I always see lots of griz on sheep hunts. Last Dall Sheep I shot was 400 yds on the dot, bisected the heart with a 300 Win with ballistic turret (Proof Research rifle). I would recommend not less that 7RM … maybe more given wife and gunless guide. Be prepared for wet and windy. Lots of range time. NULA are great rifles. Good luck.
Caliber Recommendation for 600 Yard Sheep Rifle
- Thread starter GA Sheephunter
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High Country
Well-Known Member
Lots of opinions, might as well throw mine in.. LOL My sheep rifle is a CA Ridgeline in 300 PRC.
hard to beat a 280 AI or a 6.5 280 AI . however, there are many that would work here. for myself i would want light rifle for a stone sheep hunt. i have a 280 AI NULA. love it!
I'm buying parts to build one for aoudad at the moment. Decided on the 7 saum,figure that will cover just about everything. Gonna run the 175-195's
Well I will put in my two cents worth based more on rifles/performance and traveling with firearms and ammunition. Let's start out with the rifle. For hunting in sheep territory which is usually in the mountains and shots are regularly ridge to ridge out in the open so to speak I would probably go with a Tikka T3x in either the previously mentioned 300 Win Mag or 7 mm Rem Mag. The Tikka is a lightweight rifle and even when topped with a good scope will come in under 9 pounds. Either of the two cartridges mentioned will easily do the job on out to 600 yards if the shot is well placed. Ammunition should all come from the same lot number to help with consistency and rifle zero. Ammo should be spread throughout the baggage so that if one piece of luggage is lost there will be ammo for your rifle that it was sighted in with in the others. I have never had a firearm lost by the airlines, they are too closely watched and tracked. Luggage is yet something else. I have had luggage lost on several occasions, some only for a short period of time, others, especially one of note which took a wayward turn in Minneapolis and instead of ending up with me at Ft. Riley, Kansas found it's way to Boise, Idaho. Pay the extra for multiple bags and make sure each has the necessities so if one is lost you will still be able to do your thing. As most of you know I do not much care for shooting anything over 300 yard but if the equipment is right, the shooter well experienced and confident about first round hits where aimed and out in the open then go for it. Good Luck and as it is also sometimes said, "Good Shooting."
Old adage. "Use enough gun". I've been big game hunting since 1962. Started out with 30 cal and later followed Jack O'Connor to the 270. The 270 worked great most of the time. But in hunting you do not always get the perfect broadside standing shot at that once in a lifetime trophy. I wanted something that would work all the time, So I decided I wanted a minimum 30 cal shooting bullets fast. I wanted a bullet that would penetrate and keep on penetrating in case shot angle was less than perfect. I bought a German made 300 Weatherby Magnum shooting my reloads very fast. The rest is history: elk, bears, deer, gemsbok, kudu, wildebeest. Some might say overpowered but good to have the power when you need it. Think about it, you are half way around the world back in the boonies and trophy opportunity presents an angling shot you want enough gun. 30 cal magnum. The faster the better. Recently got a new Mark V Weatherby Accumark. Caliber ? You guessed it 300 Weatherby. When flying I put ammo in different bags incase some luggage gets lost. Check with your airline and arriving country for specific ammo requirements.
cornshank
Well-Known Member
How fast ?
6fatrat
Well-Known Member
7 r saum or 6.5 r saum
Bret GRAVELINE Graveline
Well-Known Member
Well the old standard set by the late Jack O' Conner the 270 Win is hard to beat, and with that being said, I myself would choose the 338 Win Mag, the 338 is not the first cartridge that comes to mind when the conversation turns to flat shooting, being a reloader with bullets available like the Barnes 185 and 210 gr ttsx the 338 can hold its own right along the 270 Win, the 185 gr Barnes trajectories are near identical to the 270's 130 gr slug while the 210 parallels the 140, the 185 gr sighted 3 inches high at 100 yards is only down 10 inches at 400, the 210 is down about 12, with a good mill dot reticle 600 is Very practical, while The 185 wouldn't be my first choice against a bear I'll take that over a 6.5 anything, our local deer heard consist primarily of Columbian black tail it takes a brute to tip the scale over 150 pounds blood guts and feathers and all, I played with the Barnes 160 gr 338 for a season I took a 8 foot black bear nose to tail at about 30 yards, I hit the bear between the neck and shoulder exiting the hind leg, in a coastal Alaskan bear camp where 6 brown bears were harvested, this black bear was larger than than 4 of those bears, I'm sure had this bear been a grizzly the result would have been no different, a light weight 338 with a good break kicks no more than a 270, having been around 60 plus years the 338 is a little easier to find than many of the newer cartridges on the market these days.
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CBH Australia
Well-Known Member
I own a .280ai that I built on the basis of performance and versatility.
I have a .300wm, I like that.
If I was lucky enough to hunt Bear I consider a .338wm would be a little more insurance.
If I were hunting sheep I would take the .280ai being my lightweight flat shooting rifle.
If you are using a smaller calibre carry some heavy loads for it. If you see sign load the heavy loads. Carry the rifle with the heavy loads of you see Bear sign, so long as you expect you will have time when sizing up your sheep.
I have a .300wm, I like that.
If I was lucky enough to hunt Bear I consider a .338wm would be a little more insurance.
If I were hunting sheep I would take the .280ai being my lightweight flat shooting rifle.
If you are using a smaller calibre carry some heavy loads for it. If you see sign load the heavy loads. Carry the rifle with the heavy loads of you see Bear sign, so long as you expect you will have time when sizing up your sheep.
300sendero
Well-Known Member
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That's a good way to remember stuff but with limited bag space use you gun case to haul gear. Take a big case and load it up. Binoculars spotting scope knives etc. load it up to the 48-50 lb limit. It can save you a checked bag and keep other things protected.
7mmWSM or 300WSM. Can you ship your ammo to your guide?
NULA in 284 Win or 7 SAUM sounds ideal.
