Long range hunting help

[The Hock]

Climbing mountains is tough work and usually rifles built for mountain hunting are light.

I'm moving on from a 9.5# 27 Nosler and an 8.5# 338 RUM. This rifle is hoped to be a little less.

This new rifle is a 300 Norma Improved built to be supressed.
>Kelbly Nanook action - because I like it but there's a Piece Skele-ti that's way lighter now. (17 ounces)
>Proof 1-9 26" carbon wrapped barrel
>Tubb T7T trigger - because of it's open architecture and spending a much as I'll be spending the last thing I want is a trigger failure!
>McMillan Game Hunter stock @ 26 ounces
>Hawkins DBM
>Hawkins scope rings
>Leupold VX5 4-20

If I'd taken delivery I'd post pics and targets. With no trouble I found ADG, Lapua brass and 1000 245 grain Bergers.

Ty @weaver Rifles here in Peyton says 3000 fps from the 26" barrel. He also reports the 245 is excellent elk medicine. It wouldn't be a stereotypical sheep rifle in that it won't be a farther weight but with a choice of stick and scope you could drop 2# easily. If you shoot it suppressed it'll ease the shoulder as well as the ears.

I've got a Giraud annealer I'll be using every other firing, because I've got it. Works pretty slick.

Now if I was climbing mountains I'd be taking my new light weight 270 WSM though! But the OP was asking about something different

 

[R. Cram]

If you are going to rebarrel you have a magnum bolt face so without purchasing a different bolt you could get another magnum of whatever flavour you like so I believe the best way to be proficient shooting at every distance is to do it a lot, all those magnums were about 1000 rnd barrel life at distance, 600 to 1000 yds but due to the speed you are sending the bullets down range there is less time for the wind to affect the bullet so you have a better chance of keeping on target than with a slower cartridge, if you keep you hopes of hunting down to 600 yds which I think is admirable I would lean towards something like a 30-06 which is fine for target shooting at 1000 and fine for killing at 600 and won't eat barrels for lunch, I bet you could get 3000 rnds before having to get another put on. The better economy of the 06 should allow you to spend more on bullets and powder and allow you to shoot more which is way more valuable than anything else when it comes to shooting long range. In Wa state where I came from one of the best NRA highpower shooters and Palma shooters, 800,900,and 1000yd competition shot a 308 and every time he had a barrel put on it was with the palma contour 30 inches long and he used his palma loads for 200yds 300yds 600yds 800yds 900yds and1000 yds loaded on a progressive machine and the same loads he shot in the last barrel load developement was done at a match if it didn't seem to shoot good enough he might tweek it a little but they would all hold the 10 ring before tweeking and he would get 5000 rnds out of a barrel and the most important part was when he said spend your time and money shooting not reloading