Is there such thing as too much gun for sheep?

[dave_halsey]

I've been reading through lots of threats about everyone's dream or ideal sheep gun, but is there such thing as too much gun for sheep? Mostly curious about the sheep of North America. I grew up in southern Nevada and the desert sheep don't seem like they would need much more than a good ol' 243 but im curious about for the day when I ( hopefully)draw my NV cali or rocky sheep.

 

[dave_halsey]

Some day i plan on going to alaska to try for dall sheep too.

 

[XSIVSPD]

Some day i plan on going to alaska to try for dall sheep too.

The concensus up here is use the biggest thing you've got since it gives the best chance of anchoring them before they can launch themselves off a cliff (like they seem prone to do) I know a few guys that take their 300rum/338rum/375h&h after sheep. I haven't pulled a tag for one yet, but if I do I might finally have the reason I need to justify a lightweight 338lapua

 

[Skimbleshanks]

My thinking is that the difficulty of drawing a tag makes the prospect of shooting and killing a sheep but being unable to recover the animal a reasonable thing to worry about. Yeah a 243 will kill, but will you bring em home with that once in a lifetime tag. Hit em hard makes sense.

 

[XSIVSPD]

Hit em hard makes sense.

"Hit 'em hard and break both the shoulders" is what my buddy that gets one every year on Kodiak says lol

 

[ButterBean]

IMO there is no such thing in " To Much Gun " for anything

 

[matt_3479]

One saying comes to mind to this question; If a lot is good, more is better, too much is just right!!

Anchor them or atleast put them down fast. I don't know if I'd bring my Norma but I know I wouldn't be bringing my 6 creed either. To me it seems like the perfect reason to build another gun lol. For me personally the lowest cal I'd bring would be my 25 with the 131's and the heaviest would be my 300 Norma with 215'a or 230's. Ideally I think I'd like a 6.5 Saum/prc with 140's-156's or a 7 something with the 180's

 

[Plinker147]

243 will work. They are no bigger or harder to kill than a deer. With desert sheep or any sheep long shots are very common so I would choose something that's gonna work at 600-700 yds.

 

[Quintus]

As with anything shooting animals under 300 pounds there is the law of diminishing returns. Bullet selection is more critical than what's driving it to a point. Soft enough to open at your capable shooting distance, sturdy enough to get the job done at short distance and accurate out of your gun. The .243 with a good bullet like say a 90 grain Scirocco will break shoulders and smash spine and pop hearts and lungs to 400. You may increase effective ranges with bigger and so ultimately it all depends on how far you are capable and willing to shoot and bullet choice. I am thinking my sheep gun will be chambered in .257Wby or 6.5 PRC.

 

[wbm]

IMO there is no such thing in " To Much Gun " for anything

lol Yeah. Years ago a guy did an article on shooting rock chucks at distance with a 7mm magnum.
Heathens that we are I and a few others thought...d........m that would be fun.

 

[wyosteve]

I used to shoot prairie dogs with a .338 Win. Mag.!!

 

[wbm]

Had a friend that liked to shoot cast bullets in his 30-06. He would load up really heavy cast bullets and we would shoot jack rabbits at long range with them. Sometimes you could acount one 1000 before the bullet hit. Was a lot of fun.

 

[1894C]

Terminal velocity kills. There's no such thing as too much gun but there is such thing as too little and too light a gun. Not enough gun and they can catapult off a cliff. Too light a gun and if the shooters fundamentals are not perfect it's easy to make a bad shot especially in physically strenuous field conditions. Getting up a mountain with a light gun you can't shoot is just as bad as carrying a heavy gun you can't climb with.

 

[RussellJ]

No, maybe too much gun for squirrels, rabbits, etc.