FX I forgot how light the M3 actually is

[athlon_oved]

I forgot how light the M3 actually is without all the addons. I took off all the cool addons this afternoon to start selling some stuff to get ready to purshase an M4.
I weighed it prior and it was 14.7 lbs.
After taking everything off but the scope it dropped down to almost 10. Wow what a difference.
I think im gonna go with a minimalist / light build on the m4.

 

[3Crows]

The heaviest rifle I normally carry is my Marlin 1895 in .45-70 which is about 7.5 pounds, my Kimber Mountain Ascent is about 5.5 pounds with scope and my Rossi R92 is also right under 5.5 pounds. My two lightest M-Rods are around 7.5 pounds with scope. Ten pounds bare is kind of heavy, for me. I thought the M3/4 was about 7.5 pounds?

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

It doesn't take much to get a pcp up to double digits. Most of it is in the air tank or tube. Has to be robust so it doesn't... well... bust lol.

 

[Vetmx]

Every time I strip an Impact down to sell it I think, you idiot, keep the next ones lighter. I don’t. I did keep one pretty light for about six months. But then it went under the knife to become a solid slug and pellet shooter. It strapped on a feed bag unfortunately.

 

[Stubbers]

My goto gun naked is 4.8 lbs, adding a bipod and scope, 6.8 lbs....while still relatively light, that is basically a 40% increase in weight!

-Matt

 

[Rvaughn]

My goto gun naked is 4.8 lbs, adding a bipod and scope, 6.8 lbs....while still relatively light, that is basically a 40% increase in weight!

-Matt

What is the go to gun?

 

[Stubbers]

What is the go to gun?

Marauder with aluminum air tube and custom stock, still full length in terms of air tube / barrel, but the stock makes it adjustable from 36"-40" in oal, where as OEM is 42.8" and 7.3lbs. Many other customization as well, the only stock thing left on it is the fill adapter assembly lol.

-Matt

 

[JungleShooter]

After adding a 3-12x44 FFP scope,
a 13" dovetail rail adapter,
adjustable scope rings,
a scopcam,
and a Sumo silencer,
I almost doubled the weight of my PP700....


But then again, I started out very light — so doubling "very light" is still "pretty light"!

And it kills pigeons out to 50 and 60 yards.

Matthias

 

[3Crows]

My goto gun naked is 4.8 lbs, adding a bipod and scope, 6.8 lbs....while still relatively light, that is basically a 40% increase in weight!

-Matt

Be it a M3 or an M-Rod or whatever, I am thinking maybe air gunners including me over scope and overly accessorize their rifles. For years the standard "deer" rifle scope was a 4X and now it is typically a 3-9. Yet I have 4-12 scopes on three of my M-Rods and I know from reading many folks have much larger magnification on their air rifles. I understand for a bench rifle but for hunting? Maybe it is because we pursue HOSPs and rats and other small vermin that we typically use so much magnification for what are really very short range rifles. And then the bipods? I think I have gone to the ground maybe twice to take a shot, I would more likely sit and use my knees or the old fashioned way to use a sling as a brace. I have pulled the bipods off of most of my rifles. I have bought a few shooting sticks, the cheap ones at Walmart. Lying on the bare ground with ticks and fire ants is not a pleasant experience. And bipods kinda get in the way, they hang up in the woods and hang out and below the rifle. Might pull the remaining bipods off. On my shooting table I use a Calwell Stinger or bags, much more steady for target shooting than a bipod for me.

 

[Stubbers]

Be it a M3 or an M-Rod or whatever, I am thinking maybe air gunners including me over scope and overly accessorize their rifles. For years the standard "deer" rifle scope was a 4X and now it is typically a 3-9. Yet I have 4-12 scopes on three of my M-Rods and I know from reading many folks have much larger magnification on their air rifles. I understand for a bench rifle but for hunting? Maybe it is because we pursue HOSPs and rats and other small vermin that we typically use so much magnification for what are really very short range rifles. And then the bipods? I think I have gone to the ground maybe twice to take a shot, I would more likely sit and use my knees or the old fashioned way to use a sling as a brace. I have pulled the bipods off of most of my rifles. I have bought a few shooting sticks, the cheap ones at Walmart. Lying on the bare ground with ticks and fire ants is not a pleasant experience. And bipods kinda get in the way, they hang up in the woods and hang out and below the rifle. Might pull the remaining bipods off. On my shooting table I use a Calwell Stinger or bags, much more steady for target shooting than a bipod for me.

I agree on scopes, I am deeply looking at some lvpos or compact scopes that are around 2-12, the new discovery really has caught my eye, as it would shed 14 oz's from my gun bringing it back down to around 6lbs dressed opposed to 7. For target shooting/benchrest the high mag is really nice, but for pesting at sub 100 yard ranges, it really isn't necessary, imo. I really should just break down and buy one but I am just waiting for the one to scream out at me, I am always googling to see if something new has come to market, because ~30 oz scopes with 24x mag are just...overkill for most of my shooting. I shoot mostly around 10-12x mag anyway.

I agree somewhat on Bipods, I use 2 very cheap and light ones that I modified to have 2 positions, the OEM position which is almost 90 degrees and my modified position at 45 degree, similar to atlas. Just takes disassembly and adding an additional notch for the locking mechanism to catch into. They're convenient for me though for sitting my rifle on a bench or on the ground when not in use. I don't like leaning my gun, last thing I want is for it to be knocked over and get scuffed.

Likewise with moderators. 3d printed cores sitting within carbon fiber tubes reduces weight a lot over full metal construction like Donny's. You lose some robustness but for most airguns, the 3d prints are plenty strong and reduce weight on the front end, reduce muzzle droop, and...have a softer 'ting' to my ears.

-Matt

 

[Vetmx]

My pellet only PCP’s generally remain light. When you shoot slugs or even start going long range with a pellet PCP, that’s when things change. You need a heavy gun to battle the super slow lock time or shot cycle of an airgun. It takes forever and with a lot of crap going on to get that projectile out of the barrel. The hammers used in most PCP’s just adds to this mess. So weight keeps it planted until Elvis leaves the building.

 

[Stubbers]

My pellet only PCP’s generally remain light. When you shoot slugs or even start going long range with a pellet PCP, that’s when things change. You need a heavy gun to battle the super slow lock time or shot cycle of an airgun. It takes forever and with a lot of crap going on to get that projectile out of the barrel. The hammers used in most PCP’s just adds to this mess. So weight keeps it planted until Elvis leaves the building.

I agree for the most part, more so with long barrel slug shooters and big bores. However, that is more due to pellet lock time in the barrel, hammer lock time can be incredibly reduced with electronic airguns AND mechanically driven pilot valves. Pilot valves can hit sub 1.5ms lock times very easily, regardless of energy output you're seeking, it's just...their nature, depending on how well you design and build them. Balanced valves can shave a lot of locktime off too with good design, but nothing compared to EV and PV.

For benchrest queens, heavy airguns will likely outperform light airguns.

-Matt

 

[jps2486]

Yep, it's light, but when you add a 2-3 pound scope and rings, not so much.

 

[Dairyboy]

I think it all depends on the gun and what it's used for. For guns used on a bench/rest/tripod/bipod it can be heavy as possible. Really helps with steadying the shot. But more offhand I try to keep it lighter. My Umarex Notos is a standout. Close range pester with a red dot I think it's around 4lbs? Very hard to beat. Scope wise I try to go for less magnification. Usually 4-16 but rarely ever go above 10 put to 100yds for pesting. But the brands I like are usually heavier Athlon and Arken. Have a LH4 4-16x44 which is 24oz and Helos BTR Gen2 4-20x50 which is 27oz. Add rings, scope caps, bubble levels and that all adds up. My lightest setup is a DNT Zulus 3-12 lol. 23oz ready to go. That's why I go for a red dot on the Notos and springers go open sights. Those are my offhand guns and whatever to keep the weight down. Personally though I don't own a gun that's over 10lbs scoped.

 

[Vana2]

Being used to the light weight of my springers and T-bolt .22 rimfire the weight of my first PCP was a bit of a surprise - the HW100 is "solid"!

Since then (meaning multiple airguns later LOL!), I've found that PCPs are generally heavy - especially if you put a big scope on them. I don't mind the weight for my bench guns but for hunting I prefer something light.

Up until now, the FX Crown has been my go-to hunting/pesting rifle. I have an FX .22/600mm DRS coming in a day or two that will be fitted with a compact MTC Copperhead scope that will likely become my main squirrel stalking PCP.

With squirrel season rapidly approaching I'm excited for that!

Cheers!

 

[Tygh]

The older I get, the longer my surfboard and the lighter my rifles.

 

[MongooseV8]

Mine is about 8.5lbs now all ready to rock. I use my M3 for offhand shots and kind of prefer a little bit of heft to help stabilize my hold. The key is to have excellent balance, everyone that picks it up is shocked to hear how heavy it actually is.

 

[drsquall]

Scopes have gotten bigger and heavier over time but everyone wants more magnification and more mils for dialing nowadays. So a 2-3lb scope is pretty normal now. I'm a hunter and I know some people rave that certain guns are better for offhand but I try my best not to shoot off hand. I do like a lighter guns for hunting but the offhand part not so much. I always find a tree or always have my shooting sticks available. I only shoot offhand for practicing FT.

 

[Vetmx]

Over the last six months I’ve dropped scope obesity off two of my Impacts by switching them to 1” Athlon Heras scopes. Even when going long with my shots in hunting situations I can’t stand weight carried high on a gun. The scopes being 1” and 20x in no way hamper my longer distance shooting. I’ve been taking mice off a feeder at 131 yards lately at night with them. I good scope doesn’t have to be heavy. It’s 2024.

 

[MongooseV8]

Scopes have gotten bigger and heavier over time but everyone wants more magnification and more mils for dialing nowadays. So a 2-3lb scope is pretty normal now. I'm a hunter and I know some people rave that certain guns are better for offhand but I try my best not to shoot off hand. I do like a lighter guns for hunting but the offhand part not so much. I always find a tree or always have my shooting sticks available. I only shoot offhand for practicing FT.

Took me a while to find one at a good price but my M3 has an older Leupold that weighs in at ~10oz. Certainly not the norm in the scope industry these days lol.