The hybrid bolt action rifle concept

[maximus83]

Hybrid bolt actions have gotten popular. I don't know of a formal definition, but there's a decent overview article here . For discussion, let's say a 'hybrid' is a bolt action rifle that weighs roughly 8-10 pounds unscoped/unloaded, and is intended to be capable of both hunting AND benched/competitive shooting. In simple terms, it's a rifle that's light enough to be carried (at least for a ways) but heavy enough to shoot a higher rate of fire accurately. Some recent examples of mass produced hybrids:

* Bergara B-14 HMR (9.2 - 9.8 lbs)
* Ruger Hunter (9.2 lbs)
* Remington 700 Magpul (9 lbs)
* You could make the case that rifles like the Tikka CTR, or the Rem 700 LTR, or the original Ruger Scout in the wood stock should be here. They're close, but at roughly 7.5 lbs, I think barrel contours and stocks are a bit light to fit the category. This strikes me as more in the category of the 'light tactical rifle' or 'scout rifle' or something like that, there's significant overlap but it seems like not the same thing. Where these rifles would lose out to the hybrids is 'heavy enough to shoot a higher rate of fire accurately.'

So, here are the most common pros/cons I hear:

* Pros: for people who don't want to own a lot of bolt actions, this can be one do-it-all rifle. Heavy enough for accurate range shooting, light enough for a lot of hunting scenarios. That's the marketing message, and a lot of folks agree with that in practice. I see this as more common in circles like ours on M4C, where you have a lot of guys that are mostly AR or semiauto shooters, but want to own a single nice bolt action.
* Cons: too heavy for practical hunting use, and often too light--esp the barrel--for serious benched or comps type of shooting, and extended strings of fire. A critique you often hear is that hybrid rifles in trying to be good at everything, are actually good at nothing.

So what do you think? Do you like the hybrid concept, or would you rather own multiple bolt actions that are more purpose built, for instance a lighter one for hunting and a heavier one for range/comps shooting? (Full disclosure, already own a lighter Tikka and a heavier 'tactical' type R700, but still interested in the hybrid concept too).