I worked with a guy long ago that had a .300 Win. Mag. made up for a Dall sheep hunt. It had a heavy 27 inch barrel and a big scope and weighed right at 12 pounds. He said it shot wonderfully. I don 't believe he ever got a sheep, but he tried hard and logged many a steep and wet mile on his hunt. We all be different and my high weight retaining Barnes X monos have always delivered, as did the Nosler Partitions.
I always thought a M1 Garrand made into a .35 Whelan would make a superb big bear gun, ain't like they ain't reliable. Just a bit heavy for my old butt. Might as well leave it so it can accept a bayonet just in case.
My M98 with 27" bbl weighs in about 11 lbs. Maybe a couple ounces more- I'd have to put it on the digital bathroom scale again to refresh memory. 1" groups at 300 ain't bad, but I'm not taking it sheep hunting if I ever go again, but it worked fine off the snow machine in Kotzebue for caribou for several years. I did take it caribou hunting last year off the Steese- but that was only a mile and a half hike, and maybe 1600 feet elevation climb. Not going this year tho. My "new" Mod 70 XTR in 7X57 gets the call, and the Win 94, and the 725 with fixt extractor (used as a single shot last year on those 40-mile caribou).
I'm a heathen, I guess. When Dave let me handle Big Nan, it was cool - but pretty much just another gun to me, history not-withstanding.
