Cartridge choice for sheep hunt

[mtnbound]

I’m looking to build a lightweight bolt action that doesn’t kick too much for hunting sheep and goats out to 5-600 yards. What are my best options caliber wise? 7.5 pounds is about my max target weight and ideally less recoil than an average .270. What would be your pick?

The 6CM would be my 1st choice, 2nd choice would be 6.5PRC.

 

[SkunkCabbage]

Anything between the 6-7mm range will work more than sufficiently even on the smaller end of things.

Don’t overthink it, I’d point a 6.5cm at a ram with not a worry in the world with good shot placement.

 

[roadhntr]

7prc

Lol

 

[wind gypsy]

6 Creedmoor.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

7.0 all up, got a sako 90 peak in 308 with Warne mountain tech mediums and nx8 1-8 capped dmx, mkm bubble level, just grab one in 6.5cm and giver with some eldm white box match ammo

least amount of faafo for 100% off the shelf everything, in setup to killing, and not sure anything more robust you can just slap together at the kitchen table(integral picatinny, nf, Warne), if you needed to get just under 7.0 I'm sure nightforce rings would do it to offset extra barrel meat in smaller bore(my rifle came 5 lb 10 oz nekkid), although 308 will get you 600 also with 168 eldm whitebox match, at 3000' I'm still around 1736 fps, at 7500' 1700 fps lands around 745, getting 2592 fps out of that white box match lot I have from the 20" threaded barrel, you just have to live with a gentle 17-18 ft/lbs recoil to have the extra smacky factor of a 168 gr football lol,

good news is the carbon stock and higher plus negative comb than a tikka recoils a bunch easier than same thing in my 20" 308 tikka even though it's heavier, enjoy shooting the sako and don't notice recoil although I don't stay in sight picture but not kicking too far off, I'm back in the picture by the time the bullet gets the gong at 600 haha, make a sandwich while you wait to hear the smack...waiting to join usa as 51st state and I bet suppressor will fix it right up that way, I'll be patient, the tikka you notice every single shot though, so yeah look at these rifles if you 'demand perfection' they've done it with the 90 peak for a mountain rifle but also gp rifle imo

wouldn't mind sako offering the XS action length and all the grendels/arcs in that 90 peak but I'll be off to my next life before they get to it so I'd rather have the rifle now and suffer a 40gr powder class cartridge lol, I got some grendels and killed my last sheep with one(tip over backwards awesome) but done suffering the budget rifle class, you can get awesome eldm white box/black box match in about anything good now so I was far more about choosing the rifle first and cartridge 2nd, I like grendel/308 123/168 footballs and don't need to get that far so those are mirrors in the 'can't wear em out' one just has 55% less recoil than the other and needs another 4" or so of barrel length to get speed similar without reloading (low pressure ar factory grendel, but could compensate with reloading and have same barrel length and still have a 600 yarder throwing those lovely 123's, got a literal bucket full of grendel brass waiting for the day I may or may not choose to reload...nice to never have to do it if I'd rather fish or be into the 12 other things I like to do)

 

[Schmo]

22 Creed or 6mm Creed, or if you want a wildcat, a 6 PRC

 

[260shooter]

If I were building a custom I would do a 6 PRC 22" barrel.

 

[Schmo]

If I were building a custom I would do a 6 PRC 22" barrel.

Just curious why a 22” barrel on a 6 PRC? An 18” gets you 3100-3150

 

[260shooter]

Well, I come from the land of no suppressors and I would do a CF barrel so the weight isn't an issue and 4 inches more barrel means more velocity which means more forgiving in range and windage errors.

 

[Schmo]

Well, I come from the land of no suppressors and I would do a CF barrel so the weight isn't an issue and 4 inches more barrel means more velocity which means more forgiving in range and windage errors.

Ah, makes sense.

 

[plebe]

7.0 all up, got a sako 90 peak in 308 with Warne mountain tech mediums and nx8 1-8 capped dmx, mkm bubble level, just grab one in 6.5cm and giver with some eldm white box match ammo

least amount of faafo for 100% off the shelf everything, in setup to killing, and not sure anything more robust you can just slap together at the kitchen table(integral picatinny, nf, Warne), if you needed to get just under 7.0 I'm sure nightforce rings would do it to offset extra barrel meat in smaller bore(my rifle came 5 lb 10 oz nekkid), although 308 will get you 600 also with 168 eldm whitebox match, at 3000' I'm still around 1736 fps, at 7500' 1700 fps lands around 745, getting 2592 fps out of that white box match lot I have from the 20" threaded barrel, you just have to live with a gentle 17-18 ft/lbs recoil to have the extra smacky factor of a 168 gr football lol,

good news is the carbon stock and higher plus negative comb than a tikka recoils a bunch easier than same thing in my 20" 308 tikka even though it's heavier, enjoy shooting the sako and don't notice recoil although I don't stay in sight picture but not kicking too far off, I'm back in the picture by the time the bullet gets the gong at 600 haha, make a sandwich while you wait to hear the smack...waiting to join usa as 51st state and I bet suppressor will fix it right up that way, I'll be patient, the tikka you notice every single shot though, so yeah look at these rifles if you 'demand perfection' they've done it with the 90 peak for a mountain rifle but also gp rifle imo

wouldn't mind sako offering the XS action length and all the grendels/arcs in that 90 peak but I'll be off to my next life before they get to it so I'd rather have the rifle now and suffer a 40gr powder class cartridge lol, I got some grendels and killed my last sheep with one(tip over backwards awesome) but done suffering the budget rifle class, you can get awesome eldm white box/black box match in about anything good now so I was far more about choosing the rifle first and cartridge 2nd, I like grendel/308 123/168 footballs and don't need to get that far so those are mirrors in the 'can't wear em out' one just has 55% less recoil than the other and needs another 4" or so of barrel length to get speed similar without reloading (low pressure ar factory grendel, but could compensate with reloading and have same barrel length and still have a 600 yarder throwing those lovely 123's, got a literal bucket full of grendel brass waiting for the day I may or may not choose to reload...nice to never have to do it if I'd rather fish or be into the 12 other things I like to do)

Any chance you could post a pic that shows the difference in stock geometry between the Sako 90 Peak and standard Tikka stock?

 

[Cactus kid]

22 creed to 6.5 creed, or .243, whatever makes you feel comfortable. 6.5 PRC if you feel like you need a “big” gun. A 6 creed splits the middle with good velocity out of a shortish barrel and lots of ammo.

5 years ago I built a 6.5 PRC as my “light recoiling” rig.

Times have changed in large part to this forum.

 

[CoHunter1991]

I used a 6.5 lb rifle chambered in 280ai and it was perfect. Those things are tough.

 

[Spiblin]

Another vote for the 22cm or 6 cm... good 103 eldm for the 6mm or 77tmk/88g eldm for the 22cm

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Any chance you could post a pic that shows the difference in stock geometry between the Sako 90 Peak and standard Tikka stock?

I just got some pics just for your question, but suck at posting or my cache is usually full or I don't have online host, or the sun was in my eyes etc. Message me a phone number I can text them to and I'll send them and feel free to post them for others to see the difference.

What I did was use a light color duvet insert under the guns, took the bolts out, used a cleaning rod up the barrel from arse end and over the stock and the cleaning rod settles or rests in action grooves but the barrel has more rod up in it than not so it's as true, straight, and no biased in the angle of rod out the back end of the bore that could exaggerate any differences. You can see height difference and comb angle difference between both. Sako is higher and has slight negative and the tikka is lower and is slight positive.

I have a good eye for lines so could see it just looking at both rifles when they above one another on flat surface but that was only after trying to mount scopes on the sako as I had to come UP on ring height twice (a first in all my scope mounting) and usually I struggle to find an acceptable solution that is low enough on a tikka. It was then I payed attention and noticed it had the differing geometry and vertical grip etc. Further to that it helped to understand why the sako felt recoil and management is easier than the tikka despite being lighter in weight. So design likely biggest factor but maybe that solid carbon material is a part of the equation? I could see the geometry differences in the naked eye as I knew it was more than just having integral machined picatinny on the sako action as the difference in having to actually come up twice in ring heights, but this cleaning rod trick will show anyone the difference of the stocks to the bore line.

 

[plebe]

I just got some pics just for your question, but suck at posting or my cache is usually full or I don't have online host, or the sun was in my eyes etc. Message me a phone number I can text them to and I'll send them and feel free to post them for others to see the difference.

What I did was use a light color duvet insert under the guns, took the bolts out, used a cleaning rod up the barrel from arse end and over the stock and the cleaning rod settles or rests in action grooves but the barrel has more rod up in it than not so it's as true, straight, and no biased in the angle of rod out the back end of the bore that could exaggerate any differences. You can see height difference and comb angle difference between both. Sako is higher and has slight negative and the tikka is lower and is slight positive.

I have a good eye for lines so could see it just looking at both rifles when they above one another on flat surface but that was only after trying to mount scopes on the sako as I had to come UP on ring height twice (a first in all my scope mounting) and usually I struggle to find an acceptable solution that is low enough on a tikka. It was then I payed attention and noticed it had the differing geometry and vertical grip etc. Further to that it helped to understand why the sako felt recoil and management is easier than the tikka despite being lighter in weight. So design likely biggest factor but maybe that solid carbon material is a part of the equation? I could see the geometry differences in the naked eye as I knew it was more than just having integral machined picatinny on the sako action as the difference in having to actually come up twice in ring heights, but this cleaning rod trick will show anyone the difference of the stocks to the bore line.

Thanks!

Here’s the photos for other interested persons: