Sheep rifle after 2 shoulder surgeries this year?

[gillettehunter]

I love the lack of recoil in the 7mm 08. Have shot a friends and it is very mild to shoot. Just a little concerned about the long range capabilities. Spend as much time with the rifle as you dare. Get your friend to shoot it and get real familiar with drops out to 600 yards. Best of luck on your sheep hunt. I killed a bighorn in Wy this past year. 140 gr burger with less than an ideal hit put him down in less than 100 yards. Using a 6.5-06. Best of luck to you. Bruce

 

[Derek M.]

Congratulations on the tag. I envy you! The unfortunate news is that you will develop scar tissue, adhesions, and definitely arthritis where you had surgery. I'm not a fan of having anything pounding away on a newly modified body part personally. The best advice I read so far is learning to shoot with the other eye/shoulder, especially if your vision is just as good in that eye. That was my first thought when I opened the thread.

Pain free doesn't = "healed" just as healed doesn't = "pain free."

With a well placed shot, there's no reason the 243 won't do the job. That said, I'm no fan of that caliber. Since it looks like you are taking a 7-08, I think that is a great choice. Even if you are shooting it and can handle the recoil, I don't recommend the continued jarring on the shoulder. Ultimately, that's between you and your surgeon. Maybe you can adapt to a shooting vest with a pad in it.

Possessing a once in a lifetime tag and potentially worsening a shoulder further is a tough choice. Good luck and good hunting!

 

[COBrad]

That's a great choice. Between my daughter and I we have taken 6 elk with her 7-08, mostly using the 140 gr Accubond.

 

[Lv2hnt]

Shooting left-handed? I think I'll get through okay right handed, using some common sense. My shoulder is actually rehabbing pretty well.
There's still 3 months before I hit the firing range (& 4 months until the season starts). The buddy I'm borrowing the rifle from will be doing the fine tuning at the range (to help my shoulder keep repeated recoil to a minimum); I'll do considerable dry-firing before I go live.
The bigger challenge: though I've maintained my daily treadmill workout the past several months, I want to get into even better shape. The high school football stadium steps are only a mile away, and calling me. I'll probably develop a love/ hate relationship hitting them the next couple months while wearing my hunting pack (lol) ...

 

[Derek M.]

Funny you mention that. I've been doing our high school stadium steps too. I go 2 laps around the track, then up and down all the stairs on one side, then the other, then 2 laps, and so on, for 90 minutes.

 

[Alfred Crouch]

The 260 has a little better distance performance than the 7-08 but not a lot. The 260 with a break would be perfect for you, if available, but the 7-08 should do just fine. A PAST shoulder pad offers a lot of shoulder protection, especially for practice.

 

[walkinhorseman]

I've killed most of my PA whitetails with the 243 Win and the 7-08. Ranges were from 80 to 300+ yards. Used other calibers: 308 Win, 280 Rem, 7mm Rem, and the 270 Win. The 7-08/140 gr was my preferred caliber for mountain hunting and I would be be fine with that. I would balk at the 243 for your sheep hunt. I have no sheep hunting experience so my point of reference is the relative effectiveness on deer.
My current darling is the 6.5 Creedmoor which I put above the 308 cased rounds for deer. If you plan to keep hunting, you might consider barreling the Ruger to 6.5 Creedmoor. I got 2850 fps out of one of my 7-08's with 140's but that was hot and exceptional. I had several 280's but they didn't show me enough over a 7-08 to warrant a long action and the extra weight. In comparable weight rifles, I think that the 6.5 Creedmoor will be kinder to you than a 7-08 and more like a 243.

 

[COBrad]

I took a 9" mtn goat with a .243 at 305 lazed yards. I wanted him down where he was, so took a shoulder shot. I later found the bullet in the shoulder on the opposite side. Bullet was a 90 gr Fusion. Taxidermist estimated live weight at over 300 lbs. He was a hog as goats go.
I would use a 243 on a sheep.

 

[kscowboy01]

I took my .308 with 150 AccuBonds on my Dall hunt. I used the exact same scope you have on it but put on some CDS turrets. I found the turrets to be a wise investment.

The good news is that the bullets today are well-constructed and will penetrate/expand to get the job done. You don't need a big *** kicker rifle that most guys believe will make them successful. I see that Nosler makes a 90 grain AccuBond for the .243. I wouldn't hesitate going that route. Put the bullet where it needs to be and you have a dead sheep.

I will tell you to consult the Nosler reloading manual for the .243. The load that worked for my .308's 150s and 200s was the exact recipe in the book. It's a good starting point if you are going to make your own loads.

Don't forget to factor-in the wind. The lighter bullet will drift more in a crosswind. It could make a big difference at 300. Practice, practice, practice.

 

[JP100]

Ive shot 5 mature bull Tahr with my .243.
mature bull Tahr are big animals(most are over 300lbs live weight) similar size to mountain goats from clients I have had that have shot both.
I would go with the .243 with a tough bullet. Im using 87gn interbonds at the moment and theyve been good. Also used a 75gn GS custom bullet on my first and biggest bull Tahr at 250yards one shot on the run and he stopped dead.
I would go with a interbond or a barnes and keep the shots inside 300-350 yards max.

 

[hhack]

I have been on a sheep hunt and goat hunt with the old man. He used a 300 win mag and both were shot at 450-475 yards. goat went down like a ton of bricks the sheep wasn't a stellar hit and he ran down hill 300 yards. I would want at least something in 6.5mm and be ready to shoot some distance. Remember it is once in a lifetime and you will have the rest of your life for shoulda done it this way or that. Best of luck and hope to hear a good hunting story.

 

[alaska]

Suggest the proven 270 win with 130 grain Accubonds

maybe a good lightweight rifle like the Win 70 featherweight and good KDF muzzle brake and Decerator recoil pad