If I was going, it would be my Vanguard .257Wby.

My sheep rifle is a Ruger M77 Stainless Synthetic with a Ruger trigger and a Ruger Barrel. It has a Nikon Monarch UCC 5.5-16x50 AO scope secured by Ruger Rings.

Free Floating the barrel and a trigger grinding job with a reset to 3 lbs. is the only custom work I have done to it.

I was pushing 150 Scirrocos with Re. 22 and could put every shot in a pie plate at 450 yards. However I will be switching to the Accubond when I get to hunt sheep again.

Nothing to custom, but put me in front of ram within 500 yrds at any elevation in the lower 48 and I'll get him.

-Autumn Pulse

Because of what I had,I hunted with my ol'WW 30/06 and did fine to 300y.
I always doubted my ability to hold correctly for the trajectory of the 30/06 and longed for a flatter shooting rifle.I had built a 300 RUM with Lilian barrel,took 2.5 years and 3 gunsmith's to do it right,so I actually havent used it for sheep yet--but will.I am using 168gr Barnes and will try Accubonds as the Barnes shoot well but pencil thru.

I am happy with the 300 RUM otherwise

I'm probably not of much help because mine is my Remington 725 .280 Rem., 3x9 Nikon Monarch, 160 grains Nosler Part. chrono'd @ 2,920 FPS. 8 1/4 pounds. Not a sheep on the mountain, or desert, it won't put down with alacrity & dispatch.

Those 725s are kinda hard to find, nevertheless, I believe that any good, accurate rifle in .270 Win., up through .300 Mag., will do the job very efficiently, so long as you do your's.

Good hunting.

L.W.

Caliber?

My sheep rifle is just my standard rifle: a Savage 7mag, Stockade stock. Almost 9 lbs, with scope and sling. Shooting 140gr. TSX's at 3295 about MOA.

Geez, I'm 240 lbs, what's two more lbs on the gun? At least it doesn't do whirly-gigs when I'm on top of the mountain.... LOL! Dutch.

custom .300 w.m. 24" lothar walther barrel with slimline muzzle brake crowned, 1 lb. kevlar stock with packmayer decelerator buttpad, skeltonized R700 action trued and blueprinted, 3.5 lb. crisp rem trigger, blind magazine, stainless steel action and barrel teflon coated and camoed, lt. wt. aircraft grade aluminum rings and bases holding a zeiss 3.5-10x 44mm. 1/2 m.o.a. gun. with sling, 2 180 gr. noslers, scope caps, a well balanced 6 lbs. 13 ozs field ready. a serious mtn. rifle.

i would suggest the rem titanium with some custom work. a lot cheaper and almost as good. my friend is very happy with his in .30-.06.

in a custom, i would look at ed brown precision or rifles inc.

7.61 S&H -Mark 5 Action - 26 inch Air Gauge Dougless

I shot my sheep in the Yukon with a 10.5 lb M70, .270 Win.

Upon returning home I built the rifle for my NEXT sheep hunt in the Yukon. 7.25lb M70, .300 WSM. I figured all these guys talking about light weight gear was just talk. I am a believer now.

If I did not love Winchesters so much, I would go with a 700ti in 7mm-08.

It seems like everyone's choice for sheep rifles is as mixed as a bag of nuts. It's quite interesting though.



I was thinking of getting a S/S win m70 in 300 win mag (the wsm's don't impress me that much) and having it restocked with a fiberglass stock. Think it would make a good sheep gun? Any suggestions?



Sevens

And most of hers and Jack's had never seen another person, and would watch you stalk them if you put a white shirt on! Now the herds are pounded year after year by lots of people, and if you're not the first hunter in, they are extremely wary. If I only have one chance and it is from here to way over there, I want a flat shooting 30 cal. magnum. My hunting partner just returned from the Brooks range 2 days ago and did not get one, after walking 80-100 miles in 2 different mountain ranges.

I used to use a Rem 700 with a Brown stock. Lately I have been using a Rem 7 .300 SAUM with a brake. Love that gun.

Nothin fancy just a plain old .270 rem Adl with the plastic stock 8 lbs. with leupold,strap and magazine full of shells and a pre 64 .270 featherweight model 70, 8.25 lbs with the same.

Gentlemen
My idea of ibex and sheep rifle is actually my "rainy day" rifle. A Ed Brown 702, 7mm wby, Swarovski 3-12X50.

Mauser 98 in 7X64 or Winchester in 270 with a synthetic stock would also be fine for the mountains. A very good choice would also be a kiplauf, in 7X65R or 6,5X65R with a 4-12X50 Swarovski AV

Cheers
/ JOHAN

browiningguy,
Could you tell us about year Seeadler scope. I have looked at them on their website and seen them on ebay, but never heard any talk about the quality. How does it compare to other German/Austrian scopes? Just wondering.
Doug

.280 Ackley, based off of a Rem 700Ti. Rebarreled with #2 Shilen and scoped with Leupold 2.5 X 8. 7 /14 lbs and shoots 1/2" groups with Barnes X 160 grainers at 2955 fps. I worked this rifle up in a hurry as a light rifle for Africa, and think it would be perfect for any situation where you "carry much/shoot little." If I was to do another, I would scrap the Bell & Carlson stock (blind magazine style) and go with McMillan's Hunter's Edge stock, which would allow the use of a floorplate. I realize that would cost me a few ounces, but I prefer the grip of the McMillan, the checkering and the ability to open a floorplate is need be - just personal preference items.

All right I'll be the guy to throw a dog turd in the punch bowl..

I've been looking for sheep gun nirvana for a couple of years. Last year a guy owed me a big ole pile of money and couldn't pay so he showed on my door step with a Blaser R-93 in .300Weatherby. It was one of those all synthetic jobs I believe they call the offroad?

In anycase I took the rifle as I figured any payment was better than none. After looking at it for a while I became intrigued with it and took it out and shot it.

The thing is a absolute tack driver. As accurate and sweet to shoot as your best custom guns. It's light, short and the finish on this model is about as weather proof as a rifle can be. I took it hunting last year and it acounted for two deer a pronghorn and a high country bull elk.

I'm not sure it's the end all mountain rifle but it's a pretty usable platform.

Just something a little different to throw in the mix.

PS

I've talked to Blaser about the bolt failure problem we've seen on this sight. Thye are saying that the bolt stayed locked up and the shooter was injured by bypass gas and debries. They are saying that the incident in question was a .300 Wtby loaded to the brim with pistol powder.

I'm not trying to defend Blaser just pasing on some information. Wether it be true or not that's what Sig\blaser is claiming.

My rifle is a Titanium 700 that was originally purchased as a 7mm/08 and immediately rechambered to a .284 Winchester. The rifle cost me $900 new, rechambering and bolt shroud assembly was about $100. The bolt shroud and the trigger guard were replaced with aluminum aftermarket pieces for about $60. I reset the trigger to 2.5 pounds. The 2.5 x 8 Leupold is mounted with Talley rings. The stock has been repainted in a camoflaged pattern, not so much for camoflage but to cover up all the scratches from where I slid down the mountain. Total weight is just under 6 pounds, although I havn't weighed it since the paint job.

I attempted using an ultra light web sling but it was too uncomfortable. I currently use an Uncle Mikes urethane model that is way too heavy but extremely comfortable. The sling also works well for resting off a rock when shooting. And face it, you will be shooting off of rocks. The sling was not factored into my total rifle weight.

The factory barrel is providing 7/8 inch groups using 140 gr. Barnes XLCs. So far the rifle has taken a mule deer and a Yak. My first sheep hunts are scheduled for next year, one in March and one in September.

Pre 64 model 70 in a 270. Grandfathers rifle and has taken one dall while I have had it. Hoping for stone in a few years and a bighorn once I draw.

Mine is a .280 Rem in a Featherweight M70, straight off the shelf. Works for me. I have a Leupold 3.5 x 10 on top.

Shoot what you like and you will enjoy the hunt.

Calibre is not the issue, putting bullet in the right spot is.

I have a nice old Husqvarna 06 that works great but if I were looking for a new rifle at a reasonable price I would look at the new titanium Brn. A-bolt in 250 WSSM. The one I saw looked nearly perfect if you want light weight sheep rifle.

I think I'm going to go with the Tikka T3 lite stainless in 300 win mag. Weighs a bit over six pounds and comes in the 300 win mag. Has a great reputation and will hopefully prove to be a great rifle. The only bummer is it's not CRF, but I believe it has the sako extractor.

Sevens

I drew a sheep tag this year and will be using a BLR in 7mm-08. Not a normal choice, but this is not a normal region. I drew up in the Pryor Mountains of southcentral Montana, really more Desert Bighorn country than regular Rocky Mountain Bighorn country. I shoot almost exclusively lever-actions, but, should I draw a sheep or goat tag elsewhere I would have to look seriously at the Kimber "Montana" in .260.

John,

I hope you get one! You are going to have some unique pictures. My first rifle ever was a BLR81 in 7mm-08. It is a deer killing machine. Now that I shoot mostly bolt actions, the trigger seems pretty bad, but that never bothered me for my first 10 years of hunting. They are great shooters. Good luck!

Thanks, Steve. I have a very good chance but it will still take time and a lot of work. And yes, the triggers on all BLRs (this is my third) are terrible and this is the worst of my three. But it is exceptionally accurate. Besides the bad trigger this is the model with the very thick, wide forearm. It appears to be built for benchrest shooting. It really seems out of place.

Now, does anyone out there have a Kimber Montana in .260? The rifle is advertised at 5.4 pounds bare, so I would imagine there is considerable recoil in that weight. A friend of mine has hunted Africa with his Remington Titanium in .260 and he is very impressed with the caliber. He even took an eland bull with it.

I currently use a Savage Model 16flss (Stainless Steel, Synthetic stock, Left-Hand), .300WSM with a Zeiss Conquest 3X9X40mm.

All up, she weighs 8 pounds even, with factory 24" barrel. Groups .45" to .65" at 100 meters with Winchester or Federal 180gr. Accubonds or 1" with 180gr. TBBCs.

It shoots and balances so well that I will have a hard time duplicating it in a semi-custom based on a Model 70 action- I am making the switch to CRF- any tips or thoughts?

One thing that I did decide- I will not sell this rifle to replace the upcoming semi-custom Model 70.

6.5 Gibbs, Rem M700 ADL, 24" #1 contour SS Douglas barrel, 10" twist. Turned action, skeletonized bolt -- all nickel plated. PRI synthetic stock. Leupold M8 6x scope, weaver rings and bases. Weighs 7.3 lbs fully dressed and loaded.



Shoots a 140gr Sierra GK at 3050 fps. Zeroed at 300 yds. Max elev 4.3" at 160, 4" low at 350.



Love it.



Cheers,

Canuck

Sevens:
My "go to" rifle for sheep & caribou is my Ruger mod. 77 in .270 Win. cal. I load it with 150 gr. Partitions & Rldr-22. The scope is a Leupold, Vari-xII 2-7x variable. The only extra work that's been done to it is replacement of the trigger with a Timney & a glass bedding of the action. I'm very fond of the set of open sights on this rifle since I believe one should have something for backup if the scope gets damaged.
When we hunt sheep, the rifle is tied across the packboard with quick release straps and I always put some electrical tape over the muzzle to protect it. This leaves your hands free to use a walking stick and the tape has saved my bacon several times. I never could understand the "need" for a magnum rifle for sheep hunting since all the sheep I've seen taken have been well under 200 yds. Just my 2 cents. Bear in Fairbanks

I'd use my SteyrMannlicher 30.06 with 150grn Accubond

Ive never been blessed with a sheep tag, but if I were I know which gun Id grab. My M-98 257 AI with a 24" bbl, dual set triggers, schnabel forend (pretty lightweight) 3X9 scope currently pushing 115 bt's @3100 fs. For sheep I think I'd try some 117 or 120 grainers.