Favorite Sheep Caliber

[Stud Duck]

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.

 

[bates]

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.

 

[BRWNBR]

Sheep are not difficult to kill. At all. My fav are the ballistic flat shooters in case we end up needing the distance. 280 Ackley tops that list. 270 300 7mm all great. 7-08,308, 30-‘06,264, heck the 6.5 creed might even kill one!

 

[Yellowknife]

Some of the most effective AK resident sheep hunters I personally know typically use .270, 25-06, and .308. Know one guy that has taken a few with a .300 WSM on the large end and from personal experience, I've seen the 30-06 be more than enough on four sheep. I'd have zero issues with a 7-08 myself, and wouldn't even bother with the TSX unless there is something else on the menu. Sheep are more or less deer sized and fairly lightly built, so no overthinking needed. Personally I'd use the gun I like the most and the caliber would be fairly secondary.

 

[Steve O]

.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.

 

[oenanthe]

what is you favorite sheep caliber and do you feel a 7mm-08 with Barnes TTSX to TSX handloads is adequate?

For the last 9 years, I've hunted here in Alaska with only one rifle: a 7mm-08. Usually I'm running TSX handloads. The rifle has worked well on caribou, moose, and sheep. Three rams so far with this rifle. So, yeah, I feel it is adequate!

 

[Doc Holliday]

For the last 9 years, I've hunted here in Alaska with only one rifle: a 7mm-08. Usually I'm running TSX handloads. The rifle has worked well on caribou, moose, and sheep. Three rams so far with this rifle. So, yeah, I feel it is adequate!

Do you use the 120s or 140s?

 

[AK Troutbum]

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.

Absolutely. My favorite cal. happens to be a .270 Win., but only because that is my lightest outfit. As stated earlier, sheep are easy to kill, getting to them is the tough part. I keep thinking/talking about a lighter 6.5 CM for my next "ultimate" light weight sheep rifle, but I haven't found the right rifle yet.

 

[kscowboy01]

You need to consider if a grizzly might be on the list. I used a .308 with 150 grain Accubonds that was set-up with turrets out to 600 yards for my Dall. I had everything ready to go with 200 grain Accubonds out to 300 yards with a few minor adjustments, if a grizzly opportunity presented itself. Be sure to take other game into consideration on your choice of caliber.

 

[Stud Duck]

I appreciate all the replies.

 

[oenanthe]

140s. I'd like to try the 120s but haven't gotten around to working up a load.

 

[Snyd]

Pick your poison. No wrong answer really, within common sense reason.

My rifle is Kimber 325wsm, 200gr Accubonds at 2950. Killed sheep moose and griz with it. If there wasn't the possibility of a bear encounter I'd probably shoot a 243. But I'm into handgun hunting now. I've packed my Ruger 45 Colt Hunter Sheep Hunting a couple times with 280gr at 1450fps. No blood yet. This year I'll be packin a Freedom Arms 454 Casull with 240-300ish gr load 1800ish to 1500fps respectively. Haven't set on the exact load yet but am leaning toward the classic 454 Casull load. 240-260gr at 18-1900fps for improved trajectory. 4X scope. Maybe pack 5 350gr loads for bustin brush in griz country on the way in and out. My partner will be packin his Freedom 44mag with similar loads.

 

[AKDoc]

My mountain hunting cartridge is a 7mm-08 with 120grn TTSX handloads. My daughter and I have taken two mountain goats on Kodiak with those loads.

I'm still working to get my first ram...and I've been sooooo close, but no cigar. I'm extra conservative and cautious to ensure full-curl before pulling the trigger.

 

[oenanthe]

My mountain hunting cartridge is a 7mm-08 with 120grn TTSX handloads. My daughter and I have taken two mountain goats on Kodiak with those loads.

Would you mind explaining why you choose 120s? I'm also using the 7mm-08, but with 140 TSXs at about 2850fps. Not that I feel that strongly about the 140s, they just happened to be the 1st good load I worked up and I stuck with them.

I'm still working to get my first ram...and I've been sooooo close, but no cigar. I'm extra conservative and cautious to ensure full-curl before pulling the trigger.

That's the only way to roll. I'd never shoot a sheep if I wasn't absolutely positive it was legal. It's not worth the stress!

 

[AKDoc]

Regarding my choice of 120's instead of 140's, it was a combination of factors for me...nothing based on a super strong preference. I had taken a handful of spring spot and stalk black bears over the past ten years with a 257WBY that I had built from a 700 action, shooting handloaded 100grn TSX's...that 100grn bullet going fast was very effective on those bears (a couple were 7 footers). That particular rifle is relatively heavy with a 26" fluted Lilja barrel...not ideal to lug around in the mountains...so I rebarreled a Tikka 595 that was chambered in 22-250 to a 7mm-08. When developing loads I was interested in seeing if I could get the 120's accurately going fast, so that is where I started, and it worked out great (for me)...I'm right around 3100 and the accuracy is spot on. Honestly, it just worked out that way for me to develop 120's, and when I saw that they were very effective on the mountain goats, I was good to go for sheep. In the end I sincerely doubt it makes much difference at all between the 120's or 140's.

Regarding my comment about being very cautious on furl curl when hunting sheep, what I was trying to say is that I'm so cautious that the ram is going to have to way over full curl for me to shoot it. I'm pretty sure I've passed on at least one legal ram, but I'm happy with my decisions.

 

[Kotaman]

I have a feeling my new most favorite sheep caliber is going to be a 6.5 PRC. Ask me the end of August...

 

[BRobertson]

.44 mag has been real good to me for sheep!!

 

[icb12]

.260 Rem

 

[oenanthe]

Thanks for your thoughts on 120s vs. 140s - much appreciated.

And on the sheep judging: yep, I'm the same way. My rams have been clearly double broomed or well past full curl, except for one lopsided oddball who is 1" shy of full curl on one side, but easily 1" over on the other side. But I watched him for over four hours from a few hundred yards and was 100% sure he was legal.

 

[docdb]

I’ve shot three sheep with my NULA 30-06, and one with a .260....tipped right over. Same thing with the grizzly, but I hit a bit high and severed the spine. Mountain goat on the other hand, I’ve seen absorb some lead, and keep moving.

Don