Mountain rifle - mountain hunting

In my eyes that means, klimbing up for hours, every pound of luggage counts. You have shots of 300 - 400 meters. The animals are mostly small (chamois, ibex).

My vote a Blaser K95 (you can put it in your rucksack) Caliber 6x62R Frères or in Germany where I habe minimum 6,5 mm would take a 6,5 x 68R or the 6,5 x 65 RWS or 30R Blaser.

In my eyes, the single shoot break down action is the way to go in the mountains.

Burkhard

Light can be accurate but they are tougher to shoot consistently. It takes quite a bit of honest practice.

For me absolutely as light as I can go and still shoot is 7lbs. No illusions, that's still hard to control.

I truly dislike "mountain contours" on barrels. A whippy thin walled barrel can be a nightmare at the range during load development. Take the weight out of the stock and leave the metal where it's supposed to be. Thin barrels make me nervous, I just can't get over it.

For a good utility easy to carry mountain gun I like the 280REM. I really like the Tikka T3 but it doesn't comes in 280REM. Short cartridges don't mean squat to the weight of a Tikka. One action just different stops. That being said, in spite of all the hype and many American hunter's current irrational love affair with things that are short and fat. The 270WSM is a good cartridge and the Tikka is chambered in it.

If you want a peak to peak deathray and don't mind a heavier gun, I really like the 300WBY. It's an honest to goodness long range hammer that delivers. I keep hearing the SUB-MOA Vanguards aren't a joke. Maybe someone here can post some targets. I'm quite happy with my Mark V but if I was looking for a 300WBY I'd sure take a good hard look at the SUB-MOA Vanguard.

I am going to some mountains in Montana next week. For the "low" mountains I will use the .338 on the right. For the 'High" mountains I will use the .308 on the left. Its a Winchester Classic compact SA in .308 using 165 grain nosler partition bullets.

Nice rifles there, I agree on the weight comments above, fly weights have always been more difficult to steady and hit with so each person has to decide what is the 'correct balance of wt. vs. shootability' in a gun.

I also dislike thin bbls as they have never met my expectations. I am sure properly relieved stress free good bbls deliver, but I cannot 'steer' them as well as a sporter or heavier configuration.

Cartridges, many good ones depending on game and range, matter of choice.

I'd opt for a 6.5x55/7x57 ballistic performance up through medium game, 338/06 35 whelen class on larger game, having weight more in barrel and less in a good synthetic stock (saves wt. and no worry about dinging nice wood) also a light fixed power of 4-6x would be good for most game shooting, unless you need ultra-long range and then a variable to 8-14x on top end might be useful, with a 40mm max obj. lens.

Keeping things simple can be lighter and would be my choice, esp. more so the more I intended to be carrying the rifle.

Never owned one but if you wanted a 'do it all' for this country and needed factory ammo, a 280 w/say a 3.5-10x40 would fit bill, but I'd rather have a 338/06 for larger game but not the factory selection of ammo if you needed or wanted, not too important if you load your own, but always an option/variable to consider. 30-06 and many others will do just as well slight increase in recoil, and perhaps trajectoryd depending on loads.

So Ingvar what is your choice, or has been and the game/range you used it?

I was going to buy the tikka T3 lite stainless steel in .270 win , but unfortunately they didn’t have this model and calibre on stock. I’m looking now at the new Sako 85 Finnlight in 6.5x55 Mauser. If all goes well I’ll buy it and but a nice Zeiss Conquest on it. I think that is pretty close to as my ideal mountain rifle combo!

Well, for the mountains here in North Alababama I prefer the 45/70 loaded with a nice soft lead projectile.

If I hunted the real mountains out west I would choose a lightweight .257 Roberts improved.

quote:

Originally posted by pinotguy:
I'd be inclined to go with something like 8x68S. I think for a mountainous setting, its performance, trajectory, and the distances involved would make it almost ideal.

Almost ideal-yes! Like the almost totally ignored, but ballistically identical, 8mm Rem. mag. Another good choice!

i had a very minty parker hale 7 mag that weighed 7.3 lbs on a digital shipping scale, that was with a burris ff2 3-9 on it. it shot wonderful with the 162 gr sst bullets and ramshot magnum powder. the first 2 shots would always touch and the third would open the group to about an inch. i had installed a limbsaver pad on it and it wasn't bad to shoot at all... sold it to my brother, i'll get it back someday i suppose. i don't have any mountain experience but that one would be a dandy, that load chrono'ed a very consistant 3000 fps.

El Deguello,
No Gamsbart unfortunately, it was summer coat.

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
fullstock carbine, 6.5x54 MS scope with a #1 german reticle.
steel buttplate for sure.

What a beauty!

quote:

Originally posted by Rx7dryver:
If I hunted the real mountains out west I would choose a lightweight .257 Roberts improved.

Which is basically our metric 6.5x57 mm. rimmed or not. I have a Blaser K95 in that caliber with a 6x scope and just like it.

Still, for ibex it seems that some more "bang!" wouldn't do harm, next time I'll take the spare 8x75 mm RS barrel when I go to Spain.

i find most of my walking around is with a ruger 77 RSI tang safe in 308 w/ the NECG peep sight.
elevated in a climber or ladder stand and ill likely have "SOOT" my 20" 308 steyr w/ zeiss glass.
sitting under a cedar i like the BLR 308 w/ 2.5-8 leupy.

so any way i cut it i usually find a 308 in my hands.

My 7lb. 6oz.(scoped) 30-06 Husqvarna seems about right.

One of my # 3 ,7 MM Mags or 300 Ultra and if the mountain is REALLY BIG ! , a 175 self propelled .Setting up at the base zeroing in and launching what ever comes up !. ( Ha Ha )

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

It would depend on what & where you are hunting, but a 7# bolt action in 7x57, 7x64/280 or 7WSM/SAUM, is about perfect for me. Light enough to carry all day & heavy enough to still control in the windy high country. Mine is a 7 1/4" M70 w/ 23"bbl. The Rem M7 or M700 will make into sub 7# rifles & still have 23"-24" bbls. The Kimber is a great factory rifle for a light wt. "mountain" rig.

I shoot many good mountain rifles, from .243 WSSM up to .358 STA, but for a light carry potent round I would have to pick my .270 WSM. My load is a 140 grain grain uncoated Nosler combined tech failsafe that drills holes at 3300 fps. I have a 4.5X14 Ziess Conquest mounted on it and the combination is real sweet. I will be using it in a few days as my Elk round in Colorado. Good shooting.

Just curoius phurley, what does your rifle weigh w/ that big piece of glass on it?

quote:

Originally posted by Ingvar J. Kristjansson:
I’m curious....What’s your favourite Mountain rifles Cartridge ? And what´s your ideal rifle/cartridge/scope combination for a mountain rifle ?

6,5x65 R out of the Merkel K3!

fredj338 ----- -Good question and I can't answer it because I have never weighed the rifle. Until I got it every thing else I had shot weighed much more, (from 7mm STW with heavy barrel up to .416 Rigby and several in between). I would guess around 8 pounds. I don't consider the Ziess 4.5 X 14 real heavy glass, I shoot several and never thought they were that heavy. I have since bought a couple of WSSM's and put the same scope on them and they are all quite light to me. Good shooting.

Favorite mountain rifle. . . . ? Easy. . Kimber M84 7mm-08, Leupold 1.5x5, with 140 grain Barnes Triple shock ahead of a upper end charge of IMR4350. 1/2 MOA accuracy, flat shooting, great penetration, in a short, light package.

Sako M75 stainless/synthetic in 7mm-08

Model 700 Remington KS mountain Rifle, 6X Leupold Scope with a dot, 7mm Remington Magnum.

30'06 of course, probably my Husqvarna 1640 7.25# scoped. although it might be fun to take my 9.3X62 CZ 550FS.

Tikka T3 Light in .270 WSM shooting 150gr Partitions for deer, moose, elk, etc.

I've hauled a 6.5lb .260AI w/3x9 Leupold, have also hauled a 9+lb Ruger#1 w/4x Sightron chambered in .45-70! For me, it's whatever I can shoot well and the fact that I have a real choice in the matter. Basically, whatever works for you...

Hank

I agree with Phurley, the 270 WSM with a 4.5-14 Leupold on a Kimber Montana rifle...great for carrying but required a lot of practice due to its ultralight weight...with a wildly beating heart could be a beast to steady...

270win with leupold 4-12x40 works great in the mountains of Australia !

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
I'm from Houston; help please. What is a "mountain"?

LMAO!

Mountains are like those tall things you have downtown except they aren't as smooth on the sides.

I lived in the foothills of Houston for awhile - Galleria area.

Mountain rifle.....
Many depends from where you hunt and what you'll hunt.
I hunt chamois in the Alps, so sometimes I need to shot at medium-long distance (up to 400y).
My favorite combination is: a good bolt-action rifle like Remington 700 BDL, or Sako 75, or Kongsberg 393, chambered in 7mm Rem Mag loadet with 140g bullets.
Optimum quality variable scope, as ex. Leupold or Swarovski, up to 12x
For me isn't very important that rifle is ultra light, I prefer accuracy and flat trajectory.
Many hunters loves lighter guns, but this normaly are not so precise and are chambered for slower caliber that have more wind sensibility that a fast caliber.
Faina