Rifle question for you goat hunters

[joelbiltz]

Guys,

I'm looking for real world experience regarding rifle weight for a goat hunt. I have a BC goat hunt booked out of Smithers this sept with Copper River outfitters. This is purely a backpack style hunt. I currently am running a Gunwerks LR1000 in 7 mm LRM. This rifle is a absolute hammer BUT weighs almost 11 pounds all done up. I am seriously rethinking buying a new rifle. The only rifle I am considering is a Christensen Arms TI Summit in 300 RUM. Set up would save almost 3 pounds. So here is my question. For those of you who have actually hunted goats did you ever wish while on the hunt that you went with a lighter weight rifle? What was the weight of the rifle you used on your goat hunt? Or should I suck it up and save the money for another hunt? Thanks

 

[jwb300]

Get a Kifaru gun bearer or carry it in your pack. If you are happy and confident with the gun I would stick with it. Chances are you aren't going to be doing any snap shooting so you will have time to get the rifle out of your pack etc. In saying that I killed a goat with a Browning Mountain Ti and appreciated the light weight but I also didn't have to shoot all that far either.

 

[Graves14]

I'd save the $$ for my next hunt and drop 3lbs off my gut lol.

 

[bcimport]

I hunt goats every year, an 11# gun wouldn't be my first choice but if you shoot it well use it and save your money. Save the weight elsewhere. That said the mountains are steep and you will eventually wish you had no pack and a Sherpa to carry the gun, all part of the fun. Embrace the suck!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I've done a fair amount of goat hunting over the last 6-7 years and I've been using a 7.5 lb. (all included with scope), .300wsm. That being said, in a never ending effort to lighten the load, I just purchased a new rifle that will hopefully be my new "go to" goat rifle. It's a .280 AI that weighs 6.1 lbs. all in. Personally, I wouldn't even consider packing an 11 lb. rifle up the mountain, but that's just me.


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[Matt W.]

Cooper Model 92 Backcountry 300 WM. 92ozs w/o scope.
Haven't shot one yet, but it's a Cooper... pretty dang sure this will become my new do it all Mt Rifle.

 

[luke moffat]

Since 2009 I have seen 24 goats killed. I would go with a plug and play Kimber 30-06 Montana 84l. Will be less than 6.5 pounds scoped with a reasonable scope and do everything you need. That said I would get it done just as well with a $400 Ruger American in 30-06 or 308 win. Getting out there is MUCH more important than the stupid name on the side of the rifle. Seen them killed with Remingtons, Rugers, Kimbers, Winchester, Brownings, Howas, Tikkas and Savages. They all work. That said my first goat hunt was with a Ruger 338 Wm that weighs roughly 9 pounds scoped. I haven't hauled a rifle that heavy up the mountain since.

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm no expert, but my "goat rifle" the last two years has been a 7.3 lb 30-06. I certainly wasn't wishing for anything heavier. More importantly, I was happy with its relatively compact size. Besides just the dead weight, a long barreled rifle seems like a very unhandy thing in the alders and cliffs of goat country.

In my limited experience, goat hunting hasn't involved the long mountain miles of a backpack sheep hunt, so UL probably isn't as critical. However it has all been plenty steep and ugly enough that I wasn't keen to carry extra. Ive also thus far found goats far less wary than rams, allowing easy stalking to reasonable ranges. The challenge has all been getting them killed in a spot they can be safely recovered.

Yk


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[charvey9]

Been on one goat hunt, and I carried my bow and a Tikka T3 lite. Combined weigh of the two was probably about 16lbs. I'm all for going ultralight on gear, but do not think I would drop huge coin on a new rifle just for the one hunt. I did get the Tikka mainly for the goat hunt, but the cost was very reasonable.

On the other hand, having a good excuse to buy a new rifle is always welcome.

 

[idig4au]

I've done a fair amount of goat hunting over the last 6-7 years and I've been using a 7.5 lb. (all included with scope), .300wsm. That being said, in a never ending effort to lighten the load, I just purchased a new rifle that will hopefully be my new "go to" goat rifle. It's a .280 AI that weighs 6.1 lbs. all in. Personally, I wouldn't even consider packing an 11 lb. rifle up the mountain, but that's just me.


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Exactly what he said. My mountain rifle is a custom built 300 wsm that is shy of 8lbs that shoots 0.3 MOA. I would never even consider a 11lb gun in the mountains after packing this one. You will not regret the decisions to get a new rifle.

I would also look at other gunsmiths for custom work for the price you will pay for a Christiansen custom. You can probably find more bang for your buck and truely have a custom build. No offense to the Christiansen owners out there (I'm one of them).

 

[Nick Muche]

Grab whatever gun you like shooting and carry it around for a few days in goat country, with any luck you'll get a goat and you'll never notice the weight of the rifle. I have nothing to add to this because I don't know the weights of the two guns I've used on goats and I didn't carry them at all while hunting. One was the greasiest, sh*ttiest 30-06's on planet earth, and the other a really nice 7mm. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[SLDMTN]

Break time bump. I have two rifles that I hunt with, a .300 RUM and a .270 WIN. I chose the .270 for my goat strictly based on length. It gets hung up less in alders. The 26" barrel on my RUM is a nightmare in alder patches. Both guns are Rem 700's syn/stain.

To me length is almost more important than weight on a nasty hike. To each their own but there's my $0.02.

 

[SLDMTN]

Quick thing to add as well. A buddy of mine built his sheep/goat gun out of one of those HR Handi Rifles in .308. He turned the barrel down and built it back up with CF. Chopped the stock down to almost nothing and has a fixed power scope. The gun breaks into two pieces and fits into a spotting scope pocket. It is awful ugly but it's in the 4 lb range iirc.

Nothing packs better or kicks harder haha. Not a plinker at all.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Grab whatever gun you like shooting and carry it around for a few days in goat country, with any luck you'll get a goat and you'll never notice the weight of the rifle. I have nothing to add to this because I don't know the weights of the two guns I've used on goats and I didn't carry them at all while hunting. One was the greasiest, sh*ttiest 30-06's on planet earth, and the other a really nice 7mm. Good luck on your hunt!

Who carried your gun the guide?

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Original poster... If you have the coin to buy the gunwerks and go on a sheep hunt whats another $2k on a nice light weight rig? I would get a smaller caliber tikka and put it in a nice stock with a nice leopold with a CDS turret. That would be light as shit and cost less than $2k. I have a tikka 300 win mag glass bedded in a B&C stock that shoots .5 Moa with factory ammo. Gun $500 Stock $250 glass got a deal on a $600 scope. I would really like a cooper back country but have to pay medical bills now after blowing my knee out racing dirt bikes. Surgery was yesterday and bills are flowing like a raging river already. pain pills got me feeling good tho ha ha

 

[Nick Muche]

Who carried your gun the guide?

My hunting partner carried a rifle and I carried a bow.

 

[AK Troutbum]

My hunting partner carried a rifle and I carried a bow.

I have, on a couple occasions, been able to get my hunting partner to carry our beer up the mountain, but I've never been able to figure out a way to sneak my rifle into his pack.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Nick, so did you grease that goat in your picture with a bow or the rifle?

 

[Nick Muche]

I cut my bowstring on the first stalk of my first day... Used the rifle and shot him at 7 yards the next day. Kind of a bummer.

 

[Mtslackcountry]

Well damn 7 yards that's a good stalk