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“The .22-caliber Pack-Rifle weighs in at just under a pound and breaks down quickly from 33 inches to 17 inches long, and because of it, Crook’s company, Mountain View Arms, LLC claims to have made ‘The world’s lightest, fastest take-down rifle.'” That’s the 411 on Mountain View Arms’ brainchild, via news.hjnews.com.

Informed members of TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia might look at the picture above and see owner Jason Crook holding a flimsy-looking rifle with limited utility. Well, the gun also doubles as a fishing rod. According to their website . . .

The receiver, and most other parts, of the Pack-Rifle are machined from high strength aluminum, while most wear parts and fasteners are constructed of stainless steel. The barrel is a precision button rifled, Cro-Moly liner with a carbon fiber composite outer. Carbon fiber is also used for the butt stock tube of the rifle. This construction makes the Pack-Rifle not only the lightest rifle out there, but very weather resistant as well.

All that aside, Mr. Crook fully admits that a man’s gotta know his rifle’s limitations.

Being such a lightweight gun, some hunters may find its limited range and power unappealing. But customer reviews have proven to Crook that small and compact sometimes is the most important feature.

“We had a guy that was a trapper,” said Crook. “And when they shoot’ em (the animal), you know, if they’re still alive, they want the (bullet) hole to be as small as it can, because they don’t want to ruin the pelt … so a .22 is perfect.” . . .

“If you’re gonna shoot a brick of .22 shells, good God, don’t take this. And if you’re gonna go fishing right out of your truck onto the stream, don’t take this, take a real pole. But if you’re backpacking and you have the opportunity, do it!” said Crook.

According to hjnews.com, “Crook remains an avid elk and deer hunter, and frequents Idaho during hunting season.” With that rifle? Not specified. T&E request made.

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42 COMMENTS

  5. Could I just geta Sub2000 and put it in a backpack? And spring for a Popeil pocket fisherman(still made?) I’d have a fighting chance(with those big critters) with a boo-lit outa’ 40…:)

  7. Very much a niche product made for backpacking. Definitely cool but not for everyone.

    • This. I could easily see carrying this in the back country, or having it instead of an AR-7 in a bug-out bag. Even small segments benefit from more competition.

      • Or a Takedown 10/22. A bit larger and heavier, but not unwieldy and still effective in a backpack.

        • I’ve only seen pictures of the Takedown 10/22. I wonder how much of it you could strip away to lighten it up even more. Trade the weight for either more ammunition, food, warmer clothing, or something else. I never took too much stuff on a hike, but my backpack always seemed to weigh too much. This is true whether it’s an overnighter or bugging out from a natural disaster.

      • Why not a .22 pistol instead? Heck, North American Arms makes good revolvers with long barrels that are smaller, weigh less, and cost less too.

    • Very similar to something I remember seeing years ago. Not my bailiwick, so I forget the specifics. Maybe I can jog the memory and get back with a name. But it was very similar.

        • First, as noted, this is not new. It has been around for several years now.

          Second, it’s not the lightest, either. The lightest is Ruta Locura PRK (Pack Rifle Kit) – which replaces the barrel and the stock on a Crickett or Chipmunk single-shot rifle with significantly lightened components (mostly thanks to carbon fiber). The lightest version, with a tube stock, is 15 oz. Granted, it can’t be converted to a fishing rod… but do you really want to risk losing your gun that way? Collapsible “rod pens” seem a better fit, even for ultralight backpacking.

    • Same here, plus the AR-7 floats when packed up. So they say, anyway, I’ve never tried mine out like that.

      • Mine always float (hey guys watch this). From the one I had back in the 70s (spent hours filing and tweaking to make that frakkin’ gun shoot a mag without FTF) to the current Henry.

        I’ve designed one upsized into 9MM. Someday, if I ever find the time…

  9. .22LR?!? They could have at least made it a .308. How am I supposed to kill an elk with at .22LR?

    • Carefully. And at close range. Very close. Maybe get elk snot on the back of the front sight.

    • I’ll pay quite a sum to see you shoulder and shoot a 308 out of a 1 pound rifle. Hell, maybe we could sell tickets to it. I’ll split the payouts with you.

      • The free recoil would be roughly the same as a 4 bore. 115lbs with a 150 grain bullet. So no, it would not be considered tolerable recoil by anything but a jeep or a tree.

  10. This is a very specialized piece of kit. I think for this purpose I would rather have a a .22 kit pistol and a skeleton framed .410.

    • The basement?

      When Ralph was 12 he spent most of his time locked in the bathroom with an issue of National Geographic… 🙂

      • 12? Nat Geo’s first issue wasn’t until 1888. Just sayin’…

        (Sorry Ralph, it was there and you opened the door.)

  13. Nutnfancy saw this, found it weighed a pound, and had to excuse himself to change his Ninja Turtles underwear in the bathroom.

  14. What a poorly presented article. This looks like a very fine example of a classic survival rifle, questioning the caliber over the fact it is unlikely to take large game borders upon infantile, bringing the authors objectivity into question. With bno information given as to sights or actual operating system this piece was useless.

  15. I’ve never went armed on a backpacking trip….but if I did I’d think the couple extra pounds for the AR-7 would be more than worth it. Going from mag fed semi auto to single shot for a little weight shaving doesn’t make a ton of sense for me. Maybe in addition to a small pistol?

  17. when hunting I feel very tense. however if i reach target,i am feeling really great. I like hunting. especially when I use the bow. I like using bow more gun 🙂

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