SmallCaliberCentral

Hi, I got drawn for a desert bighorn hunt in Ca. I expect winds up to 50mph and long, long shots.

I have a 30-06 and thought about going with the Hornady light magum rounds in 150 grain.

But what about other rounds? I mean that would buck the wind and are flat shooting.

The desert bighorns are not difficult to kill when shot, so I do not need a real heavy grained bullet, probably 140 or 150 would be fine. However, I think these would be a little light to buck the wind.

What do you all think?

Thanks
Bill

If I were shopping for a new rifle for this hunt I'd go with a .284 162 grain Hornady A-Max stuffed into a magnum cartridge (7mm Remington Ultra Mag). Of course this is just a SWAG, I've not looked at the ballistic data.

The Best wind bucking bullets around are the Berger Vld Match Grade There B.C is the highest. The 162 grain a-max posted above is also a good B.C bullet But i would stick to Bergers. I also Agree With Warzwaldo The 7mm ultra mag is the best ballistic gun made. I own a .300 win mag but if i was buying a new Gun there is NO ? 7mm ultra mag.

PS Good Luck with the Big Horn hunt

Or you can borrow my Rem 700 PSS in 300 RAUM...using 220 gr SMK's. That might get the job done.

I tried Light Magnums in 150gr in my -06 and wasn't happy with the groups at all. Mine liked the Federal Premium 150gr Sierra Game King. With that much wind, a tactical or Big Game reticle will help.

Hey congratulations on the tag - that's got to be a tough one to draw!

I hope you're not contemplating a long shot in a 50 mph crosswind. Drawing on a lot of long-range shooting experience, I'd say that's pretty much impossible under field conditions. Depending of course on what you mean by long range. Even the best bullets, cartridges and riflemen would be in serious trouble in such conditions at say 600 yards. I've shot enough competition, and enough in the field to know that a 50 mph wind at even 400 yards on game would make it a "no shoot" situation for me. Wind drift for a 150 gr .30 caliber Sierra bullet in a mere 20 mph crosswind at 400 yards is around 30 inches, and at 500 yards it's 50 inches... According to Sierra. Doping the wind that precisely in the field, at long range - is a tough chore. What would wind drift be at 50 mph? Beats me, I've decided to wait for a better opportunity rather than risk the shot long before the wind got that bad.

A good .30-06 is a fine choice I'd say, capable of killing medium game at ranges far beyond what most of us should be shooting. My .30-06 seems to shoot very well with both 165 and 180 grain boat tail bullets. When I went looking for a hunting rifle that would work better in long-range situations, I ended up with a 7mm Rem mag. I handload Sierra's great 175 gr SPBT to about 2900 fps, and it surely does outshoot my .30-06 at longer ranges. Up close, neither seems to be better, out at 400+ yards, the 7mm starts to shine in comparison. For some years now I've hunted pretty open country, and have grown to appreciate the 7mm mag, which has become my favorite all-around rifle. It doesn't seem to kick any more than my .30-06, and does better at long range. That was my choice, yours may well be different.

Lots of choices. I'd be tempted to continue hunting with whatever rifle I've got that I already know well and trust. Do a lot of shooting with it, and make sure you're deadly with it. Most of the time when we miss, it's our fault, not the fault of the rifle, scope or cartridge.

Good luck on the hunt! It should be awesome! Regards, Guy

Guy: Thanks for that post. I had read Bill's request some time ago, and wondered why in h__ll anyone would even contemplate shooting ANY game animal in a 50 mph wind, let alone at long range.

Good post, well said.

I have to go with the .264 Win Mag. I own all sorts of rifles and shoot bean damage deer (except this year) in fields that present shots out to 1000+ yards. I have my .264 calibrated out to 800 yards with the 130gr accubond. I have actualy killed deer with this rifle at 620 yards and shoot 400-500 yards shots very easily from a kneeling position. The 30-06 will get it done. I have grown quite fond of the 150gr Speer Hot core but it would start pailing to the faster higher BC rigs past 400 yards. With the Bergers the 06 will get it done fine past 500 yards. I used a .264 Built by a friend of mine for his personal use to crop snipe with 2 years ago. One evening a herd of deer came out right at dark. I shot 3 deer in less than 30 seconds and the closest deer was 404 yards away. reflex264

My .300 Remington Ultra Magnum (Remington Sendero) is my BEST 1000 yard rifle I own. As Acloco said, a 220 grain SMK is the ticket.
BUT...................it weighs 13.5 pounds and until I installed a muzzle brake and a Limbsaver pad I couldn't handle more than about 6 shots.
It WAS going to be my 1000 yard Light Rifle category gun and my ultra long range Elk rig - I decided it was too heavy to hunt with.

I would personally go with either a .300 or a 7mm Ultra Mag. if your shots will be 400+ yards. If you bang alot of plates out to 600 or so yards with your 30/06, then use it.
A familiar rifle in hand is more comforting than a new one your not used to.

I have a friend who won a dream hunt this year in Montana. Combo Elk/Mule deer hunt. The guide told him shots would be 300 - 400 yards as the norm. He has a decent 30/06 with a good scope. He decided to use Barnes MRX bullets ( http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... t=11082005 ) (165 grains) in front of 59 grains of H4350 for a published velocity of 2938 fps.

The ballistics on this load are (sight in at 300 yards - scope 1.6" above bore):
100 yards: 3.66" high 2817 ft lbs
200 yards: 4.39" high 2311 ft lbs
300 yards: 0.00" 2232 ft lbs
400 yards: -10.12" 1981 ft lbs
425 yards: -13.62" 1921 ft lbs
450 yards: -17.54" 1863 ft lbs
475 yards: -21.9" 1806 ft lbs
500 yards: -26.68" 1761 ft lbs
600 yards: -50.56" 1543 ft lbs
700 yards: -82.71" 1355 ft lbs

I would personally limit this load to just over 500 yards due to severe drop off, although the energy is sufficient at 700 yards. At 400 - 475 yards you can just hold higher on the animal. Past that you are going 'up' with your scope clicks.
If your rifle will shoot these bullets within 1" or less at 100 yards, you have a good 500 yard rifle.
PRACTICE!!!

If you can get the wind to your back or face not as much of a problem. I shoot light caliber rifles 243 & 204 and have taken some long shots in the wind but the advantage is I can watch for the dust from the shot as the recoil is light and correct the shot I have made some good second shots the wind distorts the noise and a lot of the time the animal is confused. When you shoot from along way off in a heavy wind it blows the sound off. I hope you can get a good enough rest that you can see your shot it might be tough with the power of a 30'06. Good Luck with your hunt if you can get to the back side of those golf courses in Palm Springs you will find some nice sheep.