My 300 wby that I had built.

My custom built 300 wby.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny reb:
May not be the right forum. I'm wondering what everyone thinks Is the perfect caliber for Mountaion hunting. With sheep or goats main objective.

The 284 Winchester was more-or-less made for it.

This thread has been whipped to death but I'll add again.

I have a bighorn sheep hunt this year and my adult son has a desert sheep hunt. We were both fortunate enough to draw good tags after decades+ of applications.

We will both be using the .284 caliber. Mine will be a Kevlar stocked rifle in the 280 AI cartridge and my son's will be a 7mm Rem Mag.

I've previously used a 280 Rem on a couple sheep with excellent results along with 270 Win a couple times and the 300 Win Mag a few times.

Most good cartridges will work just fine provided the rifle/scope is configured to the task.

Good luck,
Zeke

7mm RM with 140 - 160 grain Nosler Partitions will work. My thoughts are your shot will probably be 200 - 400 yards looking up a mountain or cliff. Something you can shoot long distance. If it's not a guided hunt I'd want something I think might turn a bear.

Waterrat(James) probably has taken or guided on north of 100 dall sheep hunts. I would defer to him.

I am young and nuts so I guess I will go with a 26 Nosler in a Model 48 Patriot.

30/06 with a premium 150 or 165 grain bullet

Magnums need 26 inch tubes and are bulky IMO..The sheep rifle of all time is and always will be the 7x57 or the .270 IMO...and no flys on the old 30-06...All the sheep Ive shot were within 200 yards except one an he was about 300 or so...

I have often done the mental gymnastics on this, but If I was building a "dedicated" Mountain rifle it would be chambered in 7mm-08.

I'm going to chime in here, there is a big difference when it comes to sheep and goats...sheep are easy to kill, Goats are not. Of course it all comes down to the shot placement. Having killed both species here in AK, I will say all my sheep were one shot kills, but not my goats, Like sheephunter, my first goat on Kodiak was with a 270 wsm, from 70 yds. took 3 direct hits before he did the infamous leap of faith in which he rolled over 1500 feet, that same year I took my first ram with the same rifle, which from 180 yards was still standing after I shot him in the perfect behind the shoulder quartering away shot, I learned that the 270 wsm is a fast round, and seemed to pass completely thru with little expansion. I did eventually got to 280 AI and now a 300 WM.....my preference is the 300 WM, I am literally in bear country and it shoots flat out long where I'm confident with shots up to 500 yds on mountain game, it all comes down to the right loads and bullets, and your shooting ability, I still could use the 270 wsm, if I had developed the right bullet and load, but I'm sort of a longer action guy.

If your wondering about pack weight of a rifle and money is no object then, get one built by a quality gunmaker, My 280 AI is under 6 pounds with my swaro Z3, and my 300 WM is right at 6 pounds 12 ounces with a Z5 swaro. both built by Lex at Rifles Inc. and I will put them up against any of the ultra light rifle builders on the market.

NECG now imports the RWS ammunition for the 6,5x68. He was showing it off at SCI.

Nice to see the interest in the 6,5x68. However, just these days RWS communicated a lot of cancellations of bullet/ cartridge combinations. One of the victims is the 6,0gr TMS i.e. soft point. I see that demand was not there anymore however exactly this bullet was a classic and proven choice for the hunter for far distance roebuck or chamois.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodrow S:
270 Winchester in a light rig, like a 700 Titanium would be my first choice with 140gr premium bullets like a Barnes TTSX or Partition and a Leupold 2.5x8 in Talley rings.

X2. I have one and it likes 140's

quote:

Originally posted by OTTOMATIC:

quote:

Originally posted by Woodrow S:
270 Winchester in a light rig, like a 700 Titanium would be my first choice with 140gr premium bullets like a Barnes TTSX or Partition and a Leupold 2.5x8 in Talley rings.

X2. I have one and it likes 140's

If I ever had the money to do a BC or Yukon sheep hunt I take a 270 and sit on the mountain and think of Jack and have a great time.

I've used a 308 Mod 7 KS, a Brown Precision 338 and a custom FN Mauser in 300 WM. They all worked but I liked the little 308 best as it never felt heavy at anytime during the hunt. Use what you like as other have said. There is no magic caliber.

Mark

For me it would be the 270 or 30-06. Either would work with good bullets and save weight over the magnums with just regular hunting rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
I've used a 308 Mod 7 KS, a Brown Precision 338 and a custom FN Mauser in 300 WM. They all worked but I liked the little 308 best as it never felt heavy at anytime during the hunt. Use what you like as other have said. There is no magic caliber.

Mark

I like your thinking. I have an old Remington 600 in .308. If I ever got crazy enough to climb mountains for sheep or goats. It would be my choice.

I know rifle caliber is subjective. I was just trying too get a feel on everyone's thoughts.Ive decided too build a 300wsm on a left handed model 70 action, with a number 3 contour benchmark barrel.It will wear a Echols legend stock.probally top it off with a Swarovski Z5 3.5x18x44.