quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
I've never understood the hunter who worries about his rifle being several pounds too heavy, when he is 30 pounds over weight! AIU

Because carrying 2# more in your hands is harder than carrying 30# more on your body. I personnaly don;t get anyone being 30# over wt, I also don't get the drive for a rifle much lighter than 7#. I do know I can carry my 7.2# 280 all day anywhere. My 10.5# 404j is a bit of a chore for long walks even on flat African ground.

You can get a M700 close to 7lbs without any metal work and lighter if you want to. Mine is in a custom syn stock, wears a VXII 2-7 Compact and nylon web sling. 7Lbs 2oz and you can carry it all day and it shoots like a dream. 180gr bullets @2800fps.

MY high country set up works very well for me . Remington action light weight krieger barrell mcmillian stock in 280 AI easy recoil suprer accurate flat shooting and quite acc. even when shooting regular 280 rem.Add a good scope and there you go. start pileing up the game! Kevin

+1 for the venerable 270 Win!

To just be different, I have a 6.5WSM wildcat on a lefthand Rem700 short action. With a HighTech stock and a 2.5-8x Leupold, I'm at 7lbs even. Seems a great gun in the Colorado Rockies.

In my humble opinion magnum cartidges are not necessary in mountain hunting. And lord lovin Jesus I sure wouldnt want any part of a .340 in a 6 lb rifle. The .284 is likely the best choice but if you must go "magnum" a 270 or 7mm WSM might make a nice light rifle. Its only my opinion and it seems we all have one.

Sako 85 Finnlight in 7-08, .308, or a .300 WSM. Great gun, and light enough to carry all day in altitude. I also really like my Kimber Montana in 7-08 or 300 WSM light weight, and great to carry. My 300 WSM doesn't like the lighter loads (150) really likes the 168 Berger, 180 Swift A Frame, and Nosler Accubond.

Both great choices imo.

Good luck

For me it would be one of the 7mms -
either a 7mm Rem Mag or .280AI on a standard action; or possibly a 7SAUM or 7-300WSM on a short action; all with 26in barrels...
I would be looking at a 160gr Accubond or a 168gr Berger

If you are looking for a light rifle I would look at a Tikka T-3 Lite. They offer them in lots of calibers including the 300 wsm, 300 win mag, and 338 win mag. Mine in a 300wsm with a 4-14x40 scope and sling with a full shell holder on the side weighs 8.3lbs. With a bipod it is 9.6lbs. They also shoot very well.

Well we dont have to many mountains here in Texas but I would think that one of the new laser range finding scopes would be a great equalizer for any cartridge.
As for caliber, I like 7mm for the bullet selection.

Cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
I've never understood the hunter who worries about his rifle being several pounds too heavy, when he is 30 pounds over weight! AIU

YOu nailed that!
I dropped the 35 lbs and carried my 9.5lb Model 70 classic. No problem.

op - i say you should use the 270 win you currently own. it will easily take the game animals you mentioned, you are already familiar with the rifle, and ammo is everywhere. of course, if you just have to have a new rifle............

Here is my latest "Mountain rifle". A 7X57 Mauser. 6 lbs 15.9 oz's

Chuck, awesome-looking rifle. It looks like what a synthetic rifle made by Griffin & Howe would look like if they made synthetic rifles. I love the red "Old English" pad.

If I was buying a new rifle with that same criteria it would be a Win mod 70 in 300 WSM. It would be a SS as light as possible by Winchester standards - so a 7.5 Lbs rifle including scope. I would shoot 150 gr Barnes TTSX and be confident of taking sheep or Ibex over 400 meters.

7 RSAUM or 7 WSM. 270 WSM / 270 Weatherby.

Years ago I built up a pre 64 in 300 win mag fitted with a Browns precision stock and a Pachmayr decellerator. Fitted with a Euro 30 mm tube scope it shot .25" regularly, 3 shots, and weighed 8.25 lbs and wasnt nasty to shoot. When you gotta shoot something at 500yrds its nice to have a 165 grner doing 3250fps with a good boolit. An 8lb ish 30 cal mag is a good compromise for power, weight, accuracy and manageable recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:
Here is my latest "Mountain rifle". A 7X57 Mauser. 6 lbs 15.9 oz's

GREAT looking set-up. Scope appears to be a fixed power 4x?

JDG

quote:

Originally posted by Doublegun:

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:
Here is my latest "Mountain rifle". A 7X57 Mauser. 6 lbs 15.9 oz's

GREAT looking set-up. Scope appears to be a fixed power 4x?

JDG

FX II 6X36

Don't forget these, mine shoots good too. 30/06 and one coming in 270 win. Both would be great calibers or a 280 rem.

Slightly overkill on Chamois but the 300Win would be my pick for game like Ibex and Sheep where long shots across high wind gully's are not uncommon.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
Slightly overkill on Chamois but the 300Win would be my pick for game like Ibex and Sheep where long shots across high wind gully's are not uncommon.

Oz, you are a Blaser guy. Me too! I love it but what's up with that European stock?

Dave, I have 2 just like that. I love them....like an Attache' without the fluted barrel. Although on one I have a fluted 7.5x55 and the gold nitride bolthead....a humpback Attache'!

If I were going to the mountains to hunt sheep or goats, I would rely on my featherweight model 70 Winchester in 6.5/06 with a 140 grn. handloaded ammo. This rifle combo weighs in at just over 6.3-lbs. It has great B.C. & S.D. too!

I did a hunt years ago when I was much younger and carried a .300 win mag with 165 grn bullet. Today that rifle would wear me out before I got to the top of the mountain. It was a Browning FN Safari type gun in .300 Win mag that must have weighed in at close to 9.4-lbs.

My Mtn rifle is a first gen Ti M700 in 30-06.

I wouldn't want much more in a such a light rifle.

180 gr loads are about as much as I 'enjoy' in that particular rifle.

My 6 1/2 lb 375 Weatherby should be just the ticket ...

quote:

Okay; get a .30-06 or .270. A mountain rifle needs to be light and heavy recoiling cartridges are hard to shoot well in light rifles. It doesn't take much flinching to negate any potential trajectory advantage of a magnum round and the old standards will kill medium game as far as anyone can hit. God help your shoulder if you choose to use a .340 Wby in a mountain rifle.

Mountain goats and sheep do not need the power of 300 Magnums. That said, I agree with Jim C that a mountain rifle needs to be light for carring uphill, and heavy recoiling cartridges are also harder to shoot well in light weight mountain rifles. That tips the scale in favour of smaller bore cartridges.

I would opt for the 260 Rem, as they can be built lighter in a short action, opting for 22 to 24 inches as to your liking. In addition, the 6.5 bullets in 120 to 140 grain have some of the best BC's. Another two reasons for my choice.

Above all, the 260 is a pleasure to shoot - I just shot one last week for the first time on the range. This precision custom built rifle is a dandy and convinced me that I will make a space in my safe for another rifle - a 260 Rem, Krieger barrel on a McMillan G30 action - could be a dream rifle.

The McMillan action is CNC machined from a centerless ground billet blank, not a forging. The face of the action is absolutely perpendicular to the axis of the bolt. Tolerances on general metalwork are held to within 0.005". Critical parts are held to 0.0005" tolerances. Decades of experience in the benchrest circuit have shown that absolute concentricity of the bolt and the action body around the axis, defined by the bore line of the barrel, is paramount to precision shooting.

http://www.mcmillanusa.com/mcm...actions-standard.php

Warrior

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

Slightly overkill on Chamois but the 300 Win would be my pick for game like Ibex and Sheep where long shots across high wind gully's are not uncommon.

Very nice trophy - Bravo !!!

Warrior

Not quite, the Rocky Mtn. Goat, is probably the toughest, most "bullet proof" animal we have in BC and it's ability to absorb well-placed hits from .270s, etc. and still keep going is legendary. The RMG tends to receive "bad press" due to the influence of American "dude" hunters, such as the late J'OC, who was obsessed with mountain sheep and shot far too many of them here in BC, AB and Canada's northern territories.

Another major issue in sheep/goat hunting, is the increasing Grizzly population in BC, which is the only jurisdiction where four of the five main types of mountain sheep exist and which has the largest RMG population anywhere. Attacks are increasing and many of us feel that packing a .338WM or 9.3 is just a little "insurance" when hunting mountain game.

While one CAN shoot most BC game with a 7-08 or whatever, I do not really consider this an adequate tool for the task and feel that general BC cartridges start at the .270Win and go up from there. A light .300 Mag. is an excellent choice here and even an 8.5 lb. .338WM is a damned good one.

I am now turning 65 and I can still carry a .338WM in the mountains and feel a lot better with it in my mitts than with one of my many lighter rifles. Each to his own, but, I would never hunt BC mountain game with a .260Rem, JMHO.

Dewey,

Interesting to get your view on the Rocky Mountain Goat. I have also heard that the Ibex is also very tough and you have to work hard to get them - all by foot. Evidently the largest Ibex goats are to be found in Kazakhstan and the terrain is specacular with breathtaking views high up in the mountains. Such as this report shows ... http://forums.accuratereloadin...=990107503#990107503

I have never hunted these goats, as we do not have them here in SA, but I would suspect that Nosler Partitions would drop them like a stone, and 130 grain bullets from a 270 Win would be adequat, and the same for a 140 gr NP in a 260 Rem. I would also guess that you do not want them to run where you cannot get to them after the shot, and that you have to drop them on the spot. Those behind the shoulder shots (a large vital area) where the bullet explode in their lungs may just be the safest. The NP loses its front core completely, but still penetrate deep and reliably. Lungs shots like this can be spectacular.

What bullets have you been using on them goats, and at what distances are you shooting them in your part of the world? Could you post a few pics for us and indicate how big the rams get as well as the terrain.

What changes the picture, is that you can run into Grizzly bears in BC, which calls for a larger bore rifle and there the 338 Win Mag would certainly be tough medicine. I have seen the carnage of a 250 gr NP on a Blue Wildebeest.

Much appreciated
Warrior

If I were going to hunt British Columbia, I would indeed think twice about do so with a .270 or smaller caliber. They just have to many bears to suit my taste!

I love my 6.5/06 but not in bear country. I would opt for either my .300 win mag using 180 Nosler Accubond or .338 Win mag using 200 Nosler Accubond bullets.

300Wby Ultra Lightweight.

8lb scoped with a 1.7-10 Swaro and loaded with TTSX's. That's what I use for a mountain rifle here anyway... maybe might suit you too.

For off the shelf, get a Tikka T3 stainless lite or for more dollars one of the lite weight Kimbers. Past this, you are going to start spending a lot of dollars per ounce saved.

A good light weight scope also helps, like a fixed 6x, 8x, or 10x.

If a single shot is considered, I would seriously look at a .257 WBY at 3500 fps with a 100 grain TSX, or .264 Win. Mag.at 3200-3300 with a 120 grain TTSX Both of those would require 26 inch barrel or even 28 inches. You could keep one under 7.5 lbs with scope and a bullet in it. For a bolt action, the 270 at 3100 or the 280 at about the same velocity in std. calibers. For magnums a 270 or 300 WSM. as light as you could make one using a 22-24 inch barrel. The velocities are just a guess so don't quote me. I can't hike at all anymore so I envy you building and using a rifle like what is being discussed. DW

7mm-08, no. 1 contour bbl (stainless), stainless short action (bolt of course) of your preference, and a good synthetic stock (again, of your preference).

One of the things that I find amazing is that a hunter can call bull elk in, and then shoot them. Either they are curious or not afraid to go look at where that familiar sound is coming from. They also seem to afford the hunter plenty time to shoot them, as they are not as alert as our kudu. I am not sure if elk differ from region to region, but perhaps someone can tell us more about this.

Wish we could do that with kudu in my part of the world. The kudu is often referred to as the Grey Ghost, being so shy and aloof to predators. This makes them more difficult to hunt than the other species that we have. You have to shoot them as quick as you can, before they move off not to be seen again.

Kudu is still my number one favourite game.

Warrior

This rifle here should make a fine mountain rifle:

300 Wby Custom built.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/...NTS_ONLY#Post1253206

Warrior

For an off the shelf rifle, I would go with the Kimber 3400 Montana in 270 WSM. Just a hair over 6 lbs great stock and 24 in barrel. I know some have had probs with Kimbers , I have 3 and love them.

SSR

It is very had to beat a .300 Win mag for mountain hunting and shots are long. If you want more, than just get yourself a .300-Ultra Mag and your off to the races.

However my 6.5/06 will do just as good on those types of animals and weighs in around 7.35-lbs with scope. 270 Winchester also fits the bill nicely.

Mountain Rifle is the .270 Win. has been and always will be, Jack O told me so. If its too far to hit with a .270 then you should not be shooting..do your hunting before your killing.

There are guns that can tricked up to kill at up to 2000 yards with huge computer looking scopes, tripods all the tricky bells and whistles and it's all the hoopla today, but, like it or not, many an animal excapes with a broken leg or gut shot at those ranges in our gusty mountain ranges of Idaho, and I have too much respect for the animals I hunt to be a part of that. I have for years said they had the right to hunt anyway that was legal but over the last few years I have opted to at least resent it, and that is my right..Now I will get off my soap box and let the internet masses fight it out!

quote:

Originally posted by Warrior:
One of the things that I find amazing is that a hunter can call bull elk in, and then shoot them. Either they are curious or not afraid to go look at where that familiar sound is coming from. They also seem to afford the hunter plenty time to shoot them, as they are not as alert as our kudu. I am not sure if elk differ from region to region, but perhaps someone can tell us more about this.

Wish we could do that with kudu in my part of the world. The kudu is often referred to as the Grey Ghost, being so shy and aloof to predators. This makes them more difficult to hunt than the other species that we have. You have to shoot them as quick as you can, before they move off not to be seen again.

Kudu is still my number one favourite game.

Warrior

Warrior -

I believe Elk can mainly be called in because it is inherent in the character of the elk to respond to challenging calls during breeding season.

During the breeding season, the bulls work very hard at rounding up and keeping their own personal harem of cows. I have personally seen a bull elk with at least 18 cows in his harem, though the usual number is more like 6 to 10.

One of the things they do in keeping their cows attracted and warding off other bulls is "bugle".

So do other bulls which for whatever reason don't have a harem or even 1 cow. Those bulls without cows are trying both to attract cows of any ilk and to challenge the herd bull for part or all of his harem.

By listening to the bugles, bull elk can get an idea of how tough an opponent they are facing...very generally the higher pitched and "thinner" bugles are from younger, or contrarily, senile, bulls.

The herd boss doesn't want any of his very fickle cows sneaking off for some hanky-panky with the intruders, so he runs toward the bugle, to kick that lesser bull's butt. and drive him away. As you can imagine, sometimes a big 6 or 7 point (per side) bull can do serious harm to a lesser bull by goring him badly.

Anyway, once you have heard bulls bugle, you may find it very easy to produce an easily heard but rather puny bugle with just your own mouth, no horn or "call" required.

A shrill whistle with a stongly exhaled "uh" immediately at the end of the whistle will do the trick just fine. I have called in many bull elk in northern Arizona doing just exactly that. Apparently my puny bugle tells them I am an immature, impudent young bull, who deserves to get clobbered, so they come to me to do just that.

BTW. fairly often the herd bull is just SOL. If there are two or three challengers in the neighborhood, while he may be chasing one and then another away, a third may sneak in and breed or drive off one of his cows. Big bulls often lose a LOT of weight during breeding season just by doing the work of trying to keep their breeding stock together and out of the lecherous clutches of other bulls.