Fast, flat shooting rifles zeroed in at 300 yards are recommended for bighorn sheep. Both the .270 and .280 are excellent sheep guns, with bullet weights of 130 to 150 grains plenty enough juice to get the job done. Magnums - like the 7 mm or any of the .300s - might seem like more of a practical choice to the novice, but bighorns are nothing like elk or other thick-skinned game in that they need a heavy payload of lead to bring swift demise. You've also got to remember that you're going to be crawling up and down mountains, quite often several miles a day, so that alone eliminates most magnums as they fail the requirements of a lightweight firearm. While it may not seem all that critical, at the end of the day two or three pounds can mean all the difference when lugging it over your shoulder.

A good example of the ultimate sheep gun is Remington's Model 700 Titanium. At only 5 ½ pounds in their long-action and 5 ¼ pounds in their short-action, Remington's titanium receiver delivers incredible strength but at a lot lighter weight than steel. Designed for high-altitude hunting, the receiver is a bolt featuring spiral-cut flutes and a skeleton handle to help reduce overall weight. At only 22 inches, the 416 stainless-steel barrel features a trim mountain-style contour for fast handling and to also cut down on poundage. As for the stock, it's an ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre composite reinforced with aramid fibres and fitted with sling swivel studs. Overall length, this rifle is perfect for stalking bighorns at only 42 ½ inches long (long-action); the short-action is about a ¼ inch shorter.