Bullet for Dall's Sheep

Varmit

Varmit

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I will be using a 30-06 for the hunt and am planning to go with the 168 grain Nosler ballistic tip. I was also thinking of the Nosler partition but it seems to be available only in 180 grain in factory ammo, which may be too heavy and strongly constructed for sheep.

Any suggestions or insight?

I don't plan on any real long distance shooting. 300-350 yds max. (If you wound a sheep and can't recover it your hunt is over)
 
First off 350 yards with an '06 is a long shot especially in the mountains with unpredictable cross winds.

Sheep are tougher than they look and I wouldn't trust a 165 BT on one. The fact that Dalls also live in grizzly country where a rifle shot can be like ringing a dinner bell would also suggest a tougher bullet.

The 180 grain Partition is a much better choice as would be the 165 or 180 grain Accubond if you are stuck on Nosler bullets. The bullet I would recommend is the 168 grain TTSX if it shoots well in your rifle.
 
I've never found sheep to be tough or hard to kill when hit properly. I would use an accubond, partition or a mono bullet like the gmx or Barnes. Chances are your not going to shoot much past 200yrds let a lone 350.

What outfitter are you hunting with?
 
i used a speer 165 grain bullet behind 57 grains of imr 4350 that combo worked well for me .
 
Sheep are not hard to kill. I would go with any if the already mentioned bullets but would shy away from the ballistic tip just so you would make less of a mess of the cape on a close shot. Your guide will likely pack a grizzly rifle if needed. I have spent a summer in the neighbors outfitting area and loved it. The country is beautiful there and I'm sure you'll have a great trip. Make sure you put a lot of effort into physical conditioning. That's the most important aspect. That and take care of your feet. Be sure to break in your boots well. Don't worry much about long shots, your guides probably have even less interest in that than you do.
Congrats on making that trip happen.
 
Probably a good idea to give your guide a call and see what his thoughts are on bullet choice for your .06
cheers and hope you get a good one!
 
Pick one that your rifle shoots well and practice with it. You aren't going to lose a sheep because of too heavy or light of a bullet or poor bullet construction (within reason). You'll loose it because you hit it poorly. I've killed sheep with everything from a 115 grain bullet in a 25-06 to a 250 grain bullet in a muzzleloader. I'd say being proficient to 350 yards is good advice.

Good luck on your hunt.
 
'Boo said:
First off 350 yards with an '06 is a long shot especially in the mountains with unpredictable cross winds.

Sheep are tougher than they look and I wouldn't trust a 165 BT on one. The fact that Dalls also live in grizzly country where a rifle shot can be like ringing a dinner bell would also suggest a tougher bullet.

The 180 grain Partition is a much better choice as would be the 165 or 180 grain Accubond if you are stuck on Nosler bullets. The bullet I would recommend is the 168 grain TTSX if it shoots well in your rifle.
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If practiced with 350 yards is not a long shot for a 30-06, i have seen large black bears dropped at over 400 yards on more than 1 occasion first hand.

It all comes down to whether the OP can put the bullet where it is needed at that range, if so the 30-06 is more than capable.
 
crazydave said:
If practiced with 350 yards is not a long shot for a 30-06, i have seen large black bears dropped at over 400 yards on more than 1 occasion first hand.

It all comes down to whether the OP can put the bullet where it is needed at that range, if so the 30-06 is more than capable.
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Agreed. With proper optics, a 30-06 is a more than capable 600 yard cartridge.
 
The 168 Nos BT is more than adequate for Dall sheep, I've shot and have been associated with the taking of more than 20 Dalls over the years. They are one of the most fragile of all natures big game animals.
Unless you are doing a life size mount, just shoot him behind or on the shoulder and don't worry about cape damage, that's for taxidermists to worry about.
If you do get blood on the part of the cape you need for your mount, remove it immediately with cold water and a spoon, working the blood out of the hollow hair until it's clean. This must happen as soon as possible before the blood dries or your sheep will have brown blotches on him. Once the blood dries there is no way to get it out and even bleaching by the taxidermist will only make it light brown.
350 mtrs is a vey realistic practice range for Dall hunting, the further you can shoot effectively the better your chances of a larger ram. You can't always get within 200 mtrs and to have to walk away from a 40" ram because you can't get closer than 400 mtrs without spooking them would really suck, in my opinion, and it can happen. With practice, 400 mtrs is not difficult and is very doable with an '06 and a range finder.
Go buy yourself 20 boxes of the ammo that you intend to hunt with and go to the range every opportunity and practice. By the time your hunt comes along you should only have 1 box of ammo left for the hunt, and you should only need 1 round for that. Do not make the mistake of practicing long range shooting with cheap ammo and then just resight for the hunt, it don't work that way. Shoot the ammo that you intend to hunt with, if you can afford an outfitted Dall hunt you can afford a few hundred or even a thousand dollars for ammo.
Just the opinion of an old sheep killer.

Douglas
 
Thanks for the comments guys. I'll stay away from the BT and probably go with the
165 gr AB but will try some of the 180s as well and see which one performs the best.

A friend of mine handsloads and he has lots of Nosler bullets so will probably pick one of them.

I wondered about the guides carrying rifles but from some of the videos I've seen on recent hunts I'm not sure if they do for backpack hunts. I'll talk to them as the hunt gets closer.
 
c-fbmi said:
The 168 Nos BT is more than adequate for Dall sheep, I've shot and have been associated with the taking of more than 20 Dalls over the years. They are one of the most fragile of all natures big game animals.
Unless you are doing a life size mount, just shoot him behind or on the shoulder and don't worry about cape damage, that's for taxidermists to worry about.
If you do get blood on the part of the cape you need for your mount, remove it immediately with cold water and a spoon, working the blood out of the hollow hair until it's clean. This must happen as soon as possible before the blood dries or your sheep will have brown blotches on him. Once the blood dries there is no way to get it out and even bleaching by the taxidermist will only make it light brown.
350 mtrs is a vey realistic practice range for Dall hunting, the further you can shoot effectively the better your chances of a larger ram. You can't always get within 200 mtrs and to have to walk away from a 40" ram because you can't get closer than 400 mtrs without spooking them would really suck, in my opinion, and it can happen. With practice, 400 mtrs is not difficult and is very doable with an '06 and a range finder.
Go buy yourself 20 boxes of the ammo that you intend to hunt with and go to the range every opportunity and practice. By the time your hunt comes along you should only have 1 box of ammo left for the hunt, and you should only need 1 round for that. Do not make the mistake of practicing long range shooting with cheap ammo and then just resight for the hunt, it don't work that way. Shoot the ammo that you intend to hunt with, if you can afford an outfitted Dall hunt you can afford a few hundred or even a thousand dollars for ammo.
Just the opinion of an old sheep killer.

Douglas
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Well I'm glad someone has agreed that the BT would be ok for sheep. As far as the shooting is concerned I plan on doing exactly what Douglas has described. I will start shooting a few different cartridges, some premium and probably a couple handloads as well. When I find the one I like best I will start shooting at 200, 300, 400 yrds from the bench so I can see what she will do and then a lot of off hand and from the sit as well.

I have used the BT on deer out past 100 yds and I've got quick kills and like them a lot. I don't shoot deer in the shoulder as there is some good meat there, so I haven't experienced what some people have wrote about them making a mess of the animal.
 
Varmit said:
Thanks for the comments guys. I'll stay away from the BT and probably go with the
165 gr AB but will try some of the 180s as well and see which one performs the best.

A friend of mine handsloads and he has lots of Nosler bullets so will probably pick one of them.

I wondered about the guides carrying rifles but from some of the videos I've seen on recent hunts I'm not sure if they do for backpack hunts. I'll talk to them as the hunt gets closer.
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I never carry I rifle when I'm guiding sheep and if you guide does chances are good that it's a slug gun or a 45-70 as it something like a 300.
 
Varmit said:
I wondered about the guides carrying rifles but from some of the videos I've seen on recent hunts I'm not sure if they do for backpack hunts. I'll talk to them as the hunt gets closer.
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Most guides don't carry a rifle if their hunter has a rifle. Don't sweat it, same rule applies to bears as dall sheep. It's more about where you hit them than what you hit them with. If you are going with Stevens you'll likely have a dog with you anyhow. I know I'd sleep sound at night with his dogs keeping an eye on camp. Go have fun and don't sweat the small details.
 
Varmit said:
Well I'm glad someone has agreed that the BT would be ok for sheep. As far as the shooting is concerned I plan on doing exactly what Douglas has described. I will start shooting a few different cartridges, some premium and probably a couple handloads as well. When I find the one I like best I will start shooting at 200, 300, 400 yrds from the bench so I can see what she will do and then a lot of off hand and from the sit as well.

I have used the BT on deer out past 100 yds and I've got quick kills and like them a lot. I don't shoot deer in the shoulder as there is some good meat there, so I haven't experienced what some people have wrote about them making a mess of the animal.
Click to expand...

I'd do a lot of prone practice off a variety of rests but primarily your pack. Chances are you'll be on your belly when you shoot but praticing from all positions is a good idea.
 
Varmit said:
I will be using a 30-06 for the hunt and am planning to go with the 168 grain Nosler ballistic tip. I was also thinking of the Nosler partition but it seems to be available only in 180 grain in factory ammo, which may be too heavy and strongly constructed for sheep.

Any suggestions or insight?

I don't plan on any real long distance shooting. 300-350 yds max. (If you wound a sheep and can't recover it your hunt is over)
Click to expand...

I think the BT would be fine - I have only been on a couple of Sheep kills, but they are not armour plated. I have shot a pile of deer with BT's and expansion is always excessive, so if you lung them it usually works out. They don't do well on shoulders...

The partition is a good bullet too - I would likely prefer it given the locale.
Practice as much as you can before you go and be confident with the rifle load.
 
sheephunter said:
I'd do a lot of prone practice off a variety of rests but primarily your pack. Chances are you'll be on your belly when you shoot but praticing from all positions is a good idea.
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This is probably the best advice here, you will most likely be shooting prone over your pack. There is no vegetation in Dall country and if your guide has done his job you should be shooting down from 50-400 yds over your pack prone. If he's 400 yds out you will have all the time in the world to dope the wind and get comfy in your prone position over your pack. If you miss on your first shot do not despair, sheep will not run unless they know where the threat is, they just mill about without direction. You will get a second shot at a standing ram if they don't have you pegged. Have your guide on a scope and adjust for elevation and/or wind and if you keep your head about you, you will tag him on the second or even possibly the third shot. STAY COOL!!! Sheep are stupid, if you have the wind and they haven't seen you they will not run, period.
 
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