The Right – Light – Rifle
Hunting rifles are carried more than shot
There’s a lot of bullshit on the Internet. Especially regarding personal protection with handguns and hunting rifles. I believe the current — popular — trend in modern hunting rifles can detract from their suitability. Hunters are obsessed with long range shooting, and the rifles, optics, cartridges, and accessories that excel in that endeavor. Few social media personalities promote a practical approach to hunting or the use of a practical rifle, but Cade Cole is one who does. I stumbled on his Facebook page sometime back and I’ve been impressed with his content. That’s why I asked Cade to write something for the EmptyCases Substack.
The Practical Rifle
Cade Cole
From the early days of Fredrick Selous and his four-bore elephant gun to the modern labyrinth of production rifles, so much has changed. In the world of innovation there are many boxes to check. Throughout my years as a hunting guide, I’ve seen the paradigm shift to overbore and suppressors, a fascination with sub-minute performance, and a flood of hybrid target rifles finding their way into the backcountry. I’m often perplexed by the sight of heavy-contoured carbon fiber barrels, optics creeping into the two-pound range, and overall lengths pushing four-feet or more. Some of these setups utilize the latest and greatest weight-saving technologies but still produce rifles weighing more than 10 pounds.
Such rifles seldom fit any scabbard and look like jousting lances affixed to dude horses at trailheads across the mountain West. It almost seems that in the wake of technology, and in the pursuit of peak performance, we have forgotten what rifles are truly meant for – to be carried.
Struggling to carry a 13-pound flagpole through the elk woods is as frustrating as it is impractical. While I have no qualms with advanced technologies, I’m surprised to see so little effort towards keeping hunting guns simple and efficient. High magnification optics weighing double that of some of their medium power variable optic counterparts are a burden to carry, and mostly unnecessary for hunting applications where a long shot is not only questionably ethical, but also unlikely.
When push comes to shove, there is no better companion than a lightweight, handy rifle. Although some will argue that a light rifle can’t compete with the accuracy of its heavier counterparts, I never knew an animal that could tell the difference. The chances of shooting past three hundred yards are slim, and even a two-minute gun is sufficient for success inside that distance. The only real difference of outcome lies in your ability to get the rifle where it needs to be.
A rifle that balances easily in hand is a pleasure to use. It proves itself worthy of the faraway places, and as you traverse mountainside obstacles and endless plains it will reassure you of its value. From a professional standpoint, I believe one of the greatest disservices a hunter can do themselves is to disregard the weight of their rifle in self-convincing sacrifice for accuracy. Every pound of rifle is a day of food for the backpack hunter, as well as many miles of fatigue. A cumbersome rifle is a threat to morale and a detriment to speed and portability. I’ve rarely wished my hunters could shoot further. However, I’ve consistently wished they could move faster.
There are some incredible offerings on the market today marrying the need for precision accuracy with lightweight portability; though not all of them are as flashy as the PRS bass boat rifles you’ll find on your Instagram feed. For those seeking the far away mountain tops and the pleasure of true backcountry hunting, I recommend forsaking the lengthy, high horsepower cartridges, and avoiding the avowed superiority of excessively heavy optical systems. What needs reinforcing is the ideology that the hunt itself is much more than the equipment used.
You’ll find favor with your guides and yourself by picking up a simple seven-pound rifle to lessen the load on your knees and back. Quite an investment if you wish to hunt the wild places for many years to come.
About Cade Cole
Cade Cole is a hunting guide, avid outdoorsman, and survivalist. Born and raised in rural Texas, he spent most of his childhood hunting and fishing in the Texas Hill Country before relocating to Wyoming in adulthood. His lifelong passion for the pursuit and conservation of North American wildlife has earned him great success as a hunting guide, and an outstanding reputation as an expert hunter and tracker. You might consider giving Cade a follow on FACEBOOK and YOUTUBE.
A Weighted Discussion
Richard Mann
I often quote the late Townsend Whelen who once wrote, “A man will travel farther, hunt over more country, have a better chance of coming on game, and be in better condition when he does if his weapon is light.” I think this is very sound advice, and while – because of my work – I must often hunt with heavy rifles, my preference is a maximum field ready weight of less than eight pounds, with less than seven pounds preferred. That weight includes the rifle, scope and mounts, sling and swivels, ammo and magazine, and a suppressor and bipod, if used.
In fact, I much prefer a lighter weight set up, which is why I sometimes forgo a suppressor and never hunt with a bipod connected to the rifle. My dedicated West Virginia deer rifle, a rifle I’ve also used with great success in Africa, weighs only 6.6 pounds, field ready, with a scope, sling, and four rounds in the magazine.
If you start with a 7- to 75-pound rifle, by the time you get it field ready and loaded — especially with a high-tech riflescope and a suppressor — you’ll be pushing or even exceeding 10 pounds. Remember, you’ll carry a rifle a hell of a lot more than you’ll shoot it.
As an example, here is a lightweight rifle set up, easily capable of taking you out to 500 yards with MOA or better precision:
Good quality lightweight rifles like the Wilson Combat NULA Model 20, Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT, or the Weatherby 307 Alpine CT, weigh six pounds or less right out of the box. And, in the words of the late, great Melvin Forbes, “Anything you do to a rifle other than look at it, adds weight.” If you only carry your rifle from the truck to the shoot house, weight is not that important. However, if you hunt from your hind legs, and use your feet as opposed to feet-per-second as the primary means of securing your animal, every single ounce counts. The notion that light rifles are hard to shoot offhand is false — unbalanced rifles are hard to shoot offhand. Every ounce you add to a rifle is another ounce you must carry and try to hold steady when shooting.
Book Update
I’d hoped to have my latest book, Rifle Cartridges for the Hunter, ready by Christmas last year. It didn’t happen. However, it should be available by October 2025. All but three chapters are completed, and I’m holding off on those until after my African safari in June of this year. It will contain 50 chapters, more than 75,000 words, and about 100 photos. And remember, all Premium EmptyCases subscribers will receive a free, autographed copy.
The EmptyCases Edition Rifle Update
All the details for the EmptyCases special edition rifle have been finalized with the manufacturer, and they are currently working on the first rifle. We hope to have everything complete by the 1st of April, when we hope to announce it here. We’ve negotiated a great price, it will for sure weigh less than six pounds, have a lot of options, and the only way you will be able to purchase one is by being an EmptyCases Substack Premium subscriber.
Subscription Discount
Right now you can take advantage of the Cabin Fever Discount and get 20% off an annual subscription or $20 off a premium subscription between now and April 1st. Just click the link below. (The discounted subscription will extend any current subscription.)
Tony,
I have heard nothing but good things about Randy's classes.
Randy Cain at Cumberland Tactics teaches a Practical Rifle class that emphasizes the same characteristics. He teaches the use of the hunting rifle as a fighting rifle which gives you a whole new appreciation for what the bolt gun can do. Even if that’s not your interest, it’s fascinating to learn what you can accomplish with the rifle: especially the lightweight, properly balanced, easy to handle rifle with a lightweight LPVO mounted. I recommend the class to anyone aspiring to be a rifleman.