Marco Polo Sheep hunt, What gun to take?

[flatwater bill]

Idaguy...................you have been given a lot of good advice in this thread.............(some of which you didnt ask for)..........having seen elk killed at half a mile with the little 6.5 Creedmore, I would say that any of the 300 mags is plenty for MPS...........The very best advise you got was: 1. get in shape 2. practice a lot, and 3. take the long range shooting course........FW Bill

 

[Biddleman]

Run in place a little before making shits to get your heart rate going.

I do this all the time after eating some hot chili or a really good burrito.

 

[CAustin]

Biddleman you got to love the iPad with the o and the I next to one another! I am noted on this site for inter changing those two letters! Be ware of the hot chili man! LOL

 

[ldhhunting]

Thanks all for the great insight. This definitely has given me some things to work on.
I'll keep you posted on how it goes....Once again thanks,

 

[UKHunter]

Don't forget to re-zero your rifle at altitude. That last thing you want is to shoot over the top of one!

 

[Philip Glass]

You won't have to carry your gun. It's Asia they will carry everything for you!
Regards,
Philip

 

[Hogpatrol]

.28 Nosler

 

[sheephunterab]

Long shots are a bit of a scam in Kyrg.....don't let them push you into taking one. There's lots of crap goes on there. Ever wonder why you rarely see pictures of people with their entire dead sheep but rather just the head? If you are comfortable to 400 yards with your 300WSM then don't shoot beyond 400 yards no matter how hard they push you. I shot mine at 200 with a 270WSM. We just took some extra time to make a good stalk. It is big open country and being able to shoot longer ranges is advantageous if there are no other options but rarely is that the case. If you go there saying you can shoot 400 yards, be certain they will push you to shoot 600. Marco Polo are no different than sheep in North America despite what they tell you. Getting closer is possible and advisable in my opinion and I routinely shoot to 800 yards..

 

[Art Hoffart]

I have used both dial and holdover reticle I am now using a Zeiss Conquest with the Rapid Z 800 Reticle..have used that combo now on 2 hunts to Kyrgyzstan, 1 to Azerbaijan and for my Big Horn sheep hunt here in Montana..it is a Lex Webernick rifle chambered in 280AI..shooting 140 gr Nosler Accubonds..roughly 3150fps.. great combo ..and very accurate to 600 yards thus far..last year shot my 52"+ Ibex at 533 yards..again, just using the Rapid Z Reticle..Tur was shot at 355 trotting up the mtn side ..1st Ibex shot in Kyrgyzstan was at 430.--using a Swarovski Z5 sheep hunter model..with dial up...in my particular case if I would have had to dial up for the Tur I would not have gotten that one.I literally had a very short window before he was headed over the ridge.. each will work but for me, I will continue to use this setup on this rifle... I personally think the Swaro's and Leupolds have better glass than the Zeiss Conquest..but, they...really have gotten used to this combo..so ....

 

[Kenneth McMillan]

.338 Lapua ?

I have shot the .338 Lapua, Yes it does have the distance but it is heavy to carry and has a kick like a Clydesdale horse with steel shoes on. The recoil is hard. I would either shoot a 7mm Remington Magnum or a .300 Winchester Magnum on an Argali Hunt, less recoil that the lapua.

 

[Hutch01]

Greetings fellow hunters.

I will be headed to Kyrgyzstan for a Marco Polo sheep hunt in 2017 and I'm not sure of what to use. I have a 300wsm weatherby with a good leupold scope. I very comfortable out to 400 yards with it, but the guide said shots out to 500 could be excepted. Any experience out there on Marco Polo hunting on rifle selection?

Any do's or don'ts on the hunt to would be great also.

ldhhunting

How did your Marco Polo hunt turn out and did you use the aforementioned rifle?

 

[ar15meister]

Greetings fellow hunters.

I will be headed to Kyrgyzstan for a Marco Polo sheep hunt in 2017 and I'm not sure of what to use. I have a 300wsm weatherby with a good leupold scope. I very comfortable out to 400 yards with it, but the guide said shots out to 500 could be excepted. Any experience out there on Marco Polo hunting on rifle selection?

Any do's or don'ts on the hunt to would be great also.

ldhhunting

That rifle is fine. Shots can be long but try and get closer.

As others said be careful of listening to the guides too much. They know animals and mountains but not rifles and shooting. Some are cowboys.

I disagree with the guys saying bring something light. You will be on horseback most of the time. Get a good strap for long rides with rifle on your back. get a good bipod. a rifle you shoot well is more important than a light rifle. marco Polo aren't cheap and you may get one chanced only.

I took a .26 Nosler Christensen Arms Ridgeline with a Spartan javelin bipod and a Swarovski Z5 BT scope. I shot one at 150 yards (Ibex) and another at 644 yards that another hunter had wounded hours earlier and we found when he couldn't keep going. I wouldn't have taken the 644 yard shot had the animal not been wounded. Marco Polo can be more difficult because they tend to live in more open country where you cant use topography and wind to get close like on Ibex but the hunting styles are the same.

Enjoy the hunt. Stay at the Hyatt in Bishkek or the Orion. Both nice. Orion has a great hotel bar.

also don't be afraid to venture out for drinks and stuff. If you fly through Istanbul make sure you do some touring; amazing city. I can recommend a guy for tours and to assist with guns via PM if you want. He is awesome.

 

[Hogpatrol]

 

[Michael Dean]

The 300 WSM is an excellent choice for your hunt. My personal choice is the 270WSM simply because I use an ultra light stock and want to keep the recoil down. While I understand the rationale for 400-500 yard shots, I would speak with your outfitter and ask him to do what he can to limit shots to 300 yards. It's difficult enough to compensate for swirling winds in the mountains but at 500 yards they become exacerbated making clean shots all but impossible.

 

[Bonefish2150]

3

Never done a hunt like that but from what I understand it is very tough going so a light rifle is a must. If you do the math there isn't a huge amount of difference between most of the magnum calibers when it comes to ballistics and if your gun shoots Accubonds, Bergers or Interbonds well great start. From a practical standpoint getting a steady rest in the field, doping the wind and accurately judging distance (angles will get you) will be more important than a caliber that shoots 2-3" flatter. I'm sure people here with experience will set you on the right path, they sure have helped me.

Never done a hunt like that but from what I understand it is very tough going so a light rifle is a must. If you do the math there isn't a huge amount of difference between most of the magnum calibers when it comes to ballistics and if your gun shoots Accubonds, Bergers or Interbonds well great start. From a practical standpoint getting a steady rest in the field, doping the wind and accurately judging distance (angles will get you) will be more important than a caliber that shoots 2-3" flatter. I'm sure people here with experience will set you on the right path, they sure have helped me.

My $0.02

300 Weatherby Magnum with 200 gr.long range bullet.

 

[Bonefish2150]

3



300 Weatherby Magnum with 200 gr.long range bullet.

300 Weatherby's were the rifles that Herb Klein and Elgin Gates used on their Marco Polo hunts.

 

[dchum]

Don't forget to re-zero your rifle at altitude. That last thing you want is to shoot over the top of one!

This! Also, your "hold overs" you are familiar with will be cnahged up at 12,000 feet

 

[IvW]

I would have thought the sheep would have been dead by now.....

 

[Excessexpress]

View attachment 228634

I would have thought the sheep would have been dead by now.....

It's not often you see a thread brought back from the dead twice!

Still good info in it though....

 

[HWL]

I would have thought the sheep would have been dead by now.....

Or missed....

HWL