Light weight rifle

I have a Cabelas .54, 21"barrel. I have seen the same model in .50. Made by Investarms mine has a fast twist and shoots best with conical bullets. PRB shoot ok with powder loads below 70gr ffg. Give them a looksee.

A TC White Mountain Carbine may be worth considering. Have two of them. Used during foul weather and when I have young hunter guests. There is a smile every time the trigger is squeezed.

I second the CVA Bobcat cheap( 50.00 here) accurate light. But of course not the best rifle ever made.

Larry

It is hard to beat a Thompson Center New Englander, for being light and easy to handle.
Fred

The TC New Englander is a fine rifle.

Old Ford said:

It is hard to beat a Thompson Center New Englander, for being light and easy to handle.
Fred

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I third that. I have 2 in .54 cal.. The first one is pretty beat up from climbing around in the Rockies. It looks good and shoots better. The .54 is a little bit lighter than the .50

They are very nice rifles. It would be a smart move to start building them again with both barrels.

Larry

While it is not exactly what you are looking for, you might want to take a look at a H&A style Buggy Rifle. The reason it is not exactly what you are looking for is because it is an under hammer. But, it is very accurate and nice and light. I made one from parts from Deer Creek Products in Waldron, IN. It's a .45 caliber and light as a feather. It's a sweet shooter, too. The ready to shoot guns are not plentiful but you do see them for sale occasionally. The action is very simple. If you want to build it yourself, contact Deer Creek Products and ask if they still have the parts. They will send the action off to Long Hammock to have the barrel fit to it. You can select the caliber, barrel weight and barrel length that you want. All that's is left is some minor woodwork and browning or bluing the barrel. It is an easy project if you are at all handy with some basic tools.

Not 100% "traditional" but what may fit the bill is the Lyman Deerstalker at 7.5 lbs with a 24" barrel. However it has a recoil pad and fiber optic sights (I plan to replace mine). It can be had in flint or precussion and with deep or shallow grooves in both .50 and .54 cal. Quite nice for under $500.

CO Elkeater said:

Old Ford said:

It is hard to beat a Thompson Center New Englander, for being light and easy to handle.
Fred

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I third that. I have 2 in .54 cal.. The first one is pretty beat up from climbing around in the Rockies. It looks good and shoots better. The .54 is a little bit lighter than the .50

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The synthetic stocked NEs had shorter barrels (24") as did the Grey Hawk, but both retained the 1-48" twist. Optional 12 bore barrels were available, and the .50 and .54s could be rebored to .58.

Yes, the synthetic stocks aren't terribly traditional, but they are lightweight, stable, and not prone to cracking. Those shorter, lighter barrels are sometimes found on auction sites where guns are parted out.

The shorter, even lighter barrels on the White Mountain Carbine and Tree Hawk are quick twist, so not happy with patched roundballs.

Well , thanks again for all of the replies. It seems as if we may have found something that fits the bill. I came across an Ardesa 50 cal on Gun broker. It looks to be very well kept, maybe unfired. Anyway the rifle is 40 inches long and weighs a mere 5 1/2 pounds. Just the right size and the price weren't to bad either.So I hope it proves to be a good shooter! Cant wait to find out! :v

Fisher71 said:

Just the right size and the price weren't to bad either.So I hope it proves to be a good shooter! Cant wait to find out! :v

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Good for you my friend!

I am glad that everything worked out for you. The only thing left to do is Take her out and make some good smoke!

Respectfully, Cowboy :hatsoff:

My teenaged son uses a little Traditions Buckskinner caplock in .50 cal, and I recently used his gun (I'm 6-0, 225 #) in my adult competition and shot 7 for 12 free hand. Don't know the numbers, but it is built light, and short.

my wife and I were at a gun show last month, a Traditions Deerhunter followed me home. I purchased it with her in mind...not the greatest bore, but it shoots good and is probably the lightest rifle i have handled to date.