I had a sheep hunt booked for 2020 and set up a Christensen Arms Ridgeline in 300 WM with a VX5 3-15 for that hunt and as a general purpose rifle and have so far been super impressed by it. It's around 8 pounds, so with my sheep hunt pushed back to 2022, decided to see if I could go even lighter.
Ended up grabbing a Kimber Montana in 6.5CM, and with a Swarovski Z3 3.5-10 BRH and Talley rings, I'm right at 6 pounds flat unloaded. Took to the range last weekend to zero with some cheap Freedom Munitions 140 grain BTHP's and shot consistent 1/2 to 3/4" groups at 100 yards with no effort and no brake installed. Really like the 3 position safety, the trigger is great and I could probably adjust it down further. The only thing I dislike is the blind magazine, but for a gun that's mostly going to live strapped to a backpack or carried in the deer woods, I can get over it. This is the gun I'll be taking to the NWT next year and I'd imagine I'll be hunting with it a lot for whitetails too.
Ended up grabbing a Kimber Montana in 6.5CM, and with a Swarovski Z3 3.5-10 BRH and Talley rings, I'm right at 6 pounds flat unloaded. Took to the range last weekend to zero with some cheap Freedom Munitions 140 grain BTHP's and shot consistent 1/2 to 3/4" groups at 100 yards with no effort and no brake installed. Really like the 3 position safety, the trigger is great and I could probably adjust it down further. The only thing I dislike is the blind magazine, but for a gun that's mostly going to live strapped to a backpack or carried in the deer woods, I can get over it. This is the gun I'll be taking to the NWT next year and I'd imagine I'll be hunting with it a lot for whitetails too.
