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Lightweight/Compact Bolt Action

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Category: Firearms, Bows, and Ammunition
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Topic: Lightweight/Compact Bolt Action
Posted By: EAGLE
Subject: Lightweight/Compact Bolt Action
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 18:21

Looking for a lightweight and compact bolt action rifle in .243 that will shoot MOA or under with factory ammo for the wife.

Youth models don’t fit her well and her LOP is approximately 10.5 -11” so I need an upgradable model.

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 

Eagle




Replies:
Posted By: EAGLE
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 18:32
Forgot to mention, perfer BB stainless model for all weather use.

PS: Anyone have a Kimber Montana?

Eagle


Posted By: RifleDude
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 19:06
Yes, I have a Kimber Montana, and I think it's a great rifle, but mine is in .325 WSM! In my opinion, I think it has one of, if not the very best synthetic stocks ever offered on an out of the box factory rifle. It has an excellent trigger. The rifle as a whole is very well balanced and handles like a dream. Fit and finish is first rate. My specimen is quite accurate, and I have no problem shooting well under MOA with it. I have no complaints whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a finer out of the box all weather, hardcore hunting rifle, without building a custom, but of course opinions vary.

I also have a Kimber 84M Classic Select (blued and wood stock) in .260. If you got a Montana in .243, it would have the same 84M action and barrel profile as my rifle, except in stainless steel rather than blued chrome moly. I initially had difficulty getting this rifle to shoot, but persistence paid off, and now she shoots pretty well - right at or slightly over 1 MOA.

Besides the Kimber, I'd also consider the Rem 700 Alaskan TI, another super light rifle. It's very similar to the now discontinued 700 TI and Mountain TI, except with slightly different stock, and the latter two had barrel fluting. You can still find one of those rifles used every now and then.




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Ted


Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.


Posted By: jselsor
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 19:14
ruger american in 7mm08

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Dont take yourself to seriously


Posted By: rustic
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 19:23
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11LH

This is a super accurate/lightweight rifle I have one in .223... love it.

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Light is alright.<br /><br />The end is just... the beginning   -soul surfer


Posted By: biggreen747
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 19:46
I have a Kimber Montana as well and it's a great rifle. Mine is a 338WM with barrell cut to 23in. i wish i could say it is sub moa but its not. prior to shortening the barrel it hovered around 1 1/2 and now its about 1 moa, which is plenty good for what i hunt with it. However.... With her lop of 10 1/2 - 11 that is probably not te best choice. If you want stainless I would look at a Rem 700 or Savage with accu-trigger as both are readily available in stainless and there are lots of accessories for either. For my wife's 243 I used a marlin xs7 (and its a 1/2moa gun if I can do my part) threw away the tupperware stock and got a thumb hole laminate. Personally I feel the thumb hole is the way to go for smaller shooters as it puts the hand and arm at a more comfortable angle for them and you don't seem to have to shorten the stock as much. We went to a local gunsmith and fit the rifle to her. We ended up only reducing the lop from 13 1/4 to 12 1/2 (measured at the top) but we significantly altered the angle of the stock as well probably reducing the bottom by over an inch. When I brought it home I bedded the action and relived the barrel channel a bit to ensure it was floated. That rifle probably sees more use than any of my other hunting rifles as both my kids love it as well. My son took 2 deer with it this year, his buddy dropped his Rifle and broke the stock so he used it to take a deer as did I, not to mention its my favorite coyote rifle.

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We measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a crayon, and cut it with a chainsaw.


Posted By: Urimaginaryfrnd
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 19:47
I have a Tikka that I like a lot.

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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger


Posted By: 3_tens
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 19:57
I just found a steal at $1699 on a Cooper classic.243. Then get cooper to trim the stock to fit your wife. or have a second stock fitted just for her.

http://www.covecreekoutfitters.com/gun-room/cooper-firearms-model-54-classic-243-win



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Folks ain't got a sense of humor no more. They don't laugh they just get sore.

Need to follow the rules. Just hard to determine which set of rules to follow
Now the rules have changed again.


Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: December/21/2012 at 21:21
did you look at the savage purpose built female rifle??
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11Lady - http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/11Lady


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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"


Posted By: Peddler
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 05:34
Got my wife the new Savage Lady Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor,she loves it and it's a shooter. It loves Hornady Superformance 129 SST's also.

Peddler CoolCoolCool


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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.

It is the same when you are stupid.


Posted By: EAGLE
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 07:23
My wife mentioned hog hunting so I'm leaning towards a 7-08 for her to deer and hog hunt with.

We will take a look at the Lady Hunter.

Keep it coming all,

Eagle





Posted By: bugsNbows
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 07:52
NOT a bolt but how about considering a single shot. I've got a great Winchester 1885 Low Wall in .243 that is accurate, light weight AND a looker. It's a great choice IMO. 

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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
               Anomymous


Posted By: EAGLE
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 08:48
She has a single shot, Semi-auto (AR 6.8) but she likes my bolt action and wants her own.

Looking at Savages site, the lady hunter looks nice, but not an all weather rifle.


Eagle


Posted By: Peddler
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 09:08
Originally posted by EAGLE EAGLE wrote:

She has a single shot, Semi-auto (AR 6.8) but she likes my bolt action and wants her own.

Looking at Savages site, the lady hunter looks nice, but not an all weather rifle.


Eagle


After we broke her gun in I had it glass bedded.

Peddler CoolCoolCool


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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.

It is the same when you are stupid.


Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 10:49
Originally posted by EAGLE EAGLE wrote:

She has a single shot, Semi-auto (AR 6.8) but she likes my bolt action and wants her own.

Looking at Savages site, the lady hunter looks nice, but not an all weather rifle.


Eagle

unless you hunt alaska and or africa exclusively, i dont really buy into the " all weather" selling point. i live and have lived in some tough climates to hunt in and ive never had any issue with a wood stocked rifle. just make sure you take care of them and they will be fine. its a tool man, not a piece of art.Wink


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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"


Posted By: billyburl2
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 11:22
A little oil on the steel and some epoxy in the stock... It will stand up to the weather fine! Remember that stainless only stains...less

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If it is tourist season, why can't we shoot them?


Posted By: EAGLE
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 11:53
Good point about maintenance, etc

Any advice on 7-08 ?


Eagle


Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 11:57
love it. i bought 2 m700 xcr's for my sons, on a screaming deal. they are versatile and pack enough punch to kill about anything you would need too and the recoil is very manageable and the accuracy can be very very good.
id start out with a 140gr bullet of some sort and about any powder will work in that case.


-------------
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"


Posted By: rustic
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 12:50
Tikka t3 lite stainless w/composite stock works really great up here in the northern plains were it can blow dust around/rain/snow(commonplace) all in the same day. Some years back a freinds Browning lever action English walnut stock cracked from temp. change.


World record temperature change

Spearfish SD holds the world record for the fastest temperature change. On January 22, 1943 at about 7:30 a.m. MST, the temperature in Spearfish was -4°F (-20°C). The Chinook wind picked up speed rapidly, and two minutes later (7:32 a.m.) the temperature was +45°F (+7°C) above zero. The 49°F (27°C) rise in two minutes set a world record that still holds. By 9:00 a.m., the temperature had risen to 54°F (12°C). Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to -4°F (-20°C). The 58°F (32°C) drop took only 27 minutes.






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Light is alright.<br /><br />The end is just... the beginning   -soul surfer


Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 12:57
id be highly suspicious of that, im guessing there was more to it than just the weather...

-------------
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"


Posted By: bugsNbows
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 13:11
Originally posted by EAGLE EAGLE wrote:

She has a single shot, Semi-auto (AR 6.8) but she likes my bolt action and wants her own.

Looking at Savages site, the lady hunter looks nice, but not an all weather rifle.


Eagle


That's cool. My wife has a Ruger compact (Lam, SS) in 7mm-08. It has a short BBL and is very light. It puts a hurt on deer I might add. Being that the stock is laminated, I had no problem cutting it down to her correct LOP.







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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
               Anomymous


Posted By: rustic
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 13:38
Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

id be highly suspicious of that, im guessing there was more to it than just the weather...



I can't remember the model but, there is a metal band around the front of the forearm. It started there and just slowly moved along the whole length of the forearm.


I had a relative who had a store downtown spearfish. I remember seeing pics of their windows all cracked from the temp. change as a kid. Also there is a museum with old pics of all the problems it caused in the area.



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Light is alright.<br /><br />The end is just... the beginning   -soul surfer


Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 13:44
depending on what year it was made, i know for sure that from about 64-76 browing used "salted wood" and they had a lot of trouble with it as did the german weatherbys.

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They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"


Posted By: 300S&W
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 13:53
Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

Originally posted by EAGLE EAGLE wrote:

She has a single shot, Semi-auto (AR 6.8) but she likes my bolt action and wants her own.

Looking at Savages site, the lady hunter looks nice, but not an all weather rifle.


Eagle

unless you hunt alaska and or africa exclusively, i dont really buy into the " all weather" selling point. i live and have lived in some tough climates to hunt in and ive never had any issue with a wood stocked rifle. just make sure you take care of them and they will be fine. its a tool man, not a piece of art.Wink
 
 
  Absolutely.  I just did a 2 day hunt in area where it was WET.  Snow w/wet Mountain Laurel and Spruce Trees I had to plow through alot.  I took my wood stocked/blued metal Mauser.  I had just refinished the stock with a poly urethane finish and had waxed (MANY coats of auto wax) the bbl'd action. Lubed what was needed with a minimum amount of good lube to.  Had to see if it would hold up. Plus for now it's my favorite.  Rifle shed water like a duck.  Basically had to do nothing but wipe it down when I got home.  I wouldn't let the fact that a rifle is not syn/ss keep me from buying it if it otherwise fit your wife's needs. 


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"I ain't got time to bleed!"


Posted By: Stevey Ducks
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 14:12
I have both - Kimber 84 and Ruger M77MKII SA.
 
The Kimber is a real dainty rifle, it has a relatively high comb wood stock that should be an advantage for a lady  having a shorter neck. The forend is rounded (I flattened mine) and the grip is close enough to the trigger for a small hand to touch the trigger and use the grip. It has a nice fat 1 inch recoil pad. The design of the action is what makes this rifle so light - every thing appears to be scaled down. Great trigger. The breach end of the barrel is much like the pre 64 M70's in that it is coned and has an extractor cut. The ejector is much the same.
 
My Kimber is regular blued steel and the only malfunction I had with it was an accumulation of dried up oil and rust stuck down the ejector preventing it from working. I was using the rifle in a cold wet climate but was amazed at how fast the rust and crud accumulated - like 2 days. I had the rifle rebarrelled to .308 Win - more recoil than smaller calibers based on the .308 case but in my opinion (subject to debate) more killing ability.
 
The Ruger is noticably heavier, the stock has a lower comb, the trigger needed some work but it is easier to use and load in cold weather due to a more open access to the magazine and inner workings. The Ruger also has a flat breach end with no extractor cut or  Rem M700 recess making it easier and cheaper to rebarrel.
 
Take your pic. The little Savage rifle also could be a contender.
 
I kind of like bigger bullets than a .243 shoots for larger animals including big deer but that is my opinion also subject to debate. 
 
 
 
 


Posted By: Rainman
Date Posted: December/22/2012 at 23:28
Hard to beat the Kimber 84M for light weight, accuracy and looks.  The 84M is also available in the Custom Classic model with stainless metal and French walnut stock if you need more weather resistance than blued steel.  I currently own a Montana .223 and have previously owned an 84M .260 Classic and the walnut stocked fluted Varmint rifle in .22-250.  All have delivered .50 MOA or better five shot groups with hand loads and 100% reliability-a lot of rifle for the money.


Posted By: Stevey Ducks
Date Posted: December/24/2012 at 11:34
The Mauser, I take that to be a 98 type, as everbody knows was built to be a battle rifle - heavy, slow lock time but designed by a genius and extremely durable. I am thinking of building a "scout type" retaining the original stripper clip retainer that will be chambered in 06 or possibly .338-06 and fed via stripper clip.
 
There is a marked difference in the ejectors between the Kimber, Ruger MKII, Win M70 (claw extractor) and M98 making the latter almost unstoppable.
 
Possibly somebody will see fit to make a commercial version of the G33/40 (relatively light weight, small ring Mauser)



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