I'm planning a mountain goat hunt for next fall in Northern BC. I have a total of 3 guns, a 243 win, a 270 win, and a 338 win. I was planning on using the 270 win for the hunt, but I wanted to know if this is an appropriate caliber for goats. I hear that the shots can be a bit long, and I'm wondering if a slightly larger caliber, possibly a magnum, would be better. I'd like to get a new gun before the trip, but I might have to stick with the 270. Also, would the 338 win be overkill?

what about 338 with 200 graied pills? I would think a 270 would be a great goat gun. I have hard that mountain goats are tough suckers.

Best part of planning a hunt is picking the gun...

A 270 is a great goat calibre. Although they are tough to kill it is their will to survive that keeps them ticking. A 338 won't kill them any faster then the 270,if you want to anchor them break its neck. Most any rifle will do just that.

none of the above - what you have is an ironclad excuse for a new rifle

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
none of the above - what you have is an ironclad excuse for a new rifle

Indeed, something like a Kimber 8400 Montana in .300 WSM.

Having hunted goats in alaska, I can tell you they are tough animals, I had to shoot a goat 3 times with my .270 WSM just to anchor the Billy down and he still managed to jump to his death and rolled more than 1300 feet, need less to say he busted horns too. I would go with the a 300 WM so the 338 would be your choice, they are not like sheep, where sheep are easy to kill. Goats are heavier bodied and bigger boned animals than sheep.

In most cases it provides a fast kill by putting a lot of energy and destruction INSIDE the animal.

A .270 with the right kind of bullet will do this.

A 338 would have to be shooting a fairly fragile bullet to equal it.

Putting a big powerful .338 slug through a goat and delivering a mighty blow to the mountain on the other side of him will not kill a goat really fast.

I have shot deer with my .35 whelen (and the wrong kind of bullets) that did not die as fast as those shot with a .243 with fast, fragile bullets

I would go with slower,heavier bullets for goats,one thing I have learned from hunting them is that you can get fairly close to them, they are always curious, I have some friends that have taken several Big Billies with bow on Kodiak.

What about a 200 grain nosler accubond in the 338 win? I have gotten pretty good accuracy with that bullet and AA3100 powder. The other option that shoots very well out of my 270 win is the 140 grain accubond and IMR 4831 powder.
Also, If I can swing the funds for a goat/moose hunt (not even sure if that's an option), is the 270 win and the 140 grain accubond sufficient? Also is the 200 grain accubond in the 338 sufficient for moose, or is that more of a deer sized game bullet? I think the 140 grain has a higher SD than the 200 grain .338. Thanks for the replies.

Ckemp'

Either one of those will work, I have seen many moose taken with a 270, it boils down to shot placement, although Goats are tougher. But Ideally ...take the 338, but ultimately...what you shoot the best and more comfortable with and with good bullets. Both ofthose animals, even when spotted you can get fairly close too, they are not like sheep, Sheep will leave the country when they feel a threat.

I agree with AKSheephunter. Shoot the gun you shoot best and use quality bullets. I have taken only two goats so I am no expert. I used a .300 Win Mag. and 180's. It happened to be a favorite rifle that I shot well. The .270 is a great round as is the .338. I like the trajectory advantage of the .270 just in case you have a longish shot. That being said, both of my goats were close, one at 15 yards and one at 60 yards. Any of these rounds would have been fine on my hunts. Enjoy the agony, goats are a very humbling trophy, well worth the pain.

No expert on Goats here but killed one a few years ago up on the Turnagain river in BC. Used a 338 win mag with 210 nosler partitions. We spooked the big billy while he was drinking from a creek. He was getting up the steep hillside as fast as he could when I hit him a raking shot which entered the right hip,travelled through the body and exited the left scapula. When we caped the October goat for a full body mount we discovered the bullet had then actually hit the skull after exiting the shoulder. The rear portion of the bullet (and a wad of hair) were removed from the skull. Obviously the brain wasnt hit as the goat continued to jog up the hill another 75 yards after that shot. A big bull elk would have collapsed. They are tough! FWIW I would use whichevr gun shoots well and is light to carry.You will figure that part out when you get there. Good Luck!

I've hunted goats a few times without actually shooting one myself, so take my advice for what it's worth, not much....
I'd suggest you select a rifle for carry-ability, and built for lack of concern when it gets a few scrapes from rocks. A goat mountain is no place for a piece of art made of blued steel and walnut. I would personally stay with calibers that do well with 22" barrels, the good old "standards." A big heavy .338 with a long barrel is not very charming when you have to hold it in one had while reaching for finger holds with the other. And if it's not heavy and long barrel a .338 will be miserable to shoot. A nice light ss/synthetic in something between 270 - 30-06 is about right for me, but there are certainly other more experienced goat hunters with differing opinions!

Ckemp: FWIW, my advice is to take whichever one you shoot best. Either one will work equally well for goat/sheep if you select the right bullet. You want a quick opening bullet with proper shot placement. You do not want a deep penetrating premium bullet; any of the conventional soft points like Win PP, Rem. Core-Lokt, Hornady, etc. (properly placed) will do the job better than one of the premium deep penetrating pills. For my goat I used handloaded .300 WSM 180 gr Hornady SST's. For the .270 I would opt for 130gr Core-Lokt.(What I took as a spare rifle for my last goat hunt.) Simply, because that rifle shoots them well. Another consideration is weight of your rifle. If you want an excuse for another rifle I recommend one of about 6 1/2lbs in .300WSM. Desert Ram has it right; a Kimber Montana 8400 in .300WSM; that's what I used for my two goat hunts; 7 1/2lbs with scope & mounts. When backpacking up very steep slopes you will appreciate every ounce left behind.
Adding moose complicates things a little bit; the .338WM is much better choice, with a heavier bullet; you could use it for all three using 200-210 gr bullets of sheep & goat and heavier 225-250 gr for moose. For the moose any of the premium deep penetrating rounds would would be best. For value & performance
I like Barnes X or TSX. Or, if moose is in combination with goat and/or sheep take the .270 and the .338. But if you opt for a new light rifle in .30 mag. you can do all three handily with one rifle. But, mind you I always take a spare rifle, regardless what outfitter says. If he says "no" when I am ready to book the trip, then I find another outfitter. I never found barrel length to be an issue for me, but I concede that it could be some. Suggest you talk also to your outfitter/guide; he/they have much more experience than anyone here and their knowledge & advice is usually best. Bear in mind your goat hunt will likely be the toughest hunt you ever did and the sheep hunt second hardest. I did two goat hunts and three sheep hunts and that's the way it was for me. So, this is my opinion and its worth what you paid for it. Good luck and enjoy. I wish I was going with you but I am now too grey in the muzzle & too long in the tooth for goats & probably sheep- but I cannot keep from thinking of it. Man, I love hunting sheep!

Would the 140 grain accubond used in my 270 win be appropriate for both goat and moose? I'd like to take just 1 bullet type for both animals. I get the best accuracy out of my gun with the accubond and IMR 4831. I'd hate for that bullet to be too fragile for moose.

58 inch moose,B&C score 202 killed on the Turnagain River BC (Tom Vince 250-263-4350) late August 2008. 270 Winchester,140 accubond,57 grains IMR4831

I woudl take a bunch of ammo to the range and get to know your .270 really well, then I would zero it with 140gr TSX loads, and go hunting...

I agree with Gatehouse take the .270 with 140 tsx. You'll kill anything around here with that combo.

338 goats sometime need a lot of killin