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.