I'm heading on a OIL backpack sheep hunt this August and am trying to figure out which rifle to take. Here are my options I'm currently considering:
1. 270 Win - Browning Stalker w Boss 18" barrel. Sub MOA @ 2641 fps with 130 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Weighs 8# 13oz with scope.
2. 300 Win Mag - Cooper 52 26" barrel. Sub 1/2 MOA @ 2900 fps with 165 gr Speer SP Boat Tails. Weighs 9# 11oz with scope.
3. 7mm-08 Rem - Christensen Arms FFT Ridgeline 20" barrel. Sub 1/2 MOA @ 2554 fps with 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Weighs 6# 15oz with scope.
4. Buy a 280 AI or 7mm Rem in the Christensen FFT Mesa so I can keep the low weight, but get my velocity up in case I need to reach out to 600.
I tried combos of RL15 and RL19 to find a hotter load for the 7mm-08 and 140 BT, but accuracy falls off when I get into the higher loads. It does like a 120gr Barnes TTSX recipe with 42.5 gr of RL15, but that bullet worries me for expansion beyond 300 yards, as well as wind drift.
There are some intangible qualities of a couple of these rifles, but I wanted to keep the specs as objective as possible.
Thanks for any advice/feedback
1. 270 Win - Browning Stalker w Boss 18" barrel. Sub MOA @ 2641 fps with 130 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Weighs 8# 13oz with scope.
2. 300 Win Mag - Cooper 52 26" barrel. Sub 1/2 MOA @ 2900 fps with 165 gr Speer SP Boat Tails. Weighs 9# 11oz with scope.
3. 7mm-08 Rem - Christensen Arms FFT Ridgeline 20" barrel. Sub 1/2 MOA @ 2554 fps with 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Weighs 6# 15oz with scope.
4. Buy a 280 AI or 7mm Rem in the Christensen FFT Mesa so I can keep the low weight, but get my velocity up in case I need to reach out to 600.
I tried combos of RL15 and RL19 to find a hotter load for the 7mm-08 and 140 BT, but accuracy falls off when I get into the higher loads. It does like a 120gr Barnes TTSX recipe with 42.5 gr of RL15, but that bullet worries me for expansion beyond 300 yards, as well as wind drift.
There are some intangible qualities of a couple of these rifles, but I wanted to keep the specs as objective as possible.
Thanks for any advice/feedback