dennisinaz
Well-Known Member
Dave, what you just described sounds Really heavy; at least 12# all up. I can't imagine hanging a can on a 26" barrel and actually hunting sheep with it.
Is there such thing as too much gun for sheep?
- Thread starter dave_halsey
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Dave, what you just described sounds Really heavy; at least 12# all up. I can't imagine hanging a can on a 26" barrel and actually hunting sheep with it.
PAGSDIII701
Well-Known Member
dave_halsey
Well-Known Member
Oh its long and every bit of 12 ish pounds( not 100 percent on the weight). Its an absolute wreching machine, but I don't carry it on a sling... it goes in my eberlestock m5 pack.
PAGSDIII701
Well-Known Member
Still heavy on a pack though
Wow, that sounds like that is one long, long barrel.
dave_halsey
Well-Known Member
You are very correct, I wouldn't want to pack it with a weeks worth of gear.Still heavy on a pack though
I second that! No such thing as Overkill! Dead is dead ....it's just a question of DRT...or tracking Two miles...I prefer DRT.....I always said.." LIFE ENDS AT .460...(WEATHERBY THAT IS)"
ofbandg
Well-Known Member
When I hunt in the north country I use my .375 H&H or .338 Win Mag. It doesn't matter if I am hunting Stone sheep or moose. Both of those rifles have loads that will shoot accurately out to 500 yards and beyond, and still knock down a grizzly up close and personal. The Bighorns I hunt don't hang out in grizzly country so any flat shooting rifle that will handle a 140 - 160 grain bullet is fine. As for sheep being easy to kill, I wouldn't bet any money on that. I have seen big rams soak up hard hits and still get up and run. They are certainly no easier to kill than a big mule deer, and if they are running away from you it's best to have something that will penetrate the full length of them to finish the job.
My first sheep hunt I carried a Winchester model 70 338 win mag. I was a poor teacher and it was the only gun I had at the time. It was a spotter model so was around 7.5 lbs. I was shooting the 210 gr federal premium safari rounds and harvested a smaller but full curl ram. Needless to say, on the way out I was really happy I had that 338 and so was my partner. I though I had heard my partner to my left and yelled out to him. He walks up to my right and asks what up. I had tied the gun on the back of the pack with some twine in case we needed it. I told him he needed to cut the gun off ASAP because I thought it was him walking on the other side of the alders. The next 3 miles down to the river was littered with big piles of bear scat and that bear quartered us all the way back to the airstrip. I have since gotten out of education and my collection has grown substantially. I have a 270 Ruger ultralite and a 6.5 cm tikka super lite now but I might take the 338 or buy a 300 if I was starting at an area with lots of salmon and alders. That gun is a shooter too and I have lots of confidence in it. So my answer to these kind of questions is always where are you hunting, does the area have salmon producing water, and how much bushwhacking will you be doing.
Rhino Hunter
Well-Known Member
Many years ago I was luck enough to draw a WY NR Mountain Goat tag back when they only gave out four per year. I had heard that Mountain Goats where known for taking a "suicide dive" in an effort to get away after being shot. I spotted a nice billy from above standing broadside about 200 yards away. I aimed hoping to take out both front shoulders. I hit where I aimed, he dropped right there, and slid about 20' downhill before coming to a stop about 8' before going off a huge cliff. We literally tied him down before proceeding with field dressing. Had he went off the cliff we could still have recovered him, but he would have been beat to hell and it would taken the better part of a day to get to him.
I used a .300 Win Mag with 180 grain Nosler Partitions, and I was glad I did.
I used a .300 Win Mag with 180 grain Nosler Partitions, and I was glad I did.
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XSIVSPD
Well-Known Member
Maybe it's goats on Kodiak then and sheep from near wrangle. He goes to Kodiak and wrangle every year and gets a goat and a sheep almost every year. He gives the same advice for both too.
Having recently returned from my first sheep hunt, I took my 280 Remington, shooting 140 GR accubonds.
I consulted a friend on this matter whom is much older than I and hunts A LOT. It was suggested to go lighter, faster, flatter trajectory.
I can say the biggest thing that helped me was confidence in my ability and a lot of range time. When I ranged my sheep (226 HCD), but with 450' elevation difference, works out to be about 260 yds, I was very confident in my ability to make the shot if I could get a solid rest position. Laying prone and leaning over a cliff slightly, I was rock solid on the rest and felt confident I could make this shot.
the ram was hit, stumbled forward as he was falling and ended up less than 10' from where he was when I shot. Double lung and into the heart a bit as well.
my biggest takeaway was confidence in the shot and my own ability and practice made this happen. For prior hunts (deer and elk) I was confident in my rifle, but I can tell you I have never put this much range time in to prep for a hunt. It paid off!
pick a rifle you are comfortable and confident in, and shoot as much as you can before you go to build that confidence up as much as possible. Determine your comfort level with what distance you can shoot confidently. I practiced at longer ranges, but I set a limit for myself of 350 yards. Sure I could have gone further and knew the bullet drop and such, but I "knew" if it was inside 350, I could seal the deal, no doubt in my mind.
I consulted a friend on this matter whom is much older than I and hunts A LOT. It was suggested to go lighter, faster, flatter trajectory.
I can say the biggest thing that helped me was confidence in my ability and a lot of range time. When I ranged my sheep (226 HCD), but with 450' elevation difference, works out to be about 260 yds, I was very confident in my ability to make the shot if I could get a solid rest position. Laying prone and leaning over a cliff slightly, I was rock solid on the rest and felt confident I could make this shot.
the ram was hit, stumbled forward as he was falling and ended up less than 10' from where he was when I shot. Double lung and into the heart a bit as well.
my biggest takeaway was confidence in the shot and my own ability and practice made this happen. For prior hunts (deer and elk) I was confident in my rifle, but I can tell you I have never put this much range time in to prep for a hunt. It paid off!
pick a rifle you are comfortable and confident in, and shoot as much as you can before you go to build that confidence up as much as possible. Determine your comfort level with what distance you can shoot confidently. I practiced at longer ranges, but I set a limit for myself of 350 yards. Sure I could have gone further and knew the bullet drop and such, but I "knew" if it was inside 350, I could seal the deal, no doubt in my mind.
Too much is almost enough!
