[Bonemaker]

They weren't too heavy for the MEN of the time! Probably a bit much for girls. Semi auto action and weight makes recoil tolerable. Try an 8mm Mauser bolt with steel buttplate and see what shade of indigo your shoulder turns.

[Svartalfiar]

And the MEN back then didn’t carry much else. Soldiers nowadays have a much heavier basic load we carry around.