~z
Member
Your jacks must be much more tame than mine! Mine will not tolerate the sound of that much shooting. Congrats on the Buffalo (and the jack-bunny).
~z
~z
Suggestions for "best" sheep hunting caliber ... 200 to 350 yards?
- Thread starter MCMXI
- Start date
- Status
2dswamp
Member
1858-
I've got the perfect rifle for you. Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .280.
Might be interested in trading you for one of your Marlin 45-70's if interested!
I've got the perfect rifle for you. Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .280.
Might be interested in trading you for one of your Marlin 45-70's if interested!
chas08
Member
I shoot a 7mm08 for whitetails, My Wife uses a .243, and My Daughter uses a .270. All Remington 700's with Leupold optics. All very adequate for what you are planning to do. I'm especially fond of the 08. But unless you're going to use this trip as an excuse for a new gun, (nothing wrong with that) why not just use your .300 wsm and save your money.
Sheep don't take much to kill. I use a 6.5x55 and have shot Stone, Bighorn, and Dall, from 125 yds to 320 yds. I'm not saying a 6.5x55 is the ideal sheep rifle/caliber, but the point is, what you shoot well and know the drops with will work fine. I'd make a sincere check into firearms importation where you're going. Just passing through Hawaii is a hassle from what I've heard (admittedly, I've not been there). It might be a whole lot easier to just borrow a rifle from your host. I've seen .300 Win Mags and 7MM STW's , even .30-.378 Wea. etc in sheep camp many times. The guides invariably roll their eyes back--way more gun than needed .Have fun!
Last edited:
ArmedBear, I particularly enjoyed your posts but thanks to everyone for your observations and suggestions ... all very helpful. I'm now 99% sure that I'll be taking the .300WSM but bullet selection is still up in the air at this point. I'm leaning towards 150gr but after ~z's post I'll have to investigate the COL issue before ordering any 150gr bullets so thanks for the heads up on that. I'm currently shooting 168gr and 190gr SMKs out of the .300WSM with good results. I also have 200 Barnes 165gr TSX bullets but according to the ballistic calculator that I use, the 150s fly faster and hit harder.
~z, you suggested bringing a press but there's no way to get powder to the island. Loaded ammunition (11lb) can go in checked baggage but "loose" powder is against FAA regulations. I haven't done the math yet to figure out how what combination of 250gr .45 Colt and 150gr .300WSM rounds comes to 11lb but I will.
Thanks again for all the help and I look forward to making a post at the end of August describing the adventure (hopefully with lots of photos).
~z, you suggested bringing a press but there's no way to get powder to the island. Loaded ammunition (11lb) can go in checked baggage but "loose" powder is against FAA regulations. I haven't done the math yet to figure out how what combination of 250gr .45 Colt and 150gr .300WSM rounds comes to 11lb but I will.
Thanks again for all the help and I look forward to making a post at the end of August describing the adventure (hopefully with lots of photos).
JShirley said:
The reason for taking the Marlin '94 in .45 Colt for the pigs is that they're typically in the 30 to 75 yard range, there are lots of them, and semi-autos aren't allowed. Hopefully, 10 rounds of 250gr Laser-Cast bullets in the tube plus one in the chamber will result in plenty of dead pigs without a reload. Given the limited round capacity of most bolt action rifles, and the fact that semi-autos aren't permitted, a lever gun seems like a good idea. Once again, I'm new to this so any advice is much appreciated.
I weighed a .45 Colt round (382gr) and calculated that 11lb = 202 rounds. I also weighed a .300WSM round (190gr SMK = 490gr) and estimated that a 150gr load would weigh about 450gr, so 11lb = 171 rounds. Since I'll be bringing both, I entered an equation in Excel and here are some combinations of the two resulting in 11lb total weight.
Code:
[B].45 Colt .300 WSM[/B]
100 86
105 82
110 78
115 73
120 69
125 65
130 61
135 57
140 52
145 48
150 44
155 40
160 35
165 31
170 27
175 23
180 18
185 14
190 10
195 6
200 1It's possible to pack more than 11lb and hope that the nice lady at the check in desk is in a good mood. The hunt organizer advised me to "distribute" my ammunition between a gun case and another checked bag. He managed to get quite a bit more than 11lb over there last year but another hunter got "caught" and was forced to leave a bunch of ammunition with an airline representative. They told him that he could pick it up on the way back ... very nice of them I thought!
MCgunner
Member
The main problem I see with a belted magnum and sheep hunting is the terrain and having to haul that ton of bricks over hill and dale in rough country. I think I'd use my little short action Remington .257 Roberts, myself, but if it's all you got, start hitting the gym now.
~z
Member
Mc, the difference in weight equates to about a bottle or two of water.
1858, have you looked into the possibility of getting powder on the Big Island? Maybe do some research, find a shop and pay for it in advance and give them a few extra dollars to hold onto it for you till you get there? Nothing worse than running outta ammo. From your calcs, I'd vote for the 140/52 split. Dont forget you will want to verify zero on the rifle. Ideally that will be 2 shots (1 to verify, 1 to be sure) but things to happen.
~z
1858, have you looked into the possibility of getting powder on the Big Island? Maybe do some research, find a shop and pay for it in advance and give them a few extra dollars to hold onto it for you till you get there? Nothing worse than running outta ammo. From your calcs, I'd vote for the 140/52 split. Dont forget you will want to verify zero on the rifle. Ideally that will be 2 shots (1 to verify, 1 to be sure) but things to happen.
~z
He's got the 700 Titanitum wundergun in .300WSM. It weighs 6 lbs., a good deal less than a Model 7 does. So that's not a concern.
http://www.remington.com/products/f...fles/model_700/model_700_Alaskan_Ti_specs.asp
~z said:
Wrong direction ... Niʻihau is at the Northern end of the chain (near Kauaʻi) but you make a good point.
I agree with your thinking re the 140/52 split. Most likely I'll go with 150/52 (two sighters as you mentioned) and be done with it. I might sneak 50/25 into the other bag and hope for the best.ArmedBear said:
It'll weigh a bit more once I mount the Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40mm (RZ-600 reticle) that I ordered. In its current configuration with an old Leupold Vari-X II it weighs about 7-1/2 lb which isn't bad.
I hike on a regular basis with my dogs but I'll be going more often and further to prepare for the trip in August. This hunting trip may add years to my life!
I ended up taking the advice of the majority of the members that posted replies to my question, so I am VERY grateful for the feedback. I decided to take the .300 WSM and I ordered a bunch of Hornady InterLock 150gr SST Boat Tail bullets. These bullets may not be the best hunting bullets out there but they're supposed to work well given enough distance to scrub off some of the velocity. They appear to have a problem at under 100 yards in that they disintegrate when they hit bone! The sheep will most likely be a good ways off so that shouldn't be a problem.
Another issue is load development and practice. I'll need to work up a load and then practice with it. I can't see doing that with Barnes TSX bullets at close to a dollar a bullet!!
Another less obvious benefit with the 150gr bullet is that if I get it moving at 3,000 fps, the RZ-600 reticle will be "calibrated" at 9x which is the maximum power setting on the Zeiss scope that I've ordered. In other words, the 3, 4, 5 and 6 holdover lines will be perfect for 300, 400, 500 and 600 yards. It couldn't get much easier than that.
Thanks.
Another issue is load development and practice. I'll need to work up a load and then practice with it. I can't see doing that with Barnes TSX bullets at close to a dollar a bullet!!
Another less obvious benefit with the 150gr bullet is that if I get it moving at 3,000 fps, the RZ-600 reticle will be "calibrated" at 9x which is the maximum power setting on the Zeiss scope that I've ordered. In other words, the 3, 4, 5 and 6 holdover lines will be perfect for 300, 400, 500 and 600 yards. It couldn't get much easier than that.
Thanks.
Last edited:
~z
Member
Verify, yes it goes without saying but varify at all these distances. Also consider the difference in altitude from home to hunt. And a good quality range finder and wind meter are your best friends.
~z
~z
~z said:
~z, this trip has "forced" me to pick up a bunch of things I need/want but would have put off until a later date. I've got a Swarovski Laser Guide range finder and was thinking about ordering a Kestrel 4500 NV weather meter (shown below). I finally upgraded my 8 year old backpack too ... I got a Badlands Superday with a 100oz bladder. I also ordered a holster, belt and ammo pouches from Galco to lug my Redhawk (.45 Colt) around. This is getting EXPENSIVE but it's FUN!!
~z
Member
I have a step down in the wind meter dept, a 4500, the yellow one. The only difference is mine is not directional. Very handy. provides altitude, BP, temp...oh, and wind speed (max, average, and instant)
Very interested in your trip. I have one in Nov for the same critters...till then it is vicarious living.
~z
Very interested in your trip. I have one in Nov for the same critters...till then it is vicarious living.
~z
~z
Member
Mine gives:
Current Wind Speed
Maximum Wind Gust
Average Wind Speed
Air, Water & Snow Temperature
Wind Chill
Relative Humidity
Dewpoint
Heat Stress Index
Barometric Pressure
Altitude
Wet Bulb Temperature
All I ever use is the 3 wind functions, bp, and alt.
temp is nice to know too but can usually be summed up porage style (either too hot, too cold, or just right)
~z
Current Wind Speed
Maximum Wind Gust
Average Wind Speed
Air, Water & Snow Temperature
Wind Chill
Relative Humidity
Dewpoint
Heat Stress Index
Barometric Pressure
Altitude
Wet Bulb Temperature
All I ever use is the 3 wind functions, bp, and alt.
temp is nice to know too but can usually be summed up porage style (either too hot, too cold, or just right)
~z
- Status
