Looking at doing two mountain hunts this year, one for aoudad in west Texas and mountain goat in B.C

I own a .270, 7mm Remington and .257 wby. The .270 and the 7mm are both wood stocked guns wearing basic 3x9's, the .257 is a stainless synthetic wearing a 4x16.

Not going to argue about bringing a wood stocked gun because people have been doing it for years, but I really really like hunting with the Weatherby, even at the expense of the extra weight.

However, I feel that a .257 wby MAY be on the lighter end for sheep and goat even with the accubond bullets


What say the people in the know?

Shot placement! If you can hit what you are aiming at with a 257 Wby with a good bullet, you will be fine for sheep and goats.

I won't argue either cartridges either, everyone has their preference. And I wouldn't be against any of them.

If I had those choices, what I would do, is get the 7 Rem Mag loaded with a 168 gr, and move the best scope I have to it. Then get out and shoot it, as far as you feel comfortable with, and get better at building a shooting position. I work on this all the time, because I tend to hunt on the ground, and not in a blind, which I suspect will be theses two hunts. My back pack has helped me more times than I can count to build a steady position to make a shot. I've gone as far as building aluminum rifle support inside the pack. (think a skeleton that doesn't interfere with the holding capacity)

I have never hunted sheep but have shot some mighty big pigs with the 257 at some pretty long ranges. My biggest pig ever came at 311 yards with a 257 and the bullet tore though both shoulders and exited dropping him in his tracks. That was with a regular cup/core bullet. With that being said I doubt any sheep is built as big and tough as that big boar I shot and the cup/core bullet had no problem bringing him down. Having used the Accubond a ton since that day I can tell you right now you aint going to have a problem bringing down a Ram with the Accubond/257Roy combo.

Unfortunatly in the real world you won't always make perfect shots.

Gotta keep that in mind

I wouldn't call either of those animals pushing the limits for that caliber. It was Roy Weatherby's favorite sheep and goat cartridge. Hell, he took it to Africa and killed a Cape Buffalo with it once, but that's not recommended.

I'd load up some 120 gr. Nosler Partitions and go sheep hunting! If you want a bit more range, the 100 gr. TSX is a fine choice, but it has less retained energy downrange than the partition.

No second thoughts with a 257wby here. I'm not shooting over 400 with it regardless so boom boom

Maybe a bit of my question is I feel (maybe making assumptions ) that the mark v plus the higher mag. Scope) is better suited too sheep hunting than my other two rifles and I want to make sure it's chambered caliber is up to the task?

I know tons and tons of sheep are killed with regular rifles wearing 3x9's though

If you're good with the .257, put a good bullet in it and go. You'll be good as far as you want to shoot.

If it makes you feel better, move the scope to the 7mag and go that route.

I doubt any animals will notice a difference in those 3 rifles at a couple hundred yards. I wouldn't feel handicapped with any of them.

Yeah, you are probably right.

I'm overthinking

If you like hunting with the 257 that is the gun to take, you are not under gunned and the confidence you have in the rifle is worth the extra weight IMO.

I would not hesitate using the .257 for auodad with the right bullet.

It will do the job on the mountain goat, but I would prefer heavier. Those goats sometimes need to be anchored where they are or there can be some crappy consequences. Plus, mountain goats have a reputataion for being pretty tough.

You didn't give particulars on the rifle weights but I will add that a couple of pounds of rifle weight will make a big difference on a mountain goat hunt.

TT, I was told my .257 wasn't enough gun for an Aoudad ram. I've killed two of them with my .257 WBY. One at about 200 yards and one at 370. Neither took a step. Shot placement and good bullets brother I shoot the 120 gr. partitions.

I would question that a mountain goat is tougher than an aoudad. aoudad are pretty dang tough and I have seen them soak up multiple shots, but they say (whoever they are) that mountain goats are tough as hell, way tougher than a sheep. I would venture a guess that the 1/2 dozen or so aoudad I've seen shot that they would be comparable in toughness.


as to the other....my .270 and 7mm weigh around 8 lbs........my Accumark weighs 11 lbs

Toting an 11 lb. rifle on a mountain goat hunt would be a no-go. That's about as understated as I am capable of
saying it.

I couldn't say which is tougher. I can say an aoudad is not near as likely to fall off a 1000'+ cliff into an area where it cannot be recovered.

If you are not confident in the 257, then take what you are confident with. I would not feel under gunned with a 270 Win or 7 Mag. A 270 Win with a 140 or 150 grain bullet or a 7 Mag with a 154-168 grain bullet would do fine. Get an Accubond, Berger VLD-H, ELD-X, or another other good premium bullet, and get sighted in with it and practice.

That's what I would do. And switch the .257 scope over to the one I chose.

Ah, when you said stainless synthetic, I thought you meant a WBY lightweight. Now that you say Accumark, no way in heck I'd try and tote that thing all day. Nor could I, but you're in a helluva lot better shape than I am. I'd have to go with the 7mm in my case. 8 lbs is about as heavy as I'd go with inclines and climbing involved.

this is real talk right here. I'm in shape, but i'm not trying to prove anything either.


You are right, aoudads, while they will leap off a cliff, are less likely to become unrecoverable due to terrain. I've heard many horror stories about mountain goats taking leaps off cliffs into the abyss

Ive made more 1 mile one way stalks with it over my shoulder than I can remember but that is relatively flat land/rolling terrain. it would be a burden in rough terrain no doubt.


which brings up a point, Kimber, cooper and Dakota make many, many specialty mountain guns in standard calibers....which means that goats don't need a magnum to kill them.

You will not regret carrying a rifle of reasonable weight. There are very few hunts in the world where rifle weight will mean as much to your overall comfort as a BC mountain goat hunt.

I toted my 9.5 lb. Sako on a desert sheep hunt and noticed a helluva difference between it and my 7.5 lb. Nosler. So much so I questioned my decision several times. I would not do it again. 8 is the limit on a mountain hunt now.

And that hunt was not a pimple on the butt of a BC goat hunt. And 9.5 lbs is a lot less than 11.

It's not about proving anything, it's about being as comfortable as you can so you can do what needs to be done without distractions.

Up in the mountains- ounces = pounds; pounds = pain!

What's the best thing about killing a mountain goat? Once you've done it, you'll never have to go do it again!