Best Caliber for sheep hunting

[Happy Myles]

Great hunting, congratulations Scott

 

[Nyati]

I use my .338WM for sheep, just to make sure they don´t run away

 

[Str8meat]

So the better half has harvested two bighorn sheep,first was a ewe shot was 186 yards slightly quarter towards . 30-06 with 180 partition, sheep dead right there. Second was a juvenile ram shot was 268 yards quarter away 6.5-300 weatherby with a 140 grain accubond. Sheep went sick instantly traveled maybe 100 yards bedded down and succumbed. The ewe the front shoulder was struck aiding in the hydrostatic shock, juvenile ram was in between ribs entry and broke 1 rib on the exit. Both bullets exited and both produced 1 shot kill, best advice is shoot what you shoot best. There isn’t a perfect caliber but there is superb shot placement.

 

[Str8meat]

 

[Forrest Halley]

 

[krish]

257 wby, 270 wby, 25/06, 270 wsm, will all work. Especially Blr takedown 270 wsm light weight.
Krish

 

[IvW]

7x65R, 7x64 Brenneke or 280 Rem

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

i am looking at buying a new rifle which will mainly used for hunting sheep. i want the rifle to be light and to be really flat shooting since i may have to take shots out to 500 yards also if you have hunted sheep wat rifle did you use and why
thanks

I've shot 2 Hawaiian sheep in the mountains of Hawaii but I am by no means a "sheep" expert. I used a Sako Finn Light 7mm mag.

The most popular calibers I see a lot of guys use is the .280AI, 7mm Mag, Nosler 28 and the old reliable .300 win mag.

Of course if you want these rifles to weigh 5 or 6 lbs I suggest a muzzle break for the 300 and 7mm. It's optional on the .280AI it recoils like a 30.06 IMO.

On the Nosler 28 I've been told you're only going to get 1200 rounds if that out of the barrel.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

257 wby, 270 wby, 25/06, 270 wsm, will all work. Especially Blr takedown 270 wsm light weight.
Krish

Krish great info.

I have a 270 wsm, it recoils like a bb gun and it doesn't have a muzzle break. Great choice for sheep.

 

[nomspc]

For me, western US hunting means 300WM. I have confidence that, no matter the distance (within my personal 500 yard limit on game) or the angle on the animal, I have the best chance of dropping the animal with one shot. I never feel the recoil (or hear the shot) on the first shot anyway. On this hunt, the best shot I could get on an aoudad was 327 yards:

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I’ve had the best results on wild sheep (serow, ibex, markhor, aoudad, urial) with my 7x57mm Mauser. Also with a .300 Winchester Magnum.

Other excellent calibers for this sort of work, are:
- 7mm Remington Magnum
- .300 Holland & Holland Magnum
- .338 Winchester Magnum

Best caliber for job (in my experience) would be a .300 Winchester Magnum. Sheep hunting is done at very long ranges and trajectories need to stay as flat as one can manage.

 

[R eight]

My only sheep, a Dall Ram was shot with a Blaser R8 in 30/06, 1.5 to 6 scope and 180 grain Nosler partitions. 270 yard shot in very windy conditions.

I’ve hunted thar and chamois with 300 win Mag, 30/06…, both using 180 grain bullet and 1.5 to 6 scopes. And 308 Winchester using 150 grain bullet and 4 x scope.

Longest shot was a lazed 499 yards with the 30/06.

As others have said…. Fitness and good gear is important

 

[Inline6]

Never really "hunted sheep" did some population control with 223 and 6.5CM. I would think anything in the 7mm size or something that can get a Berger 6.5mm 156 moving would be the ticket.

 

[1dirthawker]

i would say a 25-06 to a 30-06 would be a fine sheep gun. if it shoots at 2900 fps or faster makes the drop on long shots easier. i think 243 cal is too light. get an accurate rifle in the caliber above, learn the drops and go kill sheep.

 

[HWL]

Center, my sheep gun, Mauser M66S in 6,5x68 with Leupold 6,5-25x50 on pivot mount...... all you need.

HWL

 

[WAB]

I killed a great dall ram with my 7x57. It was an atypical Alaska hunt. My buddy and I flew into the Brooks range for a long weekend. I took a 13 yr old , 1 1/4 curl ram that still had his lamb tips. Truly a brutal pack out, 8 miles back to the plane with the ram and then 5 miles back to our camp to spend the night. The cost of the hunt? $120 in AvGas.

If I were going today I would likely grab my 6.5 PRC.

 

[358 Norma]

270 WBY mag!

 

[colorado]

270 WBY mag!

I have one of those, it is a vastly underrated cartridge, but I have trouble understanding why a 270 Win shooting a 130g Accubond LR at 3000 fps wouldn't do the job just fine.

 

[WAB]

I have one of those, it is a vastly underrated cartridge, but I have trouble understanding why a 270 Win shooting a 130g Accubond LR at 3000 fps wouldn't do the job just fine.

It would and has. The .270 Win is an iconic sheep caliber. We tend to get caught up in the newest whiz bang (myself included), and forget that the 7x57 and .270 have been getting the job done for a long time!

 

[358 Norma]

I have one of those, it is a vastly underrated cartridge, but I have trouble understanding why a 270 Win shooting a 130g Accubond LR at 3000 fps wouldn't do the job just fine.

The 270 WBY has all that is good about the 270 win plus 200-300fps! Honestly can't go wrong with either!