Caliber Recommendation for 600 Yard Sheep Rifle

[Philward]

375rum. 270gr speer. Rl22 or 7828. Get it 1:10" so u can play with 350smk and other big bullets if you want. Ship a box of ammo beforehand to be sure you have it. Make it 9lb or so scoped, brake it if you're uncomfortable and wear game ears. A 600 yard shot on a moving animal that size, while ur breathing heavy is tough regardless, but extremely difficult with a 6-7lb rifle.
Shoot a few times with your head off the stock, looking beside the scope so u are prepared for a close range charge.

Who shoots at moving animals at 600yds, and why would you?

 

[Raudy707]

270 wsm, 6.8 Western, 280 AI.

 

[imyourhuckleberry]

For the parameters given I will stick to old school especially if luggage is lost with ammo. The 30-06 with 165 grainers of your choice for ram and 200+ grainers for the grizzly. Twenty long rifle works for the grizzly if you have a couple of friends with you .

 

[biff's reloading]

Who shoots at moving animals at 600yds, and why would you?

my 12 yr old read it and knew what I meant. What's your issue?

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Lots of 6.5 suggestions but when you add bears to the equation you should add bullet mass to the solution.

 

[Pdvdh]

Never going to depend on a guide or any other individual to stop a bear, on my behalf, or on my behind. I've hunted sheep a lot, and where there are dall or stone sheep in north america, there are grizzly bears. Had a few tense situations over the past 44yrs. Of course, the more you're in bear territory, the greater the odds sooner or later, you'll encounter bear with an attitude. But you only need to be unlucky once, to pay dearly over the rest of your life, if you're not adequately prepared.

Take a 30 cal, unless you can't shoot it accurately. Put a good muzzle brake on it if need be. Take some foam ear plugs. You'll have time to install hearing protection prior to your shot, if you are mindful of it. You'll sleep a little better if you have a good reason to believe you could stop a bear from 15-30 yds, should that need arise.

6.5s are barely adequate for charging ground squirrel, let alone grizzly bear.

 

[Zorack]

6.5 rpm, let your guide worry about Grizzlies

The RPM is way to heavy of a gun to pack around.

 

[J.J. Weiland]

If you were getting a custom rifle built for the sole purpose of a stone sheep hunt (in grizz territory) and wanted to have 600 yard reach, what caliber would you go with?

I do handload/reload, but have heard some stores lately of ammunition/luggage getting lost, so part of me thinks it is wise to go with something a store in BC is going to carry

Thanks in advance

I would go with 6.5saum if reloading and 6.5prc if not.
The saum shooting 140gr bergers at 3150fps works very well, the prc ballistics are quite similar. 1/8 twist for both.

 

[dogz]

NULA in 284 Win or 7 SAUM sounds ideal.

Fantastic choice, about as good as one gets, I've got one in 270 and it's as perfect as they come. IMHO....grins

 

[ofbandg]

I would go with the .338 Win Mag. Most ammo retailers in the north carry it and it covers almost all the bases. If recoil is a problem use a muzzle brake. I have one on my Browning .338 and it tames it down nicely while putting a 225 grain bullet out there a long way. Six hundred yards is a long way in the mountains and the breezes are shifty. The longest shot I ever took at a sheep was around 350 yards. For what it's worth, yes you are spending a lot of money, but if you are going with the idea that the hunt will be a failure if you don't bring back a sheep, you may be losing more than you gain. You are taking your wife along, treat this as the wonderful lifetime experience it can be and think of the sheep as a nice bonus if it happens. Take lots of pictures.

 

[sp6x6]

If I ever draw a tag Ill be using my 7-2 oz-338NM and im not going to be worried about a bear or a 800 yrd shot.Zorack the Weatherby 6.5 rpm is avaliable in a 5.9 oz package.

 

[Rocketeer77]

The guides do not carry any kind of weapon from what I was told. My wife will be with me as well, so I will not leave our fates to someone else.

In my only sheep hunt so far in the NWT (where all guides carried a 45-70) we had several grizzly encounters....there would be lots of times where the guide was 150+ yards away from me. When you are that far apart there is not much they can do even if they do have a weapon, not to mention they may not even hear you call out in the wind. Got to look out for yourself.

You're obsessed with the bear, the odds are very limited that you will be on the menu. Use a 7mm RM that covers off everything your doing. And the corner shop has ammunition

 

[Mark37082]

+3 on the 280ai. Fierce CT Rival around 6 lbs. If I ever get to mountains to sheep hunt, that is what I would take.

 

[Philward]

my 12 yr old read it and knew what I meant. What's your issue?

It was a rhetorical question.