Perfect CAl?

ishootaRUM300 · Apr 25, 2011

For those of you that have hunted sheep what would you say is the perfect Caliber for hunting the rough country that one finds big horn sheep in? I am sure a 338RUM, 300RUM, 300 mag, or any of the other super hard hiting calibers, but what about a fast recovery to put a second shot on the Ram, or what about weight? Would it be better to have a lighter weight not as hard a hitting gun that you recover from the recoil faster to put a second shot on the Ram to make sure he goes in his tracks? Would you consider using a 25-06 or 243 win? I know people are going to say take the gun you are comfortable with and can shoot well, but by the time I get to hunt them I will have lots of time to get comfortable with what ever gun I like. SO what say you light weight not as hard of a hitting gun like one mentioned/your favorite or does a guy take a harder hitting heavier gun?

greatwestern · Apr 25, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-11 AT 01:33PM (MST)[p]Nah, leave the over-30 crowd at home...I've never seen ANY sheep that required any kind of Ultra either...

The .270, 7mm, or .300 WSMs with the right bullets make ideal sheep rounds...plenty flat shooting and with more than enough down range energy. With the short action, these chamberings can be found in some quite light factory and custom rifle configurations.

I'd skip the 9-10+ pound rigs for ANY mountain hunt...

Good Luck!

muleycrazytwo · Apr 25, 2011

For backpack type sheep hunting I have an H-S Precision 300 WSM at 7 lbs. including scope. I believe the extra power of a 300 magnum is well worth the increased recoil. For horseback hunting I will pobably use a 10 lb. 300 RUM. As you can see I don't believe you can use too much gun. Of course you must be accurate first and foremost.

littlebighorn · Apr 25, 2011

I have to agree with greatwestern!
The grandfather of sheep hunting, Jack O'Connor insisted that a 130 grain 270 was perfect medicine for any North American sheep.
I also agree that the weight of the rifle is an important consideration. I have a light weight 300 WSM which has worked perfectly for 3 sheep. It is a joy to carry and I have never considered being over or under gunned for sheep. I would also strongly consider a stainless barrel and action, if you are hunting sheep up north, where it is always wet. My son's blued barrel rusted badly during our Dall hunt last year.

Zeke · Apr 25, 2011

Yes... what the above guys said.

Keep the gun on the lighter side and the scope on the reasonably moderate side (3x9 2.5x10 4x12 ish)and the caliber in the 270, 280 or moderate 30 cal range.

If you do all that, you'll be fine for sheep. IMHO

Remember, you'll be carrying the darn thing for 7 to 14+ days for just one (1) shot, so keep it light.

Zeke

ishootaRUM300 · Apr 25, 2011

would a 6.5-06 or 264 win mag be to light?

D13er · Apr 25, 2011

>would a 6.5-06 or 264 win
>mag be to light?

no

JB

sageadvice · Apr 25, 2011

Boddington, from an article, "My Favorite Things"

"Boddington believes the .270 WSM, chambered in a Kimber, is one of the finest mountain cartridges ever--faster and harder-hitting than the great .270 Winchester but able to be housed in a lighter, handier rifle." Also,

"The .270 WSM is far and away my favorite of all the new short magnums, and I like the added velocity over a .270 Winchester. I also like the shorter action and find the increase in recoil to be not enough to worry about. It can be made into a wonderfully light package, yet it packs a whole lot of punch. I have used the .270 WSM on elk with no qualms (and great performance), and I even took it to Tajikistan on my second hunt for Marco Polo, a big-bodied sheep that lives in very open country where ranges are often quite long."

I have to agree with him on all counts!

Joey

greatwestern · Apr 25, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-11 AT 09:59PM (MST)[p]Ya Sage, along those lines...my bud took a hammer Tagik Polo (219", 60+ long side) a couple months back with an FN Model 70 stainless action in 7mm WSM, Gaillard fluted barrel, Wildcat Composites stock topped with the little 'Ski 3-9x40 with the graduated reticle in Talley Lightweights...whole rig weighs about 6 2/3 with 3 in the mag

642 rangefinding yards, hot-loaded 139 GMX through the top of the heart...deaded

His wife shoots a similarly built rifle, but in 7x57 Mauser and topped with a Leupy 2.5-8x36...killed her latest NWT Dall (38") last season at just under 400...also heart shot

**edit---and as LBH recommended, STAINLESS...and no wood! for ANY serious Mtn Rifle...when it rains it pours in the High Country!

hell, may as well add...this is my 74 year old bud and me with his 169" Desert from last season, on which he made a beautiful 370+ yard quartering away and downhill shot with a new synthetic Model 70 in .270 WSM topped with a VXIII w/the Varmint reticle

Also, the H-S Precision that MuleyCrazy mentions (I'm guessing PHL?) is one sweet rifle as well!

Ihuntthereforeiam · Apr 28, 2011

I had a custom rifle built by christensen, its a .25 wsm.
Had to order custom dies and everything else but it isant to hard to take .270 short cases and size them to .25.
110gr accubonds at 3500fps, if i ever draw a sheep tag i imagine it would probably work.

Shoot em till their dead

taximan · Apr 28, 2011

I always wanted to use a .270 on my sheep hunts but opted out for a .257 Weatherby on one, used a .300 mag on another because I also shot a moose on the trip, but the last backpack hunt I used a .240 Weatherby, it was great to pack and killed the ram just fine. My guide said that a .243 is enough to knock one over. I was glad I had the lighter rifle after the kill, it was a load packing it all out, but I enjoyed every minute of it though!

greatwestern · Apr 28, 2011

ya for sure, a good strong bullet outta them fast .24s and .25s make great NA sheep pills...hell, I know a guy that has killed 3 off-range Oryx (2 bulls, 1 cow) with the 'slow' 25-06 shooting 115 gr partitions @ right around 3000

A mature oryx is quite a bit larger than most any wild ram...maybe a few of the Altai type argali will approach that size

Zeke · Apr 29, 2011

There have been a ton of great caliber/rifle recommendations.

I'll echo a couple.

Any good mid-caliber will work from the two-bit 06 (25-06 which I've used extensively) to the 300 mags. Some bigger and some smaller will work.

To me the rifle configuration is much more important. I've hunted sheep and goat type animals well over a dozen times and have NEVER used a wood-stocked rifle. I love wood! I'm a wood guy! I build wood-stocked rifles but would not consider them for a serious mountain hunt. I know plenty of people who have, do and will use them, but for me it will always be synthetic for a mountain sheep hunt. The advantages are just too many to list. (I've only used stainless steel on 1 hunt)

Remember to keep it lighter-ish. You'll carry it for 2 weeks and shoot it once!

Just 2 cents worth of my opinion.... for FREE!

Zeke

greatwestern · Apr 30, 2011

10-4 Zeke...LIGHT is right! hell, the slow little SA 7-08 and .308 can be found in some VERY lightweight rifles. Steeper trajectories obviously, but nothing to worry too much about

On that note, unless you are using a graduated reticle of some configuration, another recommendation would be to zero for maximum point-blank range for about an 8" window, 4" or so high at the top of the arc and 4" low out at MPBR...much reduced holdover or elevation cranking at long ranges zeroing this way. I've always felt its much easier to hold a few inches low at 1-200 than it is to compensate for big drops at long range with a 1-200yd zero anyway

Alright, no more of my rambling...Have Fun!

Zeke · Apr 30, 2011

GW

Not trying to get "brown" on my nose but you're right on the money with that post!

I'd rather be shooting a .308 sighted correctly than a 300 RUM done incorrectly! (I do use them both, by-the-way)

Knowledge of MPBR is a hunter's friend.

I'm done now too. Hell, I ramble on way too long.

Zeke

ELKOHOLIC · Apr 30, 2011

Perfect gun? If I ever get a sheep tag I would not hesitate to take my 7mm-08 shooting 140 gr accubonds.

littlebighorn · May 1, 2011

It ain't rambling, when it is spoken by two gun- sheep masters!
I'm just a want-a-be.

coyote · May 1, 2011

If I ever draw I will be packing my dimond with a 70 lb draw weight and loaded with g5 montecs

Zeke · May 1, 2011

>It ain't rambling, when it is
>spoken by two gun- sheep
>masters!
>I'm just a want-a-be.

LMAO

We're all wanna-be's. I wanna be better all the time.

Hey LBH, are we hunting desert sheep together this year? Good luck and remember my number! It's time to get your ticket punched.

Zeke

greatwestern · May 1, 2011

LAST EDITED ON May-01-11 AT 09:12PM (MST)[p]Damnit Zeke, yer hired!!

I sure as hell ain't no master of nothin! I figure there's ALWAYS gonna be someone out there that can learn me a thing or two anyway

Hell, just the other day LBH gave me some good pack advice!

We all just gotta keep pluggin away...and maybe one day we might just get somewheres! But then, maybe we won't get anywhere at all!...gotta enjoy the ride

One of my favorite lyrics:

"Never beat, we'll keep the hold, the going is the goal!
On our feet, down the hole, Alchemy of Soul
through defeat we'll play our role and turn Steel into Gold
Feels so fine it blows my mind, gets me every time!
We'll keep on trying, we're goin down in style!"

---from the tune Kill 'Em All by my Svenka bud Marko's looney band The Crown

Anyway, Good Luck with the draw and on the hunt Dudes! keep us posted

**edited to provide full verse...good stuff, got the thing playin right now! them boys got one of the finest drummers on the on the planet in Janne...dude is a dang Drum Lord!

scottyboy · May 1, 2011

LAST EDITED ON May-02-11 AT 00:16AM (MST)[p]The gun I'll be toting up the hill when the AZGF and NMGF decides its my turn for a crack at a desert hammer and Pecos Rocky is my pre-64 Winny in .300 H&H. Perfect classy caliber that Jack would thoroughly approve of. If not the H&H, then the same gun in .264Win. Just would not want to do it any other way..

That said, Ill be packing a 300WSM to BC and then onto Kyrgyzstan this fall to poke holes in a few big wooly goats. It shoots (if I do my part) and is a pleasure to carry. Made by Match Grade Arms.

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DRSS

greatwestern · May 1, 2011

Hell Scotty, thought you put in for the 'other' unit?

Well, just make sure that woody Win has got a few mm's of free float...our August/Sept monsoons can really saturate, and do have the notorious tendency to WARP things a bit

Zeke · May 2, 2011

Hey Scottyboy,

I read on the "other" site (Asian section) that you're going to chase the Mid-Asian Ibex.... Correct?

I hope you have a great trip. Keep us posted please. They are cool animals.

I tried to hunt them in Tajikistan but when we got there, to hunt sheep, they said we couldn't hunt Ibex. Bummer dude! We never did find out exactly why we couldn't hunt them!

Good luck,
Zeke

greatwestern · May 2, 2011

LAST EDITED ON May-02-11 AT 12:32PM (MST)[p]shucks, took a while to find the damn pics, but here are some pecos dudes from last june for ya Scotty...all too young in these photos, but showin some potential

Anyway, good luck in the draw... and there MIGHT just be a few pretty decent older dudes crawlin around up there as well!

scottyboy · May 2, 2011

LAST EDITED ON May-02-11 AT 12:47PM (MST)[p]GW
I DID mean that other crappy unit up there!! I guess I had "pecos" on the mind when I typed that. Good memory, bud!
One of these days...one of these days.

I will certainly let you know how the draw goes. Same for here in AZ when the time comes later this summer. I can feel a Silverbell tag callin my name! I was up there the other day pokin around. Ewes are droppin really soon, if not already.

Zeke

Yep, after the goats in both countries. I would/should be chasin MP, but I just cannot get myself out of Africa.
I figured the MA ibex would be a good way to see that part of the world without breaking the bank too badly. If I get the bug for these high country Asian hunts, that may be my new golden fleece to save up for and chase while I can do so. If it does end up being so, I would rather have a crack at a big Tajik ram rather than the Kyrgyz variety.. Those longer thinner horns are what dreams are made of!

Going with a damned good outfit on the Kyrgyz hunt that really knows his stuff over there. I'm gonna try and go for broke and hold out for a really good billy. "TRY" being the word of the day! I do not wat to jinx myself by throwing out hard numbers.. Let's just use the word MATURE.

I will certainly be in touch with you guys when the draw GAWDS smile upon me!
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DRSS

greatwestern · May 2, 2011

Good deal, the crappy unit is the only way to go!

Oh man, you KNOW how jealous I am about your antennae headed goat hunt! I would honestly rather hunt them Big 3 we talked about than even any argali...sounds crazy I know, but I'm kinda a NA sheep snob, as in I think our wild sheep varieties are the best in the world, and that might only be because they are!

Hell brother, it would be awesome to make the Alpine hunt together in the next several years...but for now, you're in charge! And yessir-- BIG, HEAVY antennaes!! No pee-fee banana heads!

Zeke · May 2, 2011

GW and SB

I hunted sheep and Ibex in Mongolia and knew very damn little about the Ibex before I went (many moons ago).

What I did learn about them was they are some of the most wary and spry animals on the planet! They are just super-cool animals and I'm proud to say I have a couple of them.

GW
I love NA sheep the most too but the damn permits are a bit hard to come by, so....... off to Asia I've gone. It's a blast!
The hunts are ... well... sheep hunting and the people are interesting. The sights and sounds add flavor to the hunt. The mountains are just as tough to climb (especially at +15000') It's been a good reminder of just how lucky we are to live in the USA when I see some of the living conditions!

I have a couple sheep hunts with my kids first but I will end up in Siberia on a sheep hunt sooner or later, money and health permitting! Everyone should have a Snow sheep unless you can figure out a way to get me another Desert sheep tag. LOL

Best regards my internet friends,
Zeke

greatwestern · May 3, 2011

I hear ya bout the opportunities here Z...and sure! I'd love to go east and hunt some of them big cursor sheep, I like the King the best, the HEAVY Altai!

But man, have spent a good bit of time with the big billy antennae heads up in the Chamonix valley and on the other side of the hill in the Val d'Aost, and they are really something! And them big mid-asians look awesome...

I guess for Snows, I like the Kamchatka strain...bighorn type pelage with dalli horns, pretty cool

And I'm gonna have to fire ya again! I still ain't drawn no Bighorn tags...but THIS is my year damnit!