A Proper Sheep Rifle

[ismith]

Maybe owning a proper sheep rifle will pull me a tag next year?

 

[BAKPAKR]

That is a pretty one.

 

[Bambistew]

Pre-64 270 win? Nice looking rifle

 

[GeorgeBlack]

Sheep are tough.
Wounding them is not advisable.
It can roll to the bottom of the mountain.
Also most are long shots,300-400 yards.
Long range shooters hold your horses. Lol
7mm and up. Good optics and not too heavy.
Something you comfortably shoot and carry.

 

[Bambistew]

Sheep are tough.
Wounding them is not advisable.
It can roll to the bottom of the mountain.
Also most are long shots,300-400 yards.
Long range shooters hold your horses. Lol
7mm and up. Good optics and not too heavy.
Something you comfortably shoot and carry.

Sheep are softer than deer, and can't take a bullet... at all.
Agree, don't wound them, but if you do they will go lay down or stand around for a second shot
They don't roll that far unless you shoot them in the cliffs, which is not a good idea anyway because they can hang up. Their head is heavy they usually hangs up in a short distance.
I've seen a bunch of sheep killed, The majority were killed under 300 yards, most under 200 and a few under 100.
A 7mag is way overkill for sheep, but would work great. A 7-08 would be better and lighter.
I agree on the last one, but that goes for all hunts right?

 

[TheTone]

Will a rifle like that survive a drop test?

 

[ismith]

It is a pre-64 model 70 in 270, stocked by Mike Conner with a beautiful piece of what is likely California English walnut. I was going to buy a Leupold M8 4x to put on it but found a Leupold Vari-X iii 3.5x10 in one of the dark recesses of my closet that looks pretty good on it. Hopefully I can take this sheep hunting next year, but this year a decent mule deer or whitetailed deer would work.

 

[GeorgeBlack]

Sheep are softer than deer, and can't take a bullet... at all.
Agree, don't wound them, but if you do they will go lay down or stand around for a second shot
They don't roll that far unless you shoot them in the cliffs, which is not a good idea anyway because they can hang up. Their head is heavy they usually hangs up in a short distance.
I've seen a bunch of sheep killed, The majority were killed under 300 yards, most under 200 and a few under 100.
A 7mag is way overkill for sheep, but would work great. A 7-08 would be better and lighter.
I agree on the last one, but that goes for all hunts right?

Up here in the north we don’t shoot light rifles or light bullets.
Maybe overkill to some but a 110 grain bullet will not do it.
Mountains are bare and the wind is wicked.
But again it is always personal.
I did use on most of my hunts a 7 RUM.
180 grain.

 

[ismith]

Will a rifle like that survive a drop test?

Likely in better shape than me.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Up here in the north we don’t shoot light rifles or light bullets.
Maybe overkill to some but a 110 grain bullet will not do it.
Mountains are bare and the wind is wicked.
But again it is always personal.
I did use on most of my hunts a 7 RUM.
180 grain.

On sheep?

 

[LIK2HNT]

Nice rifle
Both my rocky and desert rams were shot with A custom 7mm WSM @ 14.5 lbs field ready. Shooting 168 gr Bergers. A little heavy but very accurate for across canyon shooting.
My Mtn. Goat I used a 270 WSM Browning Ti A-Bolt. Boy did I enjoy the less weight (less than half of the 7mm).
All did the job with one shot and the animals dropped in their tracks. The Mtn Goat did roll about 100 plus yards down towards us, but was dead when it hit the ground.

 

[GeorgeBlack]

On sheep?

Sheep,goat,moose…
One cannon for all. Lol
A friend tried 6.5 creedmore on a goat.
It is collecting dust.
He went big too.
You learn real fast up here.
A 1300 lbs moose will walk away with today’s light loads and rifles.
If I was looking for another rifle it would be 28 Nosler.
By the way I forgot to mention grizzlies are plentiful here too.

 

[ismith]

Nice rifle
Both my rocky and desert rams were shot with A custom 7mm WSM @ 14.5 lbs field ready. Shooting 168 gr Bergers. A little heavy but very accurate for across canyon shooting.
My Mtn. Goat I used a 270 WSM Browning Ti A-Bolt. Boy did I enjoy the less weight (less than half of the 7mm).
All did the job with one shot and the animals dropped in their tracks. The Mtn Goat did roll about 100 plus yards down towards us, but was dead when it hit the ground.

I used at 338 WM on my goat. Mountain Goats arent very big, and they arent very thick either. I suspect a smaller diameter; lighter bullet would have been more effective than what I was shooting.

 

[BackofBeyond]

New guy teaching @Bambistew about sheep hunting, and what it’s like “up north.”

That’s cute.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I used at 338 WM on my goat. Mountain Goats arent very big, and they arent very thick either. I suspect a smaller diameter; lighter bullet would have been more effective than what I was shooting.

I used a 10” 30-30 on my goat and my squirrel-killing 6.5 CM on my sheep. It took a couple of shots with the 30-30, one with the Creedmoor.

 

[Bambistew]

Sheep,goat,moose…
One cannon for all. Lol
A friend tried 6.5 creedmore on a goat.
It is collecting dust.
He went big too.
You learn real fast up here.
A 1300 lbs moose will walk away with today’s light loads and rifles.
If I was looking for another rifle it would be 28 Nosler.
By the way I forgot to mention grizzlies are plentiful here too.

My son's 10yo best friend shot a 1325lb moose with a 7-08, last week. He's 65lbs after a big meal. I'll let him know he should upgrade.

 

[Mica Man]

Only ram I killed was with a 243...pretty sure that purdy 270 will do just fine, wood stock and all.