# Goat hunting rifle



## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

The thought I'm kinda stuck on is how much more is a 300 WM or WSM going to do that the '06 can't? I don't think it's going to be a whole lot esp with the premium bullets available today. My feeling is there not really a substanstial step up in power and if he's going to get another rifle for the hunt, I'd opt for the 338 Win Mag or the 325 WSM.


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

Munsterlndr said:


> Not Kodiak, it's on Baranof island, coastal region north of Sitka. That area has one of the highest concentrations of bear in Alaska. Weather will most likely be absolute crap. He has hunted that area 5 or 6 times for Sitka black tail and black bear, so he's pretty familiar with the potential


I'm 99% sure that's the same island I hunted blacktails on (possibly Admiralty but pretty sure it was Baranof)

We saw a ton of goats when I flew in/out. Obviously I was hunting at a lower elev than he will be, but the terrain was pretty rugged and the weather did suck. Lots of rain and wind.

I lugged a Wby Mark V in 300 Wby around for days and was ready to throw it off one of the many cliffs by the time I left. My buddy got a blacktail with his 270 and another guy got one with a 22-250. I took my 44 as a "backup" gun and after the first morning, it stayed in the tent the whole time.

I still say take the 7-08. Unless he just needs an excuse to buy a gun and $$ is not an issue. If that is the case, that is a whole new can of worms....


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

M1- I doubt he will take his 06 because it's got a really nice oil finish on the walnut stock and it's blued. The weather for this hunt is expected to be cold, wet and miserable. The 06' does not meet the guides criteria anyway, so if he is going to ignore the guide he might as well take his Sako finnlight 7mm-08 as it's a nice light short action stainless/synthetic rifle that was made for hunting in crappy weather. I don't see a huge advantage to the 06' over a 7mm-08, especially as he handloads and has some pretty hot loads worked up for the 7mm-08.

But it's moot anyway because he is not going to piss off the guide, regardless of whether or not his existing rifles would work out fine so it comes down to buying a new gun that meets the guides minimum criteria, hence the .300 mag minimum. 

Rusty
Cost is not really an issue he likes decent quality rifles and is not going to go with an economy model, he just does not see the point in spending much more than $1k for a rifle he is unlikely to use very often after this hunt. 

Swamp, I'll take a look at the Browning.


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## markopolo50 (Apr 6, 2008)

Munsterlndr, I too think the 30-06 is the logical choice. If you want some first hand experience, like Rustyaxecamp said above, check another forum. I have been watching and participating in Alaska Outdoor forums (google it). I have been to Lake Clark area, west of Kenai twice moose/caribou hunting. I am going back to Prince Williams Sound for a boat black bear hunt this spring. I am taking back my Remington 300wm. It is about all I use anymore. May put a Hogue stock on this year, the rain hasn't bothered it, just my idea for my peace of mind. The 30-06 with 180 grain should be fine for your buddy. Good luck to him.


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## Ogre (Mar 21, 2003)

You really have two issues with the first being the appropriate caliber/ballistics and the second the weight. When you are going up thousands of feet of mountain and then down and then across and then continuing for hours on end, weight is everything. You will be carrying on your back, your pack to carry out the meat, the tools to butcher the animal, the rifle and more. A fifteen pound rifle can start to weigh an awful lot after two or three days of hiking up and down mountains after an elusive goat in the middle of no where while the winds are whipping and the rain is coming in sideways. Keeping the weight down on a rifle is easy. What is not easy is balancing the ballistics against the weight so you don't kick your shoulder out when shooting: not an easy task. The weight helps absorb the recoil thus you have a balancing act. Good luck but as many have said the 30.06 is an all around caliber.


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## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

Your bud's guide is spot on from what all guides have told me about goat hunting.

Goats and rams aren't even in the same ball park. Hit a sheep in the toe nail and it dang near kills him. Billies are TOUGH!

While elk hunting in British Columbia, we got to BSing around the camp fire one night about "tough" animals. Three guides in camp and two hunters. Neither of us hunters had hunted goats. All three guides (one of which had been guiding for 20+ years) agreed that there was no comparison - mountain goats. 

The point about grizz is also valid, as is the potential of a 500 ft fall off a ledge by a wounded trophy. Could add another day onto packing out what is left of the animal. 

A goat can spend the entire day on the same hill side. You'll have to climb, but you'll be able to go slow and take your time. Maybe the whole day. So I wouldn't worry about going ultra light. Topogrophy should also allow for a stalk to within 200 yrds. Especially if you come over the top of the mountain from the other side. 

Given his armory, I'd also take the -06 load it up with a 180gr TSX and go kill a goat. 

Now, if the guy's looking for an excuse to buy another rifle (and who isn't)... I'd look to a .338 WM loaded with a 250gr TSX. 

YMMV.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

RecurveRx said:


> Your bud's guide is spot on from what all guides have told me about goat hunting.
> 
> Goats and rams aren't even in the same ball park. Hit a sheep in the toe nail and it dang near kills him. Billies are TOUGH!
> 
> While elk hunting in British Columbia, we got to BSing around the camp fire one night about "tough" animals. Three guides in camp and two hunters. Neither of us hunters had hunted goats. All three guides (one of which had been guiding for 20+ years) agreed that there was no comparison - mountain goats.


I'd say you are right about the toughness of a goat. I just spent the last hour watching a video from his outfitter that showed about 20 goats being harvested by clients of his. Most of the hunters were using magnum calibers and almost every goat took 3 or 4 shots. Kind of amazing that they can absorb that much lead and stand up and keep walking.

I still think that it's more about shot placement than knock down power. After reading a bunch of forums with goat hunters, there seems to be two schools of thought about shot placement. Either use a fast expanding bullet like a Ballistic tip and aim for the heart/lungs and hope that the explosive fragmentation tears up the vitals and puts it down or else use a tougher bullet designed for penetration and try and take out both of the front shoulders and follow up with a second shot to the hips to immobilize it. 

Craig Boddington tells an interesting story about the first Mtn. Goat he harvested; he shot it three times with a .375 H&H and it stood up and kept walking. He finally finished it off with a fourth shot from his guides 06'. Pretty amazing animals!

As I said before, he is not going to use either of his existing rifles so as not to tick off the guide so a new rifle in a magnum caliber is definitely in the works. I still like the Kimber Montana in .300 WSM but would like some more suggestions. Anybody up for the new Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger?


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## KLR (Sep 2, 2006)

M1Garand said:


> The thought I'm kinda stuck on is how much more is a 300 WM or WSM going to do that the '06 can't? I don't think it's going to be a whole lot esp with the premium bullets available today. My feeling is there not really a substanstial step up in power and if he's going to get another rifle for the hunt, I'd opt for the 338 Win Mag or the 325 WSM.




Reading the responses I was thinking the same thing. Not going to gain enough of an advantage over the '06 with a .300 to justify the outlay.

I'd go with the .338 or .325 in a ss/syn package.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Ok, still brainstorming here looking at a bunch of different options. Here is the dilemma, he needs to use something larger than 7mm-08/30-06 to satisfy the guide but he is a smaller guy and does not like magnum recoil and/or the loudness of muzzle brakes or porting. He also is not thrilled about the weight/long barrels that most magnums have for lugging around mountain tops.

So what do you think of this as a solution;

Either a Kimber Montana or a Tikka T3 in .338 Federal

It's a non-magnum short action caliber that has slightly more velocity & energy than the 06 and can take heavier bullet weights than the 7mm-08 and will cause larger diameter wound channels than the 7mm-08 & the .30 calibers.

It's available in compact, lighter weight shorter barreled rifles (like the two above) than the magnum calibers are available in, yet the recoil should not be much more than a 30-06 and less than the .30 caliber magnums. If the recoil is still strong he can put a mercury reducer in the stock.

Federal makes factory ammo with 180 gr. nosler accubonds, 185 gr. barnes triple X or 210 gr. nosler partitions plus he handloads anyway. 

Seems like this might be a good solution, he can tell his guide to chill out he's bringing his .338 and still not turn his shoulder into hamburger while putting a bunch of rounds through it!

Swamp, I know you like this caliber, what do you think?


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

http://www.federalcartridge.com/ballistics/Ammo_Search.aspx?act=choose&firearm=1&s1=1

Use Federal's ballistic site and compare the 30-06 vs 300 Win vs 338 Federal (all with 180/185 grain Barnes TSX). You will be suprised. Looks to me like (at 100-200 yds) the 338 Federal has less energy, less velocity, and more drop than the '06. If he is going to step up, he should step up to a true magnum, the 338 Federal is simply a 338-308. Great round, but not a "magnum".

As has always been the issue, more power means more recoil, which typically means heavier guns, which isn't the best for mountain climbing and chasing goats.

If he does pick a mag and indeed wants to put a fair number of rounds down the pipe before going, he should pick up a Lead Sled. they do work wonders. I love mine.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Rustyaxecamp said:


> http://www.federalcartridge.com/ballistics/Ammo_Search.aspx?act=choose&firearm=1&s1=1
> 
> Use Federal's ballistic site and compare the 30-06 vs 300 Win vs 338 Federal (all with 180/185 grain Barnes TSX). You will be suprised. Looks to me like (at 100-200 yds) the 338 Federal has less energy, less velocity, and more drop than the '06. If he is going to step up, he should step up to a true magnum, the 338 Federal is simply a 338-308. Great round, but not a "magnum".


I'm not comparing it so much to the 06 as I am to the .300 win mag. Roughly 400 ft. lbs less energy at 200 yards but considerably less recoil, short action, shorter barrel and you can use it in a lighter rifle without it knocking you around.

Using the 180 gr. accubond the ballistics between the 06' and the .338 federal look almost identical until you get out past 300 yards and he's unlikely to be shooting at that range and even then it's only 100 ft. lbs. or so. I agree not much of difference ballistically between the two but the .338 federal is a short action round and uses a larger diameter bullet = bigger wound channel. 

I'm just thinking out loud of all the alternatives, thanks for the input.


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## POLARBEAR (May 13, 2002)

> Anybody up for the new Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger?


http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=96768539

I thought about posting this link earlier. I want to shoulder one of these guns and see what it really feels like. 

From what I have seen this gun weighs in at 8lbs, add 4 rounds, scope and rings and you have a good 10 lbs of gun. Shorter barrel at 20 inches, weather resistant and the molded stock with rubber inlay. It sounds like it can handle the weather and may be more comfortable to shoot cold and wet. What it was designed for. 

I used my 700 30-06 bdl w/bl brl, in ak Black bear hunting and fought the rust for a few days. We were hunting in pws so the salt had alot to do with it. After the first day I had wished I bought a new stainless gun. On our 3rd day I shot a bear. After that I backed up my buddy on his bear. He was shooting a 300. After his shot the bear ran off and my gun failed. Misfire on a hunt in Alaska.  I took the gun to my local gunshop and it had a broken firing pin and bad/weak spring. Also my scope took on water and fogged so bad that it didnt clear for over a month. That got sent back to the manufacturer and the replacement scope went on a m/l that will never leave mi.
I now believe in a good quality gun and the best glass you can afford. As a matter of fact the glass is just as or more important than the gun/caliber. imo

I brought another scope by the same manufacturer to ak and my buddy put it on his ruger 300. That scope failed on a goat hunt on kodiak island that fall. 
On that hunt they shot a goat that didnt go down and it fell off a cliff. Broke both horns off and basically ruined the hide. 

Basically, You are paying $10,000 or so to go on a goat hunt. Be prepared the best you can. Another thought I had was you said the guide knows the hunter? Maybe the guide has his reasons for wanting this hunter to bring the bigger knock down power. Anyways I am always in favor of buying a new gun. lol...


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

I agree with you regarding the benefits of stainless guns. this hunt is staged by boats in salt water so taking a blued rifle just does not make any sense at all. 

The .375 Ruger Alaskan does look like an interesting gun. I've read that is kicks pretty good but it still may be an option. 

Glass is not a problem, he has already bought a Leupold VX-L 4.5 x 14 x 56 with the B&C reticle that he will be mounting on the new rifle. It's the same scope as he has on his 7mm-08 so he is familiar with them and likes them. Despite being a Leupold he takes nothing for granted, he immersed it in a bucket of water for a couple of hours and then put it in his freezer overnight when he got it, to make sure that it would not fog up or leak. :lol: 

The guides request for the .300+ caliber is not specific to this hunter, he tells that to all his clients. He had no problem with my buddy using his 7mm-08 on blacktail and on Black bear when he hunted with him previously. Btw, he was successful on both hunts. 

I think the main thing the guide is worried about is anchoring the goat so it can't go off a cliff. In the video I watched, one of his clients shot a nice billy that ended up falling about 400 feet down a gorge. It took a couple of guides 5 hours using climbing equipment to get down to where the goat was and butcher it and retrieve it. Luckily there was only minor damage to the horns but I'm sure the guide wants to prevent duplicating that type of scenario if it can be avoided.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

I've heard of elk outfitters restricting what bullets that can be used but IMO (or hard head ), if he want's to bring an '06 or 7-08 with premium bullets, he's paying the bills, and that to me means his choice as long as it's enough gun which I think both are. But sounds like there's may be more to the situation we don't know. 

Anyway, it seems like a moot point and a new rifle is in the works. I stick with my earlier recommendations and like a bigger hole when more power is needed....

325 WSM:

Win M70 Extreme Weather SS 
Browning A-Bolt Mountain Ti 

or 338 WM:

Kimber 8400 Montana
Tikka T3 Lite Stainless
Remington XCR

Or if you want to make it real interesting, get the 9.3 x 62 in the Tikka Lite..


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## RecurveRx (Jun 21, 2004)

Let me see if I've been paying attention...

He wants a "big magnum."

Doesn't like recoil.

Wants a "light" rifle.

And doesn't like noise.

Does he want a free lunch too?

You can't have it all. Every cartridge has pros and cons. He just needs to decide what is important to him. 

If he must have a new rifle, I stand by my recommendation - a .338 WM. It is loud. Of course, it shouldn't be shot without ear protection. 99% of the time you will have ample time to place plugs in your ears on a goat hunt. Not a lot of snap shooting. It is heavy, or at least it should be. Again, you're not going to be chasing goats like you do elk. Your stalks are going to be much slower and more deliberate. Lots of time for breaks. Easier to shed 5 lbs off your belly than a pound off your rifle. As for recoil, smaller guys tend to tollerate it better than larger guys anyway. Does it kick more than an -06? Yes. Is it managable and capable of sub moa? Yes. Every single person who has shot my .338 has had the same reaction. "huhh, that wasn't bad at all."

If you're located anywhere around the Lansing area, he's welcome to put a few rounds down range and see what he thinks.

As for the .375 Ruger Alaskan, that is one rifle that I have not had the pleasure to shoot, and wish I could come up with a reason for "needing" a .375. Outside of some voodoo velocity stats, the only real thing it has going for it over the H&H is a standard action and thus less weight. I will never be convinced that the recoil is not considerably greater with the Ruger. Again, I have not shot one.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

RecurveRx said:


> Let me see if I've been paying attention...
> 
> He wants a "big magnum."
> 
> ...


my thoughts exactly.

if he needs something bigger than the 06, i'd go with the 338 win mag. then he's got a great rifle for any other hunting he's going to do as well.

200 grain nosler partition going somewhere in the vicinity of 2800-2900 fps will feel about like my 06 shooting 220 grain hornady's @ 2400 fps. at least, that's what it feels like to me.


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## HTC (Oct 6, 2005)

I have a .325 in a stainless A bolt topped with a Nikon titanium 6.5-16. Great shooting little gun. I purchased it to chase elk and mulies, replacing my 300 A bolt that had just become to heavy and unwieldy for my likes. That and I always liked unique rounds. I currently handload 180 grain NBT's 200 grain Accubonds and 200 grain partitions for it. 

You have to handload to own this round. Factory is wayyy to expensive and probably won't be around for much longer unless this round really catches on which is unlikely. 

What I do not like is the very limited selection of 8mm bullets available for it. You only gained .015" in diameter over a .30 caliber. The BC of equal weight bullets is much better in a .30 caliber, obviously. Sure, it would bust a billy, but no better than a .30 caliber. To truly step up in caliber you have to go to .338. Anyone that says a .325 can equal a .338 is either dreaming or talking out thier a**.

I like the .375 Ruger mention....only from what I have read, that would be a fun choice. If we are going to stay in the .30 caliber range there really is only one other choice....Lazzaroni and Sako joined up to create the .300 Warbird....He really needs one of those...


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

HTC, is your .325 A-Bolt ported or do you use a brake? How is the recoil compared to to your 300 A bolt (was that a .300 win mag or .300 wsm?) and how does it compare to the recoil of an 06?


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## HTC (Oct 6, 2005)

My .325wsm, linked and pictured below, is not ported nor does it have a brake. I can honestly say it does not produce magnum recoil....it is funny you asked about comparing it to the '06 recoil. The guy with the other mulie in the picture is a very experienced competition shooter, handloader and hunter. His first comment after squeezing the trigger on it was, "feels like my 30-06". 

I read something awhile back about the WSM's and supposedly the efficient cartridge design needed less powder, which produced less recoil but greater fps/energy. At the time I thought it was voodoo but have since come to believe it. Bottom line is you drive a given bullet to the same fps with less powder that is going to equal less recoil.

My .300 winmag had a ported boss on it. What can I say, I was young then and it looked cool. They do reduce recoil but the muzzle blast is obnoxious and leaves your ears ringing in hunting situations. Too answer your question, I did not notice a change in recoil when I moved from the .300 winmag to the .325 wsm with 180 grn NBT's. You do know it with 200's though. But then again I only ran 165 grain Barnes X in that .300 so it isn't entirely fair comparison. I don't care what gun you start punching 200+ grain bullets out with velocities near 3000 fps your going to know it.

For an animal like those goats I think that 180 NBT would flatten them with a well placed shot. 

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=B&cat_id=035&type_id=030


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

HTC, interesting info, I've always thought of the 325 as one of the more useful and practical WSM's. You are correct about bullet selection, it is better if you load, but I'm guessing you don't? Anyway, you're not too far from me if you ever want to join me at the range here (goes up to 300 yards) and chrony that thing and see if it's doing what they're claiming, let me know.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Just an update, he brought the Tikka with the scope mounted into the office for me to take a look at. Here are my first impressions. 

I did not really like the synthetic stock very much. It feels like very hard plastic with no give or grip to it. I'm comparing it to the stock on my Sako Finnlight, which is a softer material and has rubber inserts where the checkering is, to be able to get a better grip. I could see where the Tikka stock could get slippery in cold weather. I also have a Remington model seven synthetic and I like the Remy synthetic stock better than the Tikka, too.

The other thing that really jumped out at me was the detachable mag. Detachable mags are a great feature IMHO and my Sako has a detachable mag too. The big difference between the two, though is that the Sako uses a stamped aluminum mag where the Tikka uses a plastic mag. The plastic feels pretty chintzy to me. It will probably hold up just fine but I'd prefer it to be metal. What is amazing is that extra mags are going for around $80. When my buddy told me that I said "you got to be ******* me!" I'm guessing that the per unit cost to make these mags must be around $3. $80 seems like a complete rip-off for a spare mag. You would think that Tikka would sell a lot more extra mags if the price was much more reasonable. 

No knurling on the bolt. Not a big deal but I like something on the end of the bolt to keep it from being slippery. 

Two position safety instead of the 3 position that is on the Sako. The parts look identical.

Kind of a weird plastic cap on the back of the bolt, not sure what that's all about. 

Overall, it had nice balance and felt good when shouldered. Nice trigger for a factory trigger. Not sure what it's set at but he is going to measure it. 

Love the Leupold scope with the cut out in the bottom of the front bell. It allows you to mount a 50MM scope with low rings, so that you can keep your cheek on the stock. If it's not patented I'll bet most other scope producers will switch to this design soon. 

All in all it looks like a decent rifle for the money. It does not compare that favorably to the Sako but then again it's less than half the price, so that is not surprising. I'll give a range report after he takes it out and gets it broken in.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

Munster, I completely agree with you about the stock. It's the one thing I know I'd have to replace on it for me to like it and after that, I may as well buy a 700 XCR or similar with, imo more features. Their wood stocks don't do anything for me either. Their accuracy though can quickly make one forget about these arguably minor quirks though. I wish your friend a safe and succesfull hunt!


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## NoWake (Feb 7, 2006)

You are going to get your .338 and tag along with him so we can get a good story with pics, aren't you?


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

NoWake said:


> You are going to get your .338 and tag along with him so we can get a good story with pics, aren't you?


:lol: With one kid in college and another heading there year after next plus two more younger ones to save for I don't have a spare $11K laying around to go with him unfortunately. 

Besides he is going to be gone for almost all of the Michigan firearms season so he is going to need me to hunt the 120 acres that he manages for deer, just so the population does not get out of control! It will be rough but hey what are you gonna do? :lol:

It's actually a good thing since with antlerless permits going to a lottery basis I'm unlikely to get one for my property in Leelanau Co. so being able to hunt on his property in Antrim will be my best chance at taking a doe for the freezer next year. He usually has some DMAP's, too, so hopefully I can get a couple of baldies. 

I'll share the pics after he gets back. He is going on a mule deer hunt in Idaho earlier in the fall and is going to use this Tikka for that hunt to see how it performs on game. I'll post those pics, too, if he gets anything.


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## POLARBEAR (May 13, 2002)

I stopped in Gander mountain in novi tonight and remembered to ask about the Ruger 375. They had the Safari version of it. 

Shouldering it felt good. I like the gun overall. If I am going to buy one it will be the Alaskan 375 ruger. The one they have has the wood stock with black barrel. $999 with free scope rings. I like the weight, felt balanced well. Wish it had a scope on it to get the real feel of the gun. I wonder how the kick is going to be on that 7.4 lb gun in .375 ruger?

I believe this is the same gun that I handled at gander. 

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=99441629

Anybody here own one or have shot one?


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

I'm guessing that the recoil will be pretty significant but that heavy a rifle should help damp it down a bit. Up thread I mentioned that I was thinking about a Kimber in .338 Federal, I have re-thought that a little. With the Kimber weighing only 5.5 lbs. I decided that it did not make sense to get a larger caliber in such a light rifle, so now I'm thinking of getting a Kimber in either .260 Rem or 7mm-08 and getting a .338 Fed. in something heavier. I stopped in at Jay's the other day and looked at the Ruger Hawkeye stainless/synthetic as a possibility in .338 Fed. For the money I thought it's a pretty nice gun. They offer two different synthetic stocks, a black standard one and a green Hogue with oversized fore-end. The black factory synthetic stock was Ok, I liked it better than the synthetic stock on the Tikka T-3 that I talked about earlier but the Hogue stock has a much nicer feel to it. Not thrilled about the green color or the over sized fore end but it had a much nicer "give" to it and would be better suited for cold weather. Not sure if the Alaskan is only available with the black factory synthetic stock or not. Wish I had asked if they had one to handle, but I did not think of it but other than having iron sights it's probably not that much different than the standard hawkeye. I did get to fondle a Kimber while I was there, man those are sweet rifles. The factory trigger was one of the nicest I've ever felt.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Just thought I'd give you an update on how the preparation for the hunt is progressing. 

As previously mentioned he ended up with a Tikka T-3 lite Stainless/Synthetic in .300 WSM, topped with a Leupold VX-L 4.5x14x50 with Leupold rings.

He took the rifle out to start breaking it in about 3 weeks ago, just to get the scope sighted in and start to break in the barrel. Initially he was shooting factory ammo although he will be using handloads when the hunt comes around. Here are some pics from the first box of factory ammo that went through this rifle. He was shooting prone with a bi-pod not off a bench. Not drop dead accuracy but he was pleased with the results from a new rifle with factory ammo. The groups should begin to tighten up once he gets some more rounds through it and works up some handloads.

25 yards just to get them on paper.










50 yards










110 yards 6 rounds










110 yards last 6 rounds after adjustment


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## Macker13 (Oct 1, 2007)

Not to shabby for the first time out. It will be interesting to see how/if handloads tighten up the groups. Keep us posted.


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

Looking good. Keep us posted.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Pretty good out of the box if you ask me. Should tighten up a little more as he shoots a little more and the barrel breaks in.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

I thought I'd post another update on how working up loads for this hunt is coming along. Since the last post he has run a couple of more boxes of factory ammo through the rifle and has it sighted in 2" high at 100 yds.

Here are the initial results of the first round of handloads. He is using IMR 4350 and 165 gr. Barnes bullets. He loaded 5 rounds for each powder weight running from 60 grains to 64 grains (max load) in 1 grain increments. Each of these groups are 5 shot groups, shot from a bench rest @ 100 yards. 

60, 61 & 62 grains from left to right









63 & 64 grains from left to right









Other than the one flyer, 61 grains looks pretty nice and 63 & 64 are not bad either. Next he'll load some up in 1/2 grain increments on both sides of 61 & 64 and see how those look. Stay tuned!


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## Rootsy (Nov 1, 2006)

Speaking of the 375 Ruger... I have a real hankering for a 375 Ruger necked down to 7 mm for some reason... Not that I need another project or anything...


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Just thought I'd let you guys know how the hunt came out.

My buddy successfully harvested his goat on the 5th day of a 6 day hunt. Weather was fair to poor, temps in the teens and low twenties, lots of blowing snow. They saw a good number of goats but most at ranges or angles that were not acceptable. Finally on the 5th day the weather calmed down a bit and he got a shot at a decent Billy. 320 yard shot at a 35 degree angle, uphill. He shot once and the goat did not even flinch and the guide thought he had missed so he told him to shoot again. The second shot knocked the Billy over. It got up and took about 9 steps and just as he was going to shoot again it collapsed and rolled off a ledge. It ended up falling about 150 feet, tumbling end over end and bouncing off the rocks, he said it was unbelievable and wished he had a video of it falling. It took them about a half an hour to work their way down to where it fell. Amazingly the horns were intact, which was pretty lucky considering how much it bounced off the rock.

Upon skinning, they found that he had hit it with both shots, the first shot took out the far side shoulder and the second was a double lung shot. Goats are amazingly tough critters, that''s for sure! Both exited, he was using 165 Gr. Barnes bullets. The Billy was aged by the Alaskan Fish & Game Dept. at 4.5 years old, weighed about 350 lbs. and the horns were 9 3/8". Both the rifle and the scope performed flawlessly.

The other hunter that was on the trip did not get any shots, there were a few opportunities at 250+ yards but the other hunter had not practiced at ranges over 200 and was not comfortable taking a long range shot. Just goes to show you that practice pays off. Now the only decision is what kind of mount he is going to get.


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## yooperkenny (Jul 13, 2004)

Thanks for the update and congrats to your buddy for doing his homework and putting in the time to do it right. Good story too; I can just imagine that goat cascading down the mountainside.

For The Record I have to say that I love my Tikka T3 Lite stainless/composite and would never hesitate to recommend it especially for challenging weather and terrain conditions


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

Awesome!!! Hunt of a lifetime for most of us..

Too bad about the tumble, that is one of the cons to using Barnes bullets (from what I read)...


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## POLARBEAR (May 13, 2002)

Thanks for following through with the update. Congrats to your buddy. Nice animal. The encore to your story can be a pic of the mount. Full body I hope. They really are beautiful animals.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

POLARBEAR said:


> Thanks for following through with the update. Congrats to your buddy. Nice animal. The encore to your story can be a pic of the mount. Full body I hope. They really are beautiful animals.


He's seriously considering a full body mount but the problem is where to put it? It would be about the size of an upright piano. His house is already loaded with mounts and our office is starting to fill up, too. We already have a full body black bear mount (fortunately it's a small one) in our lobby, which always gets some interesting comments from our non-hunting clients.  

His comment to me was, we really don't use that conference table very much, maybe we could.............:lol:

I'll post pics of whatever he ends up doing but it will probably be a year before it's done.


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

I never knew goats were so big, till I went to AK and saw them. For some reason I guessed them as smaller than deer...

Very cool critter and what a tough hunt!!


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Thanks for the update Munster. Kudos to the other guy for not taking a shot he knew he hadn't prepared for.


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Final update to this story, the Taxidermist called and the mount is ready, my buddy is going to be picking it up in the next few days. He opted for a full body mount, it looks great from the pics, can't wait to see it in person.


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