Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Perfect Dall Sheep Caliber?

Im new on here so i hope i do this right!! Ok so, Im currently deployed in Afghanistain, I almost possitive that my wife will allow me to buy a new rifle when i get home. My plan is to get one for a AK dall sheep hunt that i will do in the near future. Ive looked on here for a posting that answers what the perfect cal. is for them with no luck. I currently have a 7mm-08 savage model 10 youth, its a bit short but works great on whitetail and i can shoot it well! Also, same goes for the savage model 11 in .243. My wife tells me she wants to go hunting with me when i go so chances are we will need another rifle. I was thinking a larger, possibly a magnum, for other large game in AK. There is a very good chance we will move back there, as well. So after all that rambling i just did, my ultimate question is what is the best cal. for dall sheep if i was absolutely gonna buy a new rifle? What caliber and why?

Oh and by the way if i were to get a new one, it would be some Savage if you didnt assume that already. kinda got a thing for them

Any knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

There are lots of very fine calibers....and as long as you're intent on a Savage you probably won't find anything exotic....so may I suggest oine of the best ever.....the tried and true .270 Winchester.....

.270, no doubt.

That's an easy one: 7x57. The sheep just roll over & die immediately when they know that 100+ years of quiet effectiveness is borne against them:






Or, you could pick anything .26 caliber and up that you shoot well, & go with that. Magnums aren't necessary to put down a sheep, though they might bring you comfort if you're heading through bear country to get the sheep.

FC

A Kimber Montana in .260 or 7-08.

What does the 7x57 compare to? im not familiar with that? If i were to get a magnum it wouldnt be just for sheep, or for the bear while sheep hunting. It would be for the other game like moose, elk, brown bear, the bigger stuff!

NULA in 6,5x55, 270Win or 7mm mashburn magnum.

It's a 7mm-08 with class. No big secret - just a low pressure round that gets 'er done without too much boom or recoil.

One might say the 7x57 is to .284 caliber, what the .300 Savage is to .30 cal.

Realistically, you could write .25-06, .257 Wby, .260, 6.5x55, .270, .280, 7mm (RM, Wby Mag, SAUM, STW, yadda yadda yadda), .308, .30-06, .300 (Win Mag, Wby Mag, Ultra Mag, etc.) on slips of paper, and pull one out of a bowl.

The mags might offer flatter trajectory, but you need to be honest with yourself about your ability to take advantage of it. Personally, I can't see to 300 yards, and I can't practice at that distance because the local shooting range maxes out at 200. So, I try to sneak close, walking farther if I must.

Never underestimate the effectiveness of old age & treachery.

FC

for those who recommend a 7 X 57.....may I add......"only if you're a reloader"....much of the commercially available ammo in 7 X 57 sucks!

Well, I've only killed two sheep, and only seen four killed personally. So, take that for what it is worth.

I can't see a sheep hit well with a good .244 bullet walking away - sorry if that ruins your plans for a new rifle. In fact, the first sheep I saw shot was with a savage .243.

Other than that, it's been all 7's. 280AI on two, and 7WSM on another. With the bullets out there today, break shoulders and be done with it.

A guy once said that bullets make a bigger difference than headstamps, and that placement trumps all. There is an awful lot of good advice packed into that one statement.

Were I shopping for a sheep rifle out of the box, it would be an 84M Montana in 7-08 or an 84L in 280AI.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a savage on a dare, and sold the only .270 I owned 4 years ago. Still couldn't get that .270 stink out of the house, and finally had to move.

Do you have a 7 x 57? My dad gave me his 7 x 57 mauser with an eagle claw german scope set up. Damn nice and I have not seen too many others.

I would put my vote behind a .270 or .308. Gets the job done!

never hunted sheep but if i did i would get
a forbes rifle in 270 winchester


gene

Is that what it was? I thought it was the deer head you left in the bucket for a couple of years.

fwiw
Savage chambers the 6.5x284 now.
My 6.5x284 seems to kill stuff quite weel, but my 270 is my "go to" gun.
Never shot a sheep or a goat, but the above two calibers work on elk in my experience so.....
jmho
Tim

Had great luck with 270 and 150 gr's works good on sheep

The OP already has a good sheep rifle - his 7mm-08. If he just wants one and has an eye towards bigger game, then I'd look at a 30-06. It'll take care of all his big game desires including Mt. Grizzly and even a Kodiak.

The OP should analyze his scope and binocs. Are they optimal? Not necessarily to get an expensive euro brand either. A better use of some money would be towards glass.

Oh and thanks for your service!!

...Nothing wrong with the .284 Winchester for handloaders, in a lightweight rifle that caliber would do fine, as well as the 270 or 280 with the advantage of a lighter short action platform.

6.5 Rem Mag

For me- when i finally draw that tag or next week when i win the lottery so that i can buy that tag it will be my 6.5-06 or the 240 bee ultra light weight.