Favorite Sheep Caliber

[mtwarden]

I had a grizzly license in my pocket, so asked the outfitter about my .308 being adequate- he said with the 165 Accubonds I was going to use for sheep, I'd be good to go. Of course my guide carried a .338, so there was that Passed on two pretty nice grizzlies, went after one that was exceptional but it went over a high pass never to be seen again, so will never know.

My lightweight, short barreled .308 did great on my sheep. Longer shot than I was hoping for- 410 yards. I thought I saw the ram falling in the scope, but racked another round in quickly. The guide tapped me on the shoulder and said we're good- can't tell you how happy I was to hear those words

If I ever draw a tag here (or luck out on a raffle), I'mm 99% sure I'll bring the same rifle.

 

[madcalfe]

my custom built 300wsm. 5lbs 2oz.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

my custom built 300wsm. 5lbs 2oz.

What bullet do you like to shoot with that rifle?

 

[HornPorn]

My BIL and I are approximately 3-5 years out on an Alaskan Dall Sheep hunt. As he's primarily been discussing our hunt with a few different guides, there is a common opinion that a 270 Win is the recommended minimum caliber.

For those of you who have sheep hunting experience and not opinion; what is you favorite sheep caliber and do you feel a 7mm-08 with Barnes TTSX to TSX handloads is adequate?

Thank you.

Well, it's been 5 years now. Did you and your brother go on the Alaskan Dall Sheep hunt? How did you do? What rifles did yall take, and how would you answer your own question now that you have experience?

 

[madcalfe]

What bullet do you like to shoot with that rifle?

178gr eldx doing 2920fps with a 20" barrel.
I also use 180gr accubonds for elk hunting and bears.

 

[outahand]

There are many out there that will work. For me I settled on the 280 Ackley, lots of bullet choices from 120 to 180g, feeds amazingly, holds 4 down the pipe just in case i need them. Good balance of performance vs. recoil. it just does alot of things well. I am a big proponent of matching the chambering to game being targeted and the spec's of the rifle and how far you plan on shooting.

I feel what i have is a perfect sheep, goat, deer etc rifle. I am very happy with it. ive only been on 1 sheep hunt though.

http://www.rokslide.com/forums/firearms/51705-280-ackley-improved.html

but 6.5-284, 6.5creed, 270, 30-06, 300wsm, 300win, even the 7-08 etc on and on will all be just fine as well. main thing is to have confidence in and know your gun.

I love that 280 ai all the performance of the 7 mag without magnum cases and recoil, 26 inch benchmark, 175 bergers @ 3000 fps what more can you ask for , 7 saum is also up there on the list imo but really not much difference 26 inch krieger 168 bergers just under 3000 fps , like you said confidence in your rifle is key in the end any caliber you shoot well is the ticket

 

[bates]

I love that 280 ai all the performance of the 7 mag without magnum cases and recoil, 26 inch benchmark, 175 bergers @ 3000 fps what more can you ask for , 7 saum is also up there on the list imo but really not much difference 26 inch krieger 168 bergers just under 3000 fps , like you said confidence in your rifle is key in the end any caliber you shoot well is the ticket

Make that 2 sheep with the 280 Ackley

 

[Tmac]

Yes. Used a 280 Rem with 145 LRX’s on my hunt. I might look at the 139 LRX if I was shooting a 7mm-08 and wanted to use mono’s.

 

[Aoudaddy]

I use a .280 Rem, 140 HVLD’s at 3100fps. A little under 7lbs all in.

 

[Timjohnson11]

Harvested by Dalls with a 28 Nosler pushing 162 ELD-X. It's a great caliber and i'll continue to use it for elk and potentially mule deer here in Nevada where shot distances get pushed and it's generally windy. I've since picked up a 6.5 PRC and am pushing factory load Hornadys 143 ELD-x. It would be my choice moving forward for sheep and plan on taking it to Alaska next August. It has a bit more wind drift than my 28 Nosler but it is more forgiving and easier to shot (far less recoil). In my opinion it's the perfect rifle for thinhorns. I'm running the Seekins Havok in the 6.5 PRC, great gun for the money. The 28 is actually a little lighter (carbon barrel and such) but i'm ok carrying the extra pound if it's a "killing pound".

Tikka and X-Bolt Pro would be good comps. Still blows my mind how well factory guns can shot with factory ammo in 2023, night and day difference compared to just 10 years ago...

 

[jppedersen48]

I'm inheriting a rifle from my Uncle and I have my choice of many of the calibers mentioned in this thread. If you were in my shoes, what gun would you pick for sheep? My gut is telling me .280 Rem., but the rest of the options are below. I'm not positive on the exact load for each gun, but my Uncle hand loaded and favored Nosler Partitions. Leupold glass - probably 10x power but a couple might have 12x.

.280 Rem - I believe this is pushing a 160 grain Nosler Partition.
26 Nosler
7x57 Mauser
25.06
7mm-08
.308
.300 Win Mag

Should I be thinking different than the .280? It's not the lightest gun of the above. I haven't weighed it yet, but I'm hoping for manageable weight while having decent knock down power when in bear country.

 

[Spiral Horn]

While I have a number of rifles including a 300wm that is an absolute tack-driver I’d never consider lugging that 10lb+ rig up a mountain. Also having killed a number of sheep I’m 100% convinced that they don’t require heavy hitting calibers to take down. Have already taken several sheep, goats and other mountain game with a 6.5CM and the 143gr ELDX out to ~500 yards. They shoot consistently tight groups and everything I’ve shot with them were all very impressed. I’m very confident in both its accuracy and effectiveness on sheep and goats. Now, for a Tur or stuff which are known for longer range shots combined with robust tenacity for life I might go with my 6.5PRC or 7mm.

All of that said, IMO any of the flat shooting 260 - 7mm cartridges should perform very well on sheep. To me, the 30s and above are overkill on sheep.

 

[eshunt]

I was surprised after my sheep hunt how thin skinned sheep are. Any rifle/bullet combo capable of taking down an antelope or deer would suffice. My 300WM was definitely overkill.

 

[mtwarden]

^ likewise; my ram went down like a lightning bolt struck it (@410 yds) with my .308.

I also had a grizzly tag in my pocket (unfilled) so not overkill for it

 

[B02]

.007” is about the only difference in those two rounds. They are very similar ballistically. I shot my ram in the avatar a long time ago when 392 yards was a LONG shot and did it with the 270. I just built a 264WM but that was more for fun than necessity.

270 is bread and butter for sheep it is FAR from minimum! If someone told me I had to hunt ALL North America with the 270 only, I would be plenty happy and first in line. No problem.

i agree 270 way to go

 

[Grisha]

...For those of you who have sheep hunting experience and not opinion; what is you favorite sheep caliber and do you feel a 7mm-08 with Barnes TTSX to TSX handloads is adequate?

Thank you.

For me trick is to get as light a gun as possible that you can still control so you are accurate. I used a light 65 prc for dall sheep last year, which was great for backpacking the constant up/down, but to be honest that rifle is a tad jumpier than I would prefer.

I don't see any reason to shoot a heavier caliber rifle for sheep (that 65 prc has also taken goat and mt caribou with no issues) unless you have a hunt with a grizzly tag as well.

 

[Grisha]

I had a grizzly license in my pocket, so asked the outfitter about my .308 being adequate- he said with the 165 Accubonds I was going to use for sheep, I'd be good to go. Of course my guide carried a .338, so there was that Passed on two pretty nice grizzlies, went after one that was exceptional but it went over a high pass never to be seen again, so will never know.

My lightweight, short barreled .308 did great on my sheep. Longer shot than I was hoping for- 410 yards. I thought I saw the ram falling in the scope, but racked another round in quickly. The guide tapped me on the shoulder and said we're good- can't tell you how happy I was to hear those words

If I ever draw a tag here (or luck out on a raffle), I'mm 99% sure I'll bring the same rifle.

Beautiful country. Love it.

 

[wind gypsy]

For me trick is to get as light a gun as possible that you can still control so you are accurate. I used a light 65 prc for dall sheep last year, which was great for backpacking the constant up/down, but to be honest that rifle is a tad jumpier than I would prefer.

I don't see any reason to shoot a heavier caliber rifle for sheep (that 65 prc has also taken goat and mt caribou with no issues) unless you have a hunt with a grizzly tag as well.

I'd take a 6.5 PRC on an interior griz hunt without concern.

 

[Grisha]

I'd take a 6.5 PRC on an interior griz hunt without concern.

I upped to a 308 caliber for my arctic grizzly but that was outfitter recommendation more than anything

 

[buffybr]

In the late '70s I built a .257 Ackley for deer and pronghorn antelope hunting. It is a Mauser Mark X barreled action that I put into a Fajen fancy walnut stock, and topped it with a Leupold 6x scope.

I've used it for most of the deer and antelope that I've shot in the last 40+ years, along with 3 Bighorn rams that I shot in the '80s on DIY hunts in Montana's Unlimited Sheep Tag units, and for a Northwest Territories Dall ram in 1999. Most of the deer and antelope that I've shot with that rifle, all of my sheep, my Mountain Caribou, and my second biggest 6x6 bull elk were one shot kills with 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullets. My longest shot on any of those animals was 206 yards on the Dall ram.