I hedged my bet by using tough Barnes Triple-Shock bullets. Performance on the ram was predictable. The shot was quartering away; the bullet entered behind the off-shoulder, zipped through the heart and broke the off-shoulder before exiting. The ram took a few steps before piling up. It is possible that a bullet with more expansion might have been more dramatic (and might have done more pelt damage). However, the point is that, while I didn't get a shot at a bear, with that deep-penetrating bullet I was as ready as a .270 could make me. If I'd chosen the kind of quick-opening bullet I prefer on sheep, I might have been very slightly better off for the ram, but I'd have been poorly prepared if I got a crack at a good grizzly.

ACTIONS
A bolt-action rifle was O'Connor's preference and is definitely the standard choice for sheep hunting. It is not mandatory. There are really just two considerations for mountain hunting. First is accuracy. Long shots aren't always, or even often, required, but you must be prepared for them. That means a rifle that will shoot tight groups of no more than one MOA, and tighter is better. In most models the bolt action has the edge, but all action types can be chambered to suitable cartridges, and at least some individual rifles in all action types are capable of adequate accuracy.

The second consideration narrows the choice a bit, at least in my mind. It is extremely important that you be able to chamber a round quietly. This is because mountain hunting often requires climbing and scrambling, and it's unwise to keep a round in the chamber while you're negotiating obstacles. When you reach the top of the ridge or pitch up behind the last boulder, you may be in close proximity to the game, and you need to be able to load your chamber almost silently. If the shot doesn't materialize and you have to move again--or crawl--you want to be able to unload the chamber just as quietly. I have taken a number of sheep at less than 100 yards and a couple within easy bow range, so this is an important consideration.

In my mind this lets out actions that must be worked vigorously to ensure seating and lockup, like semiautos and slide actions. Remaining are bolt actions, single-shots and perhaps the few lever actions chambered to suitable flat-shooting cartridges. I do prefer a bolt action for its accuracy and simplicity, but I have used single-shots and have no issue with them.

The whole concept to mountain hunting is to make a good stalk and take one well-placed shot. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but if there's time for more than one shot at all, there is usually time to reload a single-shot. I have never personally used a lever action, but my buddy at Rigby, Geoff Miller, loves the old Winchester M88 action (as do I). He has figured out how to make it feed the WSM cartridges, so there might be a real lever-action sheep rifle right around the corner.

Sheep are not particularly tough animals, so any good hunting bullet will do the job. The author recommends making the choice based on accuracy and aerodynamic shape, but, all things equal, you're better off with a bullet that opens up fairly quickly.

STOCKS AND METAL FINISHES
Jack O'Connor was a good wood man, period. This makes sense because synthetic sporter stocks only started to show up in the mid-1970s, and he passed away in 1977. Similarly, he was a traditional blued-steel guy, period. We had stainless steels barrels then, but stainless steel actions and true rustproof finishes didn't come along until more recently. Still, O'Connor was a bit of a traditionalist, and I doubt he would have embraced stainless steel and synthetic.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure that I have. I got my first synthetic stock back in 1979, and I have a couple of stainless steel rifles and one titanium-actioned 7mm magnum from Prairie Gun Works up in Saskatchewan, but most of my rifles have walnut stocks and blued steel. Aesthetically, this is my strong preference, and most of my sheep and goats have been taken with traditional walnut and blued-steel rifles. I cannot say that this has ever been a handicap.

On the other hand, despite my personal preferences, I have to say that synthetic stocks and rustproof finishes are better. Mountain hunting is tough, and I've gouged many a fine piece of walnut up in the rocks. Every time, I've sworn I'd never again take a nice rifle into such country, but for some reason I keep doing the same darned thing.