta bought Sako and began putting their marketing savvy behind the Tikka brand rifles... and their sales are in the process of "taking off " due to the very high quality and the very reasonable price they've put on their Tikka rifles. And... "No"... I don't work for them, but I did research Tikka for my Godson's benefit.

Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

yukiginger · « **Reply #7 on:** September 02, 2003, 06:46:04 AM »

Curly, I won't add to the discussion about rifle choice, but I recently received the flyer from CDNN Investments and they had a nice sale on many different Weatherby rifles. You might want to check them out if you don't already have a line on one. The ad does say for some that they are Seconds, although it says something like "box marked 2nd, but rifle perfect," whatever that means. Of course, you will want to clarify.

You can download the catalog here, although it is quite large, or give them a call and talk with them. URL below.

Mark

http://cdnninvestments.com/

Omaha-BeenGlockin · « **Reply #8 on:** September 02, 2003, 07:23:20 AM »

Dude----get a Tikka!!!

I've had 3 Weatherby's and they are not worth all that money----one shot good---the other 2 were just so-so------over $1000 for just so so accuracy??? HASTA LAVISTA BABY!!!

For $500 you can get a Tikka T3 that will outshoot a Weatherby any day of the week---all day long---it weighs less than either of those---so you aren't toting that 3 pound Weatherby magnum action around all day.

Out of all the expensive rifles I've had the only one worth a damn was the Cooper------the rest are no better than the $500 Tikka and in most cases worse. I've lost a lot of money trading off junk expensive rifles----hopefully you won't do the same.