I've got a general idea of what the most popular calibers for argali and ibex are, but I'm curious to see if there are any oddities or unsung favorites.

I'd also be curious to hear what everyone thought about their choice, if you would care to comment. If you did it again, would you bring something more powerful, flatter shooting, lighter weight, etc. ...

I am interested only in calibers used on sheep/goat species hunted outside North America.

Question:
For those that have hunted ibex or Argali abroad, what caliber rifle did you bring?

Choices:
243 caliber or below
25 to 26 caliber (non-magnum)
25 to 26 caliber (magnum)
270 (non-magnum)
270 (magnum)
7mm/280 (non-mag)
7mm/280 (magnum)
30 caliber (non-mag)
30 caliber (magnum)
8mm
338 caliber
375 or greater

 

Whilst not a Weatherby fan, His .300 worked well for us on a couple Ibex some time ago.

sevens,

My husband brought his 338 Win. mag for Marco Polo and I was going to use it for ibex in Tajikistan during 2008.

Due to the arrival of the Aga Khan in the country we were not allowed to travel the roads with firearms. We used the Hot Springs camp's Remington 7mm Mag, which worked fine on his Argali and my ibex.

I shot my Marco Polo and ibex with a 270WSM and never felt under gunned. I think a 7mm Remington Magnum would be another great choice. As shots can be long and are often prone, keeping recoil down makes sense to me.

I shoot my .300 win mag well and am comfortable with it. It did well on the Bezoar Ibex hunt, though the shot wasn't as far as some have experienced.

I'll be taking it with me to Kyrgyzstan next year again after Mid-Asian Ibex.

6,5x68 Shuler. This type of hunting is what it was designed for.

270 WSM with 140gr accubond did the job on my Ibex.

I took my ibex with my .270 winchester using 130 gr Hornady SST's. I had a fairly long shot at 460 yards and my billy only went a few steps. I've used that rifle almost exclusively for about ten years and am very comfortable with it. I have taken moose with the same set up that have only gone a few yards so I didn't feel under gunned in the slightest way. If I ever get after an argali I'd be happy to use the same gun but I might take my .300 win mag instead. My .270 will be coming with me on my urial hunt this fall too.

.284-.308" mags are pretty hard to beat for the stated purpose. For my 2 cents I chose the 7mm mags because no sheep or ibex in the world really needs more than that, but no flies on a fast .30s

Brett

I got my Mid-Asian Ibex (3) with a 6.5x68, 120 grs. Barnes TSX bullets; Last October, two Marco Polos with a 7mm Rem Mag and 150 grs. Barnes TTSX.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
6,5x68 Shuler. This type of hunting is what it was designed for.

As much as I like the 6.5mm Id far prefer a 7mm or 7.62mm pill for those bad boys in that long windy terrain.

My 300WSM has 3 Mid Asian ibex and 2 BC mtn goat billies to it's credit.

2 of the ibex are mine, as is 1 of the BC goats. My buddy then used my rifle for his trophies on those hunts.
All were shot with 180gr Barnes TTSX bullet hand loads.

.300win mag is what we use on feral goats in the UK, 150-180 grain bullets flying fast and flat, I find the .300 very comfortable to shoot however I have a friend who has taken ibex and tur in the last 12 months with a .270 with great success.

I've only had the chance to hunt 2 Ibex and 2 argali. All 4 animals were take with the 300 Win mag.
My Gobi argali and 2 ibex were shot with my own rifle but my Marco Polo was shot using a 300 Win also but it was owned by the guide. We were unable to take our own rifles into the country at the time.
There are a bunch of cartridges that would work perfectly well and I don't think the 300 mags have a corner on the market.
Zeke

I took 2 ibex by 30-06 and 3 ibex( 50" mid asian inc)by 300WM.

You need to be a good shot up to 400 meter.

The guide will try to get you to shot further.

The wind is also hard to judge with only rocks and snow.

300WM with 180g pills.

The animals are not tuff but the shooting distances can be.

Regards Mark

300 WM.
The shooting conditions can be very difficult; range, wind, angles.
You might get lucky and have an animal standing broadside at 300 yards on a windless day, but more times than not you'll have a very difficult shot to make. I vote to send a big, accurate, wind bucking bullet on its way through a rifle you have extreme confidence in.
Last year my MP shot came with 10 minutes of light left on the very last day of the hunt. The animal we watched most of the day, would not get within the range of my Leica 900 range finder and the wind was crossing at 25 to 30 mph. I laided down, took a solid rest, put the animal in the lower right hand corner of my scope and sent the 180 gr. NP on its 1000 meter journey. The hail mary shot took him throught the hips and rolled him down the mountain side. Yes it was a lucky shot, but I have shot this same rig for 30 years and I seen it pull off difficult shots time and time again.

I wouldn't be so certain it was over 900 yards. While the Leica is rated to 900 yards on a "highly reflective surface" its practical range on an animal is likely half of that but yes, you did get lucky.

sheephunterrab, you could be right, but the guide wrote "800" in the soil when I asked how far. He couldn't say 800 meters but he did extend his arms all the way out and said "far, too far". This is the same guide that yelled "shoot, shoot" at animals that were running at 500 to 600. It might not have been 1000 but I've taken a lot of long shots and once I culled a Springbuk at 850 yards (range measured) and this was the farthest shot I've ever taken.
I've been sheep hunting for 30 years and last year alone this same rifle took a Bighorn, Marco, 4 Ibex and a Muflon. My point to all of this is that I've never been around an animal before that would run in complete terror with just a glimps of a human at a mile away. You might get lucky and have an easy shot, but I'd prepare for a very difficult one. The 2 other hunters with me had easier shots but both had shots of at least 400 meters.

Not saying it couldn't have been that far...just pointing out the limitations of most rangefinders vs advertised ranging ability. But yes, people should be prepared to take 300-400 meter shots. I'd highly suggest a scope with ballistic turrets or reticle so no guessing is required.

My .300 RUM with the accuracy first whiz wheel and Leica Geovid combo took an ibex at 813 laser ranged yards in Kyrg this January and a nice dall at 538 last month. I cheat and use a muzzle brake, but things don't get back up. Plus, in Alaska, you never know when you are going to run into a large brown friend.

300 Win Mag would be good choise!

Shot 2 ibex with 7mm Rem Mag and 1 ibex with 300 Win Mag and one Marco Polo with 7 mm Rem Mag. Shooting distances between 200 and 515 meters. If prepared they do the job

Alaska Hunter, what calibre do use ? Sorry I can't see it in the above posts.

R8 Pro
Sorry just got back from a Stone Sheep hunt.
I use a 300 Win Mag.
The rifle was built by Brown Prescion in 1982 as a light weight (6 pound) mountain rifle. It's like carring an old friend.

I think choice of caliber depends of your shooting abilities. If you shoot well - you can use less caliber. I know hunters who took roedeers and ibexes at 800-900 meters with 243 win or 308 win. If you are not very good shooter - I think you need some more energy in case of little mistake. I mean 300 or 338 magnums.

I started with 338 WM and LM, than 300 WSM, now I have 270 Win for mountain hunts

quote:

Originally posted by Alaska Hunter:
R8 Pro
Sorry just got back from a Stone Sheep hunt.
I use a 300 Win Mag.
The rifle was built by Brown Prescion in 1982 as a light weight (6 pound) mountain rifle. It's like carring an old friend.

Any luck on the Stone ? Outfitter ? BC or Yukon ?

340WM and 250gr Game King from Sierra for Ibex ( and Maral ) in central Asia .

Norwegian,
Yes, I took a beautiful late season Ram. Almost black with hair 3 to 4 inches long and very thick. It was an 8 year old that taped 37 on his long side 36 on the other.
I hunted BC with Stone Mountain Safaris. This is my 4th time with them. I've hunted Stone's 3 times and taken 2.
The little 300 WM did the work on this one also.

quote:

Originally posted by Roman BGH:
I think choice of caliber depends of your shooting abilities. If you shoot well - you can use less caliber. I know hunters who took roedeers and ibexes at 800-900 meters with 243 win or 308 win. If you are not very good shooter - I think you need some more energy in case of little mistake. I mean 300 or 338 magnums.

I started with 338 WM and LM, than 300 WSM, now I have 270 Win for mountain hunts

It's been my experience that compensating for poor shooting with a larger caliber usually results in even poorer shooting. I'd say most shooters are better off learning with the smaller stuff and then shooting the larger stuff when they are more proficient.

quote:

It's been my experience that compensating for poor shooting with a larger caliber usually results in even poorer shooting.

I agree if we are talking about recoil management. But in case of long range shooting I think bigger caliber is better. For example: if you ask new shooter to hit target at 300 yards, I will bet that he will do it faster with 300 WM than with 223 Rem.

I don't see why that would be. The mechanics of hitting the target are same with both rifles. But if you ask a new shooter to hit a target at 300 meters three times in a row, I can pretty well guarantee he will do it faster with the 223.

quote:

Originally posted by Alaska Hunter:
Norwegian,
Yes, I took a beautiful late season Ram. Almost black with hair 3 to 4 inches long and very thick. It was an 8 year old that taped 37 on his long side 36 on the other.
I hunted BC with Stone Mountain Safaris. This is my 4th time with them. I've hunted Stone's 3 times and taken 2.
The little 300 WM did the work on this one also.

Congratulations. Sounds like a real beauty with the long haircoat. Would appreciate a picture This is in fact the hunt I would love to do as the last high mountain hunt ...

quote:

I don't see why that would be.

Because even light wind will blow 223 bullet out.

quote:

But if you ask a new shooter to hit a target at 300 meters three times in a row, I can pretty well guarantee he will do it faster with the 223.

I don't think so. 223 can win accuracy test only in close distance only because of recoil.

I think the main problem in mountains is not shooting technique but unknown conditions (wind, distance, pressure etc.). Bigger caliber let you make some mistakes.

I likely wouldn't recommend a .223 for marco polo regardless but there are loads of smaller calibers that handle moderate wind well and won't beat you up. For the experienced shooter recoil is no big deal for most but for the novice or poor shooter, it's pretty well guaranteed to turn you into even a worse shooter. Optics can easily compensate for distance and wind regardless of cartridge..

quote:

I likely wouldn't recommend a .223

Nobody recommend .223 but you might know that local hunters often use .22 LR or shotguns for MP

Even .223 is absolutely enough for MP in close distances and in hands of very good shooters and hunters

That means: less calibers require more experience.

The Norwegian,
Here is a picture of the stone sheep.

Here's a picture of last years Bighorn in Southern BC.

Oh yes - that is a nice ram for sure ! Beautiful surroundings too hunting in the mountains like that. Would love to do such a hunt !

Horses or back pack ? Spike camp with small tents or small cabins ?

TN,
It was a horseback hunt out of fly camps. The young man in the picture is Ben, my guide and only 22. Him and his wife, Laura, rode off the road with 10 horses, a dog and a tent the first part of August and never went back until we rode out together the middle of October. Our camp was mobile, but spartan. I slept in one man nylon tent until the weather set in, then I moved into a little larger tent (it had a sheep herders stove) that Ben and Laura used. We cooked and ate outside under tarps. Ben and I would ride out in the morning headed for different basins, park the horses and start climbing.
I like these types of hunts, they offer the classic, horse/tent combo, but is still very demanding as you're climbing everyday.
I've been going back to BC almost every year, alternating between North (4 times)(Stone Sheep) and South (3 times) (Bighorns). All these hunts have been on horseback, some with tents, some with cabins. You can only take on Ram a year in BC or I probably would go more often.
If you're interested in going, I'd do it quickly as Stone Sheep have the smallest range of all our N. American sheep and there numbers seem to dropping, along with the amount of hunting tags. This means the prices have been going up. I believe before long Stones will be the most expensive of our sheep to hunt.