Sheep & goat cartridge and mountain hunting rifle selection

I like the Kimber Montana 84L in 280AI. It has everything going for it. You can have a 6.5 lb all up rifle that flings 140s at 3200fps.
Great trigger , good stock design.
 
I like the Kimber Montana 84L in 280AI. It has everything going for it. You can have a 6.5 lb all up rifle that flings 140s at 3200fps.
Great trigger , good stock design.

That'd be pretty much perfect. For the extra 1/2lb, I'd take the 2" longer barrel and extra omph you get with the 280 AI over the 7mm-08 REM. I've not yet had a chance to play with a Kimber Montana in person, but I did do some more looking about since I first posted and they seem to be a nice rifle, with nothing else really in the same category.
 
I'm at the opposite end of the scale, Sendero in 7 RUM. The weight doesn't really bother me and it's rock solid when the winds blowing or I'm breathing heavy. Plus I have absolute confidence in the rifle.
 
I'm at the opposite end of the scale, Sendero in 7 RUM. The weight doesn't really bother me and it's rock solid when the winds blowing or I'm breathing heavy. Plus I have absolute confidence in the rifle.

This would be a niche rifle for me, for other types of hunting where I'm not planning on carrying my rifle along with a bunch of other gear for a week or so, I prefer a heavier rifle as I find they are more stable and recoil significantly less.

After looking at the various single shots from Haenel, Merkel, and Blaser I would agree they would be near ideal for mountain hunting. But the cartridges they would work best with would be some flavour of rimmed cartridge, such as 6,5x65R or 7x65R, but they seem to be pretty well unobtainium here in Canada. Plus in Europe they typically don't have to worry about a hungry grizzly giving them trouble. They tend to run $2k plus, for which I could get a Kimber Montana and scope for.
 
I'm at the opposite end of the scale, Sendero in 7 RUM. The weight doesn't really bother me and it's rock solid when the winds blowing or I'm breathing heavy. Plus I have absolute confidence in the rifle.


This I understand. I originally purchased the Model 7 SS for sheep hunting, then ended up leaving it at home and carried a 30" barrel Voere in 7mmSTW up and down the mountains. Don't regret it at all either. I have so much confidence in that rifle I jut couldn't leave it behind. At the time it was topped with a 3.5-10x50 Monarch and it isn't light by ANY standards.
 
That'd be pretty much perfect. For the extra 1/2lb, I'd take the 2" longer barrel and extra omph you get with the 280 AI over the 7mm-08 REM. I've not yet had a chance to play with a Kimber Montana in person, but I did do some more looking about since I first posted and they seem to be a nice rifle, with nothing else really in the same category.

It shoots to! Factory Nosler 140 Accubond 1 inch. My handloads with 140 ttsx and 139 interbonds .5
Great rifle.

http://i1321.photobucket.com/albums/u541/RG79/D6E32B92-6194-4EF0-BB0A-842923A5ACBC_zpsah8dcyca.jpg
 
That'd be pretty much perfect. For the extra 1/2lb, I'd take the 2" longer barrel and extra omph you get with the 280 AI over the 7mm-08 REM. I've not yet had a chance to play with a Kimber Montana in person, but I did do some more looking about since I first posted and they seem to be a nice rifle, with nothing else really in the same category.

It shoots to! Factory Nosler 140 Accubond 1 inch. My handloads with 140 ttsx and 139 interbonds shoot great.


Great rifle.
 
I never used to care what my sheep rifle weighed and used the same 7mm RM for everything then a 300 WM for everything............lately however I have seen the advantages of a whisper light rifle when climbing big rocks so I built the one in the photos for just such occasions.
It is a Remmington 700 Ti short action 300 WSM, I then ordered a Brown Precision Kevlar 14 oz stock for it and went with a PT&G aluminum bolt shroud and speed lock kit reducing the barreled action weight about 4 oz. Mounted up a Leupold 3-9X36 compact Vari X II in Weaver rings and bases and the whole package is under 6 lbs with a 24" fluted barrel. The load it likes best is a 150 gn Barnes TTSX @ 3200 fps. To my way of thinking and for where I used to hunt sheep and goats it is a perfect set up as both are in heavily infested grizzly country and I just like the idea of a homogenous 30 cal bullet under these circumstances.






Nice build! Perfect mountain rig.
 
RG79: What velocity are you getting with the different bullets? I'm assuming it has the 24" barrel?

The factory Accubond 3150fps. My handloads 3100. Can be pushed harder to get to 3200 with RL 17. I run H 4831 sc and could go up a few grains. Accuracy has been great so I settled
 
I did take a closer look at the Haenal Jaeger 9, and it looks like it'd be very functional. I was trying to find some more information about how it's built and some pictures of it without the stock and fore-end, but I wasn't having any luck. It looks to be very slim, and weight is right around 5-1/2lbs, so it's nice and light. I wonder how the break-open single shots compare against the breech block single shots as far as reliability, robustness of design, and accuracy go?

The lock up of the rising bite design is super strong. Don't confuse them with shotgun designs like the H&R. You won't shoot one of the good break open single shots loose and they are often chambered for high intensity cartridges like the Weatherby series. And I have owned several Ruger #1 rifles, accuracy with them is variable. Not so with the German and Austrian kipplaufs, nobody builds rifles with more repeatable precision tolerances.
 
I never used to care what my sheep rifle weighed and used the same 7mm RM for everything then a 300 WM for everything............lately however I have seen the advantages of a whisper light rifle when climbing big rocks so I built the one in the photos for just such occasions.
It is a Remmington 700 Ti short action 300 WSM, I then ordered a Brown Precision Kevlar 14 oz stock for it and went with a PT&G aluminum bolt shroud and speed lock kit reducing the barreled action weight about 4 oz. Mounted up a Leupold 3-9X36 compact Vari X II in Weaver rings and bases and the whole package is under 6 lbs with a 24" fluted barrel. The load it likes best is a 150 gn Barnes TTSX @ 3200 fps. To my way of thinking and for where I used to hunt sheep and goats it is a perfect set up as both are in heavily infested grizzly country and I just like the idea of a homogenous 30 cal bullet under these circumstances.






I'd kick a puppy for a Remington 700 ti in .308.

Nice rifle build c-fbmi.
 
You mentioned that you didn't care for Kimbers but I have had good luck with mine. I have a Mountain Ascent chambered in 270 win. The rifle weight is 5lb 3oz with a 24" barrel. It has a muzzle brake which you can remove and replace with a thread protector so its not a big deal. I mounted a Sworo Z3 3-10x42 with the BRH reticle on it. I think its a perfect set up. Here's a group with barnes ttsx 130 gr. Sorry I couldn't rotate the pic. I have poor computer skills. lol. I think a montana 84L would be your best bang for your buck as the ascent is rather pricey.
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It aint a fashionable caliber but i bought a 5.75lb Weatherby Mark V Ultralight in 30-06 from Cabelas. It will make things as dead as they come out as far as I need to shoot. Stainless steel fluted #1 contour with black finish and desert tan stock. They are nice little rifles.
 
I had a Weatherby Mark V 30-06 Deluxe for awhile. It was a nice rifle, but the wood on it was too nice to take and bang around in the bush. I've thought about the ultralight, but they sure do use a slim barrel. Do you find yours walks when you shoot?
 
It aint a fashionable caliber but i bought a 5.75lb Weatherby Mark V Ultralight in 30-06 from Cabelas. It will make things as dead as they come out as far as I need to shoot. Stainless steel fluted #1 contour with black finish and desert tan stock. They are nice little rifles.

Did you toss it on an accurate scale? Wondering how close Wby Factory specs are to the real thing.
 
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