Sheep cartridge?

[midwesthunter]

Planning for a Dall sheep hunt in the near future. Been reading where the 30 cal magnums seep to be pretty popular. Was wondering if a 6.5 STW would do the trick? Not sure how tuff these things are? I'm sure it's good enough but want some opinions.

 

[liltank]

Guy on here shot one with a .308 loaded with 208 A-max at 2500fps.

Tank

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

That would be as good a sheep cartridge as I can think of. I have one and the ballistics are amazing. Run a .612 bc at 3400 fps and some of the top bc 130 grain bullets at 3550 fps. They are not very hard to kill and they sure can't get away from you because you can see them for miles in the country they live in. The big ram I got last year we first glassed him from nearly five miles away then made our stalk.

 

[RDM416]

I hunted Dall sheep a few years back in the Brooks range, Alaska. The guides all said about what LTLR said..... they are not hard to kill and the country is really open for the most part.

I shot mine with a 338RUM......... maybe a bit of overkill for sheep, but I always say you can't kill'em too dead!! gun)

 

[azsugarbear]

The best answer would of course be "the lightest rifle you can shoot accurately". Sheep are not particularly tough to kill. But because of where they live and how tough the stalk is just to get to them, you want to anchor them with your first shot.

I would say your 6.5 STW would be great medicine for sheep. If I ever get drawn for my desert sheep tag, I would have a tough choice between my 6.5-06 AI shooting a 130 gr. bullet and my .243 shooting the 105 gr. Berger. Although the 243 round is not as stout as the 6.5-06 AI, my 243 rifle is 2 lbs. lighter - and that does figure into the equation when your 16 hour day also includes elevations swing a several thousand feet a couple of times each day.

 

[Pdvdh]

Some hunters like to carry a larger caliber in case they have to shoot a grizzly bear in camp or on the trail. I tend to be one of those types.

But Dall sheep are not a tough animal at all - as far as their tenacity for life. The 6.5 STW will take them down like lightening, with any decent hit and an expanding bullet. I've used a 280 RCBS, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, and .338 Win Mag. From 12 yards out to 850 yards. Couldn't say I could tell any difference in their effect on the Dall rams I've taken over the past 31 years.

 

[midwesthunter]

Thanks guys, I love the ballistics of that round and have been waiting to get one built. Just trying to decide on a barrel contour. Didn't think about a bigger one for grizzly or black bear. I agree with you RDM416 there is no replacement for displacement.

 

[RDM416]

midwesthunter,

If you don't have an outfitter picked yet, the outfitter I went with was great. His name is Mike McCann and he outfits in the Brooks Range 100 miles or so into the artic circle. One of the big pluses for his outfit is horses. It is one of the few horseback hunts available up there as it is so hard to get the horses, feed and such like into the hunting area. Your actual hunt will be done on foot, but when it is time to change drainages to new area it is sure nice to have a horse to ride and one to pack your camp gear.

I'm not sure what he is charging these days, I think it was about 10,500 when I went 5 or 6 years ago. He also does combo hunts of sheep and griz. I don't have his info handy, but let me know if you are interested and I will look up his phone, email, and web info.

On the rifle, I carried my 338RUM for mainly the reason Phorwath mentioned. I wanted some "horsepower" if we had a close encounter with a griz.

 

[midwesthunter]

I have not picked an outfitter yet so any suggestions are open. Thanks

 

[RDM416]

I have not picked an outfitter yet so any suggestions are open. Thanks

The outfitter I was referring to..... website link: home email is [email protected]

There are several guys that hang out here that are from Alaska and may have suggestions as well. I just know I was pleased with Mike's outfit and killed a nice 11 year old ram. I got a newsletter from him a month or so ago and he said he still had a couple of openings for this year (quite unusual but the outfitting business is tough right now) and has only two openings left for 2012. If you go, tell him you want George for your guide and tell him HI for me.

 

[RDM416]

One more thing...... If you check out Mike's website, look in the photo gallery. You will see a picture of a nice ram taken through a riflescope with the crosshairs on his shoulder.

I took that pic through my scope at about 450 yards. I had already killed my ram and we were wolf hunting when we spotted that ram. I just could not resist getting him in the crosshairs.