The Arrowhead or Hankins rifles with the full Shank are very heavy rifles, they're phenomenal weapon systems, and the brass modules that they use with large rifle mag primers or large rifle primers are also very efficient, the accuracy of these guns is amazing, if you step down in weight to what I refer to as a barrel nut rifle it has less shank diameter, because of that it's powder charge limit is less but still plenty for shooting out to five and 600 yards even more, most of the barrel nut barrels installed on a Remington or some other bolt action by the time you put them in a stock and put a scope on them are going to weigh between 9 and 1/2 to 11 lb you can build a much lighter weight Bolt Action Gun or even possibly look at the smokeless barrels for Omega actions or even the new Alpha action smokeless capable rifle that's coming from Woodman arms, you can build a lighter weight smokeless rifle with the scope that will be around 8 to 8 and 1/2 lb if you study and look and familiarize yourself with the components, I have heavy rifles ,I have 7 to 8 1/2 lb rifles ,and I also have several of the smokeless capable omegas from Woodman I really like,, guns in all three weight classes, but if I'm going hunting the heavy rifles are going to end up in the corner of the closet even if I have quote a Big Field to watch with a box stand I would rather have the lighter rifle it gets up out of the window and to my shoulder split seconds quicker than the heavy gun does. Target rifles I really enjoy them,, I would suggest that you define what you're going to do with the rifle if you're going to hunt mainly I might start with a conversion like the CVA Hankins conversions from the 45-70 if I'm going to hunt and and do a little Target work I might step up to a barrel nut taper if I'm just going to punch paper I might look at one of the full Shank heavier bolt action guns with everything but the kitchen sink and there's a lot cheaper ways to put those guns together then paying the big amount from the custom gunsmith you just need to study and find that path,, the greatest appeal of smokeless muzzleloading to me no matter the weight of the rifle or the type of action is just the unbelievable accuracy that is available ,yes it's cool to be shooting smokeless and there's some really cool looking bullets all that's nice but for me if I cut all that away,, all the fluff ,it's just flat out one of the most accurate weapon system I've ever shot in my life and in particular I'm talking 45 Cal smokeless.
