Sheep hunting Rifles

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izakaman

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Hello
just wondering if i could get some opinions on sheep rifles, and calibers.
i was looking at 300 wsm, 300 winmag, just for the fact of bear country where im goin in bc
forbes rifles look good, wetherby UL, Kimber montana, montana rifle co. xwr,
tikka t3 light in S/s, sako finn light
IC
 
The 300 wsm is the most common caliber rifle carried by any of the hunters I have guided. It works on every thing from sheep to moose. Pick one of the rifle you like the best, get it shooting well and your set.
 
Frankly if you are going to carry a rifle for bears, carry a bear rifle. If you are going to carry a rifle for sheep, carry a sheep rifle.

To crater a bear in a situation were you are too close and it is perturbed, you need more than a 300, so don't let that dictate what you carry.

The 7mm's are excellent sheep guns and more than enough for bears in the sub .338 realm if need be as well. And when spending a lot of time in the high country lighter is better and people shoot light cartridges in light guns better as well.

For sheep here in BC, I would intend to carry the .280 AI or 6.5 Rem Mag in bear country or not. Loaded with premium bullets they will be just as handy in that pinch. I am saying this not to detract from the 300's, they are excellent. It a matter of what do you shoot currently, and comfort in light guns.

My personal preference in rifles would be to customize a Model 70 or 700 for the rifle, but that is entirely your gig.

Happy shopping!
 
rem338win said:
Frankly if you are going to carry a rifle for bears, carry a bear rifle. If you are going to carry a rifle for sheep, carry a sheep rifle.

To crater a bear in a situation were you are too close and it is perturbed, you need more than a 300, so don't let that dictate what you carry.

The 7mm's are excellent sheep guns and more than enough for bears in the sub .338 realm if need be as well. And when spending a lot of time in the high country lighter is better and people shoot light cartridges in light guns better as well.

For sheep here in BC, I would intend to carry the .280 AI or 6.5 Rem Mag in bear country or not. Loaded with premium bullets they will be just as handy in that pinch. I am saying this not to detract from the 300's, they are excellent. It a matter of what do you shoot currently, and comfort in light guns.

My personal preference in rifles would be to customize a Model 70 or 700 for the rifle, but that is entirely your gig.

Happy shopping!
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Agree completely with this post. Excellent sheep rifles are light, accurate and reasonably flat shooting. If you want a 300 mag, they certainly work, but I would consider something like a 25-06, .270 win, 6.5 swede, 7mm08, 7x57, .280, 7x64, .308 or 30-06. A 22" barrel is long enough in these chamberings without severe muzzle blast or lost performance potential and a rifle a pound or two under "standard" weight will not punish you with recoil.
Of your rifle choices, I like the Sako and the Kimber.
The only sheep I have ever shot was with a .308. So that's a grand experience of one. Doesn't mean much, but I do have a fair bit of experience lugging rifles and shooting stuff the size of sheep in wide open spaces. Just my thoughts.
 
I use a HS Precision PHL in 300 WSM for sheep and goats. It weighs 5.9 pounds with out a scope or ammo and has a 22" barrel. I prefer a 165 grain hornady sst at 3100 fps. I dont find the recoil to be excessive, but you might depending on what what you personally find tolerable. As far as bear protection goes, a 7mm mag. will do anything as well as a 300 wsm. Niether of these is ideal to stop a charging bear. As far as a sheep cartridge goes, you dont need a big magnum to kill a sheep, anything like a 25-06, 270 etc. works fine.
 
If you're seriously worried about bears get a .338 Winchester and load up with 210 gr Nosler Partitions. It will shoot just as flat as a .300 mag with the same bullet weight.

If I were going myself I'd take my 7x57.
 
I've got to go with a Sako Finnlight in 270WSM. Shaving ounces matters. Put good glass that's not too heavy on it like a Leupold VX-2 Ultralight 3-9x30 (9 ounces) or a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40mm (13 ounces) if you want a bit more zoom.

Like has been said by a previous poster either carry a sheep gun or a bear gun. In the mountains you "ususally" get a chance to see them coming anyway.

Light mountain rifles chambered in heavy calibers mean that you have to suffer the recoil and muzzle jump. Even the 270WSM is pushing it. 7-08 or 308 would be great alternatives and I really strugled picking between the 308 and 270WSM when I bought my sheep gun.
 
I have a budy that running a Rem 700 TI in 300wsm Think he has a couple chambered in 300wsm ... Purpose built for sheep hunting
 
This is my purpose built sheep rifle, 300 WSM shooting 150 gn TTSX (only bullet I found so far that it liked) Rem 700 TI, PT&G speed lock and aluminum firing pin and shroud, Brown Precision Kevlar stock (14 oz) and Leupold Vari X II 3-9 compact. All up weight is 5 lbs 15 oz with ammo.
I like the 30 cals for sheep hunting and have taken something upwards of 10 sheep. I like the 300 WM and have taken several with one of those and have also taken several with the 300 Wby as well as an old Rem 700 7 Mag

http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r630/c-fbmi/IMG_0963.jpg
 
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Yeah i wouldnt pack a 300 magnum if it were me, I'd love to buy a Kimber .280 but otherwise my Remington 700 .270WIN would do just fine!

ive never hunted the sheep you speak of, but it will certainly kill them'
cheers
WL
 
When I began loading for my .375 Ultra, one of the first loads I devised was a 260 gr Ballistic Tip at 2600 fps. This load was accurate, mild in terms of blast and recoil, and would shoot flat, so if I ever managed the opportunity to hunt Dalls, that was what I intended to use. Since then, the delicate 260 gr BT has been replaced with the tough AB, sheep hunting seems to have become more elusive due to cost and the fact that I'm not getting any younger, and my sea level lungs quickly point out my limitations at altitude. For those who might suggest that a .375 Ultra is a ridiculous cartridge for sheep hunting, you are correct, but despite that, it works and I have used it enough that I'd confidently use it against any terrestrial game. Anyone recall the Chadwick Ram? That 50" monster was taken with a .404 Jeffery, the granddaddy of the .375 Ultra.

About the same time that Mr Chadwick rugged his famous ram, a youngster named Jack O'Connor was defining the most successful sheep cartridge to ever come down the pipe, the .270 Winchester, with his M-54 Winchester. If sheep hunting is the question, the .270 is the answer, although the M-70 and others have eclipsed the M-54. There are cartridges that can do the job as well as the .270, but none do it better. Even if the .270 is not your cup of tea, you should measure your choice against it. If it doesn't shoot as flat, if its heavier, if it kicks more, or if its more or less powerful, its probably not quite as good.
 
My mountain hunting is limited, but I do have most of the rifles on your list. I took a Montana rifle co .300 win on a goat, bou, moose hunt is grizzly country last year and that worked out alright meaning I didnt die. If I talk myself into doing that again I'd probably take a newly aquired Kimber Montana in 270 WSM and pump the stock full of helium, look for a lighter hunting knife, cut the labels out of my clothes, take the wrappers off my chocolate bars and make sure the hunt involves horses.
 
.257 Weatherby. Flat, hard hitting with .308 kick. Mine's a R93 Blaser, but there are several other rifles made in it. It's one of those cartridges that once you shoot it, you have a hard time not going back to it. I've shoot deer, elk and moose with it, no issues, all bang-flops. With the flat shooting aspect, I would guess it would be a good mountain gun. Some may worry that you won't anchor it in place and it may fall with sheep.
 
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